2016 Family Summer Vacation

2016 Family Summer Vacation - Augusta, GA

Summer Vacation 2016...

... awesome!

(created August 27, 2016)

For Summer Vacation 2016, we knew we wanted to go back to Hilton Head Island, SC. We had thought about visiting Charleston on previous trips and decided to get there this year, on the way to Hilton Head..

Ann Marie and I decided that it would be good to split up the drive to Charleston into two days, and after she read “The Miracle at Augusta,” by James Patterson, Ann Marie recommended we sleep in Augusta, GA.

So we booked the hotel in Augusta knowing little more than that two places of interest were nearby:

-The Laurel and Hardy Museum, in Harlem, GA - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/14638
-The U.S. Army Signal Corps Museum, in Fort Gordon, GA - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/24865 - has the phones used by Hitler and Hirohito and more

While both were intriguing, drive times prevented seeing either.

image sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Georgia_%28U.S._state%29

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/studentpage/coolstuff/seal.shtml

We visited:

-Augusta, GA
-Charleston, SC
-Hilton Head Island, SC
-and we slept an overnight in both directions in Nashville, TN

And we had one of our best, most relaxing family trips... ever.

Itinerary, and links to other sites, and photos, are below.

Family Summer Vacation 2016

Day 1: Ballwin / St. Louis to Nashville

The week before we left, I learned from searching Instagram that Augusta has a canal - https://www.instagram.com/p/BEW7thiOmdF/. With that insight then we performed an internet search to learn more. And then we used an old fashioned phone to ask some questions.

When the gentleman at the Augusta Canal Visitor’s Center shared how they have textile mill, Abby lit up, and started talking about how her class learned all about textile mills in Social Studies this year (Mrs. Jost / 5th Grade).

Given the museum’s hours of operation, we adjusted drive times. So, instead of driving all day Saturday to Augusta, we decided to leave Friday evening and get to Nashville, giving us time to get Augusta well before their 5pm closing.

So after work on Friday we headed out around 7pm.

Map / Directions: I-64 to I-57 to I-24.

Original photo

Photo enhanced by Abby (using Pro Camera 9.4)

We arrived at the Nashville: Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown just before midnight. The hotel staff was quite helpful speeding us calmly to bed.

BUT not before Matt made an extraordinary find in the parking garage - a Ferrari F12.... awesome!

The parking garage is short, small, and was completely full that night, so these images cannot do full justice to the awesomeness of the Ferrari, as we just could not capture it well enough, due to the tight space.

Day 2: Nashville to Augusta, via Atlanta

After a good night’s sleep and an awesome breakfast, we were back onto I-24, heading southeast through Tennessee, by 9am. We should have arrived in Augusta by 2:30pm or so... well before the 5pm museum closing.

Map / Directions: I-24 to I-20.

As we winded our way through Chattanooga, TN, with the interstate’s brief dip into Georgia before returning back into Tennessee, Abby saw the sign for Hardee’s and we all agreed a milk shake would be nice... and Ann Marie got us quickly through traffic and down the exit ramp.

As we refilled the gas tank first, Matt’s eagle eyes spied something across the intersection... right there in the parking lot of the store... a MacLaren!

We cruised well along the highway, and still, somehow found ourselves driving past downtown Atlanta at 1:30 pm ET, with two plus hours to get to August and still needing to have lunch. We were confused as to how we lost time, but Matt quickly downloaded GrubHub, did a search, and within a couple minutes got us to the parking lot for some Chinese.

Restaurant:

Atlanta: Aloha Asian Cuisine & Sushi

We grabbed a bit to eat and were quickly on our way to...

image source: http://www.augustaga.gov

Augusta Canal National Heritage Center

Enterprise Mill

http://augustacanal.com

Given the time we drove straight to the Augusta Canal National Heritage Visitor’s Center, at the Enterprise Mill.

At the Augusta Canal National Heritage Museum, Jeff welcomed us and stayed a bit after the official close, so we could enjoyed the museum!

Thank you, Jeff!!!

At the Enterprise Mill they had:

•a movie about its history, about how they built the canal to create power for textile mills, to grow the New South (the South after the Civil War), and to become the Lowell (Massachusetts) of the South; and how it was dug by hand over five years! and how it was ignored after World War II until recently when they renovated it with trails and kayaking/canoeing

•A replica of the canal, including a diorama showing how the hydroelectric power lights the town

•You can see the actual pipe bringing water to generate electricity at the Enterprise Mill

•Exhibits about life in Augusta and in the textile mills

•Old time picture devices

•A working generator showing how the many pulleys and axels in the ceiling now make a ceiling fan spin, and which used to make the many machines run

We walked up to the trail path and watched as the automated machine opened the gate to let more water through

It's metal arm was just inches from the power line above it!

Abby saw a tiger tail dragonfly and captured some awesome photos of it.

We learned after getting home the proper name of this dragonfly.

It’s a Halloween Pennant Dragonfly

Some links about dragonflies:

The remainder of the afternoon, we:

-Hotel Check-in
-Bike Ride across the Savannah River, into South Carolina, and back into Georgia

-dinner at Farm Haus Burgers (most ingredients are straight from their farm!)
-fun in the hotel pool
-watched some TV and went to bed

Day 3: Augusta, then Augusta, GA to Charleston, SC

On Sunday we:

-Celebrated Mass at August’s Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church
-Learned how to make omelettes at the Marriott’s brunch
-Say the Augusta National golf course, home of The Masters
-kayaked the Augusta Canal
-drove to Charleston

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church

http://themostholytrinity.org

The priest shared how important it is that we all pray for religious freedom for everyone, everywhere... even those who do not have the same faith as us... because not doing so leads to persecution of all.

The Church is very pretty inside... Tall pillars leading your eyes up to heaven... And white high altar and some amazing stained glass windows:

•The annunciation

•The visitation

•Jesus' nativity

•Presenting Jesus in the temple

•Finding Jesus in the temple

•Our Lady of Lourdes

•The wedding feast at Cana

•Several others

Hot to flip omelettes, courtesy the gentleman chef at the Marriott

1.Use a smaller pan
2.Keep your elbow a right angle
3.Keep your wrist stiff
4.Move your upper arm in a flipping motion and watch as the omelette leaves the pan, turns over, and glides back into your pan

Augusta Country Club, home of The Masters Golf Tournament

We wanted to say we saw it, from the outside, and we did. We also caught a sliver of a glimpse of a fairway, too!

Kayaking the Augusta Canal with

Savannah River Rapids Kayak (SRRK)

http://kayakaugustacanal.com

SRRK has a nice, simple setup at the headwaters of the Canal. You get there via the Savannah Rapids Park.

After signing in, they gave us paddles and life vests.

The Canal has a calm pace, and you can just float. We had fun paddling, too.

Matt and Mom tended to sprint ahead and then just float.

Abby and Dad tended to explore a bit in between paddling.

Matt captured films on his GoPro and Abby and Dad captured some pictures and videos on the iPhone.

We saw a LOT of wildlife:

•turtles lined so many trees along the shore, basking in the sun

•giant blue heron looking for fish

•several different kinds of dragonflies

The thermometer on the van read 100 degrees when we arrived and when we left.

It was warm on the kayak, but dipping our feet in the water, and out ball caps too, helped. The lady who drove us back said that the water is cool because the Savannah River is dammed upriver and the water flowing past Augusta came from the bottom of the dam, where it is cooler.

So even on a hundred degree day we stayed cool. And we had so much fun we didn't even notice that our shins were getting sunburned... We just didn't think to apply any sunscreen.

Mom and Matt progressed more quickly because Matt paddled so hard, and they would then float and wait for Abby and Dad to catch up

Abby and Dad floated under a branch once, and paddled through some branches on the canal's edge, and also photographed some white water flowers

They also touched the underside of the one bridge with their paddles stretched high

And they slalomed through the pillars holding up the one parkway

We arrived back at Olmstead Lake a bit quicker than expected

We all were hot and sweaty but we had a great time.

The phone’s GPS showed that we kayaked just under five miles in three hours... we could have been quicker and we could have been slower. On this day, our pace was just right.

We got back to the hotel with a plan... Move quickly

We got in and showered and out in about 40 minutes, with two minutes to spare before 5pm

We had a blast in Augusta in 24 hours 30 minutes

We drove on, had dinner at Olive Garden in Charleston, and then got to the Courtyard Marriott in time for bed.

Map / Directions: I-20 to I-26.

Links to the rest of this travel journal:

HHI 2016 - Augusta, GA

HHI 2016 - Charleston, SC - p. 1

HHI 2016 - Charleston, SC - p. 2

HHI 2016 - Angel Oak & Sheldon Church Ruins

HHI 2016 - Hilton Head Island, SC, p. 1

HHI 2016 - Hilton Head Island, SC - p. 2

HHI 2016 - Drive Home

HHI 2016 - Links & Reviews