Day 9: Augusta, GA to St. Augustine, FL - January 5, 2009

Greetings, devoted Route 1 followers. We begin today's post with a lovely sign in Waycross, GA, hanging in the gas station where the Mossmobile got its long overdue oil change. While we had a difficult time communicating with the locals verbally, we thought this hand-crafted beauty delivered the message of the heartland loud and clear. Please note how the "L" in DIAL is resourcefully Macgyvered from an upside-down 7.

Our balmy, blue-skied day began with a curious nagivational mix-up when we found ourselves further north than we expected-- that is, in Santa Claus, GA. With a population of around 200, dirt roads as red as poinsettia, and the most awesome City Hall this side of the north pole (yes, those decorations are up year-round),

Santa Claus is easily missed but oddly fascinating. Our thirty-second drive through the city "center" took us passed some crucial intersections.

As we zipped down Route 1 through Georgia, we had to do a double-take and pull over for a closer look at this unmarked but fascinating lawn art;

we also paused to appreciate the luxury, lake-view trailer park across the street.

And then it was on to the star of the day, Okefenokee Swamp Park in Waycross. (Unfortunately, the petrified dog we were hoping to see at the nearby Southern Forest World was tucked away in a locked museum.)

Okefenokee Swamp Park is part of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, made up of almost 402,000 acres of protected lands and critters. For just $16 each, we experienced a train ride around the park where the combination of a horrible speaker system and our guide's astoundingly thick Georgia accent made it virtually impossible to comprehend a word he said. However, language was not needed to convey the beauty of the many indigenous Christmas lawn ornaments in the swamp,

the majestic power of animals at home in nature,

or the moving story of the brave white pioneers who settled the land despite being made of stuffed pantyhose.

And in case you're wondering what corporate branding looks like in rural Georgia...

Our mysterious train tour was followed by a motor boat ride with a very chatty guide who waxed poetic about moonshine, the wife he picked up in his late teens when her family visited the park from the other side of the swamp, and the swamp's many gators, all of whom have been named by the swamp-humans. The gators were a remarkably lackadaisical bunch, looking more annoyed than anything else when TJ poked them with a metal rod to get them moving for us. Here is Crazy, who took 3 steps on our behalf before returning to his nap.

The gators like to hang around the parking lot or sit in the shade and grin.

Here's a particularly happy one:

After escaping the swamp, we drove across the state line into Florida, reaching Jacksonville shortly after sundown. Below is the Main Street Bridge, which crosses the St. Johns River in what is, according to our AAA book, the largest city (in area) in the United States.

We managed to reach St. Augustine in record time, and hubristically wandered around the historic center of town, thus causing a frantic search for restaurants open after 9 when we noticed that we were quite hungry. Fortunately we were saved by a delicious pub and grille. Here is the St. Augustine City Hall, which also doubles as a hotel.

More on St. Augustine tomorrow. Until then, we continue on our journey toward Key West.

Our map for today:

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