All that was left for us to do today was to drive our Hertz rental car from Savannah to Atlanta, a distance of just under 300 miles. We had plenty of time, as our BA flight to London did not leave from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport until 9.20pm.
When we did the same journey last October, at the end of our Newfoundland to Savannah drive, we were both really surprised at what a lovely drive it was. We had beautiful Georgian scenery to look at for mile after mile, in gloriously sunny weather.
Well, this time the weather wasn't quite so kind, with Tropical Storm Beryl still causing havoc along the coast and with heavy rain and winds inland. However, even with the inclement weather, the drive, if anything, was better than last year.
This time we had planned a more northerly route, taking us through some of Georgia's historic towns. We left the hotel at 10am and drove west out of Savannah, on the I-16 Freeway. After about 15 miles, we turned off to the town of Millen on Highway 17, one of Georgia's Scenic Highways that runs for eighty miles through wonderful quiet countryside.
Typical skies on the journey - a mixture of rain clouds and sunny spells.
I had done some research on the towns we would be going through and discovered that Millen had been in the news last year, because it had one of the highest rates of unemployment in the nation. As we drove into the town, we were stopped at a railway crossing while a goods train shunted backwards and forwards. We waited and waited for it to clear the crossing, but in the end we decided to turn round and find an alternative route.
I think this photo was taken at the time of the third shunt across the crossing!
We didn't have far to drive before we crossed the railway line on the edge of Millen. We continued the drive to our next town, Louisville, which was the former state capital, named after Louis XVI of France. In the centre of the town was the Market House, a place where slaves were traded.
The bell hanging under the Market House had been commissioned for a convent in New Orleans. On its way from France, the ship carrying it was raided by pirates. Subsequently, the pirates were caught and the bell brought to Louisville.
We left Louisville for Milledgeville, where we stopped and had lunch at a sushi restaurant, the only place open because it was Memorial Day. We had very good tempura shrimp and vegetables with delicious fried rice. On the way out of the town, we stopped to take photos of the old Governor's Mansion.
The town had some lovely southern-style buildings, many with white columns.
The drive continued on deserted roads through beautiful countryside. We drove for about two hundred miles before we came up behind this timber lorry - the first vehicle we had to overtake!
We now had only fifty miles to go to Atlanta and, because we didn't need to check in for our flight for a couple of hours, we decided to make a short detour to Panola Mountain State Park. We parked near two very pretty lakes where people were fishing. It was a lovely place to while away a few minutes, especially as the sun was shining.
Our Hertz Toyota Corolla parked by the lakes.
I then let the Garmin direct us to the airport by the shortest route. We enjoyed a wonderful drive through the countryside, avoiding all the freeways, until we were actually at the airport!
The new International Terminal at Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport that opened on 16th May 2012
We arrived at the terminal to discover that the Car Rental Return was located on the other side of the airport at the Domestic Terminal! We made the decision that Wendy should stay at the International Terminal and check herself and our bags on to the flight, while I drove the fifteen miles around the airport to Hertz. I then had to wait for the shuttle bus to take me back to the International Terminal. When I finally met up again with Wendy, she greeted me with the news that we had been upgraded by BA to First Class!! What a wonderful bonus!
It has been a marvellous day's driving and, to have sleeper beds for the flight back to London, is a great way for us to end our drive across the United States.
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