G8 Day Three: The air fully deflates from the protest balloon

The day started slow once again. A small crew hung out at Green Hummer HQ for a while, debating what to do next.

At 11:15 am, Stephen went through Forsyth Park to see if anything was happening. An announcer stated that there would be a press conference at Franklin Square at 12:00. Since nothing else was happening, the Green Hummer crew went, too.

The press conference was one of the larger gatherings of people in the city. It was mostly a call to President Bush to answer some of the many questions about the September 11 attacks. After a short speech, the press conference turned into a march down the sidewalk through town.

Stephen and a volunteer, Primo, tried to join by riding between the police van watching over the procession, and the horse police. At the corner of Broughton Street and Bull Street, we ran into the same motorcycle police officer from the day before. Although surrounded by pleasant officers going less than our average Hummer speed, he pushed us off of Broughton Street for obstructing traffic. He never realized that when he pushed us off Broughton Street, where traffic is almost always crawling, we would have other police send us down Whitaker Street, usually an expressway.

As a result of our detour, we lost the procession, as well as Jarrod, and waited at Chippewa Square for others to show up.

Patrick and Stephen ate lunch at Gallery Espresso (a popular coffee shop here in Savannah). Jarrod borrowed Will’s bike while he was at work. Patrick had work to do, and nothing else seemed to be happening in the city once again, so Jarrod and Stephen took the Hummer back to City Market with Will’s bike in the back. Once the bike was returned, the Green Hummer went home.

Later, the crew pedalled the Hummer over to the park, and watched the Billionaires for Bush meeting at Sentient Bean. They were great! After the billionaires departed for the middle of Forsyth park (where the Hummer is not allowed to ride), the Green Hummer hit the road again, going up Drayton Street to Bull Street to City Market again.

When the weather turned threatening, we road back to the house, via Congress, Abercorn, Hull, Bull, Gaston and finally Barnard.

Jarrod and Daniel tried to break the current speed record, but were humbled by strong wings from the coming storm. And, just as we pulled into Green Hummer HQ, a thunderstorm erupted. Good timing!