Day 11: November 4, 2023
Midnight Rambler
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The first sign alerted me in plenty of time to take a picture of the second sign.
If I understand things correctly, this fountain and a path-side plaque celebrate Tifton, GA, being the first city bypassed by the Interstate Highway System. Maybe being early helps because Tifton seems to have fared better than some cities bypassed by the system. In addition to a panel and bust honoring Dwight Eisenhower, the fountain has panels here and here honoring others who were instrumental in the project.
I've photographed the World's Largest Peanut before but only from the highway. Today I pulled around back to see the inscription on the side away from the highway.
I'm pretty sure that everyone I know above the age of twenty has seen the Allman Brothers Band. Most seem to have seen them multiple times in venues ranging from huge arenas to a friend's backyard. I haven't. I can't explain that, only report it. Fortunately, none of my friends laugh at me for my failure in this regard. They do pity me and that I appreciate. I also appreciate and admire the Allman Brothers Band despite never having seen them live. On a previous visit, I stopped by the graves of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley and there have been other drives through Macon but the timing, including that on last week's southbound pass, wasn't right for a stop at The Big House Museum. Today it was.

Parking's in the back. The entrance is in the front but directions are provided. Some information about the house and how it became a museum is on a plaque by the front door. Just about every nook on the first floor is filled with instruments and other memorabilia. The pool table (originally owned by Greg and Cher) contains a hint as to what might be most Cincinnatians' favorite Allman Brothers album. Beneath the vest, worn by various band members in various photos, is the very first Allman Brothers Band T-shirt. A pair of speakers now occupy the bay window where Dickey Betts wrote Blue Sky.

The band rehearsed on the first floor while the second floor their living space. That is reflected in the museum with only a few instruments on display upstairs. A real standout is the case in Duane's room containing Les Paul Junior that was his first electric guitar and his well known 1957 Gold Top. The saddle is in Berry and Linda Oakley's bedroom. The pillow filled couch is in the "Casbah" lounge or music-listening room with adjacent seven-head shower.

Exit is through the same door I entered through but it looks a lot cooler from this side.

I briefly considered going to roost in Macon but it was barely 4:00 and I decided that I could and should get through Atlanta before stopping. Atlanta traffic was, of course, horrible, but it wasn't as horrible on the northbound expressway as it had been on the southbound surface streets. I snapped the first picture near Adairsville a little after 6:00 when I felt I had gone far enough. I pulled into a rest stop a few miles later and checked out some motel reviews. I don't use Holiday Inn a lot but a Holiday Inn Express at the next exit was the only thing that seemed usable so I just headed there without calling. It was completely filled, the desk clerk told me, and so was every other motel at that exit. A big softball tournament was the reason, she thought. And she thought I'd find the same thing northbound until at least Ringgold.

I picked a motel in Ringgold that I thought acceptable and called from the car as I drove toward it. A room was available, I was told and, without prompting, that was immediately followed with, "but the rate tonight is $249 plus tax.". The clerk knew that would instantly separate the truly desperate from the not quite. I was nowhere desperate enough to pay $250+ for a few hours in a Super 8.

I did not even think about again looking for a bed until I approached Athens, TN, more than fifty miles up the road. There, a Days Inn with tolerable reviews had one room remaining. Some unknown big event Chattanooga was the reason for this swarm. The room was a smoking room but the rate wasn't inflated and I was now slightly desperate. I said yes. As the desk clerk attempted to enter my information, two other takers for the room walked in behind me. Notice I said "attempted to enter". Although the inventory summary showed a room available, when she tried to book a specific room, it wasn't there. I and the two guys behind me were all disappointed.

I have driven non-stop to Florida a few times in the past. Even did it to Miami once. But I certainly did no plan on driving non-stop from Florida today. On the other hand, it was now approaching 9:00 PM. I would be getting even less than normal use out of any room I did manage to book and home was just a four or so hour drive away. To my surprise, I didn't feel at all sleepy. My feelings of frustration, I'm sure, had a lot to do with that. So, this is not what I expected for the last day of the trip -- it's not even the date I expected for the last day of the trip -- but here I am taking pictures of the Cincinnati skyline at 1:12 AM.

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