May 17 Update

Update from Jim, sent on May 17:

I'm writing from the Woodbine, Ga Research Library,
but I should start with yesterday, when I left Savannah
traveling south on US 17.  It seems to be the main
road from everywhere to everywhere along the coast.
 
My amazing host, Eric Woodell, strongly suggested I
stay at the Forest Hostel just south of Brunswick.  I
did.  Didn't want to leave.  Peace and quiet after so
many days on the road with trucks and SUVs.  My second
best meal of the tour last night. An indescribable
goulash of beans and papaya and who-knows-what.  A
delicious, nondescript tomato soup full of lots of
stuff and home-made bread.
 
Slept in the "Mushroom Room".  Surrounded by
chickens.  Clean, compostable latrines, outdoor
showers, skinny dipped in the lake and woke to a
strange rooster who hadn't received the
cock-a-doodle-doo memo.  Breakfast was my own peanut
butter, wheat thins and golden raisins.  I
inadvertently shared it with a small squirrel by
leaving it on the deck unattended.   So wonderful.
Ian and Michelle Have to spend a weekend here.   I
have soooo many photos, but I think I'm on dial-up, so
they may have to wait.
 
On the road, quite a difference between yesterday
and today.  Yesterday, Rt 17 was (is) so fllaaat and
so straaaight that I felt I could see the horizon.
That wasn't necessarily good, as that was my
destination.  Today, south of Brunswick I began
realizing that I was riding into smoke.  I have a photo
at the Waverly Minit Mart where I thought you could
see the smoke.   Well, here in Woodbine it has
continued to deteriorate.  I timed the cars (pickups)
passing me and disappearing into the haze. 15 seconds.
If they're doing 60mph, the visibility now is down to
1/4 mile.  I took a second photo of the Santilli River
from the Edwin M (Fat) Heally Memorial Bridge where
you can recognize the severity of the haze.  The folks
here say their cars are covered with fire dust every
morning.  A lady at the Minit Mart said, "He don't
even pay no attention to me and his younguns when he
sees me".  Oh shit, that's a different conversation.
 
Florida is only 14 miles away.  You can warn Oprah
and the high school band that I should be there around
2:00 pm.