Day 124 - Augusta, GA

Friday, December 31, 2010

Last evening was a good one.....it never was really cold, and the spot I picked to camp was in a good location. Even had a railroad track nearby, and a couple of trains came by throughout the evening. I kept waiting for Jack Bradshaw to call.......seems every time he calls, a train comes by. We get a good laugh out of that. I slept much better than the night before, guess tired from the long day. Was up, packed, and ready to be on the road by about 7. It was still a little dark, but almost no traffic......so I started out. My goal today is get to Augusta, where I will spend the night with Mark and Janet Weinberger. This was all arranged by Paul Bentley, whom I met several weeks along the road near Demopolis, AL. Paul travels throughout the southeast, and looks out for possible helpers for a walkingman.

Walking through Dearing, I stopped at a convenience store to ask about places to eat in town. Nothing here I was told, but there is a place in Harlem, about 4 miles east. So I headed there. As I came into Harlem, noticed a sign saying it was the home of Oliver Hardy, of Laurel and Hardy fame (most of you are too young to remember this). I found the restaurant, Huddle House, sat down at the counter, and ordered breakfast. While sitting there I started watching the woman doing the cooking. This woman was an artist on the grill. She worked so fast, and everything was orderly and turned out just right. When she reached for something, she rarely even looked because she knew where it was. I asked her name, Tammy, and told her I enjoyed watching a professional at work. I also asked if I could take a picture to put on the blog so you could see this artist of the grill.

I left the Huddle House, and headed toward Fort Gordon, about 10 miles away. My buddy from Roanoke, Tom Hawthorne, called and said he took basic training at Fort Gordon and about froze to death while there. Said to give it a salute when I passed by. It was a great day for walking, 54 degrees by 1030am. I passed a small community named Campania, and another named Berzelia. Didn't see anything in either. As I was nearing Fort Gordon, passed a prison with a sign out front: Augusta State Medical Prison. I soon came to Fort Gordon, and decided to take a picture for Tom. Just as I was taking it, an Army Police car drove up and said I couldn't do that. I was standing on Army land when taking it, but I could take it from off the property. The officer told me she could take my cell phone, but would give me a break this time.

I rested for a while, and set out for Augusta. A sign said it was 16 miles, further than I thought. I walked an hour, and a sign said it was 10 miles........one of them has to be wrong, because I don't do 6mph. But, whatever it was, I had to get there. Along the way I passed the National Science Center. After a couple more hours of walking, I was entering Augusta. I didn't know a shortcut through the city, so just stayed on Hwy 278 (called Gordon Hwy in this area). I passed a place named Grimes Gifts and Hub Caps, that has more cement bird baths and statues than any place I've ever seen. It would have been nice to browse a while, but I needed to keep going. A car stopped in front of me, and a lady got out and opened her trunk. Then walked toward me, and handed me some money, wished me Happy New Year, and went on her way.

I called Mark around 430, and told him I was ready to stop whenever he could get there. By 530 or so, we were loading the cart in his truck, and on the way to his house. He drove through the downtown area to let me see that. Mark and Janet had a few friends coming over at 10 for a New Year Eve "Pajama" party, and Janet even had pajamas for me to wear! Prior to the party, Janet fixed a nice dinner......steak, potato, salad, then the friends came over and we talked and ate more stuff. Then just before midnight I went upstairs just as they were getting ready to have breakfast at midnight. A really nice evening with a nice group of people. I worked a while on the blog, and then to bed. On to Aiken tomorrow, which should be a relatively easy day.

About the pictures:
Mark and Janet Weinberger, Good Samaritians and great hosts;
Tammy, the "artist of the grill" at Huddle House, Harlem, GA;
Laurel and Hardy on a wall in Harlem.