NC Tour - Day 12, Fri 3 Aug, 2007: Toronto, ON

Down to the foyer for coffee and to check on the smart. Pick up a copy of the Buffalo News. Back track into Salamanca to find the road north. Last lap and after two days of hard pounding we are glad of a short sector. We pass close to the city centre of Buffalo heading for the Peace Bridge. Very rapid passage through customs and we're on the QEW stopping at Tim Horton's in Burlington. We are limping by now and take the Lakeshore, glad to be back home after a gruelling three day journey from North Carolina.

Peace Bridge, Buffalo, NY to Fort Erie, ON.

"The Peace Bridge was completed and officially opened to traffic in June 1927. Its name came from the commemoration of more than 100 years of peace between the United States and Canada. " Source: peacebridge.com

NC Tour - Day 11, Thurs 2 Aug, 2007: Salamanca, NY

Up early in Bolivar in West Virginia, formerly Mud Fort, named for Simon Bolivar "the South American George Washington." The town is suffering from ghost town syndrome although has a pleasant main street. We head for nearby Harper's Ferry to beat the crowds. The town is in a National Park and we take the shuttle bus down to the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. This is a flying visit but there is time to view the railroad station which still has trains to Washington D.C. The station is locked but with lights blazing inside, one of many examples of gross wastage of energy witnessed in the U.S.

"The history of Harpers Ferry has few parallels in the American drama. It is more than one event, one date, or one individual. It is multi-layered – involving a diverse number of people and events that influenced the course of our nation's history. Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacture, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown's attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States." Source: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia.

We continue on cross-country to Gettysburg, PA, a national shrine which was heaving with visitors. We cannot take too much of this so we get the hammer down heading west on the Lincoln Highway. We take lunch at Bob Evans at Breezewood, PA, and stay on Hwy 30 to avoid the toll. We turn north on I99, taking Highways 22 and 219 to reach Salamanca, NY by 20:30. The guy at the desk in the Holiday Inn Express is anxious for us to visit the nearby Seneca Casino, shuttle bus or courtesy car no problem. Fat chance after driving 360 miles through West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.

NC Tour - Day 10, Wed 1 Aug, 2007: Bolivar, WV

By the time we stopped at the Comfort Inn in Bolivar, West Virginia, hubby had driven 642 km or 400 miles from Kill Devil Hills, NC, through the state of Virginia. We looked for evidence of the old Moyock speedway, a defunct racetrack from the sixties, as we came off the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The earlier part of the day was spent on the Interstate by-passing Richmond, VA. The drive was not without incident. We got held up in traffic, after stopping for diesel, when a drawbridge over the Albemarle & Chesapeake canal was open. It must be a regular occurrence as the sign outside the Dairy Queen reads, "Stuck at bridge? Come grab a treat from the DQ fridge." We wrong slot at Falmouth and drive cross country to Morrisville where, without hesitation, we duck into M & P Pizza for the $5.50 US lunch special - sandwich on a kaiser, fries and drink. Top place.
After a much needed nap at the hotel, we head up the hill to the Anvil Restaurant for dinner.

NC Tour - Day 9, Tues 31 July, 2007: Kill Devil Hills, NC

It's Hubby's birthday and he awakes early, at the Comfort Inn, Morehead City, to find that our smart car's rear driver's side tire is flat. We call the 1 800 number on our CAA card and the operator couldn't have been more professional and helpful. Within the hour, Phil from Wrance Wreckers in Newport arrived with his impressive flat-bed truck and didn't waste any time getting us, and our car, to Colony Tire at 3905 Arendell Street. By 8:55, and after a charge of only $20 US, we were on our way to Cedar Island for the noon ferry.
We enjoy chatting with some bikers from Long Island, New York during the two hour & ten minute ferry ride from Cedar Island to Ocracoke [$15]. We are intrigued by two vintage Winnebago RVs from the early seventies. After another free ferry and a birthday pitstop at the DQ, we drive along the Outer Banks to Tracy's home in Kill Devil Hills. We feel like we've stepped into another world. The landscape and architecture are like no other place we've been.
After a tasty pasta dinner with Tracy & Dave, we drive to Manteo to see a performance of The Lost Colony, now in its 70th season. We check in at the UPS depot, where Dave works, on the way.
"North Carolina's Paul Green penned the production, which was a unique combination of drama, song, and dance, while Roanoke Islanders set to work building the magnificent Waterside Theatre on the very spot where the colonists settled. On July 4, 1937, The Lost Colony opened to a packed house, despite the economic hardship of the Great Depression.
The show was intended to run only through the end of that summer. But when Franklin D. Roosevelt attended on August 18, 1937, the nation's eyes were fixed on the production, assuring that there would be subsequent seasons."
The Lost Colony is more than just a visual feast - it ensures that the story of the 16th Century colony on Roanoke Island is not forgotten.

NC Tour - Day 8, Mon 30 July, 2007: Morehead City, NC

We stop for a photo op at North Carolina Speedway, former Nextel Cup oval, & Rockingham Dragway and find a great little spot for lunch. At the Uptown Cafe, 118 Hancock St, Rockingham we chat to Officer LaFave originally from Ogdensburg, NY, who admired the smart car.
We also stop to take pictures of the shuttered Winn-Dixie store and the Piggly Wiggly before leaving town. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DeCamillo is a favourite novel I like to read to my students. Groups of inmates are working along the highway picking up litter under the watchful eye of guards with rifles.
At Beaufort, I'm thrilled to see that the North Carolina Maritime Museum has constructed a replica carriage for the Fuller four-pounder cannon reclaimed from the wreckage of Blackbeard's flagship, The Queen Anne's Revenge. (You may have read that my interest in this 18th century gun prompted this trip.)

NC Tour - Day 7, Sun 29 July, 2007: Kannapolis, NC

I attend the 11 am service at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church with Bruce & Linda and am warmly welcomed by members of the congregation and the Reverend Brenda Newman. The Youth Mission Trip Presentation was interesting and heartwarming.
Lunch at Amy & Rodney Bowlin's lovely home was delicious and we enjoyed getting to know them both more. Their cat Zippy didn't come out to see us but Precious lived up to her name and was quite entertaining. We watch Tony Stewart win the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on TV.
We are extremely grateful to the Clanton's for their very kind hospitality.

NC Tour - Day 6, Sat 28 July: Kannapolis, NC

Our first stop is the Center Grove Lutheran Cemetery to see the grave of Ralph Lee Earnhardt, Dale Senior's father, who hubby met in 1972, a year before Earnhardt's death.
Next stop is Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) where we get tickets for the 1:30 tour. We have lunch at the Texas Roadhouse nearby where they live up to the saying, "everything's bigger in Texas" with their generous portions. Willie Nelson and George Jones are playing it one more time.
We tour the Speedway in a Chevy van driven by our enthusiastic guide Frances. She yells "boogity, boogity, boogity" as we tackle the turns at 90 mph.
"Feel The Thrill Tour includes a close-up look at areas that are off-limits on race days. Visit the NEXTEL Cup garage, travel down pit road and take a picture in Victory Circle. The highlight of this half-hour tour is a comfortable van ride around the superspeedway where you will feel the full-tilt force of the 24-degree banking. Feel The Thrill Tours are available on non-event days Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m."
In the evening we meet many of Bruce and Linda's family and friends at her birthday dinner held at Costello's Pizza and Pasta. A good time was had by all.

NC Tour - Day 5, Fri 27 July, 2007: Kannapolis, NC

We get caught in traffic as they're blasting rock on the highway out of Blowing Rock NC. When we stop at the post office in Scotts, NC, to get stamps for postcards, Terry Martin, the clerk, comes out to look at the smart car and we answer his questions. Scotts has that certain southern charm, no more than a whistle-stop on the rusty railroad tracks. Bruce and Linda Clanton warmly welcome us to their lovely home in Kannapolis, NC. We sample southern cooking for lunch at the Townhouse II - the fried okra and crowder peas are very tasty.
North Carolina is the centre of the NASCAR universe and we visit the Hendrick Motorsports Museum in Concord and DEI (Dale Earnhardt Incorporated) in Mooresville. There are several custom cars parked outside DEI, which had been through a tumultuous week after a merger with nearby Ginn Racing. DEI is a shrine to Dale Earnhardt Senior who has the status of an Elvis Presley in these parts.
Kannapolis was once home of the world famous Cannon (and later Fieldcrest-Cannon) Mills. We watch an interesting film and view exhibits on the subject at the Cannon Village Visitor's Centre which was once the Swanee Theatre. The Centre is also home to the The Dale Earnhardt Tribute Center by Sam Bass.
Kannapolis (kənăp'əlĭs) , city (1990 pop. 29,696), Cabarrus and Rowan counties, W central N.C.; founded 1906, inc. 1984. It began as a planned company town and was owned by Cannon Mills (later part of Pillowtex, which went into bankruptcy), known for its production of household linens and textiles. Source: answers.com
We pay our respects to the Intimidator at Dale Earnhardt Plaza.

NC Tour - Day 4, Thurs 26 July, 2007: Blowing Rock, NC

Getting on the road early has its advantages. We see groundhogs, skunks, wild turkeys and 25 white tailed deer before breakfast. We stop to take photos of the historic Brinegar Cabin, in the quiet of the mountains, before breakfast at Doughton Park, where we get our first taste of grits. We meet a guy who's brother has land in Cochrane, ON, where my aunt lives. Some bikers from Quebec arrive. Small world.
Our timing is perfect when we park at the North Wilkesboro Speedway which has been closed since 1996. Caretaker Paul Call, who has been connected to the track for decades, kindly opens the gates to let us look around. He chats with hubby while I make friends with his pug dog Belle and take lots of photos. Grass is growing up through the track but the atmosphere persists with authentic NASCAR Winston Cup signs here in the heart of moonshine country.
In Blowing Rock, NC, we have lunch at Knight's on Main - black eyed peas, collard greens with vinegar and sweet potatoes for me. The food and service were great. At the Marian & Robert Hayes Performing Arts Centre we catch the 2 o'clock matinee show about the musical Carter Family - Keep on the Sunnyside. Both the theatre facility and performance were exceptional.
We check into the Boxwood Lodge where we got a friendly welcome and I walk down Main Street looking for signs of Mitford, the fictional town made famous by Jan Karon in her books based on life in town. Blowing Rock is more like Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, or Lake Placid, NY, than Mitford - far more touristy than local. Many of the shops have signs outside saying -No food, No drinks, No strollers, No unsupervised children etc. It sure didn't encourage me to go in and browse. I ventured into the only bookstore I saw and bought a copy of Karon's Mitford Snowmen and the service was indifferent. There are plenty of small towns in the south that are more like the home of Karon's well loved characters.

NC Tour - Day 3, Wed 25 July, 2007: Big Meadows, VA, to Meadows of Dan, VA

We get on the road early and stop for breakfast at Loft Mountain. No grits on the menu yet. In Waynesboro, we stop for gas and use the internet at the public library. As always the smart draws some interesting comments. An old timer tells hubby: "You got a bunch of limey accents." At Kroger's supermarket we buy sandwiches and snacks for a quick lunch then head out onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. We cannot find a postcard with the name Waynesboro on it.
"The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. It runs for 469 miles (755 km) through the famous Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains. Land on either side of the road is maintained by the National Park Service. It is the longest, narrowest National Park in the world and is the most visited unit in the United States National Park System. In many places, the park is bordered by land protected by the United States Forest Service." Source: answers.com
At Meadows of Dan, VA, we check into the Blue Ridge Motel, at 2295 Jeb Stuart Highway, just off the parkway, billed as with TV and carpet for $60. The motel restaurant has long been closed so we head up the road to Mountain House Country Buffet. I enjoy a salad, main course of macaroni cheese, veggies etc and dessert. Three courses all for $5.25 - the dinner bargain of the trip. The waitress says, "You're driving that little red car out there aren't you? I had you pegged. They're all asking about it." We top up with diesel at the Poor Boys country store opposite, while chatting to a guy with a Lincoln Continental. We really are in the south now.

NC Tour - Day 2, Tues 24 July, 2007: Dubois, PA

After free breakfast at the hotel, we head down I80 and enter the "Chesapeake Bay Watershed". We pass through the villages of Cessna and Bald Eagle, speculating about the origins of their names. The Pennsylvania Turnpike costs us $1.25 as we travel between Bedford and Breezewood. The Truckstop in Breezewood is heaving and everything that is glorious about a road trip. In quick succession we cross the Mason-Dixon Line into Maryland and the Potomac River into West Virginia. At Berkeley Springs we stop for tourist information and take pictures of the 'Roman' Bathhouse. We opt for the lunch special of half sandwich, cup of soup and iced tea for $4.99 each at the Fairfax Coffee House. We travel through Virginia on the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Highway and stop at the Visitor Centre in an old railway station at Front Royal. There were five passenger trains a day from here to Washington D.C. up until the fifties. The staff are very helpful and curious about the car.
We wrong slotted on the road to Luray after the stop in Front Royal. Marvelous old high-level steel railroad bridges. We back track and finally found the mountain road heading up onto the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. We spot a Turkey Vulture circling above the road, a black bear foraging by the roadside, and five white tailed deer. Overnight at Big Meadows Lodge built in 1939 with stones cut from Massanutten Mountain. The lodge is run by Aramark Harrison Lodging and our CAA card gets us another discount on a room free from television and telephone. We listen to "upmarket Karaoke" in the Tap Room while drinking green tea, after dinner in the restaurant upstairs. Highly recommended.

NC Tour - Day 1, Mon 23 July 2007 : Toronto, ON, to Dubois, PA

On the road at 7:55 Monday morning and stopped for diesel near Grimsby, ON, where the cashier says, "It's hardly worth opening the pump for that", as we spent $14 CND. In the parking lot of Tim Horton's I pick up a cup from the ground and toss it into the nearby garbage can. An older guy calls out to thank me and offers me a doughnut.
We arrive at the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls at 9:55 and by 10:10 we've cleared customs/immigration and are headed through the burbs of Buffalo. We're stopped at a red light and a guy yells, "Get a life!....It's OK...I'm only messin' with ya. That thing got a radio?"
We pass the ominous looking Gowanda Correctional Facility and head south on Hwy 62. The Racer's Restaurant is billed as "South Dayton's finest fast food" and we stop for delicious frozen yogurt. Through Warren, PA, which is suffering from Walmartization. At the Amish Deli at 70 Fraley Street, Kane, PA, we stop for tea and a home-made scone. Call in or stop by for "Something Wonderful Good." We decide to stop around 17:00 at the Hampton Inn in Dubois, PA, where our CAA card nets us a discount and we get a 10%-off coupon for dinner at the Italian Oven restaurant nearby.

North Carolina Road Trip

I have been researching the Fuller Family of Sussex for many years and recently have attempted to find the surviving cannons made at their Heathfield Forge, Sussex, England between 1693 - 1793. When I located one at a museum in Beaufort, North Carolina my hubby said, "I'll take you there if you want to go see it". How could I say no?
I've been re-reading Jan Karon's Mitford Series (see my Sabbatical Books blog) which she wrote while living in Blowing Rock, North Carolina so we'll be stopping there too.
Hubby has friends in Kannapolis and Kill Devil Hills, NC and I'm looking forward to meeting them.
We hit the road yesterday and had no problems getting out of metro Toronto and across the border at Niagara Falls. When we stopped for coffee at Tim Horton's, Grimsby, a very polite young man from Virginia asked if he could take pictures of our smart car Trudi. We wish him, and his family, a safe journey home.
Stayed last night at the Hampton Inn, Dubois (say doo-boys), Pennsylvania - amazing value for money. Heading south through Maryland into West Virginia today.