On Thursday, I veered of the beaten track as I made a diagonal from Augusta, Georgia, to my destination for the night, Valdosta. I had intended to only be on state roads from Augusta to Macon and then hop on I-75 for the balance of the trip. Instead, I found myself mostly on US221 and some state roads and I never saw I-75 till this morning. I enjoyed the countryside, but was amazed at some of the towns. I passed by a number of attractive homes as I made my way into Bartow, expecting a pretty neat looking downtown. It was bypassed and looked all but abandoned as the row of attached brick buildings stood dormant. Same thing in neigboring Kite. Pictured above is one of the two abandoned grocery stores in the hamlet of Norristown. I wondered when they may last have been a vibrant part of the communities. Some of the larger towns had similar areas, but they were larger and partially used.
Pecan trees abounded and I passed by a number of cotton fields, too. I had hoped to see some peach trees, but may have been in the wrong area. I was more interested in this scenery than looking for Augusta National, believe it or not. And my time in South Carolina was entirely on I-95 & I-20. I drove Mrs Garmin crazy once I hopped off 95 in Florence SC, but I am glad I did. It was getting dark as I made my way through Valdosta, but it looks like a place I would like to visit sometime. It was a long 500+ miles with just me and the dog, but it was very enjoyable and it did not seem to last as long as it did.
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