Day 6 of the Southeast Rhombus Rally Caravan with Friends – Georgia to Northern Georgia

We stayed an extra night after the Georgia Good Sam Rally ended. It was a very quiet Sunday night at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. This facility is pretty awesome! It covers over 1,100 acres. Since it’s opening in 1990, it has hosted the Georgia State Fair, RV rallies, concerts, rodeos, conferences, trade shows, horse and livestock shows. It’s location in Perry, known as the “crossroads of Georgia,” is perfect to host these events. The fairgrounds are located near the intersections of I-75, GA 127, US 341 and US 41.

We departed the facility and headed north on I-75 for 7 miles, where we went east on GA Route 96, also known as the Veterans Memorial Highway. Along Route 96, were some large homes and tons of pink brick between the sidewalk and the curb. This brick work stretched for miles and miles and miles. 

This drive provided us a drive through picturesque rural countryside filled with cotton fields, peach and pecan orchards. Part of this road is also part of the Andersonville Trail.

Robins Air Force Base and the Museum of Aviation are located off Route 427, also known as General Robert L Scott Highway. Robins AFB is the largest industrial complex in Georgia. The base covers almost 7,000 acres, including Georgia’s largest runway. The runway is 12,000 feet long! Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, the host unit at Robins Air Force Base along with the 78th Air Base Wing and more than 60 other units contribute to the combat superiority, readiness, and sustainability of the Air Force war fighting team. General Robert Scott was one of Georgia's most prominent World War II heroes, as well as a best-selling author. A fighter pilot in World War II, Scott returned to Georgia to become an integral part of the state's war effort, and he was later instrumental in the founding of the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base. Scott was in flight school when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. By then a major and he wanted to fly combat missions, but at the age of thirty-four he was at first deemed too old. He published God Is My Co-Pilot, a best-selling memoir of his experiences. Published in 1943, it is still regarded as a classic wartime memoir. Warner Brothers bought the rights to the book and made a movie of the same name starring Dennis Morgan as Scott. In 1986 Scott returned to middle Georgia and became involved in building the Museum of Aviation, which has since become the second largest air force museum in America and home of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. During the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Scott carried the Olympic torch along a section of Georgia Highway 247 named in his honor.  

Along Route 96, we took a jaunt through Jeffersonville. It is a unique town with the train depot as its city offices and a Confederate monument in front of the County Courthouse. The earliest community in the boundaries of Jeffersonville was called Sandy Bottom, incorporated as Raines’ Store and later changed to Jeffersonville, around 1850. The Georgia Legislature moved the Twiggs county seat from Marion to the City of Jeffersonville. On February 6, 1901, the Twiggs County court house in Jeffersonville burned to the ground, destroying all the records. First erected in Marion, then moved to Jeffersonville, that two-story building was constructed of very heavy timbers and had been recently renovated. The fire was visible from Macon, over twenty miles away. 

Outside the courthouse is a Confederate memorial. The Inscriptions read: To the Twiggs County soldiers and those who sacrificed all to establish the independence of the South 1861-1865. In memory. Twiggs Volunteers Capt. Jas. Folsom, 4th Ga. Reg. - Twiggs Guards Capt. Jno. Barclay, 6th Ga. Reg. Faulk Invincibles, Capt. E.S. Griffin, 26th Ga. Reg. - Slappey Guards, Capt. U.A. Rice, 48th Ga. Reg. It was erected in 1911 by the Twiggs County Chapter Daughters of the Confederacy. The monument was relocated in December 18, 2014 and dedicated on April 12, 2015 at the Courthouse. On April 25, 2010, Jeffersonville’s public library burned to the ground. A new library on Main Street opened its doors in 2013. The distinction of Longest Serving Sheriff goes to Sheriff Earl Hamrick who served Twiggs County and Jeffersonville for 48 years behind the badge. In 1962 Jeffersonville’s Volunteer Fire Department became first Volunteer Fire Department certified by the State of Georgia.

Route 96 ends or starts, depending on which way you are traveling at Route 441. Route 96 ended and we headed north on 441. Following Pattye & Bully, we came into the town of Milledgeville. The city of Milledgeville has a rich history, especially for those interested in the history of the Antebellum South and the Civil War. Its history began in 1803, when the state of Georgia searched for a site for its new capital.  Because this area offered a central location and ample springs, it was the perfect spot. The planned capital city took shape and was given the name Milledgeville in honor of John Milledge, governor of Georgia and donor of the land for the University of Georgia. Located on the fall line of the Oconee River, Milledgeville is the only city in the U.S., with the exception of Washington D.C., actually designed to be a capital city. For more than 60 years, it remained the capital.  When the capital moved to Atlanta during reconstruction, Milledgeville experienced an economic downturn. The results of a slow growing economy contributed to a wealth of well-preserved federal style architecture enhanced by noteworthy Greek Revival, Victorian and Classic Revival houses that inhabit the city still today.

Lake Sinclair is a man-made lake near Milledgeville. Located in the central region of Georgia, on the Oconee River, Lake Sinclair stretches through the three counties. It was created in 1953 and offers over 400 miles of scenic shoreline, winding coves and inlets as well as several vast stretches of open water. The lake encompasses over 15,000-acres and provides both electricity and recreation.

In Eatonton Georgia, you can find the Uncle Remus Museum. Who is Uncle Remus and why does he have a museum? Uncle Remus is the fictional character and narrator of a collection of African-American folktales adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris, published in book form in 1881. The Uncle Remus Museum strives to educate visitors about the life and work of Joel Chandler Harris using historic storytelling, period artifacts, dioramas of the more famous Uncle Remus character. Other characters include, Brer Rabbit a trickster who succeeds by his speed and wits rather than by brawn. Br'er Fox considers himself the smartest animal despite being duped continuously. Br'er Wolf, is Brer Rabbit's second-most common antagonist. Brer Tarrypin is a friend of Brer Rabbit who joins him in his mischief and even outdoes him at times. Br'er Bear considers himself the strongest of the animals even though he is frequently duped by smaller creatures. Aunt Tempy, referred to by Uncle Remus as Sis Tempy is a housekeeper of equal authority with Uncle Remus who is elected to accompany the boy on his visits to Uncle Remus. If you have never read Joel Chandler Harris stories, you should.

While we were on this two lane adventure, there was a gas pipeline rupture in Alabama making gas prices soar. One of the stations that we passed has very high prices, as demonstrated in this one picture. I would say that this might be considered price gouging! We headed about 30 miles north and found gas for a more reasonable price. We did have to pass several gas stations that were out of all grades of unleaded gasoline.

Route 441 was a great road to travel. It was good road, some two lanes and partially four lanes. The scenery was amazing and very enjoyable drive. Parts of Route 441 is the Antebellum Trail. The Antebellum Trail is a 100 mile trek through seven historic communities that escaped Sherman’s burning march through Georgia. It is also known as the Heritage 441 Trail.

The Heritage Highway 441 Trail takes you through the middle of the state, splitting it in two with a nearly vertical path running north-south. In the south, the hills yield to the flatness of the Coastal Plain, perfect for exploring mysterious black water river systems and thriving wildlife preserves. The rolling hills of the Piedmont, antebellum homes and historic cities such as Madison and Milledgeville stand guard, shepherding curious travelers through their inviting doorways and friendly streets give way to the mountains. At the top, the mountains of northern Georgia surrender spectacular views of peaks and valleys, exposing Indian and Appalachian heritage along the way into North Carolina. 

We arrived in Dillard Georgia. Turning off Route 441 to locate the River Vista RV Resort. This will be our temporary home for the next three nights. We will spend this time exploring the area!