Headed south - Statesboro, Savanna and Georgia BBQ

Continuing the blues and BBQ on our trip we stopped in Statesboro, home of bluesman Blind Willie Mctell and an important city in southern blues culture. It's a quaint and pretty little town which conjures up the stereotypical image of southern life. A lovely long trail runs the length of the town like a backbone , each mile of it dedicated to different blues men who called Statesboro their home. We walked the Willie Mctell mile in the scorching Georgia sun. Having worked up an apatite we visited the local favorite for BBQ a hole in the wall named Vandy's which serves simple chopped pork sandwiches with a tart vinegar based sauce as Georgia BBQ is known for served on plain white bread. Cheap and satisfying, their sandwiches live up the reputation we'd heard.

Vandy's BBQ sandwich

After leaving Statesboro we made for the near by historic



Bonadventure cemetery in Savanna

epicenter of Savanna, which also lives up to it's reputation. It is one of the few old southern cities that was untouched by the civil war. The architecture has a largely French influence and is beautiful, reminding me of down town Paris and Montreal but applied to huge southern mansions which have since been divided into downtown apartments. The stunning architecture is complimented by  21 different squares, miniature parks dotted throughout the city each which it's own unique flare. Forsyth park sits at the head of it all with singular gothic beauty , Spanish moss hangs from the towering oaks along the charming pathways at one end a huge and spectacular fountain . Two blocks walk from Forsyth park is a historic cemetery , Calhoun has been reading midnight in the garden of good and evil and was excited to see the cemetery discussed in the book and I must admit it is a beautiful resting place.

Entrance to Angels BBQ

Calhoun at Calhoun square in Savanna

Though steeped in history Savanna is by no means a one trick pony it has a thriving arts scene largely driven by the world class arts college downtown, the products of which are displayed in stores and public places all over the city. Then there's the food. We had come for the BBQ and made trails for Angel's BBQ, a funky little restaurant tucked away down an ally off of main street. We arrived before it opened and there was already a line, here the hogs reign supreme! The menu consists of 5 items done right. I ordered the brisket sandwich, Calhoun the Angels special which was a pulled pork sandwich topped with slaw. They have a medley of sauces ranging from Angel droppings and Angel house sauce (their own creations based on Memphis and Carolina sauces) to boss hog sauce. You add your own choice of sauce to the mountainous meaty sandwiches accompanied by bottomless sweet tea. The inside of the restaurant is plastered with posters, stickers and even oil paintings of angelic pigs. There are only 3 tables all engraved with a flying pig (I loved the table).

We both agreed that Angel's was our favorite BBQ place so far.

Angel's brisket sandwich

We left Savanna in high spirits headed onward to Florida.

Well, we made one last stop at a small seaside community restaurant called The Sudbury Crab Company. A small crab shack on the water that only serves seafood caught wild and local that day. We enjoyed lightly battered shrimp, grilled swordfish and 2$ beers all served with a warm ocean breeze accompaniment . If your in the area it's defiantly worth a  snack stop.  

Also check out the new merchandise on our Etsy site.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/hardwooadventure?ref=pr_shop_more

Headed south - Paris mountain and how Greenville does downtown

In a couple of hours we were in Greenville navigating our way through very Southern country homes and farms on our way to Paris Mountain national park the twists and turns finally delivered us at our destination. A pretty little park where we were lucky to get the last campsite for the weekend not to mention some free fire wood, we got there early enough to get everything set up and the desk clerk suggested a nearby BBQ place Hennery's smoke house. An understated shack on the side of the road where a smiling pig proclaimed it to be Hog heaven home of Hennery's Hogs we gorged our selves  on smoky ribs and hog sandwiches and tasty home made mac and cheese and slaw sides washed down with sweet tea and topped off with peach cobbler for desert . When Calhoun asked what the types of sauces were called the waitress answered in a southern drawl "hot and mild", non the less there was a distinct Carolina style to the whole meal that was non short of charming .

Our second night Calhoun was desperate to try out the projector and screen so after a bit of humming and hawing we were eating tacos and watching Star Wars at our camp site much to the amusement of other campers and one very excited park ranger who pulled over to snap pictures for the parks web site. 

We spent four days in Paris Mountain relaxing , working on merchandise for the online store and swimming in the Carolinas oldest swimming hole, and despite a medley of barking dogs and children we enjoyed our stay the luxury of having clean showers running water and power is not to be underestimated.

After checking out we decided to venture into downtown Greenville we had heard it was a lovely and it did not disappoint with a extensive downtown park and waterfall system we spent most of the afternoon walking the parks many picturesque walkways and the city's pretty little tree lined streets, unfortunately you need a permit to busk in Greenville so there was no opportunity for us to work, but it made for a sweet afternoon for everyone before getting back on the road.

        

Yes this is right down town !!!



here's the hardwoo shop
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/hardwooadventure?ref=hdr_shop_menu

ASHEVILLE, NC- A Mixed revue

I got my first impression of Asheville in Maryland talking with two guys over their broken down car. "Man you gotta go the Asheville, your gonna love it!" one of them says. "My dad's a Busker and he spends a lot of time there"

 

Later, after VA beach, we were told how much we'd love Asheville by a guy we gave a ride to. After that I had to see it for myself...

 

We drove down out of the blue ridge mountains into civilization. The road widened and the trees and wild turkeys gave way to Autozones, McDonalds and Rooms-To-Go.

I mentioned I wanted to find some internet and a power outlet so we could get our bearings and recharge our assortment of battery powered items. The good lord must have heard me because no sooner had I said it than a public library popped up on our right and we stopped.

 

After charging and blogging and filling our water jugs we followed the signs to downtown. I could see why people recommended it. There were blond dredlocked hippies and mandolin playing travler kids. there were business hipsters and chilled-out police on segways. We parked the car and did a scout walk.

 

We passed by cafe's on sunny streets advertising all local produce. and I felt a bit like I was back on Agricola st, Halifax. after buying some Georgia wildflower honey we had a beer from a microbrewery  (ninja and coconut porters) and I could almost smell the ace burger down the street (a prominent Halifax burger place).

 

We met many happy hippies that day, one of whom directed us to a neighborhood where the cops 'probably wouldn't bother ya' if you stayed the night in your van. They didn't, and we woke up to find we had three vans full of "rubber tramps" (people like us living out of their van) as neighbors.

 

CORN PUDDING!!!! A must!

Competition for busking space was abundant but good natured. Asheville has no street performance laws so it attracts many different types of folks. we saw balloon twisters, mimes, drummers with full drumkits, 6 pc traveling bands, met a firebreather, a violinist with a loop pedal, sitar players, and of course legions of acoustic guitar and had drum wielding busker savants all of whom called Asheville their temporary home.

 

We met a traveler kid who showed us around the town, some good spots to busk and some free places to eat. He showed us to the river where we all got rip roaring drunk more than once. And from then on we didn't have to pay for food or lodging. truly a mecca for freewheeling musicy folk like us.

 

A few days went by and we were breaking even. The money we made from busking paying for our expenses, mostly booze and a bit of food when we missed the drop in. The partying went on with trips downtown to make more money but often enough we had to resort to our acoustic guitars due to our hangovers and other injuries incurred from this lifestyle.

 

girlie with sake looking like cable-one of the few pics I snapped while drinking

This went on until the Thursday marking our third week on the road where we woke to a less than savory reality. Someone had pissed on the seat in the van the night before. So much for keeping drunk folks out of the pouring rain.

 

The good thing about living in a van is that if you don't like your neighbors you can just move. So we did, left for Greenville that fateful morning. I don't hold anything against Asheville or the people we met there. if I learned anything while cleaning the hell out of the Hardwoo, it's that if someone mumbles 'just leave me right here' in the pouring rain. maybe they mean it.

 

So a mixed revue, the murder and missing persons rate is alarmingly high and there's stiff competition busking on the streets. But we made every cent we spent there and had a good time partying. The repetitive make money/spend money lifestyle seemed to be a point that bothered the full-time locals, but that seems to be the way it is all over.

 

would I go back? certainly! I just wouldn't let anyone sleep in the van...

 

not many pictures of Asheville, too busy working or partying. will try for more next time.

 

-Calhoun

 

the back of the hardwoo after the Asheville debauchery.
cleaning and resorting ensued

 

 

Headed south - beautiful blue ridge mountains

The Blue Ridge mountains may be the most breath taking place we've been yet on our American adventure (grated we've only been here 3 weeks). We followed the twisting turning Blue ridge parkway all through the mountains, our first night we got turned around due to a somewhat understandable navigation error on my part , it worked Calhoun found some perfect ripe mountain strawberries at an earlier look off stop and when we eventually gave up and stopped for the night it was at a cozy rest stop with two trails leading off of it the first was short and mostly paved leading to a fabulous vista where we sat for a time taking in the awe inspiring view, the other we explored after super was a small hiking loop through the forest. We slept heavy despite a strangely large amount of people who would turn into the parking area and turn right back around , making us wonder what was wrong with our spot but also thankful for the privacy.

Calhoun foraging for mountain berries 

Next morning Calhoun fried up a mess of pancakes using our newly acquired mountain berries which turned them a pale pink color and were lovely with the Virginia honey we had picked up on our way our of town.

A mighty haul

After breakfast and with our new orientation we made for Linville falls a popular system of trails in the area with good reason, we spent half the day hiking in the falls area . Girlie frolicking merrily through the surrounding bushes and stopping to receive compliments from every passer by, we hiked every trail in the system starting with highest and ending up at the base of the falls , unfortunately they don't allow you to swim but the views and the way you reach them is totally worth it.

Linville falls

After the falls we made trails for Mount Mitchel the highest mountain east of the Mississippi elevation 6684 FT and of course I want to see it's summit the hard way. When reach the start of the trail head to Mount Mitchel's summit you become very aware of how high you already are just on the parkway , the wind whips around you ice cold despite the hot North Carolina weather below you, as you hike the trail gets progressively more wild as you pass through the clouds on your way to the summit. it is not for the faint of heart. Girlie scared us both at one point having run down such a steep embankment that she had to scramble almost vertical on the mountain side to get back on to the trail, she of course will tell you a different story.

It having been afternoon when we started and carrying almost no supplies we began to think we may have underestimated the mountain as we started to rapidly lose day light and the storm clouds moved ever closer. Luckily for us though the trail began getting steeper and steeper and the trees smaller and thinner a sure sign we were near the summit , of course we then had to get back down but for the time being we were going to concentrate on the top, I was not going back down disappointed we'd come too far already to turn back . As you might have guessed we made it there.

The summit

As fate would have turning to head back down we had to pass the parking lot (yes you can drive to the top) , there was one lone pick up truck beside it stood two friendly kids our age who were on a day trip from the near by town of Ashville they were happy to give us a lift back down the mountain so we hopped in the bed of the truck and road back down the mighty beast in style.

Riddin in style!

That night the fog rolled in in like huge pillow over the whole mountain range even with the brights on we couldn't see more than a couple of feet past the Hardwoo's nose and as if that weren't enough we were in a watershed area , our eyes were peeled for the next turn off anywhere we could stop after 20 minutes or so of terrifying mountain driving in the thickest tog you've ever seen we spotted a turn off for Craggy gardens picnic area thank God  the road to the picnic area  however was even winder and thinner than the parkway and long so long we thought we'd somehow missed the turn which in fairness wouldn't have been hard. Finally we reached it we were so high it was still freezing ,seriously I was wearing my fargo hat boots and winter jacket and though The Craggy Gardens is apparently a beautiful place in better weather amongst the impenetrable fog and the howls of coyotes it was less than inviting we all three cowered down in the Hardwoo after quickly consuming some much needed dinner .

1Next morning the fog had lifted a little and the sun pushed it back further still as we ate our breakfast drank our tea and headed back down the now cute mountain road towards Ashville.    

 

Headed south - Busking and basking in Virginia Beach

We arrived in Virginia Beach near dusk having visited it's sleepy brother the port city of Norfolk earlier that day, the beach was a bustling circus it being memorial day weekend , the boardwalk filled with bikini girls , long boarders , families , tourists, dogs, shutterbugs and us. Surprisingly few buskers but there were some, the cops were laid back looking cruising around in beach buggies the sun was shinning and everyone seemed in a good state of mind.

We arrived late at first landing national park we were hoping to be able to park overnight for free but that was not happening the parks camp ground was even full , but thanks to a last minute cancelation we managed to snag the last spot. Running water , showers even beach access we were all thankful for the much needed break , we raced down to the beach for a late afternoon swim and though the water was too cold for the Virginians Calhoun proclaimed it to be "just right" , and jumped right in I found it to cold but did soak my feet in the lapping surf it felt wonderful after near a week in the hardwoo. We only spent a night at first landing it being a beautiful but very expensive camp ground , next morning we explored some of the parks trails before heading back down town to suss out the busking scene.

Yes! they really have these ! 

 The park was voted one of the top 10 in America and you can see why, gorgeous shaded canopies entwined with mystical hanging moss , soft sandy beaches and peaceful wet land board walks run all through the park.

Down town the bustle had lessened but so had the outrageous parking prices which was a relief , we got there fairly early in the afternoon and worked the expansive boardwalk for a couple of hours making fair money given the slowness of the foot traffic, we did another set performing till the sun started getting low we wanted to make it to our chosen base at the Chesapeake camp ground before night fall . We pulled in as the sun was

going down tired and hot ready to eat and sleep and hoping the pool wasn't closed yet (it was ) . our bellies filled we crashed in the back of the hardwoo , too tired to bother with the tent.

sushi at Chesapeake

Next day we woke up early and headed into town to make some money, the board walk was still fairly busy though no where near the circus it had been the day before, after a couple of hours working in the baking noon sun over heating and coming all to close to sun stroke we decided that our game plan had to change. Grabbed a frogurt  at the most insane frozen yogurt store I've ever seen (sweet frog) where you can pick from an array of wacky flavors , I opted for cotton candy, key lime and a sugarless vanilla , layered with mango balls , shaved coconut and kiwi slices , Calhoun went the whole hog layering his with a half dozen different candies and topping it all with syrup. munching our delectable treats we discussed the rest of the day deciding to chill until the shadows got long enough for busking to be comfortable.

The rest of the week we continued with the plan not coming into town until mid afternoon and working until the drunks started to get rowdy, you wouldn't believe the amount of drunk preppy guys on VA beach want to hula hoop so much so we picked up a cheap spare to indulge the fools , actually thinking of making a you tube compilation of them for everyone's amusement.

The Dismal Swamp Canal

We ended up getting a week rate at Chesapeake it was a pleasant little campground with cool pools, hot showers, internet and even a little farm with ponies and horses. It was located directly opposite The Dismal swamp cannel , so we rented a canoe from the camp ground (yes they did boat rentals too) for the reasonable rate of 2 dollars an hour, one day and decided to check it out, apparently it runs from Maine to Florida something that bears further research for a potential future kayaking trip.

Our week in VA beach wound to a close we departed to pick up our next ride share on our way to The Blue Ridge mountains. He was an exuberant food enthusiast and was all to happy to impart his vast knowledge of local delicacies upon us , we were happy for the tips southern cooking being high on our wish list, by the time we parted way our mouths were watering. 

Don't go to baltimore

after Philadelphia we continued south towards our next rideshare in Washington, DC. we left in the evening with bellies full of cheesesteaks taking the I-95 south. as we approach Baltimore we remembered the stories of how we were supposed to avoid it. 'whatever' couldn't be as bad as all that, we figure, and we'll be going straight through on the interstate anyway.

 

as we approach the city it seems like any other we've gone by; cars on the highway driving notably faster than the speed limit, turnoffs, roadwork and the like. except there were signs for "NO HAZMATS" which confused us.

 

'well good thing we left the hazmat suits at home dear'

 

turns out they meant propane tanks. the likes of which we had riding in the back.

 

so we turn off at the last possible exit, which let us into Baltimore it's self. must have been a bad neighborhood because of the state of the roads and general seedy look of the pawn shops and diners. 'whatever', we thought. 'we've been through rougher looking places'.

 

we stopped at the 7-11 to get directions on how to get back to the highway. this was our first sign that maybe 'whatever' wasn't quite the sentiment to have. the drunk lady at the counter was surly, and giving the attendant a hard time about her lottery tickets through the thickest bullet proof glass i'd ever seen. the worrying thing was he still looked fidgety and scared.

 

I approach the glass after the lottery lady leaves saying "you got off lucky this time".

 

I ask how to get back to the highway. the guy on the other side of the glass stares at me with a 'you don't look like your from around here' look. then he gestures to the guy in line behind me.

 

I turned around to ask him where to go and stop dead. this guy has scowl down to an art form and is built like a tank.

 

getting back in the car, the first thing I do is lock the door. then figure i'd try the GPS in the cell phone we just got at the wally mart. it gives us a heading and we were off.

 

now i'm sure there are nice areas of Baltimore and i'm not trash talking the whole city. just giving the impression we got as we passed through. and here is a list of the things we saw to give us that impression:

 

a high speed police chase (of a badass looking low rider)

more bailbonds and pawn shops than i've seen together in my life

very gangster looking guys with either guns or gun-shaped tv remotes under their muscle tees

scared looking folks walking fast with their heads down

police station that looks like a fortress

streets that make country back roads look level

nobody smiling... like at all

 

and this was our 20 minute tour of Baltimore

 

we stayed at a rest stop that night and picked up our ridesare in Washington. he was a totally chill South Carolinian who gabbed with us all the way to Richmond, VA about Canada and the states and people we've met and things we've done. he invited us to visit him in south Carolina and left us with one piece of advice we were happy to take:

 

don't go to Baltimore

 

 

then there we were on a picturesque day in Virginia, just a stone's throw away from our first stop in Virginia beach. we stopped at a state park to walk the dog and camped out at first landing park.

 

but that's a story for another time.

 

-calhoun