Bill Kirby: As we head to middle of vacation season, we search for the middle of Georgia
"Embrace the detours."
– Kevin Charboneau
Augusta is not in the center of Georgia, but the center of Georgia is connected to our town. That's because the geographic center of what we call the Peach State is in Twiggs County, which is named for local Revolutionary War Patriot John Twiggs, who is buried south of town.
The middle of the state is about 17 miles southeast of Macon close to a small town called Dry Branch near the intersection of Jeffersonville-Bullard Road and Marion Road.
That's where the state put up a marker in case you want to find it, which is still not easy. That's because the marker says you'll have to walk 1.1 miles south-southeast to find the exact center of the state of Georgia.
YOUR TRAVELS: Gibby is on the road again. He writes: "Recently returned from a 1,600-mile trip to Mount Airy, N.C. ("Mayberry"), Charleston, W.Va., and a minor league baseball tour to Ohio to see the Columbus Clippers, the Akron Ducks and the Lake County Captains."
Kay and Gary Powell, of Martinez, traveled through Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. They sent pictures from Lincoln's Springfield home and burial place and St. Louis.
Of course, the "3 Old Dudes in a Truck" tour continues out west, where Tim, Jamie and Stacy cruise down the highways in a Ram 1500.
They were all over Utah – Dinosaur National Park, Promontory Point where the Golden Spike was struck, the Bonneville Salt Flats, and report: "On our way over to Idaho Falls we came across an interesting town (Arco, Idaho – 'First City In The World to be Lit By Atomic Power')".
In the town square they saw the "sail" of USS Hawkbill submarine. It looks like the whole submarine is buried beneath it.
I have a lot more vacation photos to share. If you would like to add to the collection, e-mail them to bkirby@augustachronicle.com. If you can find a postcard, you can mail it to 725 Broad St., Augusta, GA 30901.
TODAY'S JOKE: It seems two old guys were pushing their carts around Wal-Mart when one bumped into the other.
"Sorry," said the first old guy, "I guess I wasn't looking where I was going. I can't seem to find my wife and I was distracted."
"That's OK," the other old guy said. "I was looking for my wife, too. Maybe we help each other out. What does your wife look like?"
"Well," said the first old guy, "she's 27, has red hair, blue eyes and long legs and wears cut-off shorts. What about your wife?"
"Doesn't matter," said the other man. "Let's look for yours."
Bill Kirby has reported, photographed and commented on life in Augusta and Georgia for 45 years.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Bill Kirby: Looking for middle of Georgia? You'll have to hunt a bit
