The Wild West of East Atlanta & The Guidestones of Georgia

Atlanta:

From Charleston I headed south on I-95 to Savanna and took some pictures. it seemed like a cool place but I simply can’t stop everywhere, so I hit I-16 for Atlanta that evening.  I-16 from Savanna to Atlanta has got to be one of the most boring drives in the Southeast.  It was about 11 p.m. before I decided to stop just a few miles outside the city at a Budget Inn.  The owner reminded me of a Persian Micky Mouse, with a highest pitched voice I have ever heard.  During the night, I was awoken at roughly 1:30 a.m. by the owner and some guy driving a “meat” truck…yes that’s what it said.  The two men were arguing for close to an hour...the argument was heated enough to make me want to keep ole betsy close by.

I stayed in Atlanta for 2 days...Mostly just to catch up on some reading and rest. I did the touristy thing around Olympic Park.  Atlanta offers a lot for vacationers, but in general, the city is not worth going to unless you have a specific reason to be there.  They have a neat underground part of the city and also have the world's largest aquarium. I did a tour of CNN and got to see, I believe it was Kiran Chetry, which was pretty cool but probably not worth the cost of 20 dollars.  My tour guide was from Richmond though...doesn't miss it.  I saw signs advertising for Wrestlemania 27 and contemplated coming back for that since they still had tickets available...I know what you're thinking and no, I do not watch wrestling but will admit that I did as a kid, and it would have been a dream come true for ten year old Joel to go the famous historical event in which Hulk Hogan scoop slammed Andre the Giant, Kane Tombstoned Pete Rose, when Mike Tyson punched Shawn Michaels....okay I'll stop now.  

Lastly, everybody told me to stay away from the West End....so I decided to venture out to the West End and see what all the fuss was about...yes, it is pretty bad.  

The Georgia Guidestones: 

Since there isn't much happening on a Sunday, I went for a backwoods country drive east of Atlanta and found a little town there called Elberton.  Elberton is home to a neat little gem, tucked away in the middle of nowhere on some farm called the Georgia Guidestones.  Nobody knows who exactly established this 'monument' but the group that did so called themselves "The Guidestone Group" and it's leader went by the alias "RC Christian".  They chose the location since a lot of Granite is to be found there.  Surprisingly there were quite a few visitors who stopped by while I was hanging out. Adventure Rule #1 Always talk to the locals when travelling to creepy places.  I stopped by a gas station to ask for directions since the monument isn't advertised or listed on any map. I asked the woman there what the Guidestones were exactly and with big serious eyes she told me "It tells you how the world is going to end." Well, it didn't tell me that exactly when I got there, but making a stop to that creepy little town gas station served to hype things up.

Anyway, heres what the Guidestones said:

1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2. Guide reproduction wisely - improving fitness and diversity. 
3. Unite humanity with a living new language. 
4. Rule passion - faith - tradition - and all things with tempered reason.  
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts. 
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials. 
8. Balance personal rights with social duties.
9. Prize truth - beauty - love - seeking harmony with the infinite.  
10. Be not a cancer on the earth - Leave room for nature - Leave room for nature.

After reading them, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of nerds would take the time and money to come up with this stuff up, are they sneaky nerds or are they just rich morons who like to play pranks on people?  A few names crossed my mind but the nerd that stood out the most...Mr. Ted Turner. Since Ted Turner had just begun his CNN Empire around 1980 which is when the Guidestones were erected. He's also made some comments in the past regarding population reduction, so even if it wasn't him, he would probably agree with the some of the suggestions.

To everyone I just wanted to say thanks for all of txting, gchatting, calling me and even if I can’t answer you back right away know that I appreciate all the close contact very much!  Now about pictures, yes I have been taking a lot of pictures I just haven't had time to upload them yet. I will be doing that soon though.

Joel

From Cocoa Beach, FL