Lows and Highs from the Road (Andre)

Andersonville National Historic Site

Stockage Boundry at Andersonville Prison Site

Prison Gate through which 45,000 Union soldiers entered Andersonville

Plains, GA - Birthplace of Jimmy Carter

It was amazing to see an actual Nobel Peace Prize medal (Jimmy Carter's)

Sitting at the Resolute Desk

One of the things we so looked forward to as we envisioned this plan, was spontaneity as we traveled down the road. We have spent most of our adult life planning to a fault, crossing all t’s and dotting all I’s as a matter of habit and often necessity. Well today, was a day for spontaneity.

We woke up in Macon, GA early in the morning greeted by temperatures in the upper 20s and low 30s, hardly weather that encouraged us to walk around and explore. We weren’t on the highway long, Route 75 South, when we saw signs for Andersonville Prison. We had talked about this prison in passing when we passed Anderson, SC a few days before, but the enormity of the topic did not hit us until we saw the signs this morning and we knew we were not far away.

Not too much of history lesson, but for those who are not familiar, Andersonville Prison in Andersonville, GA by all accounts was an American POW/death camp during the Civil War. It opened in February 1864 and closed in May 1865. During that time, more than 45,000 Union prisoners were held there and more than 13,000 died.

It was sobering to say the least, somewhere I had never been, and somewhere I was happy to have experienced. A nice part of this low part of the day, is that we had all the time we wanted to walk the grounds and contemplate humanity past and present.

Andersonville Prison was a 25 mile drive off the highway. While we were heading there, we realized that Plains, GA and the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site was just another 25ish miles beyond the prison. Jimmy Carter, regardless of one’s personal views, was a man of peace and decency. Knowing that we were heading in his direction, tempered our experience at Andersonville. And, seemed a fitting antidote to the inhumanity that we saw in the morning.

Simply put, I wish you the opportunity to visit Plains, GA. Right out of a scene from Mr. Deeds (a great movie) we learned that most of the small, rural town of Plains, GA, population 700, boarded a train from the town to accompany their favorite son to Washington for the inauguration. The national historic site is housed in Plains High School, where both Jimmy and Rosalyn attended,now closed, and chronicles Jimmy’s rise from a young boy on a very modest farm, a mile or so from town, navy, school committee (first elected office), state senator, governor, and yes President.

Being in the town and seeing the positivism of this place was a wonderful antidote to what we experienced in the morning. We sat at the replica of the Resolute Desk from the White House, saw his 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, and believe it or not, learned that he still teaches Sunday School at the church across the field from the high school, this Sunday and quite a few Sundays during the year.

We deeply regret that we cannot join him this Sunday as we are heading to Florida in the morning to meet up with our younger son Nick who is in Tallahassee this weekend for an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. (He says his team is real good and has a shot at nationals! And, Nick is turning 23 on Saturday!) But we wrote down the schedule of his teachings for the next 2 months just in case!

On the lighter side, our short playlist for the day:

Old Crow Medicine Show – O.C.M.S

Old Crow Medicine Show – Live Show, Opening for Dave Matthews Band, 7/4/2008 (twice, it was so good!)

Random road sign of the day: Timber Grows Jobs (GA highway sign promoting the timber industry in southern GA)