1/23/02 - From Chapel Hill, NC to Savanna, GA
I left the bus station with a deep breath. This was the first time in my life I've traveled so far alone and with no responsibility. It was a deep cool breath full of smiles and freedom. I drove on down I-95 through South Carolina into the night, stopping once or twice to look for a movie theater. I wanted to see "Lord of the Rings" by myself and laugh at my liberation. I read all of those books when I was young and it was my own first and true escape. But that night I was to drive straight through until Savanna, GA where I recognized a pungent odor that I had smelled the last time I toured the southeast. Someone needs to tell me what that smell is. My guess is the swamps or factories, and near that odor I stopped at a cafe and had the famous southern "sweet tea", which is actually iced tea without the lemon. But they're proud of it and I was glad to enjoy it for them. A giant Georgian truck stop made for a good spot to spend the night. So I cleared out the middle seat of the van and slept soundly.