The Trip That Almost Wasn't

So Best Friend is once again a Georgia resident! Her relocation from Salt Lake to Atlanta is now complete…well, if you disregard the fact that the movers haven’t delivered her furniture yet. (Hey, who needs furniture or a TV or a computer?) The move wasn’t as smooth as I am leading you to believe, however. In fact, this whole awesome weekend trip almost didn’t happen. Hell, forget the trip! She almost called off her whole move in mid-relocation!

It was shortly after her only means of transportation completely died mid-journey just after crossing the Iowa State Line from Nebraska that she had her breakdown, only be followed by a more serious breakdown after renting an expensive car from Omaha to drive to Atlanta and then began her search for another vehicle (On a very tight budget, I might add). She had decided that she was going to quit her job and move back to Utah. Screw the job (that she loves)! Screw buying a new car (even though she needed one)! Screw her new apartment (even though she just signed the lease)! And screw moving back to stinking Georgia (even though she would get to be near her best friend and the most awesome person she knows)! Screw it all! She was going back home to Utah and that was that…until she found the really cute, affordable Nissan. Then the move and our weekend trip was on once again.

I headed to her new apartment on Friday evening. Dang! What a long drive! And to think that I was excited that she was moving close to me. I guess in comparison to Utah, she is close by. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the area she lives in is and impressed that they have an Old Navy and Kohl’s there. I guess I just wasn’t expecting much from a town that’s claim to fame is being Alan Jackson’s hometown. Yeeee-haw! I rather like it out there despite the fact that it’s 60 miles from my own apartment.

A perfectly warm and sunny Saturday, deep blue sky, and low humidity…What a great day for hanging out in my favorite haunt, Savannah. Of course, Best Friend and I did our usual Savannah routine (minus our doing one more new thing on each Savannah trip as we didn’t have the time allowance for any new things this time) but I almost felt like it was a whole new experience. More like, I felt that I saw things differently and through someone else’s eyes as Best Friend and I were joined by Slot Canyon Boy of Utah. Though Utah absolutely rocks in my opinion and there is no place else quite like it, the same can be said of my beloved Savannah. There is no place quite like it, not even in Utah.

After we arrived in Savannah, I drove them around the historic squares. Best Friend and I absolutely love the squares. We have a million pictures of them, but don’t have half the shots we want to take! (For anyone who doesn’t know, historic downtown Savannah’s streets are laid out in a grid. The squares in the middle of the grid are jewels of parks with statutes, monuments, fountains, gardens, and live oaks draped with Spanish Moss surrounded by amazing architecture of the colonial period.) Our very first stop was at Forsyth Park to take photos of the gorgeous fountain there.

After a briefing of the city’s layout (we planned to come back and walk the squares later), we headed over to Tybee Island where we climbed the Tybee Lighthouse. Slot Canyon Boy had never even seen a lighthouse, so we made the 178 stair climb just for him. I have probably climbed that lighthouse 50 times in my lifetime of visiting Savannah, but I still love that breeze and view just as much every time I stand on that gallery. After taking in the sea breeze, it was time to be in the sea breeze so we took a walk along the beach.

Then came the moment I had been waiting for…Seafood at the Crab Shack! It was perfect weather for sitting by the water on the deck under the tikki hut listening to some Jimmy Buffett and eating steamed oysters, crab legs, muscles, and shrimp. Yum! I was not disappointed. Poor Slot Canyon Boy was so disgusted at our chowing down on food that looked this way, that he could hardly look at us as he ate his cheese pizza. (Aww, but thanks for letting us eat there SCB. At least you got to see the baby alligators there!)

Next we were off to Fort Pulaski, a well preserved Civil War fort, in which the cannon holes are still visible in the old brick walls. There happened to be a cannon firing demonstration that day. It was really awesome to see the re-enactors show us the way it was back in the 1800’s. The cannon was so loud and powerful that I swear it blew my hair back! We were also able to find an alligator sunning by the moat before leaving.

Then we made a stop by the famous Bonaventure Cemetery. It is way too beautiful for a cemetery, but the statutes are just creepy enough to remind you that you are walking among the dead and not merely taking a walk in the park. I noticed a new statute placed in the cemetery in dedication to a recently passed female marathon runner. I don’t know if SCB enjoyed this part of the trip as much as Best Friend and I always do, but I think the two of us could spend all day there taking photos.

I think that he did, however, really like the drive across the high suspension bridge crossing the Savannah River. It’s a pretty high bridge for city like Savannah, but then again, it sort of has to be after an extremely large ship ripped through the old bridge. The new Talmadge Bridge is high enough to clear even the largest ships. After crossing the river, you enter into South Carolina, which added another state to the list of places visited for Slot Canyon Boy.

When we returned from the 30 second trip into South Carolina, we parked in downtown and walked River Street. We watched one of the street performers and finally (I knew it was coming!) Best Friend and I caved in to temptation and went into Wet Willie’s for a nice, strong drink. Now when I say strong, I mean it really was a good thing that we choose to walk through some more of the squares, through Colonial Park Cemetery, and by Saint John’s Cathedral for photos before driving the long drive home. Wet Willie's is something that you must walk off.

I am sorry to say that I don’t have even ONE picture to share as, for the first time ever, I forgot my camera at home! Maybe Slot Canyon Boy will email me a couple of his to share. Despite the fact that I didn’t take any pictures, I feel pretty good that we were able to show Slot Canyon Boy a good time full of firsts for him: first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean, first time to a Civil War fort, first time seeing Spanish Moss, first time seeing huge ships travel down the narrow channel on the river to the port of Savannah, first lighthouse, first look at an old southern city, first sighting of an alligator in the wild, and first crossing into South Carolina.

Ah, always good times in Savannah! I’m so glad that we were able to visit, even though the trip almost ended in Iowa long before it even began.
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Coming Soon...

By the way, this is my blog’s Halloween look. Among my outdoorsy adventures are my adventures in ghost hunting. I have always had an interest in the paranormal, but more than that, I just like the thrill of going somewhere dark and spooky. And though I am nowhere near as fearless as I once was prior to an experience that erased all doubts of ghosts being an overactive imagination, I am planning to share some of my spooky stories throughout October.