My wife has been out of town for nearly a month for her job so needless to say, I had to find ways to keep myself busy to keep from going nuts and missing her. I decided a couple of weeks ago that the Thursday I had to myself I would go to Macon, GA. I promised myself that since we moved back to Atlanta that I would make it a point to go seek some much needed inspiration by paying a visit to the resting place of Allman Brothers Band members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. The Allman Brothers Band has been a huge source of inspiration for me for well over 20 years. Much like the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers Band has been a huge part of the soundtrack of my life so it seemed only suiting that to find some inspiration, I needed to go back to where it all began.
Being less that two hours from Macon made for a nice and easy trip. I loaded up the iPhone with some Allman’s and hit the road. One of the first things I noticed before I got to Macon was an exit sign for High Falls Road which was so insane because High Falls was actually playing when I saw it. I just smiled to myself and just knew it was going to be a fun trip. My first destination was The Big House. The 
Big House is the place that the band, their families, and various friends called home from 1970 to 1973. It was such a surreal feeling to be standing on the steps where these guys once hung out with their families, drank beer and just plain out lived. Unfortunately, the Big House isn’t open to the public until December but just being able to see it up close and take in the spirit of it all was a moving experience. I just smiled to myself, took a few pictures and then made my way back to the car.
My next destination was Rose Hill Cemetery. I pulled into the cemetery entrance and right away I got this sinking feeling. Rose Hill Cemetery is not only the place where Duane Allman and Berry Oakley are buried but it’s a place where the Brothers spent a lot of time hanging out, partying and just beign a band of brothers. This place also inspired songs such as the Duane Allman instrumental “Little Martha” and the ever legendary “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”. I found a map posted that showed where all the “famous” people are buried and I found the location of Duane and Berry’s graves. Unfortunately, there was no indication of where Elizabeth Reed’s tomb was so I figured I would just walk it. I started walking and finally found my way to Duane and Berry’s graves. Right away my breath was taken away. First off, the graves are surrounded by a beautiful, black rod iron fence. My guess is all the years of people coming to the graves, doing rubbings and leaving shit there took it’s toll so this was a great way to still allow you to view th
e tombs but to keep your distance. I was going to leave a necklace but out of respect decided it was best to just leave good thoughts and take only inspiration. The graves are absolutely beautiful and once again, I just smiled and meditated a bit. In my mind, I thanked them for all the inspiration and music that had become the soundtrack of my life over the years. It truly was yet another lifting experience. It also took me back to realize that they were both so young when they died but had accomplished so much in their short lives. Most don’t accomplish what they did or leave the size of a footprint they left in three times their lives. I stood up and decided to make my way to seek out Elizabeth Reed which in a cemetery this size would be like searching for a needle in a hay stack.
As I walked back up to the road, I found myself looking over the railroad tracks and taking in yet another breathtaking sight. I had a grand view of the Ocumulgee River rolling on in all it’s black muddy glory. I immediately thought of the 
Grateful Dead song “Black Muddy River” and began to just settle into the sight of it when I hear a voice from behind me say, “We like to refer to her as the Ol’ Muddy Ocumulgee.” I turned and there was a City of Macon employee sitting on his truck eating his lunch. He introduced himself to me and we shook hands. He saw my shirt and knew right away why I was there. He told me that he likes to eat his lunch everyday at Rose Hill over looking Ol’ Muddy. “It’s peaceful and the folks around here don’t bug you.” he joked. We shared a bond immediately. We were both musicians and both Allman Brothers fans. He has lived in Macon for many years and knows Rose Hill like the back of his hand. I told him I was seeking out Elizabeth Reed’s grave and he says, “Hop in and I’ll take you to her.” I hoped in his truck and in a minute we were right in front of Liz Reed’s grave. I managed to get a few pictures and he even snapped one of me standing behind her headstone. He told me the old legend about where the song title for “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” 
came from. In a nutshell, he said that it had something to do with a certain female that Dickey Betts used to have “fun” with near this site and in order to change the names to protect the innocent, he used Elizabeth Reed’s name from the gravesite. We shared a laugh and he offered me a ride back to my car. We sat a bit more and talked about guitars, the love of music and how many great guitar shops and pawn shops are in Macon. I pretty much heard his life story which is the kind of fodder that a songwriter like me just lives for. He was a great guy and as we parted ways I gave him a copy of my CD. It was really cool talking with this fella but at this point, my tummy was yearning for some good old fashioned soulfood. He gave me great directions to my final destination, H&H Restaurant.
I got a bit turned around on all the one way streets so I found my way to the Visitors Center and once again, right when I walked in the women knew right away that I was in town for a pilgramage. “Are you lookin’ for Rose Hill Cemetery 
darlin’?” the lady asked me. I told her that I had found all I was looking for and that my final destination was H&H Restaurant. She just smiled, gave me a map and said, “Darlin’, you’re almost there. Now you go and get you some of the best food in town ok?” I got back in the car and in less than three minutes I was in the parking lot of H&H and ready to fill myself with some good vittles. First bit of order was to situate myself just right so I could get a good picture myself in front of the famous H&H sign that sports the infamouse Allman Brothers Band mushroom. Once I got that, I made my way inside. Just like the other sites, my stomach kind of tightend and my breath was taken away. I could really feel the spirts of my heroes in this room. The walls were covered with edge to edge pictures of the Allman Brothers Band and the various side projects of their careers. I made my way to a table and right away ordered my food. Fried Chicken, sweet corn, rice with gravy, snap beans and glass of sweet tea to wash it all down properly. I dove right into this food 
and with the first bite I knew right away why they call this soul food. There is something to be said about a meal that is good with all the love, respect and gratitude to the customer that is taking it all in. I took in every bite with a smile and I took in all the images on the wall and the feeling that at one time, the Brothers sat in this very room eating and dreaming of things that were yet to come. When I was done and ready to go, I was told to go through the kitchen to pay which I thought was odd at first. I made my way through the kitchen to pay and all of the sudden I was standing right next to Mama Louise herself, the woman responsible for keeping my heroes full of good soul food. She smile and thanked me for coming and hoped that my first time was a good one. She says to me, “You look like my boys used to way back when.” I just smiled and asked her I could give her a hug and she replied, “Sure you can darlin’. You give me that hug!” I hugged her and thanked her for the great food and that I couldn’t wait to come back. She 
welcomed me back anytime and I offered her a copy of my last CD. She smiled and said, “I will give this a listen. I love hearing music of all kinds. Thank you so much.” and she hugged me again. I was so taken in by this. I paid my bill, got my H&H T-shirt and made my way to the car.
On the drive back to Atlanta, my mind was full of all the great memories that I had made for that day. Even in one day I didn’t get to see everything but it was a great start. I thought about how amazing it was seeing all these legendary sites. I thought about my little friend, the City of Macon worker and his kindness and our great conversation. I thought about the sweet little ladies at the Welcome Center and the great experience of meeting Mama Louise. The people of Macon seem to be really sweet and welcoming people. I felt very much welcomed and embraced on this day and most of all, I got to pay my respects to the ghosts of my heroes. What made this trip even more amazing to me was the fact that I didn’t even realize that this very day was the 38th anniversary of Duane Allman’s death. After all that I had done that day, it didn’t even click with me until I got home and read this on a blog. That right there made this trip even more exciting for me at the end of it all. It’s almost as if I was called and pulled to Macon. I went there seeking inspiration and I left feeling inspired. Mission accomplished without a doubt!
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