Wake up in Savannah GA with no fog, and only five hours of driving ahead of me. That means if I get my butt out of bed quickly, I can take in a trolley tour. A number of trolleys (many of them refurbished from days gone by) tour the city driven by knowledgeable guides, following specific routes and stopping at specific points, and they run at 15 minute intervals. You can hop on and off, take in the sights, shop in the market, take photos, have lunch, then jump back on the next one and continue the tour. Fabulous, and reasonably priced.
The tour I take is Old Town Trolley Tours, for two reasons. The first is that they have a nifty GPS tracker system, just scan the QR code on the tour map you get, and it connects you with a schedule for the next trolley at your location, even gives you updated changes to the route. This was important today as the City Market got blocked off for traffic for this evening's New Year's Eve festivities, and the tour route changed by a block or two. The second reason is that they also operate tours in a number of other cities, many of which I would love to visit some day (and almost did on this trip).
The tour guides are very entertaining, and provide great details about this very old city with a rich history. Rich for sure. Historical, wow. And I finally get some decent photos of some of the historical and Victorian homes of the south (note that all of these are SOOTC).
After a light lunch on a patio (how did I manage to find a patio table?) on the riverfront, Blackened Tuna Bites with a chipotle sauce and avacado mash, I finish the tour and fire up the GPS to take me to Winston-Salem, NC.
The first leg of the journey takes me over a very high, very long suspension bridge - of course I can't grab pictures because I'm driving - that is gorgeous. Here's a stock photo from waymarking.com to give you an idea of what it was like:
Once on the other side, I find that I am no longer in Georgia, but in South Carolina. Thank goodness I bought this GPS - it is talking me through the entire trip. If I'm hungry, I ask it for restaurants, it remembers the ones I choose for faster navigation later, and tells me important things like to slow down in school zones. It shows me little icons where gas stations are, including what brand (if it knows it). Love it.
The drive is easy all the way to Davidson, NC, just north of Charlotte. There is a large lit sign by the highway indicating an accident ahead at exit 30 that is blocking both lanes. Traffic slows to a crawl a couple of miles later, and after about 20 minutes, a tow truck and ambulance passing on the right, and no change to the crawling pace, my trusty GPS suddenly announces that I-77 has been closed and that it was calculating a new route for me. Love it. So I inch across to the right lane and take the next exit (which is before the accident), and little Miss GPS guides me around Davidson to the second exit after the accident and I'm on my way. I tried giving the GPS a high-five but it just kind of bobbed on it's little stand.
Arrive in Winston-Salem, and it's much bigger than I expected. There's a very tall building with a rounded shape on top that is brightly lit. It will be interesting to find out what it is (Wells Fargo Center). The hotel that I booked is really a conference center, The Hawthorne, and it's quite nice. After the last couple of nights, my fondest hope is that I get decent wi-fi, My wish comes true when I see that the WAP unit is attached to the ceiling in the hall - right above my room door. Wonders never cease.
Tomorrow is a long drive up to Grove City, PA, and tonight is New Year's Eve. Tomorrow is the beginning of a New Year, one which promises to bring many wonderful opportunities. I hope that I am able to see them all, and grab all of them and make the most of each one. I hope that more travel is in the future, and more photography, and more precious time with children and grandchildren, family, friends, love and life.
The tour I take is Old Town Trolley Tours, for two reasons. The first is that they have a nifty GPS tracker system, just scan the QR code on the tour map you get, and it connects you with a schedule for the next trolley at your location, even gives you updated changes to the route. This was important today as the City Market got blocked off for traffic for this evening's New Year's Eve festivities, and the tour route changed by a block or two. The second reason is that they also operate tours in a number of other cities, many of which I would love to visit some day (and almost did on this trip).
The tour guides are very entertaining, and provide great details about this very old city with a rich history. Rich for sure. Historical, wow. And I finally get some decent photos of some of the historical and Victorian homes of the south (note that all of these are SOOTC).
There are so many other wonderful pieces of the city, and if it wasn't for the cars, it might seem like you were stepping back in time, with the brick roads, cobblestone streets, old cotton warehouses, markets, and parks.
The first leg of the journey takes me over a very high, very long suspension bridge - of course I can't grab pictures because I'm driving - that is gorgeous. Here's a stock photo from waymarking.com to give you an idea of what it was like:
Once on the other side, I find that I am no longer in Georgia, but in South Carolina. Thank goodness I bought this GPS - it is talking me through the entire trip. If I'm hungry, I ask it for restaurants, it remembers the ones I choose for faster navigation later, and tells me important things like to slow down in school zones. It shows me little icons where gas stations are, including what brand (if it knows it). Love it.
The drive is easy all the way to Davidson, NC, just north of Charlotte. There is a large lit sign by the highway indicating an accident ahead at exit 30 that is blocking both lanes. Traffic slows to a crawl a couple of miles later, and after about 20 minutes, a tow truck and ambulance passing on the right, and no change to the crawling pace, my trusty GPS suddenly announces that I-77 has been closed and that it was calculating a new route for me. Love it. So I inch across to the right lane and take the next exit (which is before the accident), and little Miss GPS guides me around Davidson to the second exit after the accident and I'm on my way. I tried giving the GPS a high-five but it just kind of bobbed on it's little stand.
Arrive in Winston-Salem, and it's much bigger than I expected. There's a very tall building with a rounded shape on top that is brightly lit. It will be interesting to find out what it is (Wells Fargo Center). The hotel that I booked is really a conference center, The Hawthorne, and it's quite nice. After the last couple of nights, my fondest hope is that I get decent wi-fi, My wish comes true when I see that the WAP unit is attached to the ceiling in the hall - right above my room door. Wonders never cease.
Tomorrow is a long drive up to Grove City, PA, and tonight is New Year's Eve. Tomorrow is the beginning of a New Year, one which promises to bring many wonderful opportunities. I hope that I am able to see them all, and grab all of them and make the most of each one. I hope that more travel is in the future, and more photography, and more precious time with children and grandchildren, family, friends, love and life.
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