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Crummy Weather -- Let's plan some rides!

ron203

Southeast Area Director
Member
Snow. Ice. RAIN (at least). Since I'm feeling "lazy" and don't want to ride in that, I'm thinking about later.... Let's plan some rides!

So, I'm cruising the internet, checking out my hometown "stomps" and found a couple of new places. (And I thought I knew all of them..)

First one is the Currahee Military Museum a/k/a The Band of Brothers Museum in Toccoa GA. https://www.toccoahistory.com/ and Camp Toccoa

See the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=447&v=KHos-t9w5_A

Camp Toccoa https://www.camptoccoaatcurrahee.org/ was the training ground for paratroopers in WWII who came up from the base in Columbus, then deployed to England prior to D-Day when they jumped into France. Made famous by Tom Hanks' movie "The Band of Brothers" the locals have recreated the English encampment where the paratroopers were stationed prior to D-Day at the Museum itself, including the movement of some of the actual English buildings into the museum along with lots of original equipment. It takes about an hour to casually stroll through the museum. There's an annual re-enactment weekend in October of each year. Camp Toccoa (where they actually trained including a daily run up  Currahee Mtn, is being recreated at the old training camp site, about 10 miles away. Very interesting piece of history.  I grew up within sight of this mountain and remember rushing outside to see a C-5 Galaxy being tested by the factory crew in Marietta, skating in, just over the mountain and my house. Looked like a mountain flying over the mountain, making the coolest "whistling" sound from the engines. Amazing to a 10 year old boy.

What about a RTE to a nearby restaurant (Shirley's Soul Food - as seen with Alton Brown on the Food Channel in his "Feasting on Asphalt motorcycle tour of the US a few years ago) and a visit to the museum? Beautiful riding nearby, too.  Maybe do this during the February "thaw" which usually hits about the third w/e of February?  Thoughts?

Second is the "Miles Through Time Museum" of classic cars. Closed until April 2019 ( https://milesthroughtime.com/ )
This  is an interesting mix of museum owned cars, consigned classics for sale. Again, maybe a RTE and visit in the spring?

Thoughts?

Toccoa is about 150 miles from Charlotte,NC, 35-50 miles from Anderson/Greenville, SC; 100 miles from Atlanta; 50 miles from Athens/Gainesville.



 
Looks awesome. Unfortunately I cannot make it in that time frame as we plan on being in SoCal and AZ at that time. Will be keeping that in mind for a future time.

We swung by the POW camp and museum recently in Andersonville. We were quite moved by the place. Decent camping very close by. Might be an idea.
 
My American Legion Post riders took a trip up to the Currahee museum. The post commander is a former member of the 101st. They all said it was a memorable trip.  :great:
 
SteveJ. said:
Looks awesome. Unfortunately I cannot make it in that time frame as we plan on being in SoCal and AZ at that time. Will be keeping that in mind for a future time.

We swung by the POW camp and museum recently in Andersonville. We were quite moved by the place. Decent camping very close by. Might be an idea.

Andersonville is quite frankly, spooky and a little unnerving. There's a feeling in the air that's palatable to me. Maybe it's psychological, just knowing, but it's something that I felt when I was by there a couple of years ago. I recently stopped by Magnolia Springs State Park over near Millen, GA where there was a prison camp late in the war and didn't get the same feeling. Interesting, though.

This might not work out in February, but if enough folks want to do it, spring/summer/fall are all good times to visit there.
 
COGnosticator said:
Andersonville is just down the street from Yoders in Montezuma  :great:

Actually, I was wondering about that... Definitely both would be springtime visits. Hot as can be in that area in summer.
 
The "spooky" feeling about Andersonville is, IMO, due to what you know about the history of the site and the (much more widespread) stories of deprivation.

Andersonville existed as it did for a couple of reasons: 1. Lincoln refused to conduct any POW exchanges as he feared the Confederate soldiers would return to the battlefield and he knew he had an advantage in numbers. 2. Lincoln supported the actions of Grant and Sherman in making war on the civilian populations; burning or seizing crops and livestock, burning cities, villages and homes thereby denying the Confederates supplies.  The prisoners at Andersonville weren't treated the way they were because the commander of the prison was some kind of monster. He didn't have the supplies to support them. His soldiers/guards weren't in much better shape.

Most folks don't know it but there were a couple of POW prisons in the North that were as bad, if not worse. Unfortunately, it wasn't due to lack of supplies. Andersonville is vilified (with justification, it was awful) but the Federal prisons are (conveniently) forgotten by the ones who write the history. So go the spoils of war.
 
Probably so. I read a book titled (I think) "Andersonville" about it and it had a lot of info about those other prisons and you're  right. Winner  writes the history.
 
Got the heated grips on the Wing last w/e and the heated gear connection ready.

We'll postpone the Band of Brothers idea until later.
 
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