The three of us stared our journey a little late but I have to say Jonsey was the first at the street ready to leave. NeeCee getting a slow start due to a busy night and me just doing what I do and that is going with the flow. I never see the point of getting my self all upset. Oh I, sorry who is NeeCee? Why she is our host for a few days here in Griffin Georgia as we make our way North to Morgantown West Virginia.I really do believe that our game plan was to leave at about 9am but we didn't pull out until 11:30am. I know men hate that shit so NeeCee and I were left with a cranky Aussie. Oh well them is the breaks. First thing to remember is NeeCee is really a new rider. She's got great skills just needs folks around her that can help her push her envelope a little bit. We headed out of Griffin and I looked around. Griffin flourished and was doing well in different decades ya can see by the stores and building located there, all over there are abandoned Mills. It used to be a Mill town, and when the President signed one bill and made it a law, well this little town's mills closed one by one leaving most with jobs or hopes of every getting a job. Thanks for thinking of us the little people. My mind wonder back again as we made our way down 19/41 south heading for making. There were small towns stretches of nothing along the route then, we were "rolling down highway 41." I will say NeeCee was doing a wonderful job of leading. She did like to keep to the speed limits but I guess I did that too as a new rider, I wish I could remember. We got cold drinks hide from the sun some and listened to some mumbling babble from the Aussie, I would shake my head and agree. I could understand him, but there are times I don't he wanted to be understood. I know he wasn't happy about the speed limit thing however he really needed to cut Nee some slack man. Not far from our gas station stop was the first destination. Nee couldn't a decision what was the best way to get out of that three way intersection so I just went.........everyone followed. Sometimes ya just can't dick around ya know. We cruised with ease through the streets of Macon past where 41 turns into Vineville Ave and headed to the parking area. To enter the house you go through the backyard round to the front of the building.
There is wonderful Stained Glass that greets you around the front door and entrance way. When ya enter your given a walk through guide, I suggest taking a moment and reading some of it first so you can get an idea of the flow of the place I know I wish I did but in stead I stuffed it in my pocket. The Big House was were the original members of the Allman Brothers Band and their extended family lived and used as their home base of operations from early 1970 to very early 1973. They divided the rent and between them. There is a check written by Duane to Berry for 225 dollars. Since I didn't read the walking tour thing it seemed overwhelming with displays. The room that walk into and greet the host of the day is the parlor. Dick Betts slept there on a pull out couch, it had a little fire place and the walls were covered with the bands posters is ya took a close look they were in chronological order. However there is just so much more here in the room. Paintings of the band, T-shirts musical instruments to tour guides and you name it. Above the fireplace in this room is a flat screen TV with interviews playing, concerts playing all in a loop. Yes, you can sit and watch if you want, there's no rush so take your time.
Room after room was filled with instruments, posters, oil paintings, hand written song lyrics, and record company paraphernalia and I was still just on the first floor. What I hadn't figured out is that as you flow through the rooms each room was dedicated to a specific album and period of time. There were also personal photographs located throughout the Big House. Greg Allman and Cher gave their billiard table over to The Big House and it is filled with memorabilia as well. I would have love to spend more time strolling through the place but NeeCee and I were kind of feeling rushed a we bit but not really. 
I headed up stairs and left NeeCee behind. There were other visitors there that day and they were in little chatting quietly over different instruments, hand written songs, or photographs. Up stairs is where the bed room and music room was located and these were as packed with memorabilia as the down stairs. The music room/ "Casbah" lounge was designed to be a chill out room for the household, it features a 7 headed shower. Often Berry and Linda used this room. In this room there are records, hand written music, and other small hand held instruments. A small short table acts as a coffee table to the floor pillow wall. I sat and spent some time here.
(dam you weren't supposed to catch me smoking catipillers dude)
Rose Hill Cemetery is a really neat little graveyard if your ever in the area and wonder what to do this place could be entertaining for sure. It's hillie, twisties and contains paved, gravel, broken, and dirt roads. The Three of us were on bikes and came out the back exit of the Big House. NeeCee was looking for College Road and said we needed to turn onto it, so we continued to search the back roads of the area. We came to an intersection and though all of us this isn't right, Nee not knowing what direction to was in contemplation. I looked around at the situation at hand and and my mind said yeah I really don't want to be so let's go this way and took off now in the lead. Jonsey was in the back and I could hear him semi bitching I don't blame him I was inside saying this ain't good. No one wants to be in the wrong part of town at any time of the day or night, each intersection we'd come to I could see the porch boys and corner guys make their signs just a slide of head and hand motion. I lived in the ghetto of Jacksonville for few years I got when ya being spotted out for something, what it could be anything from robbery to rape. We had two things of interest to these boys. They knew we were lost but I wasn't sitting at any corner long enough nor did I signal I just went and NeeCee right there just keep moving thru. Some how we popped out at a T intersection looking straight up a hill at us was a Cemetery. NeeCee said she had no clue where she was and she was sad she couldn't find it. I pointed across the street and to her darling them gates look like Cemetery Gates to me. Jonsey well he just thanked us for the Fucked Up Tour through Tan Town. He said he felt like biker pimp daddy riding thru with his two bitches showing Tan Town what he was selling. LOL!
The Light of a million hours finally changed and we crossed over the street to the chained gate up a side goat path to a very small gravel road. WE got NeeCee in front of us since she was the only smart one with a map of the place. On this little gravel goat path of a road the cemetery looked awesome. If the weather was cooler I could spend hours in there. I love the old grave stones they are so beautiful and creative. The Aussie being himself mumbled worlds he knew we didn't understand and took off. I think it was the heat. The gravel goat path lead to a small and I mean small concrete path just wide enough for a car, we followed the path. NeeCee wasn't too sure about any of this but followed along, in some spot well I wasn't that tickled either, she did it with flying colors. We made several passes of the place each grabbing the map and and saying this way, it was a mess however we passed soldier's square filled with confederate soldiers, Elizabeth Reed Napier's site, through Eglantine square, over Forest Hill, and around Cabanss Ridge several times in search of Carnation Ridge. Yes this is a very large hillie Cemetery. At one point we all got off and walked around just looking, finally NeeCee Yelled and she had found it the grave site of Duane and Berry. 
The graves used of offer open access to them so that everyone could pay their respects as those so wish. However over the years during the anniversaries of the deaths of these gentle men less respect was given to them and their families and a large iron fence has been place around them to keep them protected. So that future generations of music lovers, and family members have a place to come and honor those that left well before their time as so many of the talented to. Rest in Peace, I know where to go when I turn to spirit for some jamming chill out tuns. Thank you Gents, and to all of you have a great one! "T"
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