Jackson, Georgia – Our Snowbird Northern Migration Begins

It’s that time again. Time for our Northern migration…and Jackson, Georgia was destined to be our first overnight stop.

So…after a South Florida winter filled with gorgeous sunrises…

And beautiful sunsets…

It was time to pack it all up…and head North.

And when I say pack…I mean PACK!

It’s a really good thing that Peepaw was a UPS driver for thirty years, so he can fit more stuff in a small space than anybody I know!

And he made sure our hurricane protection was in place, although we sure hope it’s never needed.

And before the sun came up we set off on our long awaited Northern migration once again. Our destination that first day? Someplace in Georgia.

That’s the great thing about our “road trips”…we have no deadlines or timelines. We simply drive until we feel like stopping! And stop we did..when we reached Jackson, Georgia.

What an iconic Southern town…

We love the “vibe” in these small towns…

And when dinnertime rolled around we headed for a restaurant I Googled earlier that afternoon. A place called Jimmy’s Steak and Seafood. (We were true “Early Birds” for dinner that day since we had been up before the birds to get ahead of the crazy South Florida traffic!)

And what better to order for dinner in a small Southern town than Catfish…And Hush Puppies!

And let me assure you…those Hush Puppies were worth the price of admission!

We were early to bed that night, and the next morning I Googled another spot for breakfast in Jackson, and this place sounded promising…Hunter’s Cafe…”Southern Cooking Done Right!”

We were slightly confused by the ordering process inside, but the friendly server beckoned us to step up to the buffet table where she was dishing up all the usual Southern breakfast fare…from dishes like scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, pork chops, tater tots, and cheese grits…

to Georgia favorites like Country Ham and something that resembled bacon…a deep fat fried meat called Strickalean! It’s “streak-of-lean” and it’s a term for this “bacon” that is mostly fat…with one stripe (or streak) of lean pork down the middle. I had never heard the term before.

And you know me…I just HAD to try it. I asked if it is sometimes called fatback and the friendly server told me that’s another name for it. But it their neck of the woods in Georgia it’s called Strickalean.

I must say both the Country Ham and that Strickalean were saltier than any other meat I’ve ever tasted. Too salty for my palate. One bite of each was all I could muster. But I’m still glad I tried it.

There was one shining star on that breakfast plate, and that was that silky mound of Cheesy Grits.

Those grits were a revelation!

I could have eaten an entire plate full! Ummmm…I can still remember that delicious fork full of flavor!

You see, “Big Mama” Doris Hunter was the founder of this Southern restaurant way back in 1976, and her daughters and grandchildren are continuing the restaurant in her memory. So I wish I could have given Big Mama a BIG HUG for preserving the recipe for those grits. Her family should be very proud of the legacy she left behind. And the friendly staff are a tribute to her memory.

Yes, every overnight stay in Small Town America gives Peepaw and me so many reasons to love our road trip travels…and this overnight in Georgia is another example of friendly people who are always willing to share their stories and their hometown pride with anyone who ventures off the beaten path to take those roads less traveled.

Now…On to Tennessee!