I don’t generally eat three meals a day – but by gum, if I was going to do it on the road to Plains, Georgia, I was going to chronicle it. My fourth trip to Plains to see President Carter was certainly one of the parts of our vacation that I was looking forward to the most. You might call it our semi-destination, for after our time there, we were going to press on to Kissimmee for two days at Disney World – and then from there on to Daytona Beach. The saga began in the wee early morning hours of Saturday, September 22, 2007.
Ashleigh and I arose somber and early that morning and drove out to Mom and Bob’s place to load our stuff and selves into the van and embark on our trip. Denise, Aaron, and Adam were originally going to drive separately since they had attended a late-night wedding and reception the night before. When we arrived at my Mom’s however, we were surprised to find that they had made the trek from Columbus to her place the night before. So as it turned out, we were all able to travel more-or-less together – with Mom, Bob, Ashleigh, and me in the van and Denise, Aaron, and Adam in their brand new car.
It wasn’t long before the inevitable occurred. We stopped for an early morning breakfast. And as tradition would dictate, it was at Cracker Barrel. There I pulled out my trusty camera and snapped the first photos of our trip.
It looks like Lord of the Flies at Cracker Barrel when Adam gets going
Ashleigh and Mom await breakfast
Bob and me
I was fortunate not to have to do any driving on our way down to our Georgia destination, so I spent the bulk of our journey watching my portable DVD player that I had gotten from Mom for Christmas in 2005. Like most gadgetry, it took me a little while to warm up to it, but on this trip it became my best friend. I entertained myself with The New Adventures of Superman cartoons, The Andy Griffith Show, and Will & Grace all the way down.
By the time we reached Georgia, we were all ready for lunch so we picknicked on coldcuts and snacks at the Georgia Welcome Center, a nice place to stretch our legs and let Adam crawl around.
The picnic area at the Georgia Welcome Center and our white van
Aaron and Adam lounge in Georgia
Studying the map
Taking Adam for a walk
We didn’t actually stay in Plains. All of the lodging (all two places) in town were booked solid for the Plains Peanut Festival going on that weekend. In fact there was also some sort of Andersonville P.O.W. convention going on nearby as well, so lodging in Americus was scant. We wound up in a decent Days Inn motel in Americus about ten miles from Plains, although I’m sure we would have all enjoyed the familiar Windsor Hotel much more.
It was around 7:00 pm before we headed out to find dinner at Mom’s Kitchen in Plains. I had eaten here twice in the past, meeting Rosalynn Carter there the second time while she had lunch. The place wasn’t busy during the late evening hour, but was war-torn from the beating it had taken earlier that day from the festival in town. I had fish with bones in it. I was surprised that our waiter didn’t collapse on our table. I was also still suffering from the pangs of my recent kidney stone removal. So overall, this wasn’t my best experience at Mom’s kitchen – but it was still fun to frequent once again.
Dining in Plains
I was tired from the day’s sitting, so I fell asleep rather early, drifting off to the sounds of Psycho on TV, which Bob was watching for the first time. Ashleigh stayed in Denise and Aaron’s room. I slept poorly amidst the snores of Bob…but it didn’t stop me from getting up at the crack of dawn so we could get an going to Maranatha Baptist Church again to see Jimmy Carter teach Sunday school.
Bypass the trip and continue with 2007…
See the official Jimmy Carter posting here…
You didn’t mention that in the chaos of figuring out our check, we forgot to tip the server at Mom’s. I still feel guilty about that, because he really seemed like he could have used the money!
Aaron
October 3rd, 2007