2025 Jumbo Road Trip

Richmond, VA – Day 42: Dead Presidents, Civil War Battlefields, A Shotgun Shell & Another Cousin

Richard’s wife had family business to take care of, so us guys were turned loose. First we went to the Hollywood Cemetery to walk the dogs and to see where 3 presidents are interred. The 5th President of the US, James Monroe; the 10th President of the US, John Tyler; and the 1st and only President of the CSA, Jefferson Davis.

After dropping the dogs back home, Richard and I toured a couple of Civil War battlefields, including the one he volunteers at. Then we headed to a BBQ place for lunch, and we ate way too much because we were unsupervised.

Today’s Roadside America photo is the Largest Shotgun Shell located in Ashland, VA.

World’s Largest Shotgun Shell

And this evening I visited with another of Donna’s cousins, Susie and her husband, Alex, who live about 20 miles from where I’ve been holed up for the last couple of days.

Richmond, VA – Day 41: Leggy Attraction & He Who Shall Not Be Named


 
Today’s Roadside America is a very interesting spot: Giant Legs of Ricky Pearce in Henderson, NC. Because I have a terrible inability to back up any car, including a small Miata with a backup camera, after my first couple of failed attempts, I just gave up and dove in headfirst.

I’m pretty sure that Santa Fe Sally doesn’t read this, but if she does, I could fall out of her favor… You see, I am currently staying in the home of ‘He Who Shall Not Be Named’ and his second wife. And I totally get her animosity because of the way she found out he was leaving her. He told the oldest son before he told her. Dick move, but then again his name is Richard.

Chapel Hill, NC – Day 40: World’s Largest Strawberry & Another Rainy Day

World’s Largest Strawberry


 
Today’s Roadside America photo is of the World’s Largest Strawberry. It is in Ellerbe, which is practically on the route back to Chapel Hill from Rockingham, where I met up with Donna’s cousin Laurie and her husband Harold.

When Laurie moved south with husband #2 back in the mid-2000s, Donna and I used to visit once in a while. But when Ted passed away, we upped it to once a month at a Cracker Barrel nearer to her than us. She and I, much to Donna’s amusement, would empty the creamer and the real sugar packets on the table into our coffees. Marriage count sidebar: Harrold is husband #3 for her, but Laurie is wife #5 for him. But this union, forged in 2012, is the longest for either of them. So, kids, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.

Unlike yesterday, when I had an hour or so of no rain, today was a total washout. It never quit, and there were times when 55 MPH was too fast to be driving in that quantity of precipitation.

I’m watching the Red Sox game and having some Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips. They are only 140 calories per serving, but unfortunately the bag is listed as 2.5 servings…

Chapel Hill, NC – Day 39: Foggy Mountain No Breakdown & One More ‘Henge

Foggy Morning on the Blueridge Parkway


 
Last Friday, when I was traveling from Robbinsville to Asheville, I had hoped to travel some of it along the Blue Ridge Parkway. No matter how I tried, Google wouldn’t allow me to use the parkway. I Googled “how come google maps won’t let me select the blue ridge parkway?” The answer came back, “Google Maps typically prioritizes the fastest, most direct routes, and the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) is not considered a typical, fast-paced road.” Convinced I couldn’t get there from here, I went about telling several people how Google Maps sucked.

I was wrong; Google will direct you onto the Parkway. How do I know? It put me right on it this morning where John, Carol, and I got on yesterday.

And in spite of the dire warning from John & Carol and the big yellow sign on the way onto it, to not travel it in fog and rain, I took it all the way to Blowing Rock. This morning’s fog and rain kept me moving at only around 35 MPH until I got under about 4,000 feet level, and even then the Parkway’s posted 45 MPH speed limit was fast enough for me. I saw no one traveling in my direction, and maybe a half dozen passed in the other.

Today’s Roadside America find occured in the small community of Calvander a few miles from Chapel Hill proper, Hartleyhenge and unlike the original, it is more of a spiral than a circle. Also, it’s very worth a visit if you are ever in this neck of the woods.

This, of course, is my second “Henge” of the trip, and another notch in my belt, see: Road Trip – Day 10: A Giant Rabbit & Another ‘Henge

Banner Elk, NC – Day 38: A Viaduct, An Old Mountain & A Deep Gorge

Linn Cove Viaduct


 
Today we were out and about enjoying the best of western North Carolina. The three of us visited Linn Cove Viaduct, Grandfather Mountain, and Linville Gorge Wilderness. The title of the post, that last sentence, and the pictures below are in the reverse order of our visitation.

Tomorrow I head further east in North Carolina to visit one of Donna’s 1st cousins and a good friend who lives in Rockingham. It is about time; these last three days have worn me out. These mountain folk, David and then John & Carol, have fed me and have made me walk more than I’ve done in the previous month of the road trip. The only good thing is that I’ve been chauffeur-driven around.

Banner Elk, NC – Day 37: Mothership & Sunset Flares

The Original Mast General Store


 
Whenever Donna and I would come up to Hendersonville, a trip to the downtown Mast General Store was always on the agenda. Usually just to buy candy, but hiking-related merchandise made into a shopping bag. We have also been to the one in Asheville. When we discovered they built one in Columbia, a mere 60 miles away, we went there a few times. But until today, I never really knew that the original store still existed. Cool place with creaky floors. Right down the street a quarter mile was an Annex store that felt familiar; the layout mimicked the newer stores I’ve been in.

Ho hum, another night, another cabin in the woods. This one belongs to a Miata Club couple who spend the summers up here near Banner Elk to escape the heat and humidity of Augusta, GA. They also didn’t have any home damage, but they did lose a metric crap ton of trees. If anyone you know makes art with a chainsaw, they have plenty of material for them. Before Helene they could not see the mountains in the distance, now if they ignore the foreground, their view has improved. Hover over the below image for tonight’s sunset.

Asheville, NC – Day 36: More Dragon Photos & Mountain Views

I started the day in Robinsville like I did yesterday afternoon by attempting to drive the full 11 miles one way on the Tail of the Dragon and back. And once again I ran into slugs that wouldn’t pull out so I could get by, so I made it maybe 4 of the miles before turning around and leaving. Also again, I managed to get my portrait taken by 2 of the photographers that haunt the road. One repeat and the granddaddy that started the souvenir photo business, Killboy. Here are probably the two I’ll get a digital copy of:

I spent the day and overnighted with my Fairy Godbrother1 David moved to Asheville from Aiken not long after Donna and I headed west. I can’t take full credit for it, but it was one of the small factors he considered.

He gave me a tour of the area he lives in to show me around and gawk at all the hurricane Helene damage. When he first moved into his place, he cleared about 80′ back from his home, in spite of the comments from his tree-loving neighbors. Well, that 3-year-old project paid dividends last September. Every one of those neighbors suffered some sort of tree fall damage; nothing major, but still a big nuisance for them. David was no prescient, just smart.

I would swear he was the evil witch from Hansel and Gretel as he took me to his favorite Indian (the subcontinent type, not the indigenous kind) restaurant for a lunch buffet in downtown. Then a few hours later he decided we should go get a salad at a spot that serves something called “a very good green salad.” Surprisingly, it was a very good green salad. The trick was he ordered a side of french fries. See what I mean?

Before we headed back to his house, we made a stop at Whole Foods for fixin’s for an omelet for breakfast…

Ed note: David didn’t have internet, so this post was written on Saturday, not Friday.