they say its nice this time of year in Anchorage

Atlanta, GA - A cool and clear night in Atlanta, a picture perfect day altogether, except for the polar bears

It would seem I've brought very San Francisco-ish weather with me to Georgia. There was actually a nip to the air last night, and today was sunny, warm, and dry. It was such a relief to me, after so many muggy days and nights in Florida.

After making my exit from Miami, I cruised up 95 along Florida’s eastern edge. Then I made a stop at some Starbucks for coffee and a lil’ internet. Interstate 95 in Florida stood out as being the buggiest stretch of highway I’d seen yet. Making stops for gas, I could tell which cars had been on the interstate and which hadn’t by the splatterings on windshields and bumpers.

I met with a little rain driving along Florida route 40, but the skies were still pretty light.

I got to Ocala NF at about 4:30 and met with some very nice folks running the front gate. I asked whether there were any interesting creatures lurking about. They said that bears were still roaming about, even though they usually were farther north by this time of year. They said it may have been due to the fires in along the Georgia/Florida border.

Home that night was campsite #5. It rained a little as I set up the tent, but nothing substantial. The tent dried out after ten minutes or so. At the recommendation of the ladies at the gate, I put on my swimming trunks and made for the swimming hole. The pool at Juniper Springs campground was gorgeous. The crystal clear water was about 75 degrees, which was perfect after getting sweaty setting up the tent. I chatted with some nice ladies who frequented the spot. We sat around and watched a bold raccoon lurking about, trying to find dinner amongst our things.

The backside of the spring has a concrete ledge about 3-4 feet above the water. Off this ledge was water about 20' deep, so I figured it was time to do some more canonballs. I strategically placed the camera for timer shots and took a few plunges. Only really paying attention to the flashing orange light on the Canon, I totally botched one of the jumps and rolled forward, going face-first into the water. Wham! My head got boxed around a bit. My right ear was water-logged for the rest of the night, and my teeth ached. Nothing a couple ibuprofins couldn't fix though.

I had chili and spinach for dinner, and listened to the second game of a day-night doubleheader against Detroit. While eating, I felt the pressure dip a little. A warm breeze blew across my face and I knew it was about to rain. I scarfed down the rest of dinner and scooped up the xm radio. It started to rain hard just as I got the last of my things into the tent. It would rain on and off for the rest of the night, but it was a warm rain. I left the doors open on the tent and finished the game. I also had another armadillo sighting. Sleep.

The next morning I packed up my soggy tent, and left the campgrounds around 10:30am, Atlanta bound. Buggy bug bug. I stopped in Tifton, GA for some Starbucks time. Say what you will about Starbucks, but their omnipresence in America sure has come in handy on this trip of mine. Strong coffee and fast internet.

I had no trouble getting to Steve and Michelle's place near Grant Park. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Park_%28Atlanta%29) Michelle is my roommate Diane's sister. She and Steve have a really nice spot in Atlanta with thier two boys, Graham and Jacob. They also have a very friendly octogenarian cat named Theo. Theo loves getting attention from grown-ups, but tends to steer away from kids.

That night Graham and Jacob stayed with friends in the nieghborhood, and Steve, Michelle, and I ventured out for snacks and dinner. We started at this spot very close to theirs called Estonia, which served drinks and light fare. We had this great appetizer, which was kettle potato chips smothered with tons of crumpled blue cheese and tomato chunks. So good.

Listening to moe. in the car (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe.), we took a spin downtown and cruised amongst the Atlanta skyline, which I thought was striking. We got dinner at this really nice Greek restaurant. Lamb kabobs were had (insert Homer drooling sound). The coolest part of the night was back at theirs on the back porch, where Steve and Michelle have a big chimenea. At last, I could burn some of the firewood in my trunk that had been sitting there since Arizona. It was super-dry, after baking in my car for so long, and burned fast. One bundle down. Three to go.

In the morning, Steve and I went for a run around the neighborhood. We spent the bulk of the time in the Oakland Cemetary, the final resting place of many famous Atlantans. The most interesting part, to me, was the large sections given to fallen confederate soldiers. The run was great, but I could tell that I was getting out of shape a bit on this trip. I set up my soggy tent in the backyard to dry out. I don't think I'll be using it for a while now, since the rest of my stops along the east coast will be with friends.

Later on, Steve, Michelle, and I took a drive to over to the "little five points" section of town, which is to Atlanta as Haight St. is to San Francisco. We got brunch on the patio of an English-type bar/restaurant. An important soccer match was being watched inside, so lots of drunkin hootin' and a hollerin' in there. We strolled the various shops along the main drag, and then went back for the t-ball party.

Graham and Jacob are members of the Pirates, part of a t-ball league that plays around Grant Park. Their team was undefeated this year, going 8-0, so a party was clearly in order. Steve also got involved as an assistant coach this year. As the evening came, some two-dozen or so kids and parents arrived for the festivities. Many delicious snacks and beverages were had. Burgers and dogs were grilled. Children ran about with seemingly boundless energy. A couple guys there told me that I HAD to visit Glacier NP, in upstate Montana, during my westbound trip. I'd been told that a couple times before.

Next, Dave (the coach) gave out trophies to his unbeaten team of t-ballers. It was a great sight for me. The kids were so excited to be getting trophies, and Dave got a little choked-up while speaking about how each of the Pirates had contributed and improved over the year. I thought: This is where it begins. At some point, probably every major leaguer playing today had some kind of childhood experience like this. It starts with t-ballers learning some of the fundamentals of baseball: how to charge and field a groundball, how to catch fly-balls, and how to be a good sport. This was America, right before my eyes.

Dave is a huge fan of the Red Sox (and of baseball in general), and so we got to talking later on about how the Sox were playing this year. We talked aboout Barry Bonds, Nomar Garciaparra, and Red Sox teams of past decades. He described to me the joy of coaching and I was glad to've met him.

The party was a success, and I felt like I'd seen some of the southern culture I'd been looking for. Things just move at a slightly slower pace down here. I've enjoyed my time here. The whole Leader family made me feel very at home in their wonderful little niche of Atlanta. I'm a little sad to go, I must say. I've felt that way about almost every place I've seen on this trip, save Texas.

But, the itinerary calls. Tomorrow I'll take the 20 eastbound out of Atlanta and head for Fayetteville, NC, to visit my old friend Heather. It was Heather who originally invited me to move to California, not too long after I'd graduated from Rutgers. By the time I'm done, I will have visited every one of my past roommates from the house in San Mateo (except for Kory, who has dropped off the face of the planet).

What can I say? I'm having the time of my life. And I miss you all greatly.

To see all the Ocala and Atlanta pics: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMnLVq3aN2G0

More soon.

Andy