Over the weekend, I took a road trip to Middle Georgia, visiting Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB. These visits were supposed to be part of a road trip I took in October, but I was unable to visit them because of the government shutdown. Since I was in the area, I also visited the Griswoldville Battlefield (part of the Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site), doing an amateur radio Parks on the Air activation while there. It was rainy drive up on Saturday afternoon and while Sunday was windy, it was a beautiful day for wandering around Ocmulgee Mounds. The temperature dropped overnight and Monday morning was cold, but it was still good weather for wandering around the outside displays at Museum of Aviation. Radio-wise, it was a fun trip, both listening to the scanners and on amateur radio; it was another trip during which I combined my loves of radio and history.
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| The Lesser (left) and Great (center) Temple Mounds at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Macon, GA |
Most of the listening I did on this trip turned out to be public safety monitoring, although I did spend some time monitoring the USAF 157 TRS in use at Robins AFB. It's almost completely encrypted, so it's been awhile since I scanned it; on this trip I used my mini-laptop with an AirSpy R2 to run Unitrunker on it and see what's happened with since I last monitored it. I also heard quite a bit of Norfolk Southern railroad traffic; the hotel I stayed in was right next to one of their lines.
Amateur Radio-wise, I didn't hear a lot of activity on local repeaters on the drive up on Saturday afternoon or the drive back on Monday. I did hear a bit of activity on a handful of Macon and Warner Robins repeaters on Saturday and Sunday. I had planned on doing a POTA activation at Ocmulgee Mounds on Sunday, but I was told they don't allow antennas that used spikes, so that ruled me out. I activated the Griswoldville Battlefield instead and it turned out to be an experience.
Military Monitoring & Aviation
Given that it was a weekend and Saturday's weather was rainy, I didn't expect to hear a lot of Military Communications on this trip. I heard very little on Saturday, but I did catch some F/A-18s from MCAS Beaufort working in the Bulldog MOA on Sunday afternoon. Things picked up on Monday morning and I caught some activity at Robins AFB as well as some activity from Moody AFB and MCAS Beaufort on the drive home. Throughout the stay, I used a mini-laptop with an AirSpy R2 to monitor the USAF 157 P25 TRS in use at Robins AFB; it's almost all encrypted, but I did find a handful of talkgroups with some unencrypted activity. Talkgroup IDs on the encrypted talkgroups are mostly from monitoring done during trips to Warner Robins before they went encrypted. Three of them seem to be the base's Crash/Fire Department's station paging talkgroups and another sounds like the Air Logistics Center's MOC. On this trip, I also determined that there are transmitters for Atlanta ARTCC's Hampton Ultra High and South Departure Low sectors at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon.
Hunter AAF/Wright AAF/Fort Stewart
124.975/279.575 - Hunter AAF Tower
126.200/285.000 - Hunter AAF Base Ops
345.000 - USCG Air Station Savannah Ops
157.1500 - Marine VHF Ch 1023/23A, Air Station Savannah Ops/MX
COAST GUARD 6530 (MH-65E, 6530, CGAS Savannah)
TG 20500 - FS/HAAF FD/EMS Dispatch
TG 20513 - FS/HAAF EMS Dispatch
TG 20552 - FS/HAAF Army Common
TG 20556 - FS/HAAF Unknown (Fort Stewart DMPTR?)
TG 20566 - FS/HAAF Range Control Live Fire
TG 20705 - FS/HAAF Range Control 20705
TG 20706 - FS/HAAF Range Control 20706
TG 21104 - Fort Stewart Forestry
Savannah-Hilton Head IAP & Savannah CRTC/ADC
125.975/257.800 - Savannah-Hilton Head IAP Tower
123.025 - Savannah Helicopter Advisory/Memorial Hospital Helipad
EAGLE ## (MD-369/500, Chatham Co)
GULFTEST ## (Various, Gulfstream Aerospace Test Flight)
Robins AFB/Macon
132.225/257.975 - Robins AFB Tower
121.850/275.800 - Robins AFB Ground
349.850 - Robins AFB PMSV; radio checks
311.000 - Robins AFB CP
128.200 - Middle Georgia Regional Tower
119.600/124.200/279.600 - Atlanta TRACON
BACN 02 (E-11A, 427th ECS)
CODY 01 (C-130H, 90-9108, 910th AW)
LEGACY 61 (MV-22B, ??????, VMM-266?)
LEGACY 31 (MV-22B, 168709, VMM-266?)
USAF 157 TRS (Robins AFB site); encrypted unless otherwise noted
System ID: 157, Site ID: 001-066, NAC 150
Frequencies: 406.3625 (CC), 406.7625, 407.9625, 408.1625, 409.1625, 409.5625
TG 56022 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56046 - Robins ALC
TG 56065 - Robins AFB Crash/Fire Station Paging?; unenc
TG 56066 - Robins AFB Crash/Fire Station Paging?; unenc
TG 56067 - Robins AFB Crash/Fire Station Paging?; unenc
TG 56070 - Robins ALC MOC; unenc
TG 56071 - Robins ALC
TG 56072 - Robins ALC
TG 56074 - Robins ALC
TG 56076 - Robins ALC
TG 56084 - Robins ALC
TG 56085 - Robins ALC
TG 56086 - Robins ALC
TG 56088 - Robins ALC
TG 56102 - Robins ALC
TG 56110 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56121 - Robins AFB Base Ops
TG 56122 - Robins AFB Tower
TG 56123 - Robins AFB Crash/Fire Dispatch
TG 56124 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56133 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56137 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56151 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56171 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56191 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56193 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56194 - Robins AFB Unknown
TG 56198 - Robins AFB Unknown
Moody AFB
140.200 - 23rd FG Air-to-Air (No callsigns heard)
227.800 - 23rd FG Air-to-Air (No callsigns heard)
251.200 - 23rd FG Air-to-Air (No callsigns heard)
275.650 - 23rd FG Air-to-Air (No callsigns heard)
MCAS Beaufort
125.125/292.125 - Beaufort Approach/Departure
299.275 - VMFA-312 Tac 1
343.200 - VMFAT-501 Base
326.700 - VMFAT-501 Tac 1
349.225 - VMFAT-501 Tac 2
341.825 - VMFAT-501 Tac 3
CHECK 6# (F/A-18C/D, VMFA-312)
SWEDE ## (F-35B, VMFAT-501)
Joint Base Charleston
134.100/349.400 - JB Charleston "PALMETTO Ops"
FAMUS 83 (C-17A, 96-0002, 437th/315th AW) (on 349.400)
ELITE CHARTER 802 (on 134.100)
Military Operating Areas
228.400 - Townsend Range/Coastal MOAs
343.750 - Bulldog MOA Discrete
Jacksonville ARTCC
124.675/282.200 - Jekyll Low
126.125/285.650 - Statesboro High
127.575 - Waycross Low
127.875 - Aiken High
132.425 - Hunter Ultra High
132.925/363.200 - Allendale/Savannah Low
133.300 - Moultrie Ultra High
135.975 - Alma High
Atlanta ARTCC
119.375 - Macon High
120.450 - Tiroe Low
120.475 - Georgia High
123.950/269.625 - Sinca Low
124.325 - Clark Hill Ultra High
124.375 - Lanier High
125.575 - LaGrange High
125.825/290.375 - Hampton Ultra High
126.425/307.050 - Dublin High
128.100/322.325 - Augusta Low
132.475 - Athens Approach/Departure
134.500/360.750 - South Departure Low
FedCom
The only times I heard Federal Communications during this trip were on the way out of Savannah on Saturday afternoon and on the way back into Savannah on Monday afternoon. On both days, I could hear US Coast Guard activity and on Saturday afternoon, the Fort Pulaski National Monument repeater was active. While visiting Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park on Sunday, I searched for FedCom activity from it, but although there's a short tower with a VHF antenna on it behind the park's visitors center, I never found or heard anything.
156.8000 - Marine VHF Ch 16
157.1000 - Marine VHF Ch 1022/22A
171.2375 ($293) - CG 127, Sector Charleston
413.0000 ($293) - CG 410, Sector Charleston Air Ops
164.8000 ($293) - NPS Fort Pulaski NM
Public Safety
There are a wide variety of radio systems in use between Savannah and Macon. The areas around Savannah and Macon use P25 trunked repeater systems, but in between, conventional analog, DMR conventional, DMR trunked repeater systems, NXDN conventional, and NXDN trunked repeater systems are in use. Heading out of or into Savannah, you can even hear some traffic on South Carolina's Palmetto 800 P25 TRS. A lot of the frequency/talkgroup IDs for the areas outside of Savannah are from RadioReference; I have to admit that there are some I'm skeptical of (especially the Twiggs County ones; the Fireground 2 repeater stays active - more than I would expect it to, so I'm not sure about that ID). The CGIRRS system that covers Macon-Bibb County and Monroe County can be heard in Warner Robins, so if you're staying in Warner Robins, it's easy to listen Macon public safety (just beware, they stay busy...) Emanuel County has joined the SEGARRN system; I don't get up that way to monitor their site often, but from what I've seen their communications either are or will be fully encrypted. That said, traffic from other SEGARRN counties is affiliating on the Emanuel site.
159.2250 (PL 123.0) - Georgia Forestry Commission Macon
151.8500 (DCS 047) - AirEvac 102/176, Dublin
151.9100 (DCS 072) - AirEvac 95 Statesboro
158.4000 (DCS 073) - AirEvac 96 Jesup
155.3400 - VMED28/HEAR
154.3550 (DMR CC1, TG 244) - Johnson County FD Dispatch
154.3550 (DMR CC1, TG 245) - Johnson County FD Dispatch
154.3550 (DMR CC1, TG 246) - Johnson County FD Dispatch
154.3550 (DMR CC1, TG 254) - Johnson County FD Dispatch
159.4500 (NEX4 RAN 45) - Jones County Fire Dispatch
154.0700 (PL 186.2) - Laurens County FD Dispatch
154.1900 (DMR CC1, TG 300) - Laurens County FD Dispatch
155.3550 (DMR CC1, TG 300) - Laurens County FD Dispatch
156.1275 (DMR CC1, TG 300) - Laurens County FD Dispatch
154.9550 (DMR CC1 TG 100) - Laurens County EMS Dispatch
155.6250 (DMR CC1 TG 100) - Laurens County EMS Dispatch
156.1350 (DMR CC1 TG 100) - Laurens County EMS Dispatch
155.4000 (PL 85.4) - Macon County FD/EMS Dispatch
156.1200 (NEX4 RAN 55) - Fort Valley 55 911 (Peach County); encrypted
151.3250 (PL 151.4) - Putnam County Fire Dispatch
154.4300 (DMR CC7, TG 8100) - Twiggs County FD Dispatch; encrypted
155.9250 (DMR CC7, TG 8100) - Twiggs County FD FG1; encrypted
158.8350 (DMR CC7, TG 8000) - Twiggs County FD FG2 ; encrypted
160.6650 (PL 118.8) - Upson Co FD Dispatch
154.2425 (DMR CC1, TG 250) - Wilkinson County Rptr 4 (FD/EMS comms)
154.2425 (DMR CC1, TG 1000) - Wilkinson County Rptr 4 (FD comms)
TG 5090 - Bryan County North Fire Dispatch
TG 5093 - Bryan County South Fire Dispatch
TG 5109 - Bryan County FD North Tac 2
TG 2305 - Chatham County Fire Dispatch
TG 2311 - Chatham County Fireground 1 (Affiliated on Emanuel County site)
TG 2313 - Chatham County Fireground 2
TG 2315 - Chatham County Fireground 3
TG 2359 - Chatham County Fireground 4
TG 2309 - Chatham County Fireground 5
TG 223 - Chatham County Fire Admin
TG 858 - Pooler FD Dispatch (Chatham County)
TG 859 - Port Wentworth FD Dispatch (Chatham County)
TG 2303 - Savannah FD Simulcast Page (Chatham County)
TG 2307 - Savannah FD Admin (Chatham County)
TG 325 - Tybee Island FD (Chatham County)
TG 1541 - Effingham County Fire Dispatch
TG 1663 - Effingham County Incident 4
TG 12806 - Liberty County Fire Dispatch
TG 704 - Beaufort County Fire Dispatch 1
TG 132 - Macon-Bibb County FD Dispatch 1
TG 134 - Macon-Bibb County FD Scene 2
TG 135 - Macon-Bibb County FD Scene 3
TG 136 - Macon-Bibb County FD Scene 4
TG 137 - Macon-Bibb County FD Scene 5
TG 152 - Macon-Bibb Co FD Event 2
TG 1101 - Monroe County FD Dispatch
TG 1161 - Monroe County ES Alert 1
TG 1162 - Monroe County ES Alert 2
TG 100 - Unknown; enc
TG 200 - Unknown; enc
TG 16 - Houston County FD Dispatch
TG 17 - Houston County FD Fireground 1
TG 18 - Houston County FD Fireground 2
TG 31 - Houston County EMS Dispatch
TG 61 - Warner Robins FD Dispatch
TG 62 - Warner Robins FD Fireground 1
TG 91 - Centerville FD Dispatch
TG 92 - Centerville FD Fireground 1
TG 121 - Perry FD Dispatch
TG 122 - Perry FD Ops 2
TG 300 - Unknown
TG 12 - Tattnall County FD/EMS Dispatch
Port & Railroad
Port and railroad communications helped make up for the lack of military communications on Saturday and Sunday as well. Of course, there's no Marine VHF/Port traffic in the Macon/Warner Robins area, but there is plenty to hear as you leave the Savannah area westbound on I-16. There is a lot of railroad traffic in both the Savannah and Macon areas. Savannah has a lot of traffic from both CSX and Norfolk Southern and Macon has a lot of traffic from Norfolk Southern. I've also included some activity from the DMR TRS at the Hyundai Metaplant in Ellabell along I-16 in this section.
156.8000 - Marine VHF Ch 16
156.6500 - Marine VHF Ch 13; Savannah River Navigation Safety
156.7000 - Marine VHF Ch 14; Savannah Pilots
156.9500 - Marine VHF Ch 1019/19A; Tugboats
156.9750 - Marine VHF Ch 1079/79A; Tugboats
CSX
160.3200 - AAR 14, CSX Dispatch (Coastal GA)
161.3700 - AAR 84, CSX Dispatch (Coastal GA)
160.5900 - AAR 32, CSX Road (Coastal GA)
161.1000 - AAR 66, CSX Road (Coastal GA)
160.4850 - AAR 25, CSX Southover Yard (Coastal GA)
160.2900 - AAR 12, CSX Southover Yard (Coastal GA)
160.9200 - AAR 54, CSX Southover Yard? (Coastal GA)
160.4400 - AAR 22, CSX Intermodal Yard (Coastal GA)
161.1750 - AAR 71; CSX/Rail Link (Coastal GA)
161.1000 - AAR 66, CSX Road (Middle GA)
Norfolk Southern
160.9350 - AAR 55, Norfolk Southern Road/Dispatch (Coastal GA)
161.0100 - AAR 60, Norfolk Southern Transportation (Coastal GA)
161.4900 - AAR 92, Norfolk Southern Dillard Yard (Coastal GA)
160.5750 - AAR 31, Norfolk Southern Dispatch South Atlanta (Middle GA)
160.6950 - AAR 39, Norfolk Southern/GS&F Dispatch (Middle GA)
160.3200 - AAR 14, Norfolk Southern Brosnan Yard (Macon)
160.6350 - AAR 35, Norfolk Southern Brosnan Yard (Macon)
161.5650 - AAR 97, Norfolk Southern (Middle GA); Data/CW ID
Genesee & Wyoming
160.6200 - AAR 34, Savannah Port Terminal Railway (Coastal GA)
161.5650 - AAR 97, Savannah Port Terminal Railway (Coastal GA)
Savannah & Old Fort RR
161.1450 - AAR 69, Savannah & Old Fort RR (Coastal GA)
161.2950 - AAR 79, Savannah & Old Fort RR (Coastal GA)
Amateur Radio & GMRS
I didn't hear much amateur radio 2 Meter/70cm traffic during this trip, just the occasional blip on some repeaters as I drove around, mostly around Macon/Warner Robins and Savannah. The GMRS repeater in Pembroke was active as I drove back to Savannah on Monday, too. It didn't mean I that I didn't have fun on amateur radio during this trip, though - on Sunday afternoon I did a POTA (Parks on the Air) activation that turned out to be very productive despite the high winds.
146.6700- (PL 82.5) - Warner Robins
146.8500- (CSQ) - Warner Robins
146.8950- (PL 88.5) - Macon (Peach State Intertie)
147.3000+ (PL 107.2) - Centerville
440.6500+ (DMR CC1) - Cochran
442.7000+ (PL 123.0) - Savannah
443.0750+ (DMR CC7) - Macon
443.1500+ (PL 82.5) - Warner Robins
462.5500+ (PL 74.4) - Pembroke GMRS
My original plan was to do a POTA activation at Ocmulgee Mounds NHP, but I was told that they don't allow antennas on spikes there, so I had to change plans. Since the Griswoldville Battlefield qualifies for POTA and wasn't all that far away, I decided to activate it. The sky was sunny, but the temperature dropped through the day and winds were high; while I was there it was 45F with winds up to 25mph and gusts even higher. There aren't picnic tables or shelters at Griswoldville, so I set up the Yaesu FT-891 in the back hatch of the car and the MC-750 portable vertical antenna a short distance away. The MC-750 never blew over, but it did get a bit sideways a few times! I was able to log 46 stations including some from South Dakota, Colorado, Canada, and Puerto Rico and could have done even more had I not eventually had to shut down to get out of the wind. This activation was simultaneously one of the most fun I've had yet miserable at the same time!
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| The portable HF station set up in the back hatch of the car |
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| The MC-750 portable vertical HF antenna set up behind the car |
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| The winds were up to 25mph with higher gusts during the activation, but the MC-750 antenna never blew over |
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
On Sunday morning, I went over to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park as soon as it opened, looking at the exhibits in the Visitors Center and wandering around the grounds. It was very windy but otherwise a great day for a visit. The park sits on a site that has been inhabited for 12,000 years, from Paleo Indians to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to modern day Macon. Many of the mounds on the site were built by the Mississippians from roughly 900 to 1300. Several of the mounds were damaged by railroad construction in the 1800s; one of the railroad cuts still has an active line and part of the other forms part of the road that leads from the Visitors Center to the Temple and Funeral Mounds. The park also features the site of a late 17th Century trading post that was established by colonists from South Carolina. While I haven't included anything about in this post, the park also contains the remnants of some Civil War Confederate Earthworks; two battles took place on what is now Ocmulgee Mounds NHP: the Battle of Dunlap Hill (also known as Stoneman's Raid) and the Battle of Walnut Creek.
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| The art deco style Visitors Center at Ocmulgee Mounds NHP. Whenever I visit, it makes me feel as if I'm stepping onto the set an episode of Poirot! |
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| A paved trail runs from the Visitors Center to the temple mounds, but the first site you come to is the earth lodge. |
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| The Earth Lodge is partly a reconstruction and partially original; the walls and ceiling were built in the 1930s by the CCC but the floor inside is the original built by the Mississippians. |
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| The original council chamber floor inside the Earth Lodge; it was built by the Mississippians over 1000 years ago. |
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| This view looks toward the Great and Lesser Temple Mounds from near the Earth Lodge. Two railroad cuts are in between and you can see how the far railroad cut sliced through the Lesser Temple Mound (right) when the railroad was built in 1843. |
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| The Cornfield Mound (left) and Earth Lodge (right); The Cornfield Mound was probably a ceremonial platform and is named because archaeological evidence indicates it was built atop a cornfield |
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| Just as I crossed the bridge over the first railroad cut and walked into the clearing where the trading post was, I saw two Whitetail Deer walking up the trail to the Southeast Mound; I was able to snap this photo of the buck before they moved into the woodline. |
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| The wooden outline in the clearing is where a trading post was established by colonists from Charleston, SC in the 1690s to trade with the Muscogee. Located in current day Georgia, this trading post was established some forty years before the colony of Georgia was established. The Great Temple (left) and Lesser Temple (right) mounds are in the background. |
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| The Great Temple Mound at Ocmulgee NHP. The Great Temple Mound is 55 feet high with a base 270 feet by 300 feet. It was built by the Mississippians in the 10th Century and ceremonial structures and houses for the Mississippian elite were probably on top. |
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| The Lesser Temple Mound at Ocmulgee NHP. It's similar to the Great Temple Mound, but significantly smaller; in 1843, much of the lesser mound was lost when a railroad cut was built through it. |
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| The Walnut Creek Wetlands as seen from the top of the Great Temple Mound |
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| Looking back toward the Trading Post site, Earth Lodge, and Visitors Center from atop the Great Temple Mound |
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| Downtown Macon across the Ocmulgee River as seen from atop the Great Temple Mound |
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| The Funeral Mound at Ocmulgee NHP; Today, it's only 20 feet high, but was once 50 feet high. Built by the Mississippians, it is the site of over 100 burials. A large part of the funeral mound was destroyed by the construction of a railroad cut in the 1870s. |
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| The railroad cut closest to the Earth Lodge is still an active Norfolk Southern line and trains frequently pass through. A bridge goes over the cut so you can walk from the Earth Lodge to the Trading Post site and Temple Mounds. |
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| These trenches are north of the Cornfield Mound and Earth Lodge; they may have been used as borrow pits for mound construction |
Griswoldville Battlefield
Overseen by the Jarrell Plantation Historic Site, the Civil War Griswoldville Battlefield is about 10 miles east of Macon via GA-80. The Battle of Griswoldville was the first and only pitched battle that took place during Sherman's March to the Sea on 22 November 1864. The battle began on the morning of the 22nd when a brigade of Sherman's right wing was met by Confederate cavalry. The cavalry was driven off and the Union Troops prepared for a counterattack that was made (without orders) by troops of the Georgia State Line and Militia (mostly boys and old men). The Georgia troops made three charges, but were unsurprisingly unsuccessful given the disparity between the condition and abilities of the forces engaged. Other than a couple of monuments and some benches under a shelter, there are no facilities (including bathrooms) at the battlelfield.
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| Monument to the Georgia State Line and Militia troops engaged at the Civil War Battle of Griswoldville |
Robins AFB Museum of Aviation
The Robins AFB Museum of Aviation sits right outside the main gate to Robins AFB and is open to the public. It features aircraft from World War II through the current day as well as exhibits on those periods with a concentration on what happened and what has flown out of Robins AFB. I visit several times a year and on this visit I wanted to see their newly acquired HH-60G and see what kind of progress has been made on their B-17G and F-117A. I've also included some photos of some of my favorite aircraft at the museum.
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| One of the Museum's latest acquisitions: former 301st RQS HH-60G 90-26238 |
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| The B-17G restoration continues and although it doesn't look like there has been a lot of progress since the last visit, it's hard to see engine work and interior work from the outside |
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| The F-117A is still in one of the restoration hangars behind the museum; it appears that they have applied a substitute for the RAM (radar absorbing material) that was removed as part of its de-militarization for transfer to the museum. |
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| Former 116th/461st ACW E-8C JSTARS 00-2000; I heard this aircraft numerous times when it was flying out of Robins AFB |
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| EC-135N Stratotanker 61-0327 - this aircraft has a magnificent history; it started out as a C-135A Stratolifter in 1961, was converted to an EC-135N Apollo/Range Instrumentation Aircraft with a "Snoopy Nose," and later became a Special Mission Aircraft that was used by the CENTCOM Commander. |
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| MH-53M 70-1626 - this is another aircraft with an extensive history; it saw action in every major US conflict from the Vietnam War to Operation Iraqi Freedom; it was retired in 2008 and transferred to the Museum. |
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| SR-71A 61-7958 - Delivered to the Air Force in 1966, this aircraft was the first "mission ready" SR-71. In 1976, it set two world record:, an absolute speed record of 2,193.167 mph and an absolute altitude record of 85,068.997 ft. It was retired and transferred to the Museum in 1990. |
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| WV-2/EC-121K 141297 - Delivered to the US Navy as a WV-2 in 1956, it was transferred to the US Air Force in 1962. At the Museum of Aviation, it's displayed in its USAF colors. An airborne early warning and control aircraft, it was a predecessor of today's E-2s and E-3s |
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| A-10A 75-0305 - This aircraft spent part of it's career with the 354th TFW at Myrtle Beach AFB in South Carolina and served as a maintenance instructional trainer at Eielson AFB in Alaska. |
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| B-1B 83-0069 - A former 116th BW, Georgia Air National Guard aircraft, it's an aircraft I heard often when the 116th Wing at Robins AFB flew B-1s prior to becoming an E-8 JSTARS wing. |
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| For the vintage radio geeks among my readers, the Museum of Aviation has this pair of Hallicrafters BC-610-E transmitters on display |
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| F-4D Phantom II 66-7554 - This F-4D saw combat during the Vietnam War and scored 1 confirmed and 1 unconfirmed kill, hence the two red stars in front of the air intake. Communications, fire control, air-to-air missiles, gun and electronic warfare systems for all USAF F-4s was managed by the Robins AFB Air Logistics Center |
Food
I had two terrific dinners during this road trip. The first was at El Mural Mexican Grill and Cantina in Warner Robins on Saturday evening. I had their Camarones Chipotle, which is shrimp and mushrooms in a chipotle sauce, with beans (it also comes with rice, but I skipped the rice to keep down the carbs). It also came with a salad and chips and salsa. The chipotle sauce was savory but not spicy - it was delicious. The food and the service was excellent. For the second, I finally checked Fresh Air BBQ off my "to-go" list on Sunday evening. I had their BBQ plate - chopped pork, cole slaw, Brunswick stew, and a pickle spear and it was outstanding! The pork was tender and juicy and both delicious sauces, mild and hot, were vinegar based (the hot really wasn't all that hot, just a bit more zesty than the mild). Both the food and service were amazing and at $9.99 you can't beat the price for the BBQ plate.
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| Camarones Chipotle - shrimp and mushrooms in a chipotle sauce - at El Mural Mexican Grill and Cantina in Warner Robins |
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| Fresh Air BBQ in Macon |
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| The BBQ Plate at Fresh Air BBQ, not only did it taste magnificent, it was a bargain at $9.99. Let this photo be more evidence that if you go to a BBQ restaurant and your meal comes out on a foam or paper plate - you're in the right place! |
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