right on bro!

Note: This is for the past two days (Sunday and Monday). I should be caught up by tomorrow morning and hopefully doing daily updates again.

Left Steve’s place in Jacksonville on Sunday morning, heading back east on highway 24. There is a town on 24 callled Turkey, but I am not sure why it was named such. 24 took me to I-95 south, the main highway that stretches from Maine to Florida.

Right on the border of South Carolina, I stopped at South of the Border, one of the coolest/cheesiest tourist traps I’ve encountered so far. South of the Border is a mini-park whose mascot is a smiling Mexican dude named Pedro, who wears a sombrero and allegedly started the place when he bought a five dollar sandwich. There’s all kinds of stuff there - gift shops selling souvenirs and adult-themed gag gifts, a motel, a fireworks store, a video arcade, a bunch of restaurants, and a mini-golf course. Unfortunately the mini-golf course was closed, but I played some skee-ball for a bit, walked around the fireworks store, and ate a footlong hotdog at Pedro’s Hot Tamale restaurant.

The rest of the day was just driving. The day’s destination was Athens, GA. The reason I was in Athens is because I was quite a big R.E.M. fan back in the day, and this was a pilgrimage of sorts. Unfortunately, it was cold and raining when arrived, and as it turns out, Athens doesn’t do much on Sundays. I walked around downtown for a bit, but most of the bars and restaurants were closed. Ate dinner at the Grill, a 24-hour diner, where the girl who worked at the counter said it was too bad I was here on a Sunday because otherwise Athens is a “pretty bumpin’ town.” Guess I’m gonna have to take her word for it. There were a few people in the coffeeshops and walking the streets, and they all were dressed like they belonged in Silverlake.

On Monday morning, I went downtown again. I went to Wuxtry Records, where Peter Buck used to work. and walked by the 40 Watt Club. After that, it was a short drive to the other side of the tracks on Broad Street to Weaver D’s Fine Foods, whose slogan “Automatic for the People” was the title of an R.E.M. album. Weaver D’s is only a little one-room restaurant on the river, but there I had some of the best food on my trip - fried pork chops, mac and cheese, and green beans, washing it down with lemonade. And yes, the guy behind the counter did say “Automatic!”

Back on the road - down 85, through Atlanta, to 65, and into Alabama. I made quick stops at Tuskegee University, where I saw Booker T. Washington’s house, and Moton Airfield, home of the Tuskegee Airmen, and then kept going. When I hit Mobile, it started getting real foggy - like, I couldn’t see maybe car lengths in front of me.

Jumped on I-10 and finally made it to Biloxi, which was the night’s destination - a hotel/casino called Casino Magic! that I found on Expedia. Casino Magic! allegedly has a big tower and a smaller hotel next to it, but I can’t find the small hotel. So I walk inside and ask the valet where the Casino Magic! Inn is, and she starts laughing. She asks if I booked over the Internet, and I said yes. Then she says - there are two Casino Magic! properties, and the one I booked actually isn’t in Biloxi, but Bay St. Louis, which is 35 miles away. I’ll be damned on this one, because it looks it’s right there on the map.

Weak - the room was prepaid, so I decided to make the best of it, and drove the 35 miles down the coast in the fog. As it turns out, this Casino Magic! is a resort, located in the middle of nowhere. Worse, by the time I get there, all of the restaurants are closed, and I’m starving. Fortunately, a blackjack dealer recommends a local bar that was still serving food - so I sat at the bar at the Firedog Inn in Old Bay St. Louis, enjoyed myself some catfish and oysters, and watched the Dallas-Seattle game with the bartender and a Navy guy.

Even though Casino Magic! was out in the sticks, it was pretty nice. I played blackjack and craps for a half hour and won a bit of money, then went to sleep. Wasn’t exactly the Biloxi experience I was looking for, but it turned out well nevertheless.

Photos are here.