Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Opinion
Driving along the nation’s
highways and byways
Over the past couple of years, Alex and I have
driven along a lot of roads around the country. I don’t
mind driving too much, especially if I’m in an area
I’ve not seen before.
As a kid in the 1960s and early 1970s, our family
did a number of road trips, something that was popular
in that era before flying everywhere
became so common. I especially
remember the car breakdowns; a
timing chain got stripped in the mo
tor when we were driving through
Louisiana; another time, the car
overheated in the desert area of
northern Mexico, not far from the
U.S. border. A kindly Mexican fam
ily let us join in an outdoor cookout
while someone fixed the car.
Aside from the breakdowns, I
recall our driving by Bart Starr’s
home in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and
peeking from the road through the front windows into
his living room; and the time we drove into a smog-
filled Manhattan where the owner of a small bodega
sang the Georgia Tech fight song while we ate lunch.
(As a Georgia fan, I was somewhat insulted, but that a
NYC person even knew about Georgia impressed me
at the time.)
• ••
In adulthood. I’ve tended to fly more often than tak
ing long driving trips, or at least fly and rent a car for a
shorter-range drives.
While areas around the country offer very different
kinds of scenery, there are some commonalities we’ve
noticed in some of our excursions.
A few random road thoughts:
• Lawyers now dominate billboards around the
country. They’ve become something of a redundant
meme, too, where some guy is looking out in a posed
“tough” position — he (or sometimes she) is rolling
up his shirt sleeves, or making a fist, or standing with
his arms crossed as though he’s the only badass lawyer
around. Much of what they are appealing to revolves
around personal injury lawsuits. It’s true, we are a
litigation nation.
• Mega-warehouses are becoming a ubiquitous part
of major interstates around the country. Amazon ware
houses are everywhere, along with thousands of others
that now dot just about every interstate, urban and
rural. We’ve see the same thing in Northeast Georgia,
especially in Jackson County. You have to wonder if
someday, these bemouths might become archaic relics,
hulking shells of an economic period that transitions
into something else. I wonder, too, where the hell was
all that merchandise being stored before the advent of
mega-warehouses?
• Every place now looks like every other place.
That may not be true in the small towns, but along the
interstates, there is a certain bland sameness — the
HELEN - The spring and the fall are glorious
times to take respite in the North Georgia moun
tains. Anytime you go near the Chattahoochee
River, you can expect a good time to be enjoyed
by all.
Come here and you will be charmed by history,
Indian heritage, and mountain lore. There is also
mountain laurel, mountain music, corn, and corn
whiskey.
Arts and crafts, down home
cooking and a pristine environ
ment which reminds one that you
could spend a lifetime research
ing the people, places and things
that resonate with visitors.
Mountain people are creative,
inventive, and adept at making
do. It is hard to out fox them,
which brings about recall of a
rich Texas driving through North
Georgia in the fifties.
As he was cruising along in his
big Cadillac, he happened upon a mountaineer
walking on the side of the road leading a weath
ered milk cow and a young calf. The Texan, loud
and windy, asked the farmer how many cows he
owned? “Just these-uns” was the reply.
To which the Texan laughed and said, “Man,
back in Texas, I own so many cows, they overrun
three counties.” The old mountaineer, said, “You
don’t say?”
The traveling Texan then asked, “How many
acres of land do you own?”
The old mountaineer said, “Bout 76 acres, but
it’s paid for, and it has been good to me and my
wife and my chillun.”
With that, the Texan exclaimed, “Fella, you
don’t know nothing. Back in Texas, I own so
much land, I can get up in the morning and get in
my pickup truck and start driving west and won’t
reach the other side of my ranch by the time the
sun goes down.”
“Well, I’ll be,” said the mountaineer. “I once had
a pickup truck like that.”
Trout fishing in North Georgia is as good as it
is anywhere in the country. That happens to be
one man’s opinion, and while I am not an expert,
same gas stations, the same restaurants and the same
retail stores in suburban areas. Outlet malls, once a
unique “destination” experience, are now so common
as to have lost their special status. Some seem almost
empty, too. About the only thing new along Ameri
ca’s interstates (in the South anyway) are the rise of
the mega-gas-station-convivence-store Buc-ee’s. No
18-wheelers are allowed and the massive number of
gas pumps is impressive. But the chain is perhaps best
known for its sparkling bathrooms, something that’s
not common at other interstate pit stops. It’s a quirky
store, but one that now has a loyal following around
the Southeastern U.S.
• Construction delays along the nation’s interstates
is a problem everywhere, not just in Georgia. I’m not
sure why, but every major interstate I’ve driven on
lately has had a lot of major work being done. Maybe
those projects are an outgrowth of the federal stimulus
funds from Covid, but whatever the reason, they’re a
pain. I learned some new curse words while driving an
interstate section around Chicago toward Milwaukee
where the roads split and turn in ways that made zero
logic to me. It was all to avoid construction but it was
dangerous.
• Not all interstates are flat, straight roads. The
curvy areas I’ve been on lately include 1-40 between
Waynesville, NC and Newport, TN; 1-26 around the
Tennessee/North Carolina border and the section of
1-24 west of Chattanooga. The place most in need of a
bypass is Nashville, TN where three major interstates
intersect downtown, leading to massive amounts of
congestion.
• If you like scenic farms and unique barns, 1-57
through Illinois, 1-65 through Indiana and 1-15 south
of Salt Lake City, UT, toward Arizona offer some very
beautiful rural scenery. The various kinds of barns in
Illinois and Indiana are fascinating, as are the large
wind turbines that generate electricity for major trans
mission lines in that area.
• My favorite non-interstate drives: Hwy. 1 from San
Francisco to Los Angles; Hwy. 191 from Jackson WY
through Grand Teton National Park into Yellowstone
NP; Hwy. 1A from York, ME to Ogunquit, ME; the
Bluegrass area around Lexington, KY toward Frank
fort: and just about anywhere in the Colorado Rockies,
notably the drive through Rocky Mountain National
Park where I once scared a van load of Boy Scouts in
an area with a steep drop-off.
• ••
Summer is coming and a lot of families will be
driving for vacations — to the beach, to the mountains
or perhaps across country.
Long hauls can be boring (thinking of you, Kansas),
but there’re a lot of interesting things to see along
America’s roads.
Happy travels.
Mike Buffington is co-publisher of Mainstreet News
papers. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.
I have had the good fortune to have fly fished
out West and a couple of other places around the
country. North Georgia trout fishing is as good as
it gets.
There is testimony from real fly fishermen who
have given our state high ranking when it comes
to fly fishing. Much of the allure to fly fishing in
Georgia has to do with the Chattahoochee River.
This 430-mile treasure means so much to so
many Georgian’s on its path from Jack’s Knob in
Union County until it helps form the Apalachicola
River in the panhandle of Northwest Florida.
For this passionate aficionado of the Chatta
hoochee, there is nothing more gratifying in the
outdoor world than to stand in this river, just south
of Helen at the Nora Mills Granary and take in
nature’s overwhelming offerings.
Anytime you are in proximity of a waterfall, you
will never cease to be emotionally elevated with
the sounds of rushing water crashing onto rocks.
As the water churns downstream, you cast a fly
into all that rampant movement and suddenly the
slack in your line disappears and you then enjoy
the most uplifting of feelings.
You have hooked a three-pound rainbow trout
and a fight ensues. He heads downstream with
alacrity, intent on not making your day. However,
if you are patient and you allow him to tire out,
there can be no greater fulfillment than to bring
him to a net. Admire your catch and then enjoy a
photo-op, release your prize and allow him to live
to fight another day.
This is an experience that is available to all
Georgians. All you have to do is book an outing
with Jimmy Harris at Unicoi Outfitters in Helen.
Even if you don’t catch fish, there you gain such
unending pleasure from standing in the Chatta
hoochee and enjoying the sights and sounds of
nature.
“Out of the hills of Habersham, down the val
leys of Hall,
“I hurry amain to reach the plain, run the rapid
and leap the fall.”
“The Song of the Chattahoochee,” by Sidney
Lanier, always makes my day.
Loran Smith is a University of Georgia radio
personality and a syndicated columnist.
The South
I’ve met
(Ronda’s Rich’s husband, John Tink, is writing in
her column space for this edition.)
Most of the best stories I’ve heard come forth from
the South. The most memorable people I have met, by
far. are Southerners.
I’m a Yankee and moved here by way of California.
My youth seemed normal to me even though my father
was a very successful television executive and my
stepmother was, aside from Lucille Ball, television’s
most successful, awarded comedienne, Mary Tyler
Moore.
But here? In the South? I’ve met the most memo
rable people of my life. I have met the people who
impress me most.
If there is an admirable person or a wonderful char
acter, my wife, Ronda Rich, knows them. And through
her, I have had the privilege of meeting them, too.
She is close friends with five - FIVE - Southerners
who are legends and in various Halls of Fame. College
football. Stock car racing. Country music. Southern
gospel music.
These aren’t mere acquaintances. These are bone-
deep friendships. I’ve heard her call each one and say,
“I need a favor,” then, not long after, I’ve heard the
answer, “Done!” ring through the air.
These fine people have invited me into their homes
and into their hearts. And, oh. the war stories they tell
while sitting around supper tables could keep a televi
sion writer working for years. I’ve “borrowed” a story
here and there, I have to admit.
However, the most incredible people I have met
through Ronda are what she might call “common
folks” which, of course, is not at all derogatory. The
only monuments ever to be erected in their honor will
be in a graveyard, facing toward the East. They will
only be in a Hall of Fame if they pay admission. Yet.
every single one of them deserves to be a Hall of Fam-
er. Here are some that I have inducted into my own
“Southern Hall of Fame”:
The plumber who works long, weary hours to raise a
family and foster children who need special care. I’ve
seen him and Ronda pray over a water heater.
The farmers who rise at dawn, only to find a tractor
that worked the afternoon before now won’t start. So.
they work all day to repair it. My admiration falls at
their feet whenever I see them, shirts soaked in sum
mer sweat, as they labor through the humid July days.
The bi-vocational preachers. I’d never heard that
term until I moved to the South. These folks work a
job through the week then stand for the Lord, in the
pulpit, on Sunday.
Ronda’s jovial friend, who was raised in the mid-
dle-of-nowhere-South in overalls and was shoeless in
the summer time. He went to Wall Street and made
a hundred million. When he bid New York goodbye,
to hurry back to his family farm, he was still wearing
a rotation of polyester blend suits he bought at JC
Penney.
The kindest man I ever met was wounded in the
Battle of the Bulge then returned to his small Virginia
town and began building a fortune by selling crackers.
I learned so much from him about love and humility.
And the women? I can’t even begin to express
how many times my heart has been touched by their
thoughtfulness and commitment to their neighbors
and churches. It’s impressive how they work, shoul-
der-to-shoulder with the men, but cling furiously to
their femininity. It’s remarkable. The Southern women
I’ve met take pride in how well they can cook and how
fast they can round up stray cattle.
There is the woman who lives in a trailer with cats
in every corner. She struggles to pay her rent and her
power bill but she is so grateful to have a roof over her
head. And, oh, so cheerful.
I could name dozens more.
My father received Lifetime Achievement awards
from television’s most prestigious organizations. He
worked hard. But he labored in comfortable, air condi
tioned offices.
The South is filled with Lifetime Achievers who
have earned it the hard way.
I’m so appreciative to have met them for they’ve
taught me much.
John Tinker is an Emmy award winning writer.
The Braselton News
Mike Buffington Co-Publisher
Scott Buffington Co-Publisher & Advertising Manager
Ben Munro Editor
Taylor Hearn Sports Editor
Wesleigh Sagon Photographer/Features
MEMBER
• Georgia Press Association
• National Newspaper Association
• International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors
Postmaster: Send Address Changes To:
MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
PO Box 908
Jefferson, Georgia 30549-0908
Web Site: www.BraseltonNewsToday.com
Email: ben@mainstreetnews.com
Voice: 706.367.5233
Published weekly by The Braselton News
33 Lee St.
Jefferson, GA 30549
Periodical Postage Paid at Jefferson, GA 30549 (SCED 23390)
Yearly Subscriptions: $35
Song of the Chattahoochee
w m
loran
smith