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| ME WITH NINI AND KENNY |
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| SERVICE WITH A SMILE - RACHEL |
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| MEMORIAL TO FALLEN CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS |
I learned that Stephens County was once inhabited by Cherokee Indians and that Toccoa was the Cherokee word for 'beautiful'. Four miles to the south-west of Toccoa, as the crow flies, is Currahee Mountain. Currahee means 'stand alone'.
At the foot of the mountain is the site of a WWII training camp where paratroops of the 101st Airborne Division were trained. The films Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan and The Dirty Dozen were all about divisions that trained here. These men were the toughest of the tough, and were expected to run up and down the mountain with a full pack.
Obviously, I had to climb the mountain. This turned out to be very hard work, not so much because of its 1,740 foot height but because temperatures were now in the 90's. By the time I got down I was exhausted and short of liquid but met Brian, clearing wood from the front of his property, who gave me bottles of ice-cold water from his fridge. This was just as well as the route I had taken to get back to Toccoa turned out to be a dead end, so I wasted a lot of time retracing my steps.
A short while later I stopped to chat with Kenny who was also working in his garden. He invited me into his home to cool down, drink some more iced water, and meet his lovely wife Nini. We got on so well that it was 6.00pm before I knew it. Kenny offered to drive me back to my digs and since I had already walked over 12 miles in sweltering heat that day, I gratefully accepted.
I returned to the Cornerstone Restaurant to eat and was once again served by Rachel, who was fascinated that I wanted mayonnaise with the Chicken Salad. I was beginning to recognize some of the more subtle differences between the UK and US diets.
In the process of walking around Toccoa and speaking to people, I came to realise how deeply religious the area was. Signs along the road competed with each other to persuade folk to join their particular church. Only then did it dawn on me that Toccoa is in the heart of the bible belt.
There are also clear resonances of the civil war, referred to as the 'northern invasion' by one individual. A memorial to the fallen Confederate soldiers was just across the road from my digs. A fundamental reason for that war was the south's reluctance to abolish slavery and there were still signs of segregation between the black and white people in the community. I did feel that this conflicted somewhat with the strong religious ideals that permeate the locality, but I came to the conclusion that Toccoa was not a place that changed its ways rapidly.
I would be leaving on the Amtrak at 6.30 in the morning so it was another early night. I had really enjoyed my brief stay. Todd and his wife Joy where wonderful hosts and gave me a book to read on the train. Kenny and Nini had made me so welcome in their home. Rachel had ensured that whilst I might be eating alone, I would not be lonely, even when she had others to serve.
The final surprise came in the morning as I sat waiting for the train. At this crazily early hour, along came Rachel with her husband Jeremy. They had come to say a final farewell and give me some picnic food for my journey to New Orleans. It was sad to be leaving. I had stayed in Toccoa just two nights, but felt I was leaving behind some very good friends
