Jack's Journal: Savannah

River Street on the Historic District waterfront of Savannah, Georgia was where we staged our Great American Vacation giveaway last Thursday.

Savannah is home to a genteel way of life that resonates in the smiling faces of those that you meet in this fair city.

Her founder, General James Edward Oglethorpe, and the 120 travelers of the good ship "Anne," landed on a bluff high along the Savannah River in February, 1733. Oglethorpe named the Thirteenth and final American colony Georgia, after England's King George II and Savannah became its first city.

While the Mulberry Inn, a Holiday Inn property located in downtown Savannah, doesn't quite date back to that original landing by Oglethorpe, it still has the quaint touches of a southern home. From the cushy bath mats to the half and half cream for your coffee in your room (no non-dairy creamer, thank you), it's the little niceties like those that add comfort and serenity to a harried travelers' hectic day.

And I have to say "thanks" to Jay, Joey and Dino of Freightliner of Savannah for their help in keeping our Winnebago rolling up those miles. Thanks guys, for the fast turn around on the servicing. Hard to believe that in just three weeks we've put 5,000 miles on her.

Speaking of the Winnebago, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the fine folks from Winnebago Industries who presented Dave with the keys those three weeks back at the Plaza on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. Led by President Bob Olson, they included Sarah Nielsen, Phil Raner, Sheila Davis, Roger Martin, Dennis Shaw and Ed Barker.

I wouldn't be able to stay up and running without the technical support of Tom Olson and the help of Kelli Harms. Thank you all for sponsoring and supporting the Great American Vacation.

And what a street party we all had on River Street in Savannah. Joining us were the Deen brothers, Jamie and Bobby, sons of the belle of Savannah herself, Paula Deen. The guys, who also host a show on the Food Network, showed us a different spin on French Toast for breakfast.

We met Katrina Adams-Jones who heads Trendy Events and is closely associated with DeAngelo Hall of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League; corner back DeAngelo Hall runs a free camp for one hundred kids. There they are taught basic life skills among them being how to develop healthy eating habits. The main emphasis of the camp is to teach young people to stay away from violence, which is also the message of the DeAngelo Hall Foundation. More information on his non-profit foundation can be found at www.deangelohall.org. There have been some recent news reports about less-than-civil behavior from some NFL stars, so it's gratifying to know that others like DeAngelo Hall take their role model seriously and give back to their communities in many ways that never make the headlines. Go Falcons!

We ran into a Girl Scout troop from Oklahoma who was spending the week in Savannah, and came down to be part of the show. Also joining in the festivities -- along with his three-year-old Burmese Albino Python, was Magic Mark, who has the regions' number one Saturday morning children's show.

Of course, we wouldn't be going very far if it were not for the very nice folks of BP; without their sponsorship, our road trip would almost certainly grind to a halt. On hand from BP, and featured in a holiday road safety segment with Dave, was Greg Damon, the 2007 BP Amoco Ultimate Golden Mechanic and host of CBS Radio KMOX-AM 1120 Auto Show in St. Louis, Missouri.

We had a blast on River Street, and if you ever have a chance to visit this town, you should do so. Home of many bistros, restaurants and novelty stores, the city of Savannah also has some magnificent antique shops and art galleries. There's plenty of shade, as the city fathers planned the grids with walking and summer heat in mind. So, please do come on down to this fine southern town.

And a personal debt of gratitude goes out from me to Sergeant Gallo, of the Savannah-Chatham PD, who among other responsibilities, also ensured that we were able to proceed the wrong way on the cobblestones of River Street to safely make our way out and on to Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls? Step by step, slowly I turned…with loving homage to Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, and to you dear reader who are asking who are Abbott and Costello, all I can say is ... who's on first?