Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

Cindy prepared a delicious breakfast for her guests.  The M. family chickens provided the eggs that were scrambled to perfection.  Singing acapella, in perfect harmony and without giving each other their beginning note, Caitlyn and Julianna provided the breakfast serenade.  All was perfect to begin the cousins’ last day of their remarkable road trip. 

After chatting with the sweet M. ladies, Susan and Natalie began the final leg of their journey—a return to Washington, DC.  The conversation was steady as was the traffic.  They pulled into Susan’s driveway in the early afternoon and unloaded the car.  Natalie was happy to finally be a guest in Susan’s home!

They lunched at Baja Fresh and did a bit of grocery shopping for the evening meal.  Susan had a work commitment for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  Natalie prepared dinner for Joe and Daniel, and enjoyed talking with the guys during and after the meal.  It was a relaxing evening for Natalie, but not quite as relaxing for Susan as she was back on the job.

The GONE WITH THE WIND road trip had ended.  The memories will live on for these two cousins who had such a great time together.

Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

The day came to bid farewell to Atlanta and head for points north.  The city had been kind and welcoming in true Southern hospitality style.  It’s no wonder Margaret Mitchell was able to pen such a masterpiece in those surroundings.

Setting out after breakfast, the ladies hoped to make an early appearance into Asheville as to spend as much time at Biltmore as possible.  They pointed out the many churches along the route.  In South Carolina they stopped at a roadside country store to sample boiled peanuts.  The cashier gladly demonstrated how to eat the unusual treat.  (The peanuts tasted similar to cooked black or pinto beans.)

They spotted a sign to the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic site in North Carolina and took a little detour.  (http://www.nps.gov/carl/index.htm)  “Recalculating.”  They looked about the idyllic setting while walking uphill to the house, but didn’t tour the home’s interior.  The cousins remarked that since they were traveling without spouses or children and with few time constraints, they could stop whenever a fun opportunity presented itself.

They made it to the Biltmore Estate around noon.  (www.biltmore.com)  The estate grounds were expansive, extensive, massive, lovely and impressive.  The same could be said of the house but with using more adjectives—awe-inspiring, opulent, ostentatious, incredible, breath-taking, posh, over-the-top, grand, ginormous, other-worldly.  Mere words are inadequate to describe the grandeur.  In order to photograph the entire “house,” one had to almost stand in the next county.  Biltmore was built more and built more and built more.  George Vanderbilt was an impressive guy.  Too bad he died at such a young age.

In order to have enough energy to explore just some of the 160,000 square-foot 250-room house, the ladies opted to eat lunch in the Stable Restaurant prior to entering the home.  Two fun and attentive waiters made their meal quite enjoyable.  The food was pretty good, too. 

On the way to the house, Natalie just had to make a stop in the toy shop and look for gifts for her granddaughter.  (She and Susan opted to wait until the end of the tour to make purchases at any of the Biltmore gift shops.)

Equipped with a map, headphones and a pre-recorded listening device, the cousins began their tour of the mansion.  “Only” about 45 rooms were available for viewing including, but not limited to, the indoor garden, billiards room, dining hall (with an 8-story-tall ceiling and pipe organ), library, Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt’s bedrooms, guest rooms, music room, kitchens, gymnasium, bowling alley, swimming pool, and Halloween room.  Again, words cannot describe what they saw.  It would have been very easy to get lost in the house with the multiple staircases without the map.  Sadly, no interior photographs were allowed. 

Emerging from the home more than an hour-and-a-half after they entered, they visited the gift shops and made a few purchases and then set out to tour some of the gardens and greenhouses.  Again, words defy description.  It must be noted that the Biltmore staff members were all very gracious and accommodating.  Susan and Natalie didn’t want to leave, but other opportunities and responsibilities were calling, so they eventually left the estate.

Dinner was eaten on a whim at a charming little restaurant chain.  The food was quite nondescript except for the deep fried Oreos Susan ordered for dessert. 

Once again, they pulled into the M. cousins’ Wake Forest estate close to midnight but were still welcomed.  Mark even favored them with a bagpipe mini-concert in the basement (so as to not awaken the sleeping family members).  They slept in the same beds as they had on their last visit. 

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

No vacation to Atlanta would be complete without a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site, so that was the first stop of the day.  (http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm)  Susan and Natalie browsed the museum’s poignant and moving displays while still on the lookout for Final Four attendees.  (This was their last day to find and photograph tickets to the final game.  Their efforts were futile.)

 

They made their way on foot to the birth home of Dr. King and waited for the park ranger to open the door and give them a tour.  While waiting, they noticed a family of six young boys leaving one of the row houses across the street on their way to church.  The adorable boys were all dressed in their Sunday best attire (suits, white shirts and ties), and each carried a set of scriptures.  Natalie couldn’t resist the opportunity to dash across the street and ask the mother if she could photograph her boys.  The boys all lined up for a photograph even though the mother seemed a bit wary of the attention.

The ranger appeared, opened the door, gave some brief instructions (i.e. no photographs of the interior), and they began their tour.  The “tour” was limited to the main floor and lasted approximately 1 minute, and then the guests were ushered out the back door. 

 

The next stop of the day was the Historical Oakland Cemetery (http://www.oaklandcemetery.com/), final resting place of Margaret Mitchell.  Founded in 1850, it is the burial ground for many of Atlanta’s famous citizens and builders.  The architecture was lovely to behold. 

The GPS system had a bit of trouble directing the ladies to the next stop:  the Cyclorama in Grant Park.  (http://atlantacyclorama.org/)  Unfortunately, the Civil War museum was closed, so the ladies spent a bit of time walking around Grant Park.  (Zoo Atlanta also occupies the park.)  The grounds were lovely and tranquil and were the perfect setting for an outdoor church meeting of some sort.  The historic homes surrounding the park were unique and lovely, and most of the house numbers were displayed on a half-sun-shaped yellow marker. 

 

Susan and Natalie arrived at their next destination, the Margaret Mitchell House, ahead of schedule, so they parked and set off to find a place to eat lunch.  Peachtree Street offered many options, and the ladies chose Lime Fresh, a Mexican fast-food type place.  Southern hospitality was at its finest, and they were greeted very warmly by a smiling and very attentive young male employee who catered to their every need.  They were served more food than they ordered, and they ordered plenty.  They could have fed all of the restaurant patrons with the food they received.

After eating, they waddled back to tour the Margaret Mitchell House (http://www.margaretmitchellhouse.com/) and talk to more people about basketball tickets.  The tour guide was quite perky in her scripted delivery as she led the tourists through the museum area and Margaret Mitchell’s small apartment, The Dump.  Again, no photographs were allowed inside the apartment, but that didn’t prevent Susan from taking photographs through the windows from the outside.  The Dump, affectionately termed by Ms. Mitchell, is where GONE WITH THE WIND was written.  The cousins explored other areas of the apartment building.  There they met two Slovenian men who were also fans of the book.  (They didn’t have basketball tickets either.)  Adjacent to the home was another small museum that contained GWTW memorabilia.

When they were satisfied that they had seen everything they could possibly see relating to GONE WITH THE WIND and Margaret Mitchell, they realized they still had several hours left to fill in the Atlanta area.  What to do with their time was the question they asked themselves.  That is when they came up with the plan to visit Stone Mountain.  The GPS lady helped them with directions, and they took a very scenic drive.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain) 

 

 

Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of the bas relief Stone Mountain carving, is related to Susan.  A grist mill, covered bridge, granite quarry, tram ride to the top of the mountain, and plantation were all part of their experience which was capped off with dinner at the lakeside golf course restaurant.  Susan was particularly delighted to eat the “best” macaroni and cheese of her life.  The wait staff appeared to be a bit disorganized, and sent at least 4 servers to their table.  While touring the plantation grounds, they bought T.O.E. jam and met a family with 3 young boys.  Natalie asked the boys if they’d taken the tram ride, and one answered that he was too scared to do that.  She told them that it was fun and not too scary.  With a concerned look on his face, the same little guy asked, “How’d y’all get down?”  It’s a question the cousins repeated throughout the rest of their trip.

The hotel beds never looked as welcoming as when the cousins plopped into them that night.  It had been a full, full day!

Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

A hotel breakfast buffet is typically not a place one might find cosmetic supplies; however, Susan was delighted to discover the facial cleanser she neglected to pack:  honey.  It was even packaged in single-serving containers!  After filling their bellies and getting their 3-day supply of honey, the cousins set out for their short drive to Jonesboro.

They arrived early for their first tour, so they had plenty of time to browse the Road to Tara Museum, take photos and purchase souvenirs.  (http://visitscarlett.com/roadtotaramuseum.html)  The museum is housed in a granite building that was built after the original wooden train depot burned during the Civil War.  It contains a lot of book and movie memorabilia.

Jack was their charming tour guide/bus driver.  The “Gone with the Wind Tour” was a mixture of pre-recorded information and Jack’s live commentary.  Civil War sites and places associated with Gone with the Wind were visited.  One of the most interesting places was the Warren House—site where the majority of the Battle of Jonesboro occurred.  The house was used as a field hospital for both Confederate and Union troops, and signatures of soldiers remain on the walls of the parlor.  Numerous former occupants have claimed that the place is haunted.

It is currently being renovated and will be used as a special events center.  The tourists walked the grounds and took photos of the yard, and the inside of the ground floor through the windows.  (They visited the same house on the later tour.  The new owner was on site at that time.  Susan asked him if he’d let the bus occupants enter the house, and he declined saying that he didn’t have the keys with him that day.  Susan told Natalie that they would have gained entrance had Uncle David accompanied them.)

Since it was a peaceful, beautiful spring day, it was hard to imagine that such a bloody battle had unfolded on the hilled Warren house grounds in the quaint town of Jonesboro.

They visited the cemetery which holds the remains of nearly 1,000 unidentified Confederate soldiers who died during the Battle of Jonesboro, the old jail/history center (where the cousins were briefly incarcerated and photographed in prison attire), and several homes that had ties to the Civil War and some which provided inspiration for Margaret Mitchell in writing GWTW.

After completing their first tour, Susan and Natalie briefly returned to their hotel room and then stopped at a fast food-type burger place, Martin’s, for lunch.  Susan was delighted to see the onion rings she ordered be hand-battered and deep-fried before her very eyes. 

The ladies returned to the Road to Tara Museum/Train Depot to begin their second tour with Jack at the wheel.  The bus was more crowded that time.  While on this tour, the ladies hatched a plan to play a practical joke on Susan’s husband and son, Joe and Daniel.

Being big-time basketball fans, Joe and Daniel had hoped to accompany the ladies to Atlanta where the Final Four games were being played, but Susan denied their many requests.  Wouldn’t it be fun, thought the gals, to find ticket-carrying game attendees, photograph their tickets, and post the photo on Facebook with the caption:  “Look what we got!”  So Susan and Natalie began their quest for tickets by talking to nearly everyone they encountered.  They received a few wary looks, but most of the dozens of people with whom they chatted were very pleasant.  However, it seemed that no one had actual tickets (most tickets were electronic), and if they did, the tickets were secured in their hotel rooms.

While talking with fellow tour attendees, one man said that he lived in Alpharetta, home of Food Network celebrity host, Alton Brown, and shops at the same Kroger grocery store Mr. Brown frequents.  Making a mental note, the girls decided to visit that very store that very evening in hopes that Alton Brown would time his shopping trip to coincide with theirs.

Following the tours in Jonesboro, the cousins traveled to Marietta to visit another museum.  The Gone with the Wind Museum is housed in a brick 1880s warehouse and contains a large collection of memorabilia and a gift shop.  The ladies looked at and photographed almost everything.  Susan was dismayed to discover that her Ipad battery power was dwindling, so she found a spot in the museum to recharge it. 

Next stop:  Alpharetta, where they were treated to dinner by Susan’s former co-worker and family at an Indian restaurant.  There was a cute, but fussy baby involved.  They then made a quick stop at Kroger.  Natalie’s nephew, Lloyd, worships Alton Brown, and Natalie would have scored many points with Lloyd had she been able to see and photograph the celebrity.  Sadly, Alton wasn’t shopping in that Kroger that night, but they did photograph the store exterior and the produce section.

With night approaching, the cousins returned to the hotel in Morrow and flopped onto their beds.

Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

Susan was the first to arise the next morning and prepared herself for the day.  It can be safely assumed that she needed less beauty sleep than did Natalie.  She texted Natalie to ask where she was and to say that she didn't feel comfortable knocking on random doors throughout the house to find her.  Shortly thereafter, they were united in the dining room, left the peacefully-sleeping M. family and set out on their journey around 8:00.  (They later learned that cousin Cindy awakened, prepared breakfast for her "sleeping" guests and waited for them to join her.  When a lengthy period of time had passed, she initially assumed that the cousins must have been really tired and were sleeping.  She didn't realize until later that they had left much earlier.)

It was a beautiful day, perfect for traveling.  Natalie had never been to that part of the country, so she scanned the landscape while conversing with Susan.  They shared many stories (most of them true) about their lives as they had much catching up to do. 

A road sign caught Susan’s eye, and she pointed it out to Natalie:  John Deere Museum.  An arrow indicated the way.  Although a tractor museum was not part of their itinerary, the ladies decided to take a detour.  (It was the first of many times during the trip that the ladies heard the word "recalculating.")  What daughters of former farmers and John Deere enthusiasts wouldn’t do that?  After a couple of wrong turns, they located the museum and went inside.  The place was unstaffed, but open.  An entrance fee was posted next to a large jar that contained a bit of cash.  Apparently the proprietors trusted the honor system.  After depositing their entrance fee, the ladies set about their self-guided tour.  They wished their fathers had been with them—at least on that part of the trip.  Yellow and green tractors were everywhere in addition to every kind of John Deere memorabilia known to man. 

It may have been at this point in the trip that they first mentioned their uncle David C.  It would not be the last.  Drawing on his courage and chutzpah, they took turns climbing on a specific tractor and taking each other’s photos.  Uncle David would have tested the seat on each one and would have probably remained in the museum the rest of the day. 

After seeing their fill of tractors and such, taking photos and buying souvenirs (again on the honor system) for their fathers, the two were back on the road bound for Atlanta.  It seemed appropriate that they stop for lunch at a Cracker Barrel restaurant where vintage farm equipment was nailed to the walls.  There they encountered their first delightful waiter.  He would have been a fun passenger on their trip, but they decided to leave him at the restaurant to earn his living. 

Natalie snapped a photo of a giant peach (where was James?) on some sort of tower as they entered South Carolina.  Or was it Georgia?  (Fifty-three year-olds are sometimes prone to forget minor details.)  They motored through the Palmetto State uneventfully and arrived in the Atlanta area in the late afternoon.  After checking into the Hampton Inn in Morrow, they changed into appropriate theater attire and headed back into the city. 

The Georgian Terrace Hotel, where the GWTW actors stayed for the movie premiere, was the cousins’ next stop.  They looked around the hotel and ate a delicious dinner at the Livingston Restaurant. 

No GWTW tour would be complete without seeing a musical or play at the Fox Theater.  Susan had purchased tickets for Mary Poppins not knowing that the movie version was Natalie’s favorite Disney film.  What a genius!  The musical was practically perfect in every way!  Susan even bought her own parrot umbrella, and the ladies managed to snap a photo of the stage before they were chastised for doing so. 

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Natalie D. was not beautiful, but that didn’t deter her paternal cousin, Susan W., from inviting her on a Gone with the Wind road trip to Atlanta.  Their adventure began when Susan, driving her black BMW convertible, collected Natalie from Dulles International Airport, and the duo headed south.  Natalie’s sister suggested the two call themselves “Thelma and Louise,” but the idea was rejected. 

Susan had planned the trip, created the itinerary and sought Natalie’s approval before finalizing the arrangements.  She booked the hotel and bought tickets for tours, a musical and such.  Natalie was grateful for Susan’s expertise and initiative. 

The goal for the first night was to make it to the Wake Forest, North Carolina home of Natalie’s maternal cousin’s (Mark M.) family.  They arrived late in the evening after filling their stomachs with some Chick-Fil-A (a “restaurant” born in the south) food, and were greeted by the sleepy M. family.  They were given their choice of bedrooms; Susan’s was in the basement and Natalie’s was two floors up.  Natalie had warned Susan that they might awaken the next morning having had Sharpie mustaches drawn on their faces.  They avoided this “special” treatment probably because cousin Mark had to prepare for an Ironman triathlon and his energies were devoted to that.  (It was still April, and Mark’s favorite holiday is April Fools’ Day.  He is well known for his pranks.)

The Great Gone with the Wind Road Trip (part 1)

THE GREAT GONE WITH THE WIND ROAD TRIP

Acknowledgements:

Susan for suggesting, planning and organizing the trip and for being a magnificent traveling companion.  Lance, Sara and Mark for their sacrifices in doing without me for 9 days (especially Sara who celebrated her birthday during my absence).  The Montgomery family for hosting the late-arriving travelers for 2 nights and providing entertainment (bagpipes and serenade), fresh eggs and a great breakfast!  Joe and Daniel for forgoing a Final Four trip, and for sacrificing Susan.  Margaret Mitchell for writing such a phenomenal novel!  Everyone else who made the trip successful and pleasurable. 

Preface: 

Natalie and Susan are first cousins whose age difference is 16 months.  Susan’s childhood is spent in Samoa, Utah and Idaho, and Natalie’s in Utah.  They occasionally see each other at family get-togethers but rarely spend much time together otherwise.  The cousins reach adulthood and live on opposite sides of the country—Natalie in Washington State and Susan in Washington, DC.  Ironically, Natalie’s husband has been Susan’s houseguest on 5 separate occasions—once with each of his 5 children.  Natalie has neither seen nor stayed at Susan’s home. 

Susan develops a great love for Gone with the Wind (in movie and book format) at a young age, and will see the film and read the book multiple times.  Natalie develops a great love for Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Homer Price, and The Great Brain books.  Her first experience with GWTW is watching the movie as a college student.  She was unimpressed.  (She fully realizes that her experience could have been jaded by her choice of date or an unfortunate incident with the homemade chocolate chip cookies she took to the theater.)

Natalie and Susan stay in touch through their family website and Facebook.  They play each other in computer word games.  Natalie sees photos of Susan’s fun adventures, and one particular set of photos catches her eye—Susan’s first GWTW road trip with her young niece.  Natalie reconsiders her vow to never read GWTW.

Natalie buys her own copy of GWTW, reads it and falls in love with Margaret Mitchell’s masterpiece.  Susan is not delusional after all.  Natalie shares her excitement with Susan.  Susan suggests a road trip similar to the one she took with her niece.  A window of opportunity presents itself, and the trip is arranged.

Chapter One:

In development; stay tuned . . .