Southern Discomfort

What's the closest you've ever been to a lightning strike? This evening, during a torrential rainstorm, we saw a bolt of lightning hit a utility pole directly across the street from us. This was just after our car died, right in the middle of nowhere, where (of course) we had no cell phone service.

The day started beautifully enough in Atlanta. We saw our host, Ellen, off to work, bid a fond farewell to her adorable little dogs, and set out for Stone Mountain to see the giant Confederate Memorial Carving on the cliffside. We were surprised at the whimsical, Disney-like atmosphere of the park. This was a popular family attraction with activities for children, shopping opportunities, and even an old-fashioned candy shop where they made pecan brittle right before our eyes. There were several rides designed to give patrons different perspectives from which to view the memorial, and we chose the skylift. From the aerial car, we got a much closer look at the carving, which covers an area of about three acres.

The size of the relief is deceiving because of the vast expanse of mountainside surrounding it. In reality, the figure of General Robert E. Lee (in the center of the Carving) has the height of a nine-story building. To the left of Lee is the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, and on the right is Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

We spent some time walking around on the mountaintop, enjoying the view from 1,683 feet above sea level. There was a flimsy little chain-link fence with a sign advising anyone who might be tempted to fling himself over the edge that doing so would result in prosecution. Thankful for the warning, we refrained.

After returning to the base of Stone Mountain, we were very thirsty, so we drove into downtown Atlanta for a tour of the World of Coca-Cola, which celebrates more than a century of Coke history (and the 50th anniversary of the Waffle House). Housed within the three-story museum, we found vintage advertising and bottling exhibits. Did you know that Coke used to be served in lead glass bottles? Throughout the museum were video screens with old commercials of which nobody ever thinks anymore, but with which almost everyone can still sing along. Behold the power of propaganda!

The highlights of the tour were the Tastes of the States and Tastes of the World rooms where, in addition to Sprite, Fanta, Barq's, Tab, Fresca, and, of course, Coca-Cola Classic, we had the privilege of sampling such diverse international flavors as a watermelon soda from China, an apricot soda from Japan, and, from Italy, a "bitter aperitif" called Beverly, which, as you can see in the photo Andy was kind enough to capture, Kala found delightful.

Thoroughly refreshed, we left Atlanta in search of Rock Eagle Mound, a 120-foot-wide, 2,000-year-old effigy of an eagle, built by Native Americans presumably for religious or ceremonial purposes. The stones that make up the enormous avian form are all milky quartz. Not quite the engineering marvel of Stonehenge, this prehistoric monument does raise a few questions of its own: How could the mound's discoverers discern its shape without benefit of the tower that has since been constructed at the site to allowing visitors to view the eagle in its entirety? And how did the mound survive nearly two millennia of souvenir hunters before being fenced off and protected in the 1930s?

At first we were disgusted to find that some miscreant had tossed a beach ball over the fence. On closer inspection, however, we discovered that the prank was something of a clever commentary on the landmark: it was a Big Bird beach ball.

Just down the road from Rock Eagle is the town of Eatonton, Georgia, birthplace of Joel Chandler Harris, creator of the Uncle Remus stories. We made a quick stop at the Uncle Remus Museum, where we were greeted warmly by Brer Rabbit himself, and then headed south toward Macon.

It was on our way out of Eatonton that our troubles began. First, all of the indicator lights on our car's dashboard lit up. Next, the vehicle's electrical systems started to fail. Soon, we were completely dead by the side of the road. And we could see what looked like a major storm starting to roll in.

We flagged down a friendly local family to give us a quick jump-start and lead us to town, where the kind people at Advance Auto Parts ran a few tests and determined that all we needed was a fresh battery. Whew!

By this point, the rain was reminiscent of our visit to Niagara Falls. This time, however, we did not appreciate the view. Still, we braved the downpour, the lightning, and the thunder, and survived the final thirteen miles to Macon, where we're spending the night.

Tomorrow: Walt Disney World!