Sunday October 17th 2021

It was cold in my RV home this morning. The thermometer read fifty at 7:30AM. The outside temperature was probably in the low forties. If I didn’t need to get an early start on today’s long travel day, I would have rolled over and stayed in the warmth of my bed. The high temperature for the day was in the mid sixties.

I pulled out of the RV park for my three hundred twenty mile journey shortly after 9AM. My first and only stop was for gas a couple of miles down the road. The price per gallon at the same station I bought gas in 8 days ago was twenty cents a gallon higher. I put in forty gallons before the first credit card pass maxed out. Rather than doing a second authorization, I decided to wait until I got to Georgia. Fuel prices are usually lower in Georgia and forty gallons along with what was already in the tank would easily get me to my destination for the day. Gas prices turned out to be a cent or two higher once I got to Georgia.

The drive was easy until I reached the Atlanta area. Traffic got very heavy. I saw more accidents on the roads around Atlanta than I’ve seen on any single trip. The first couple were on the opposite side of the highway, but I was soon slowed to a crawl with stop and go progress. An accident had occurred in front of my direction of travel. I suffered through three slow downs for accidents on Interstate 75 south of Atlanta and passed an additional two on the opposite side. Overall I was probably delayed by about an hour.

The terrain in Alabama and eastern Georgia was very hilly. On reflection, I knew I was crossing the southern end of the Appalachian mountains, but in my head Georgia and Alabama are flat states. My first exposure to both states was along the coastal plain. In my mind I visualize the entire state like the area I first experienced. Even the hills in the Florida panhandle surprise me every time I pass through the area.

With the time change as I returned to the Eastern Time Zone and the traffic caused delays, I arrived at my destination shortly after 4PM. Overall I was on the road about six hours. I am at the Forsyth KOA along the side of Interstate 75 in Forsyth Georgia for two nights. I’ve stayed here three times before. The first time when I evacuated from Florida for Hurricane Mathew in 2016 and later when traveling along Interstate 75. It is a good location for timing travel through the Atlanta area. Prior to today’s experience traveling through Atlanta on a Sunday was easy.