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Okefenokee Swamp
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Fake alligators by the store
Hampton Inn from parking lotA Pause at the Cross -- ing of the Ways
"December 15, 2005"
From Brunswick, we drove to Waycross and checked into the Hampton Inn by about 3:30. The big attraction in Waycross (other than a VERY confusing intersection of roads) is the Okefenokee Swamp which I would really have liked to see. But it was still rainy and not conducive to tramping about a swamp.
The Hampton Inn had a high speed wireless, and I took advantage of this to upload the pictures in the last section. Then we wanted to go and eat dinner. I decided we should eat at Andrews. But the roads were so confusing that I went to the front desk to get a map. While I was there a man from Panama City was checking in (on his way south) and I asked him how he would go. He said he was going to Thomasville and was then going to drop down to I-10 -- that he just wanted to avoid Jacksonville. (as did I)
We got to Andrews, and it was closed for a banquet of judges and lawyers, so we went over to the Pond View which was also a B&B. We had a very expensive meal. I had a pork loin which was huge and I couldn't eat it all. I asked for half of it in foil, and the waiter gave it to me in the shape of a peacock. Bob had salmon, and both dinners came with potatoes and asparagus. Bob had pecan pie and ice cream for dessert and I had blueberry bread pudding. The dinner was $60.75.
"December 16th"
We had breakfast (Bob had a big cinnamon bun and hot chocolate, and I had yogurt and a biscuit with sausage gravy - but they were out of cranberry juice) and checked out at 8:35 and got fuel on the way out of town at PaPas Deli. It was $2.54/gal. Bob overfilled the tank and squirted off the car with water which scared me to death as I hadn't seen that he was doing that, and I thought he was spraying the car with diesel.
We found US84, and drove out of town past tree farms and lumber mills, and through Valdosta, and past cotton fields to Thomasville. On the way out of Thomasville we passed another plantation (Pebble-Hill), but did not go in.
We got to the Florida border at 11:10, and stopped for lunch at Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q at 11:10. We had what they called a "Short Ration" for $4.99. I had a pork sandwich with Brunswick Stew, fries and cole slaw and Bob had a beef sandwich with the same. The food came VERY quickly (we were walking in at 11:40 and we had our food by 11:50). This would have been cheap except the iced tea was $1.29 each (very big ones). Lunch was $14.36. They had a large interesting salad bar, but we didn't have that, and didn't have dessert either.
I thought we were doing well on time until I realized that we were going into the Central Time Zone, which would put the clocks back an hour. We got to Fort Walton Beach (after 285 miles) two hours before we were supposed to be able to check in i.e. at 2 instead of at 4. Probably we could have gone to Okefenokee after all.
Next - Arriving in Fort Walton Beach
