Day 6 - Bluegrass Special - IBMA Bound

On Saturday  9/13 I walked in the campground, just a 1/2 mile from downtown Pine Mountain. I considered walking into town, because the downtown area is very walkable. But the campground is on Highway 27, so I decided against that! Inside the park I saw a unique feature that I have never seen at another campground. They have the RCI Bee Corral. Yes, it is a few bee hives on the property!

We had a new opportunity presented to us, so we made some phone calls this morning after my walk and the visit to FDR's Little White house is out... big change... we are making a detour for two nights!

We are packing up the rig and stuff and moving today! We are traveling on US 27 "Scenic Hometown Highway." All of US 27 in Georgia runs concurrently with Georgia State Route 1 and is also designated as the Martha Berry Highway. You will learn her importance later.... It connects Bainbridge, Columbus, LaGrange, Carrollton, Bremen, Cedartown, Rome, Summerville, Lafayette, Fort Oglethorpe, and Rossville. All towns we will be traveling through. The four-lane, mostly rural highway is a throwback to the golden days of road travel when no one was in a hurry, seeing the countryside was a pastime and roadside stands selling boiled peanuts, peaches and pumpkins, depending on the season, are plentiful.

Heading north on US 27, into the town of LaGrange Georgia. It was founded in 1828 and named for the estate of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution. The city's history involves agricultural development, the Civil War, industrial growth through figures like Fuller E. Callaway, and preservation of Southern heritage. It has become a hub for film production, using its historic architecture for various movies and TV shows.  

There was an Entegra Coach Accolade coming up beside us. I wanted to get a picture of him next to us, but it never happened. A picture in the side mirror will have to do! It made us think of our friends, Craig & Tracy, they have an Accolade!

The city of Bremen was originally named for a German immigrant that owned a local vineyard but the name was changed at Kramer's request to honor the city of Bremen, Germany. Bremen's economy was given a significant boost when the Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus Railroad was built, crossing the Georgia Pacific Railroad lines at Bremen.

Next town is Mount Berry, home to Berry College whose motto is "state of opportunity." Berry was founded on the ideal that learning works best as a shared commitment. Miss Martha Berry decided in 1902 to devote the 83 acres she had inherited from her father to found the Boys Industrial School. 

Her premise was simple: In exchange for a quality education, the students would work to help run and maintain their school. Students still contribute their effort and energy to help run their college. A culture of mentorship remains the essence of who they are. Every Berry student is guaranteed up to eight semesters of paid, hands-on professional development experience—connecting conceptual learning with practical skills development and leadership opportunity. At 27,000 acres, Berry’s campus is (by far) the world’s largest. The campus includes 47 primary buildings. 88 miles of trails, a vast ecosystem of woodlands, meadows and streams and is home to unique opportunities for research, entrepreneurship, hands-on learning and recreation. 

Georgia Grown Trail 27 was North Georgia’s first branded Georgia Grown Trail highway that  highlights agricultural experiences. You'll find seasonal u-pick farms, wineries, breweries, meaderies and distilleries, farm and farmers markets, alpacas, Christmas Tree farms, restaurants serving up local and regional foods, and events featuring Georgia Grown products and activities. The trail helps you discover outdoor activities like hiking, fishing and paddling. But most importantly, the trail helps you create memorable experiences, because that is what agritourism is all about!

We drove into Summerville, Georgia and I was stunned by their massive Veterans Memorial. It is a solemn tribute to those who have served and is located within J.R. 'Dick' Dowdy Park, right along Highway 27! 

The town was decorated with awesome fall decorations, beautiful flower pots and even permanent residents parked on benches on Main Street! A little side note, the 2005 HBO feature "Warm Springs" garnered 16 Emmy nominations. It ended up winning five Emmys, including three presented to Georgians. Summerville was one of the filming locations.

We arrived at our home for the next two nights, Holiday Travel Park - Chattanooga. We came here to surprise our friends running and on Yankee RV Tours, Historical Rails of the Southeast RV Caravan! Joe & Debbie invited us to meet them on Sunday and take the Hiwassee River Loop Train Ride with them. They did not know that we were coming to stay at this campground with them! Of course, neither did we until this morning! 

We had a good time surprising Joe & Debbie, Wayne & Joan, Debbie & Jim, Debbie & Tim, Rachel, and a few others that we have had on our rallies and caravans before!

Stay tuned for more #TwoLaneAdventures