USA Road Trip - Day 11 (Aiken, South Carolina to Houston, Texas)

---

---

I thought the 4 poster bed we had in Savannah was high but last night we outdid that. In fact on Kerry’s side of the bed there was a two step ladder specifically placed to climb up into bed. Two other interesting facts. Firstly there was no ladder on my side and secondly the ladder on Kerry’s side was on the way to the bathroom so I had to remember that I case I need to go to the bathroom. At around 2am I was in a daze as I stubbed my big toe walking into it ! You know that feeling where the pain is excruciating and you now the only thing that helps I screaming out loud looking for attention. Well at 2am I had to hold that all inside and hat was pretty tough. Breakfast today we both had some English Muffins and these were just delicious. Kerry had grape jam and I had marmalade for the first time in many years. Kerry also had some muesli whilst I went back for seconds. We left around 9.30am and decided to have a short drive around Aiken and then Kerry remembered reading about a famous road here where the trees form a canopy across the road. Google can be a wonderful ally to have on road trips and we soon realized it was South Boundary Avenue we were looking for and it was literally less than a mile from our Hotel. It was beautiful but very hard to get that perfect snap with the camera as there was so much traffic here for the steeplechase happening here today. Oddly enough whilst researching this I realised that Jones Street in Savannah is also on the Top 10 list of beautiful American Streets so we are doing OK at ticking these off. We then headed off but instead of taking Mr. Tom Tom’s advice on the next route we headed due south along Whiskey Road as we found out there is probably some things to see along this road. We hit South Aiken and suddenly we were back in suburbia with shops, diners you name it and this was where we should have come yesterday when we were just looking for a coffee! Stopped at a CVS Pharmacy to get something for our lips. Mine are starting to crack and Kerry is heading that way so we came across some you beaut stuff called Blistex which we hope will do the trick. Soon back off and on our way. Next stop just across the border back into Georgia to visit Augusta. My aim here is to get a taste of the Masters which starts in just 12 more sleeps. As soon as we arrived we headed to the Visitors Information Centre which also houses a Museum. It was only $4- entry and had some Augusta Historical Areas and a couple of Golf Exhibits with some old clubs and memorabilia from the US Masters and stories about how the Augusta National Golf Course was started by the legendary Bobby Jones . We went to the gift shop to try and get some memorabilia but they had nothing at all. In fact the closest we came to buying something was when Kerry discovered an Augusta National Cookbook ! It weighed a lot so we did not buy it. The lady suggested we try driving down Beale Street and go to some of the antique shops as they might have something (they are very protective of marketing rights and only sell on the actual course at the tournament). Off we went and a few shops were closed as it was Easter Saturday, but we found one shop open and it had a few things and I managed to buy a golf ball marker with Masters logo etc. Small and practical so that will have to do. Next we drive to see Augusta National Golf Cub home of the Masters. The lady back at the gift shop told me where to go to get the best picture which is in a park directly opposite the main entrance that leads down Magnolia Lane towards the old clubhouse. I have heard so many professional golfers tell stories about how they feel goose bumps when they arrive here. I felt the sense of history and occasion and just wanted to walk inside and have a look around but I knew deep down the security guards were not going to let that happen. The best tip I was given was I should volunteer at the Masters and not only do you get inside you also get the privilege of playing on the course right after the tournament. Wouldn’t that be a thrill! As soon as we headed off on our way back to Atlanta Airport it started to rain, and I mean rain. It was like driving into a hurricane the visibility was pathetic, and we drove so slowly I was worried about someone hitting us from behind. Most cars here have red blinkers as well as tail lights so you can’t tell when they change lanes very easily, and they were not very bright at all. I have never concentrated on driving as much in my life. There were several accidents we saw in the hour or so it took to get through this weather and to illustrate how much I was concentrating on looking ahead Kerry asked if I saw the car that had rolled in the median strip and I had not seen it as we went passed ! Decided to get some petrol on the way back and pulled into a BP station but drama as he was unable to activate the fuel pumps (storm had damaged IT system I guess). He said another one was 10 miles down the road so off we go. This time we are in luck and no problems filling up here. About two hours later I decided to top up gas as we were not far from the airport an best to leave with a full tank but we went off Interstate into what looked to be a real bad neighbourhood and first petrol station I stopped at had some bad looking dudes hanging out the front and I was too sacred to even get out of my car. Drove down the road and found another gas station and put $20- bucks in an got out as fast as I could. I was in need of rest rooms but would rather wet my pants than going in here ! Got to the airport, and once we realised we were supposed to go to Domestic not International terminal it was a breeze dropping off hire car, and getting the driverless shuttle to the airport. So that was the end of Road Trip # 1 where the total driving time was about 20 hours and we drove 2,130km. We are flying again with Southwest Airlines to Houston, Texas to start Road Trip # 2 and they are just as impressive this time. We had been allocated A16,AA17 in their early bird queueing system, and because the flight had just arrived from Houston it was empty. I think there was less than 5 people on board when we got on and Kerry immediately grabbed Seats 1A,1B with a bit extra leg rom. The plane left on time and Captain said it was a bit bumpy on the way so might expect it again. As soon as they served us some drinks and those great Southwest Peanuts the stewards were told to return to their seats, so only Row 1 got served !! Kerry had bought a turkey sandwich at the airport terminal as we had not had any lunch and plane left at 5.45pm so we were pretty hungry. At $8.99 I thought it was expensive but when she opened the package it had 7 slices of turkey inside. Yes 7, on focaccia style bread. Plane arrived in Houston, Texas about 20 minutes early and we have to wind clock back 1 hour due to different time zones. Our luggage was first out of the carousel AGAIN !! We head out to the Hertz Car Shuttle and off we go and when we get there my name is on the Gold Member board saying my car is waiting in Bay 24. It’s a Kia Optima the same car we were supposed to have in Atlanta but Kerry is not happy as the passenger seat is very low and she can’t see out front very well. No problem we can choose any car from the bay area for our sized car so we chose a Toyota Camry SE which is brand new. Plug in Mr. Tom Tom and off we go. It only took about 20 minutes from Hobby Airport to get to Webster were we are staying It is close to where we have tour booked on Monday. Down I45 and there is a lot of roadworks happening so quite difficult to get to Holiday Inn Express & Suites as we knew from TripAdvisor reviews. Eventually got here, check in and went to have dinner at Cheesecake Factory not far away. Served by Erick who was great and we had beautiful meals. Kerry had a Vegan Cobb which was absolutely huge meal and I had Skinny Chicken Enchiladas. I had a Dos Equis Draft Beer and Kerry had a Pina Colada all for $44.27 inc tax. Wow that was a big day in bed around 11.30pm, and as we are staying here 3 nights tomorrow we will take things a bit easier Perhaps !!

---