More backdated posts now that I have an internet connection:

We spent our night in Savannah in style, holed up in bedrooms throughout Kim’s mansion out in The Landings, a breathtaking retirement community a few minutes outside downtown Savannah. Sleep came on oh so quickly that night. In the morning we woke up to a real southern breakfast of grits, eggs, and sausage - we even got to feast on red eye gravy. This old cowboy favourite is just coffee mixed with sausage grease. And unlike the grits we had at the Doubletree in Nashville, these grits were buttery and delicious.

What would a trip to Savannah be without seeing the ocean? After our grits and gravy, we explored The Landings a bit (6 golf courses, 2 marinas, and 4000 homes) on our way to the western marina. There, we tried our hand at crabbing, even though we were out of season and our odds were slim. To do this, we basically tied a turkey neck to a metal basket that is dropped to the bottom. Eventually, the basket is pulled up (closing it) and any crabs which may be feeding there are dinner. We didn’t catch any.

The weather being what it was (a balmy 24C), a trip to go swimming seemed in order. A little jaunt over to Tybee Island brought us to huge beaches, warm water, and decent surf. All we had was a boogie board, but that was all it took to have a great time. This was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip so far (although the post-swimming grouper sandwiches were close).

I have to end this section with another comment on the notion of southern hospitality… It is alive, real, and just so AUTHENTIC. Everyone we have met in the south has just been so friendly. So here goes a sappy thank you to Kim and her family for the hospitality. It was much appreciated.

Last night was the most intense part of the roadtrip so far. We finally got loaded into the van at 6:30 pm, and didn’t stop until we reached Texas at noon the next day. Most of the trip was during a snowstorm. Apparently the biggest snowstorm in Lousiana in at least 50 years. I now officially hate both Mississipi and Lousiana and am never returning to either. I will return soon with tales of Texas.

Continuing my backdated posts:

We got to the Georgia Aquarium for opening Tuesday morning. The whale sharks are far and away the most hyped attraction here, so we decided to save that exhibit for last. Touring the rest of the aquarium gave me a favourable impression for sure, but everything was somewhat underwhelming. Maybe it’s just that I tend to be a fish guy, but the emphasis was definitely on big, flashy exhibits. Most of the freshwater collection, for example, was big catfish and sturgeon in huge curved aquariums rather than smaller exhibits showcasing the diversity of fishes for example. My conclusion seemed to be that while Georgia had one of the nicer aquariums I’ve seen, it was no Shedd (Chicago’s aquarium). This all changed when we got to the “Ocean Voyager” exhibit, home of the whale sharks.
The entrance here is a moving sidewalk down a long (30m), clear tunnel directly through the 6.5 million gallon holding tank. This trip took us about 20 minutes each time (trust me, you can’t do it only once), and releases you in the greatest viewing gallery I have ever seen. Everything revolves around the viewing window, apparently the second largest one in the world. It is so big that the four whale sharks swimming around look small. You have to see pictures to understand.

While we were at the aquarium, each of us made the same observation, confirmed to be true throughout the south by many southerners. Everyone down here gets married and has kids really young. The aquarium was full of 21-25 year old moms with their kids, and this hasn’t changed throughout Georgia, Louisiana, or Texas.

We explored Hotlanta for a little bit after we left the aquarium, but an invitation from Kim, one of Adam’s McGill friends, to a barbeque in Savannah, Georgia (just over 4 hours southeast) had us scurrying back to the van and on the road again. We arrived at the Green Drinks social and BBQ around 7:00 Wednesday night, just in time for the last of the pulled pork and fried pickles. The fried pickles are apparently quite popular around these parts, and most of us really liked them (I didn’t). Anyway, Green Drinks was a Georgia based networking group for young professionals concerned about environmental/social justice type issues, so we fit in rather well considering we were from far away. We were overjoyed to learn that pints here were 3 bucks, although that ended up being moderate-upscale pricing according to the locals. Played some beanbags, and then went to drop off the van where it would be safe overnight before getting drunk.

The capper for the evening was a little dive bar, The Rail. This was a great experience complete with all the southern cliches - peanut shells covering the floors, old people smoking cigars, and the local delicacy - toaster hot dogs on white bread. Seriously. They even have a metal tube insert in the toaster for cooking the hot dogs. And the best part – when we were leaving we ordered “travellers”. These are just pints in plastic cups, and you are allowed to leave the bars with them and drink on the streets anywhere downtown in Savannah. You listening, Toronto?