50+ Lifestyles

On the Road Again!

By Mary Schricker Gemberling

“Travel is the only thing we buy that makes us richer.”   

There’s always a feeling of euphoria that wells up in me as we drive down the lane heading for our ‘winter hiatus.”  With our bikes bringing up the rear and the car packed with beach towels, flip flops and t-shirts, we once again head away from the frigid temps and into the land of sunshine, beaches and palm trees.  It’s early morning and cold on the first leg of our trip through the ‘Land of Lincoln,’ but soon the flat
terrain of Illinois gives way to the rolling hills of Kentucky. The image of this state that comes to mind most often is that of horses grazing in white-fenced pastures in rolling fields of bluegrass. Although winter’s frost has faded the blue grass, there are still plenty of horses to see. There are more than 8,000 registered thoroughbreds born every year on about 450 horse farms in Kentucky. Kentucky-bred horses have accounted for 76 percent of Kentucky Derby winners, 75 percent of Breeders’ Cup winners and eight of the 11 winners of the triple crown. While it may not be scientifically proven, it is believed that Kentucky’s pure-filtered limestone water provides the states’ thoroughbreds a competitive edge to reach the winner’s circle so frequently!

A two-hour drive southeast takes us to Nashville, Tennessee. I am reminded of a trip to the country music capital a few years ago with my friend Carolyn. In my BG (before Gary) days, we were headed to Florida and decided to stop to see Carolyn’s son Andy, who was living in Nashville at the time. With our resident guide we toured the city’s well-known spots including Honky Tonk Row, hoping to run into the likes of George Strait or anyone else of country music fame. Maybe we should have gone to Bristol, Tennessee, approximately 300 miles east, since it is the real birthplace of country music! Of course, let’s not forget Memphis and Elvis Presley’s Graceland, the second most visited house in the country and Sevier, the home of Dolly Parton, the most honored female country performer of all time. However, music isn’t the only notable thing about Tennessee. The largest earthquake in American history, The New Madrid Earthquake, occurred in the winter of 1811-12 in northeastern Tennessee, and the state has more than 3,800 documented caves.

We continue our drive through Tennessee and into Georgia, the largest state east of the Mississippi River.  I am no stranger to Georgia; Macon is my mother’s birthplace and a stop on many childhood trips to Florida. My mother and her brother weren’t particularly close, but she couldn’t pass through the area without stopping to see him and his family. I can still recall the southern, laid-back drawl resonating from the porcelain-like faces of my little cousins. I had never heard anyone talk like that, nor had I ever seen such beautiful fair complexions framed by dark, almost black hair. I have long-since lost track of that branch of my family tree but often wonder what happened to all of them.

Weary from our drive through four states we decide to settle in for the night just north of Atlanta. The following morning, after a good night’s sleep and ready to tackle the infamous Atlanta traffic, we climb back in the car and once again head south. With over 5.7 million residents, Atlanta is the ninth -largest metropolitan area in the US. Combined with the fact that the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest airport in the world, averaging 101 million passengers annually, it is no surprise that Atlanta’s traffic ranks among the worst both in major US and International cities. Weaving through the concrete jungle of this city one would never guess that Atlanta leads the nation with the title ‘City in a Forest.’ With over 100,000 shade trees planted the National Forest

Service has recognized the city as “the most heavily forested urban area in the country,” covering 47.9 percent of the city.  Another interesting fact about the ‘Peach State’ is its new-founded title as the “Hollywood of the South”! Withmountains and beaches, urban areas and rural backroads it is the perfect setting for almost any film. Grab your popcorn and prepare to check out these iconic Georgia films: Cape Fear, Driving Miss Daisy, Fried Green Tomatoes, Smokey and the Bandit, Forrest Gump, Deliverance, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and the most famous of all Gone with the Wind!

Three hours of driving takes us across the Florida border and to the conclusion of this article. My next month’s article will be written with my toes in the sand on a sunny beach somewhere on the Gulf Coast of Florida. See you then and please try to stay warm up there!

Mary, a former educator and Seniors Real Estate Specialist, is the author of three books: The West End Kid, Labor of Love; My Personal Journey through the World of Caregiving, and Hotel Blackhawk; A Century of Elegance.