More of Georgia and parts of South Carolina

The scenic detour I took on Tuesday in error ended up being the route I started with today on purpose .... had I only known.  ha.

It poured rain like the dickens yesterday, but today dawned clear, but cooler; 49 degrees at 10am - a good day for a drive.

There must be something unlucky about this direction because I drove around for almost 2 hours looking for my first stop without luck.  I did find the Ty Cobb Museum however, but, then, who cares?  ha.

What I was actually looking for was the Center of the World Marker:  To the Cherokee tribes, this marker stands on the Center of the World to which they came to trade and barter for goods and hold council.

In the spot where the marker should have been there was a very nice park and lake created by the Hartwell Dam, but I never found the marker.... but apparently stood at the Center of the World.  I came back this way again on my way home and still couldn't find a marker of any kind ...

The Georgia Guidestones were my next stop - Built in 1980, the Georgia Guidestones are made of granite. They include cryptic messages that spark controversy in four different languages that translate to "Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason" along with ten guidelines. These six granite slabs are a present-day Stonehenge that spark conspiracy rumors and speculation.

Signs along the highway claim this to be the Granite Capital of the World.

And then a stop at the Washington Historical Museum - which is the town and county of Washington, not the man.

Built in 1885, the Watson Mill Bridge is still open to traffic, stretching nearly 230 feet long and is the longest covered bridge in the state. The 1,118-acre namesake state park adds picturesque beauty to the history of the bridge and includes hiking trails, horse stables, RV campsites.... the "river" running underneath the bridge was beautiful.

 Fort Hill Plantation was an interesting stop.  It was the home of John C. Calhoun (of VP fame) during the last 25 years of his life and is the current campus of Clemson University.  The land was left in a will for the purpose of creating the university, and specified that Fort Hill be "open for the inspection of visitors" as a museum, so much of the contents are the actual pieces from Calhoun..  The docent at the house is a student who was very nice to give me a one-on-one tour of the house, Calhoun's office, the kitchen and the grounds.  The university has a large, very nice looking campus and the docent was telling me most of the students are from the East coast.

And then I drove about 60 miles of back, 2 lane roads, just enjoying the area and the day.

I see some fun things and lots of creativity as I drive the highways and back roads (and detours) .... some fun mailboxes, and the round hay bales decorated to look like pumpkins, spiders, Mickey and Minnie, etc.  I saw one as a snowman today .... Unfortunately, I can't seem to get pictures of any of these ... there usually isn't anywhere to pull over and I don't have any warning to take a picture from the car ... but they are amusing as I drive along.  There are also lots of sculptures in yards made out of common items.

The churches in this area are all different and unique; odd shapes and without steeples most of the time, unlike the churches in Gaspe that were all the same.

I have seen more Sheriff cars in this area than in any other where I have stayed.  The other all-time record is the number of dogs - in yards, along the side of the road, in the road - hundreds of them - and not one on a leash ...