Day 1: Saturday, September 26, 2015
My husband and I traveled to Huntsville, and we stopped at Logan’s Roadhouse in Madison for lunch.
My husband ordered a rack of ribs and 1/2 rack of ribs, a baked potato, and a Caesar salad which we split. I ordered a baked potato with iced tea.
We rode to Bankston’s to look at new RV’s made by Tiffin, next, we stopped at Beat Buy where we bought a Sandisk 16 GB Ultra Camera card for my Nikon D500 camera, they did not have a Nikon Lithium Ion Battery pack
EN-El9a 7.2V 1080 m Ah 7.8Wh battery, so we went to Batteries Plus where we purchased a battery.
We stopped at Krispy Cream where we purchased two apple fritters and a cup of donut holes, I ate one of the apple fritters.
We had planned to go to the Space and Rocket Center for Smithsonian Day but the place was packed, so we had a couple of hours to kill.
My husband dropped me off at the airport a little early my flight was scheduled to leave at 6:21PM.
My flight was delayed because the incoming flight was late which threw everything off schedule including making my connecting flight in Atlanta.
I flew on Delta Flight 4940 seat number 17C from Huntsville to Atlanta.
We were late upon arrival so were several other flights so, we had to wait our turn in line to park the plane.
Several people on the flight had a limited amount of time to reach their next connecting flight, and they were getting anxious about making their next flight, several had to reschedule.
My connecting flight to Providence Rhode was the last flight and the next flight was not until the next day.
They let everyone who had a connecting flight off first.
I had only 20 minutes to reach my connecting flight at gate 34B after the plane parked.
I was walking at a fast pace from Gate D, I took the elevator to the ground floor, and from there I took the tram to Gate B.
I started up the escalator steps but about halfway up I stopped I was out of breath, and I let the electric stairs take me the rest of the way up.
Once I reached the top I found myself in the middle of many restaurants and shops.
I started walking at a fast pace toward gate 34B beginning with gate number 20.
I thought I would not make it, my mouth felt like I had swallowed a large ball of cotton, so I stopped at the water fountain for a drink of water.
I continued my journey to gate 34B, upon arriving I checked in followed by a young man panting profoundly.
We both boarded Delta Flight 935, and the question everyone had on their faces was What Happened? Why are you so late?
The flight was waiting for an older couple, who could not walk very fast.
I took my seat 34C next to the window, there were two black women in the seats next to me, they were headed home, and they had been on a cruise.
The woman next to me said I did not know my father was blind until I was sixteen.
She said my father could do everything, he made furniture, and he could work on cars.
She said once a sales clerk came by to talk to my father, the man said to my brother, your father does not like me.
He said, I held out my hand for him to shake it, several times, be he never responded, then my brother said, my father is blind.
I had made a connection with this woman, but never knew her name.
When we got off the airplane we hugged each other and said goodbye never to see one another again.
I went to baggage claim to collect my luggage. I watched the table turn with the last piece of luggage, mine was nowhere to be seen.
I heard my name over the loudspeaker.
The voice, said for me to please come to baggage claims. The attendant at baggage claims said that my luggage had missed the flight and that it was still sitting in the Atlanta Airport.
My luggage should arrive around 12 p.m. the next day.
I said, But, I am leaving in the morning at 6AM for Fort Myers Florida.
They said when your bag arrives, we will have it shipped to the Fort Myers Airport. They gave me a tracking number and a little black bag. The bag was filled with a very small tube of toothpaste, a tiny toothbrush, a disposable razor, a tiny bar of soap, and an X-large White Tee Shirt.
My luggage that was still in the Atlanta Airport, carried all of my clothes, my daily medicine, my camera charger, my IPAD, and my empty purse.
I had with me my D500 Nikon Camera, my wallet with all my money, my glasses, all my camera equipment, my IPhone, and my driver's license.
I went outside to the pickup area and called my daughter to come pick me up.
She was hungry so we stopped at Wendy's for a hamburger and iced tea.
We arrived late around 11:30PM at my daughter’s empty apartment and we had to walk up three flights of stairs.
All she had left in her apartment was a bed to sleep on, a built-in stove, and a refrigerator.
She had a few cleaning items, her makeup, a towel, tissue, and bed linens
The bed she was leaving in the apartment had a mattress that was made for only one person because it slumped in the middle.
My daughter gave me a pair of black stretch pants and a tank top to sleep in after I took a long hot shower.
I tried to sleep on the edge of the bed but kept rolling to the middle. I slept for a couple of hours.
What was I going to do for three days without my medicine, and clothes?
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| The bed we slept on |
Traveling from Providence, Rhode Island to Columbia, South Carolina
Day 2: Sunday, September 27, 2015
I was up around 5 AM, I took another hot shower and put on the clothes I had worn on the flight.
We carried down the last item that had to be loaded into the car and dumped what garbage was left in the trash outside.
We were on the road by 6:20AM
We loaded ourselves into the car and began our travel of fourteen hours and thirty-five minutes for 894 miles from Providence to Columbia, South Carolina.
We traveled I-95 leaving Providence, RI traveling all through the lower part of the state of Connecticut, crossing into New York at Port Chester, we crossing the Hutson River on the Triboro/George Washington Bridge into New Jersey.
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| Triboro/George Washington Bridge into New Jersey |
We paid fourteen dollars at the New Jersey Turnpike.
We stopped at 10:53AM in New Jersey along I-95 at the Walt Whitman Rest Area and Repair Plaza.
It had public restrooms, Sunoco Gas, a gift shop, travel information, vending machines, telephones, Burger King, cinnamon, Popeye’s, Roy Rogers, TCBY, and Duncan Donuts.
I ordered a Sausage, cheese, and egg croissant at Dunkin Donuts.
At 11:22 AM we crossed into New Castle, Delaware toll four dollars. It was a short drive distance through Delaware crossing into Maryland near Elkton, and paid a four-dollar toll.
We rode through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel in Maryland ($4 toll), and we rode through the District of Columbia crossing into Virginia toward Richmond.
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| Baltimore Harbor Tunnel in Maryland |
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| Welcome to Virginia |
We stopped at 2:19PM at Denny’s at 2861 Dale Blve Woodbridge, VA to eat lunch.
We ordered a plate of Zesty Nacho, which was made with tortilla chips topped with Pepper Jack queso, shredded Cheddar cheese, seasoned nacho meat, freshly made pico de Gallo, and sour cream.
My daughter and I both ordered a salad, they were not good, they tasted like they had been in the refrigerator for several days.
We crossed the state of North Carolina and rode to West Columbia, South Carolina.
We arrived around 9PM, at my daughter’s friend's apartment.
My daughter introduced me to her friend and her husband. We were served light refreshments, and I took a glass of Cranberry Splash.
My daughter and her friends went out onto the patio where they enjoyed a glass of wine.
I took a shower and put on a pair of my daughter’s stretch pants, and the thin, white, X-large, tee shirt the airline had given me.
I stretched out on the sofa, that was made into a bed for me.
I was asleep in no time.
Around 10:30PM my daughter took a shower and went to bed.
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| Denny’s at 2861 Dale Blve Woodbridge, VA |
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| Entering North Carolina |
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| My daughter and her friend in Columbia, SC |
Traveling from Columbia, South Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida
Day 3: Monday, September 28, 2015
After a good night's sleep, we were up and ready to go by the time my daughter’s friend was ready to leave for work.
We thanked her for putting us up for the night.
At 7:19 we were eating breakfast at Atlanta Bread Company in West Columbia South Carolina. My daughter ordered an Omelet with potatoes and toast. I ordered a bagel with cream cheese. I ate some of my daughter’s omelet and we both ordered iced tea unsweetened.
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| Atlanta Bread Company in West Columbia South Carolina |
At 9:36AM we stopped in Ridgeland, Jasper County, South Carolina at the Historic Frampton Plantation Home, once occupied by the Frampton Family. The first home was built in 1840, burned by Union troops in 1865, and rebuilt in 1868 this home is now the home to the Visitors Center & Museum.
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| The Historic Frampton Plantation Home |
The front room was recreated into the 1900s plantation house parlor or sitting room with an antique stroller with a doll, an eighteen-century spinning wheel, a desk and chair, a sofa, a TV, and many other period antiques. In one room there was a rifle hanging over the fireplace. Below the fireplace were historical documents that were for sale. There were books about City of Heroes, American Revolution, Swamp Fox, The Civil War, South Carolina in the Revolution, Haunted Battlefields of the South, The Shaftesbury Papers, and many others.
In the bathrooms hanging on the walls, we saw many old signs:
“I love cooking with wine, Sometimes I even put it in the food.”
“If at first, you don’t succeed, do it the way your wife told you!
“Unattended children will be given Espresso & a free kitten”
“I don’t drink anymore, I don’t drink any less”
I have child-proofed my house but they still get in!
“Coffee you can sleep when you are dead”
“Born to ride, forced to work”
“I don’t understand the idea of cooking & cleaning, just not as it applies to me”
PMS Be afraid! Be very afraid!
We took pictures inside and outside.
I bought four postcards, cost $2.16.
Outside we met several workers who were doing repairs and maintenance on the Frampton Plantation.
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| Southern Live Oak Tree |
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| Southern Live Oak Tree |
There was a sign in front of the Oak tree that read:
Our live oaks are approximately 250 years old, and we are caring for them with pruning and periodic feeding.
The massive branches also support other plants Gray strands of hanging Spanish Moss which is an epiphyte & not a parasite & resurrection Fern which grows along the tops of the main branches, and looks dead when dry but becomes green again after the rain.
Behind the visitor center was a sign that read:
The Frampton Line
A large earthwork, over 100 yards in length was raised on this site by General Robert E. Lee’s troops C1862.
This fortification was a fallback position from which to defend the Charleston to Savannah Railroads. An important Supply Line for the Confederate Army,
The railing is located about one mile north of this site.
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| Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Museum |
At 10:44AM we stopped at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.
We watched a ten-minute film about the Wildlife Refuge.
At 11:10AM we walked through the Saving The Resources interactive exhibits that were located inside the Visitor Center, before we left I bought a tee-shirt that cost $16.00.
At 11:51AM we were riding through the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive which is part of the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. We saw a couple of Alligators, and a canal full of lily pads.
We decided to get out of the car and walk along one of the trails where we saw a wooden build with a sign that read PHOTO BLIND BUILT BY!
So we decided to check it out, my daughter opened the door and started to walk inside when I hollered Snake! I saw an orange snake, it was curled up on the floor but scurried away before my daughter could step on it. We saw several markers, as we rode under large oak trees covered in Spanish Moss, that shaded the road, as we rode through the Wildlife Preserve.
Laurel Hill Plantation, Using Fire to Benefit Wild Life, Managing Water for Wildlife, Rice Field Trunk, Plantation Cistern, and Prescribe Burning
We exited the refuge at 12:06PM
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| I screamed snake |
At 12:37PM we crossed the Savannah Hutchinson Island Bridge into Historic Savannah, GA.
My daughter let me out to take pictures and she parked the car.
At 12:49PM, we were walking along the North Historic District of Savannah’s Riverfront where we saw:
Scarlett’s, Land & Sea Wear, the Black Dog, Chart House, Fiddlers Carb House, Susie King Taylor Tug Boat, Savannah Belles Ferry, Exchange Tavern & Restaurant, Savannah Candy Kitchen, Huey's True Grits, Boars’ Head 1964 Grill & Tavern, Shipping on the port Savannah, one-eyed Lizzy’s Seafood, Steaks Grille & Bar,
We saw the Savannah River Queen, & the Georgian Queen Port of Savannah Riverboats, and the Geleon San Pelay Sailing Vessel.
We saw the historic markers, Confederate Savannah, NOAR National Marine Sanctuary, and Savannah’s Wharves.
At 1:33-2:42PM, we were at Joe’s Crab Shack.
We ordered a bucket of shrimp, crawfish, potatoes, corn, and hushpuppies, with unsweet tea.
Joe’s was along the waterfront and we could have sat outside but it was way too humid.
There were several restaurants and shops along the waterfront so when we finished lunch we decided to visit several.
We stopped at River Street Sweets where we sample a variety of different nuts covered in chocolate.
We stopped at Fabulous Finds Under $20, where we looked at many different ties and flasks.
We saw many different store signs: Bernie’s Oyster House, Land & Sea Wear, Scarlett’s, Chart House, Fiddlers Crabb House, The Black Dog, Exchange Tavern and Restaurant, Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, and Grill & Tavern Boar’s Head established 1964.
The time was about up on the parking meter so we walked back to the car.
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| Savannah River Queen |
At 4:53 PM we stopped in Yulee, at the Welcome to Florida, The Sunshine State, Governor Rick Scott, Open for business, rest area.
We use the restrooms, sample the free orange juice, and tour the center. My daughter purchased a sun pass for crossing tolls in Florida.
On the grounds posted outside were signs about animals that you will see in the great state of Florida, black bear, painter, river otter, American Alligator, whitetail deer, gray fox, wild turkey, and great blue heron.
It took us forty minutes to drive from Yulee to Jacksonville.
It was around six when we arrived at 4556 Cambridge Road Jackson, Florida my cousin's home.
My daughter dropped me off and she went to get herself a plate of barbecue ribs and to check out the area while I visited with my cousin.
My cousin was not feeling too well so she went to bed around 9PM. Before she went to bed she showed us where we would be sleeping and she gave me a pair of pjs to sleep in, after I took a shower.
I slept in the half bed that was in my cousin's office. My daughter slept on the bottom bunk in the girl's room.
My cousin shares a house with her grandson and his girlfriend.
My cousin's grandson has a couple of daughters who come to visit during the summer months.
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| Majorie Goodrich |
Traveling from Jacksonville, Florida to Fort Myers, Florida
Day 4: Tuesday, September 29, 2015
My daughter must have been very tired because she slept later than usual.
I spent the morning visiting with my cousin.
After my daughter was up and dressed we said our good-bye.
We stopped at Chick-fil-A for two iced teas and a bagel with chicken cut in half which we shared.
At 1:20PM we stopped at Cracker Barrel Bradenton, FL to eat lunch.
We both ordered turnip greens. I ordered pinto beans and my daughter ordered chicken fingers.
We both ordered cornbread, onion, chow, chow, and water with lemon.
We arrived around 2:30PM at the apartment in Fort Myers. My daughter’s landlord is originally from South Africa. He now lives in Canada and owns an apartment in Fort Myers.
He wanted to be there to show us how everything worked in the apartment and to sign a contract for six months.
We walked to the clubhouse, where he showed us the outdoor swimming pool and the workout room.
He had to catch a plane in Fort Lauderdale so he left.
We rode to Fort Myers Airport so I could collect my luggage, which had been shipped from Providence and I had been without for three days.
We went to Publix for some groceries where we bought a chicken, lettuce, chips, avocados, onions, and tomatoes.
We ate chicken salad, and avocado dip, which we made fresh, with chips.
It had been a long day and we both were very tired.
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| Walt Whitman Rest Area |
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| Frampton Mansion Visitors Center in Ridgeland S. C |
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| Hutchison Island Bridge in Savannah, GA |
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| Galeon San Pelay Sailing Vessel |
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| Joes Crab Shack |
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| Joes Crab Shack |
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| Welcome to Florida at the Yulee, Florida Rest Area |
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| Cracker Barrel - Pinto beans and turnip greens |
