MUSICAL TIES TO THE SOUTH

Traveling in the South, you get a sense of history, from the architecture, to the names of towns, and yes, even waterways. Such was the case in Florida and Georgia . Both these States share ownership of the Okefenokee Swamp. We’ve all heard of it, but did you know where exactly it was or if it was even an actual place? After all, if it’s the home of the characters in the comic strip Pogo, could there really be such a swamp? There is, but not viewable from Interstate 10 in Florida. In fact, earlier this year, during a four month period, approximately 600,000 acres of the Okefenokee region burned. The Okefenokee has also been the subject of song, but not as known as the Suwanee and Chattahoochee Rivers


The State puts musical notes around the sign for the Suwanee River to remind you this is the river made famous in song. In case you were wondering, it is spelled correctly. Both Robert Foster and George Gershwin, two of America’s greatest song writers, spelled it wrong in their songs, “Swanee” and “Old Folks at Home”. I didn’t realize “Old Folks at Home” is the state song of Florida until recently when they decided to begin a search for a new State song.

Finally I leave you with the Chattahoochee River. We seem to pass over this river every time we are in Georgia and just like clock work, Alan Jackson’s song comes zipping into my head..........

Yeah way down yonder on the chattahoochee
it gets hotter than a hoochie coochie
we layed rubber on the georgia asphalt
we got a litte crazy but we never got caught

If you ever think life on the road can ever be boring it isn’t. There is so much history all around us on our travels , it will keep our minds busy and singing a song or two for a few more years to come.