Down by the River - Day 1419 (Year 4, Day 325)

Augusta, GA

Yesterday was a lovely, albeit somewhat warm day (it should be noted that we have had absolutely no rain since the day we landed here on 4/22.  Not that I'm complaining...!).  Mitch had morning training and was free in the afternoon.  My workload was extremely light, so we decided to do something special rather than wait until Sunday.  We went on a riverboat tour.  Very glad we did, as it would have been very difficult to find parking in the very small lot, and the boat & river would have been much more crowded.

With the exception of the Masters golf tournament, the Savannah River is pretty much the only other attraction in the area (the river is about 10 miles from our campground).  The middle of the river is the dividing line between GA and SC.  There is a huge park that borders the river, called the RiverWalk, featuring sculptures, a playground, and an amphitheater among other things.  At one end is a marina, which is where the boat tour begins.  It reminded me very much of the Missouri River bordering Louisville, KY and Clarksville, IN and Austin Lake in Austin, TX.

We passed some very beautiful mansions and were told that many high profile celebrities own homes there which they visit during the Masters (as well as hold huge parties, which can be seen during the sunset boat tours).  Photos of the river and some homes follow.

What I found rather interesting, and somewhat shocking (to this "Yankee") was the history lesson we got from the captain, which was extremely anti-Union (among many other things, citing that General Sherman was a terrorist, that the "War of Northern Aggression" was NOT about slavery, and that President Lincoln was the enemy of the people).  I'm very certain that this is how American history is taught in the South, just as our extremely anti-Confederacy viewpoints are taught in the North.  No wonder we have such a great divide in this country.  Although we are all Americans, we have such diverse backgrounds and cultures.  What I enjoy about this lifestyle is learning about all our differences and coming to be aware that what I've been taught is only one of many viewpoints.  Sadly, however, there are too many people in this nation who don't or can't respect differences and see them as a threat.  Granted, it takes a lot of effort to see things this way.  I confess when I heard some of what the captain was saying, I immediately thought it was nonsense and revisionist history (which he says is what the Yankees teach).  It would have been very easy to call him out on it rather than respect that these were his sincere beliefs and what he was raised on and taught, just as I was raised on and taught the opposite point of view. 

Anyway, getting off the soap box, and apologies for the political digression.   Here are the photos of the river: