Still South, but thinking Northern thoughts

One thing is certain, it is hot in the south. It is also quite pretty. The forests were something I didn't expect and they ranged all the way from Florida to Virginia (and into VA). The bayous, rivers, tributaries and coast are all so varied and intriguing to me. If it weren't for the fucking humidity I would move here in a minute... oh, and the bouffant coiffed TV preaching puppets - they would need to go too. Religion can stay, the radicals need to go.I can't say enough about Savannah, but I will try. It is a beautiful, it is as old as it is still segregated. Yes, I said segregated. Throughout the lower downtown area it is touristy and mostly white. To the west and the southwest appeared to be devoid of white people to the point that it seemed locked in the past. This went on for miles in all directions. The houses were all beautiful colonials that needed lots of work, but the sense of community there was amazing. I had lunch at a BBQ joint that was just some guy's pickup truck towing a smoker. I rode past it and dismissed it because there was a huge line and it was ungodly hot, but the smell was too much and drew me back. I was the only white person in line and had such a great time pulling up on my bike and getting all the interest from everyone. All the children climbing all over the bike and wishing that I had my camera with me... I had 4 kids sitting on the bike and all I could think of was, what if they fell off. The BBQ guy (Randy of Randy's BBQ) was so surprised that he had a white person stop - he said that they mostly just drive by and that the 11 years he has been doing this I was the 4th. It bothers me that, in this "United" States, we still have ideals that would make the late Jesse Helms proud. 

4 white people in 11 years... pathetic! You would think that the press would find out about this little gem that is set up daily in the same spot and serves the best BBQ I have had on this trip.It has been many years since I have seen a fireworks show (the shows in Iraq don't count - even though they could be louder and more colorful) and was thoroughly entertained. It wasn't just the show, it was the preamble, the crowd (this is where people become integrated here) and the location that was amazing. The looks on the children's faces were the best when it was their first show. 

Of course, with everything, you get your idiots. It is funny to me that someone without an accent can yell and scream yet not seem half as stupid as someone with a southern accent. Like APT said once, "A person with a bad southern accent immediately lowers their IQ by 15 points when they open their mouths".  

Spanish moss is so cool.

Random thought of my day: 

What do you call a dead, deep-voiced crooning soul singer who is turned into a zombie? Barry Wight. 

I didn't say it was good, just random. 

I have left Savannah and have continued north to North South Carolina and will cross into South North Carolina in the morning on the way to the Outer Banks. With the storm off the Eastern Seaboard moving in from Bermuda I should expect plenty of rain for the next few days. Not a big deal, but it sure does make things a lot less entertaining and more exhausting. 

This bridge in No Carolina was so cool - I had to stay in Mt. Pleasant (it was neither) to get the night shot.