Day 12: June 26, 2025 Atlanta, Georgia to Durham, North Carolina

Up and off by 8:00. An easy drive of 400 miles and then we arrived at our friend Leena’s house. She was on the Servas board of directors with Dick. She graciously revived us and gave us a little tour of Raleigh.

Our drive took us through Georgia, South Carolina and to North Carolina. Too much traffic and construction, but we arrived  mid-afternoon. One road side attraction we saw was a huge water tower painted to look like a Georgia peach.

We spent the next several hours dropping into her life in Durham. We spent a lovely (although admittedly hot) time walking through the Gardens at Duke University.  The gardens were nearly 100 years old and filled with wonderful trees,  flowers and succulents. It was so peaceful walking through the shaded forests. And we totally enjoyed the Japanese bridge that crossed over a lake.

We enjoyed seeing a new (for us) phenomenon: squirrels “ splooting ”  or “heat dumping.” When a squirrel is overheated in very warm weather, they can lay on a cooler surface and allow some of the heat from their body to transfer to the cooler object.  The fur on the body is thinest on their bellies, so that is a good place to try to cool off. We saw this several times in the hot gardens. It amused us. Have you ever seen this? Dogs or cats might also do this.

In the middle of our walk, Leena showed us around part this the Duke University campus. It was so charming with its classic stone buildings and sweeping lawns. We went into the chapel after listening to a carillon which sent its music across the campus.

We saw groups of students in Freshman orientation tours, aided eyed and getting ready for college.  And we talked with a mom and daughter as part of their college visit, looking for a pre- veterinarian program.

Then Leena drove us around the downtown and showed us “her places”. This included her favorite state park where she regularly hikes.

Then we went to the local ice cream stand. We ate ice cream first and then went home for a home-prepared Indian meal. We were so interested in watching the cooking process. Leena is an amazing cook, and the food was wonderful. We found the sweet shrine in her kitchen to be quite interesting.

Then, we sat up late in the night sharing traveling stories from all of our trips around d the world. Leena has been many places and was leaving in two days to go to Greenland for a week. She does most of her traveling solo and is very competent and capable of planning and executing her trips.

Finally, time to go to bed. Lots to do the next day.

Day 11: June 25, 2025 Atlanta, Georgia

Both Dick and Patti slept in late, until Dick got up to go to the bathroom and noticed it was 9:15. We had planned to already be at the Zoo by then. As well as our really fine breakfast buffet stop serving at 9:30. So we threw in some clothes and grabbed some breakfast. That was close.

Then, we filled the car up with gas and headed a mile down the road to Zoo Atlanta. This was a very old zoo in a park that was dedicated in 1883. We understand in earlier days it was a pretty old-fashioned classic zoo with lots of cement blocks and cages with bars. Thank heavens quite a while ago, the change had been made to create the current arrangement, which was filled with wide open spaces, beautiful trees, and landscapes, and animals that are being well taken care of.

Because Dick volunteers with the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, we are always interested in talking with volunteers at other zoos. This one had several who were very excellent in their interpretation and in their history and knowledge about the animals and the zoo. That made things so much more enjoyable.

We saw a lot of of the basic animals that we are used to seeing including giraffes, elephants and rhinos. But, there were also some other animals that were unique to the zoo. It is always fun to see some new animals that we haven’t seen before, such as the Indian White Peacock.

We arrived at the zoo at a little after 10 and we’re able to stay for about 2 1/2 hours. The heat of the day grew hotter and hotter, and the humidity was beastly. We found our selves very pleased to have taken refuge in a couple of air-conditioned buildings. We’re just not used to the humidity in San Diego.

Then we went a few miles up the road to the Georgia Aquarium. This is the largest aquarium in the United States and was very, very well done. 

We spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering through different types of biomes, including rainforest, rivers, Arctic and other cold areas, and swamps and alligators.

There were many massive water tanks, including one large enough for whale sharks and also some for beluga whales. And then many other smaller sea creatures. The jellyfish were particularly a favorite of ours. And we really just enjoyed seeing so many wonderful animals. They were well displayed with lots of good educational and conservation tips. 

At the end of the afternoon, we went a little further to Midtown Atlanta, where we met Patti‘s long-term friend, Catherine, who she had known since elementary school in Rochester MN. We met with Catherine and her husband, Terry at a southern restaurant and had fried green tomatoes, fried chicken and collards, And had a chance to try shrimp and grits as well as cornbread. Very southern meal.

Then, we walked a few blocks to an interesting downtown landmark: the house where Margaret Mitchell wrote “Gone With the Wind.” It was fun to see this and imagine years ago this author settling in in this exact space and writing that epic book which of course was also made into a movie which premiered in Atlanta.

As we were walking, we also saw a delivery robot who was trying to make some kind of a food delivery. None of us had actually seen anything like this in person, and we were delighted in watching it. Wait for the traffic light and cross the street, make a turn to go and try to find its address. However, it turned around seeming to be lost and confused. We’re imagining as we go forward there will be more and more of this kind of delivery happening. But we all had a good laugh.

Then we parted ways and Dick and Patti headed south to their hotel room again. We really enjoyed our taste of Atlanta and we hope to return return again.