Man that Jacksonville to Atlanta drive looked easy on paper. Six hours tops, right? Hah! My buddy Chris and I learned real quick how wrong we were. Planned it last Tuesday after chugging way too much coffee.
The Messy Start
Totally overslept. Alarm? More like a gentle suggestion. Finally got rolling around 11 AM. Worse? We forgot snacks. My stomach growled louder than my rusted Civic’s engine pulling onto I-10 West.
First Stop: The Georgia Line Slog
Okay, driving. Trees. More trees. Chris tried making some playlist… garbage. Needed a real stop. Saw a sign for “The Georgia Peach” just past Folkston. Pulled off feeling hopeful.
- What We Got: One dusty parking lot, a gas station selling lukewarm coffee, and exactly zero peaches. Store clerk just shrugged. “Season ended last week.” Classic.
Realized lunch was mandatory soon unless we wanted to murder each other.
Savannah Detour Chaos
Took Exit 104 toward Savannah city center. Bad idea. Tuesday construction turned roads into a maze. Got stuck behind a street sweeper moving slower than my grandma. Finally parked near Forsyth Park.
- Scrambled Lunch: Found some hole-in-the-wall sandwich place smelling like fried onions. Got giant subs dripping sauce everywhere. Worth the shirt stains.
- Park Stroll Fail: Walked maybe 100 feet toward the fountain. Humidity hit us like a wet sock. Decided admiring sweat stains wasn’t fun. Back to the car.
Macon Mix-Up
Back on I-16, cruise control set. Chris swore Macon had this epic music museum. Guess he forgot his glasses. Missed the freaking exit entirely. Ended up near some warehouse district. Saw a mural of Otis Redding on a brick wall… that was our culture stop. Took a blurry picture and bailed.
Griffin Gas Gamble
Car gauge blinked empty near Griffin. Pulled off at the next sketchy exit. Gas station looked like it filmed horror movies. Paid extra for “premium” gas hoping it wouldn’t kill the engine. Used their bathroom… instantly regretted it. Smelled worse than a dead possum.
Atlanta Arrival (& Gridlock)
Hit Atlanta outskirts around 7 PM. Rush hour? More like parked hour. Crawled down I-75. Saw tons of brake lights and one dude eating spaghetti off his steering wheel. Our cheap motel near Midtown felt like heaven when we finally dumped our bags.
The Takeaways
So yeah. Was it smooth? Hell no.
- Savannah needs better traffic signs.
- Georgia peaches are a myth off-season.
- Always pack your own snacks.
- Premium gas still tastes bad if you siphon it (don’t ask).
Wild ride? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Probably next Tuesday. Still fun, even when everything goes sideways.
