Lost in Atlanta, Our Hometown
Trip Start
Apr 01, 1996
1
9
13
Trip End
Aug 26, 2003
Atlanta,
Georgia,
United States
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
After years of thinking about this trip and several months of intense planning and research, we charged out of our home at 9:15 am filled with excitement and anticipation. 28,020 on the odometer - will be over 56,000 after we visit all 50 states. "Baby You Can Drive My Car" by The Beatles was cued up on the CD player and provided great dancin' music as we hit the road. We were pumped!
We ran right straight into Atlanta's biggest de-ttraction: nasty bumper-to-bumper traffic. Thirty minutes later, we managed to escape, top off the gas tank, grab a couple of Cokes, and put the car in high gear headed east to Athens, Georgia. Enthusiasm filled the air.
I almost immediately learned the hard way that our 29-cent clip-in-the-window-sill cup holders should not be asked to hold nearly full open cans of Coca-Cola. Our second stop was in a church parking lot a few blocks from our home to clean up all the Coke. But nothing could dampen our enthusiasm, so we cranked her into high gear once again, and we were off - vowing that we would let nothing bring us down - this was to be a happy, fun, experience-of-a-lifetime!
We then became hopelessly lost trying to find the little two lane road I had chosen off a map. An hour into the trip, we came upon the golden dome of the Georgia State Capitol Building. It glistened beautifully in the late morning sun. One problem: the Georgia State Capitol Building is in downtown Atlanta - due south from our home and NOWHERE near Athens, Georgia. All we could do was laugh! A fitting start to the trip. I could have probably driven straight to the world's largest ball of twine in Cawker City, Kansas (where I'd not yet been), but I couldn't even find my way out of the town we live in! Sometimes we can't see the trees for the forest. I had the big picture, but I couldn't put together one of the most important little pieces. With the help of a cell phone and our daughter, Brittany, we managed to get headed in the right direction, and we ultimately made it to Athens - just two hours later than planned. (Round America Photos from Atlanta Georgia)
Behind schedule, we didn't stop to see any sights in Athens. Not the way we had planned to begin the trip.
Copyright 2003-2008, Round America and William M. Windsor
