The trip began with us meandering in a southerly direction, trusty map in hand. The idea was to make a big, huge loop and somehow end up back in DC in a few weeks. Navigating at the wheel.....mom.
(This picture was too cute to pass up)We headed down through the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mtns, stopping at the Luray Caverns to experience a little bit of natural history. After winding our way through over a mile of stalactites and stalagmites, I was more than ready to surface. I don't think I'm much of a cave person.
As we meandered further along our route, I made a mental list of all the things I wanted to see and experience from the good ol' south: pictures of small towns and plantation homes; southern charm and hospitality; red-neck patriots and "authentic white trash" talking in that beautiful southern drawl; large portions of pecan pie, grits, biscuits n' gravy, and catfish; over sized grandmotherly-people; and pink plastic flamingos, gnomes, and wind chimes all floated through my mind. (Don't you just love my culturally-sensitive stereotypes?)
This has got to count for something on my list right?
Charming and beautiful......We headed into Asheville, NC and were able to check off a few more things from my list. Asheville was by no means a disappointment. We definitely got that small-town vibe in what I'd describe as "Berkeley, CA meets the South" Hippy-ish, relaxed, chill, but with a southern flare and charm to it.
In the morning, we busted to the Biltmoore Estate, a huge and quite impressive, fully-furnished chateau, beautifully isolated from the hustle-and-bustle of city. 
I can't tell you the history of the place, because it went in one ear and out the other (I can tell you the owner's name was Biltmoore-smart one. ) Way overpriced, but I'm glad we went nonetheless. But let's get honest. I just couldn't wait to get SHOPPING and EATING!!!!!! Yes, I'm not going to hide or be embarrassed by my inner-most desires. I'm not about to merely gloss over them in order to emphasize the impressive historical junk we did--the fact is, all we really wanted were good SOUVENIRS and good FOOD!
I can't tell you the history of the place, because it went in one ear and out the other (I can tell you the owner's name was Biltmoore-smart one. ) Way overpriced, but I'm glad we went nonetheless. But let's get honest. I just couldn't wait to get SHOPPING and EATING!!!!!! Yes, I'm not going to hide or be embarrassed by my inner-most desires. I'm not about to merely gloss over them in order to emphasize the impressive historical junk we did--the fact is, all we really wanted were good SOUVENIRS and good FOOD! By this point, I was ready to check off a few more things from my "must see and experience list." And the famous Tupelo Honey Cafe was just the place to do it.
This down-home, no -frills-about-it place, introduced us to our first truly authentic Southern cuisine including: fried-green tomatoes, Cajun catfish, biscuits and honey, sweet-pickled beets, fried okra (not a good one), etc. etc. So good, that we went back for breakfast the next morning for the best pancakes and omelets you'll ever find. Period.
Did I already mention that my mom and I can never manage to take normal pictures of ourselves? Case in point.At that, it was time to skeedaddle and head down to Savannah, GA (home of the famous Food-Network Star, Paula Deen). First thing on our list, see if we could get reservations to have dinner that night at the oh-so-famous "Lady and Sons" restaurant of course ( Paula Deen's)! Today, there are crowds lining up to get in this place at all hours. But we made it in, and had a great night getting another taste of the good ol' South. I'd say it was the highlight of Savannah!! (and one of the highlights of the trip!) If I could, I'd go back right now. There never was a better buffet.
The next day, we headed into town and signed up for one of the "Old Town Trolley Tours." This is the best way to see a city like Savannah because it takes out all of the guess-work involved. The downtown district was gorgeous and charming, everywhere you looked. Full of horse-and-carriage riders and plenty of southern hospitality. I just love a place where I'm referred to as "my sweetie pie" or "precious darlin."
Everybody else was taking pictures of this window, so I didn't want to miss out on the fun.
I like pink and green houses. It reminds me of Berkeley.
The next day we drove to Kitty Hawk and checked out the field where the Wright Bro's plane first took off. Pretty neat stuff, and yes, you could definitely "feel the energy" there.
We headed into Raleigh to spend the night and have dinner at THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY!!! (its one of our staples on the road--insanely huge menu, disgustingly huge portions--my kind of place). The next day, we drove a few miles into Durham, NC and checked out some of Duke University.
Ahhh....the ivy walls of fame and prestige.
I had no idea Duke had such a rivalry going on with neighboring UNC. The smoothie man in the bookstore suspiciously asked me if I was Duke faculty or a student. Nope. (I was actually rejected from the place for masters programs, thank you very much). He then assumed I was UNC-breed and got a little testy with me. A lot testy. People like that need to find other outlets and hobbies in life. There is school pride and then there is the smoothie man...whom I sure will die of a coronary the next time Duke loses a sporting event.
Inspired by the smoothie man, I just had to get my own school spirit going.
Everybody else was taking pictures of this window, so I didn't want to miss out on the fun.
I like pink and green houses. It reminds me of Berkeley. We especially enjoyed walking around some of the town's squares. Savannah is loaded, everywhere you look, with beautiful, garden and tree-filled squares. The trees are huge and full of draping Spanish Moss-- a bit hit in my book.
I just LOVED the trees. Can you tell?
That night, we decided to wrap the fun up with some exotic middle-eastern food... and an accompanying belly-dancing show of course. I felt a little cheap and rude, but I just couldn't get up the courage to stick a dollar bill in the belly dancer's crotch area, like everyone else.
I just LOVED the trees. Can you tell?
That night, we decided to wrap the fun up with some exotic middle-eastern food... and an accompanying belly-dancing show of course. I felt a little cheap and rude, but I just couldn't get up the courage to stick a dollar bill in the belly dancer's crotch area, like everyone else.So now it's time to make our way back up north to good old Charleston, SC! Charleston is noted for its large and impressive plantation-style homes, which were kind of neat to see-- especially the ones lined up along the waterfront. It was like stepping back in time. We were so impressed, we didn't even bother to take pictures. However, I wasn't entirely prepared for the the whole vibe of this place. I no longer felt like I was in the South. Suddenly, I had been transported to Orange County, CA. Palm trees, tanned-beach bodies, bleached-blond hair, and more shopping condensed into one area than one could imagine. So what's one to do???? If you can't beat em, you gotta join em. And that's what we did. We thoroughly enjoyed walking the streets and finding some good steals along the way.
It was then onwards and upwards. Skirting the coastline (but not really seeing any coast), we passed through Myrtle Beach, a beach-side "Las-Vegas" that carried on for one too many, sickly miles. We kept driving north until we reached the jumping off point for where cars can hop a ferry and tour the islands off the coast of NC. We caught the last ferry of the day at 7:30 pm and arrived at the island just before 10 o'clock.
The next day we drove to Kitty Hawk and checked out the field where the Wright Bro's plane first took off. Pretty neat stuff, and yes, you could definitely "feel the energy" there.
We headed into Raleigh to spend the night and have dinner at THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY!!! (its one of our staples on the road--insanely huge menu, disgustingly huge portions--my kind of place). The next day, we drove a few miles into Durham, NC and checked out some of Duke University.
Ahhh....the ivy walls of fame and prestige.
I had no idea Duke had such a rivalry going on with neighboring UNC. The smoothie man in the bookstore suspiciously asked me if I was Duke faculty or a student. Nope. (I was actually rejected from the place for masters programs, thank you very much). He then assumed I was UNC-breed and got a little testy with me. A lot testy. People like that need to find other outlets and hobbies in life. There is school pride and then there is the smoothie man...whom I sure will die of a coronary the next time Duke loses a sporting event.
Inspired by the smoothie man, I just had to get my own school spirit going. We had to bust a move in order to get to see Jefferson's Monticello before closing time. We just barely made it and we were able to take the last tour of the day. Located way on top of the hill, it was green, lush, and quite a peaceful place to be.
And then to Charlottesville, NC. Unfortunately, it was getting super late by this time and we didn't have the chance to really see the city. We just hopped out to check out some of the historical downtown district and to have dinner. After all, we had a little ways left to drive in order to make it back to DC that night. We arrived home pretty darn late, and pretty darn tired!!!! But what a trip!!! I can't believe how many miles we covered in such a short amount of time. We definitely had fun cruising, doing our thing, and soaking up the flavor of all the places we went. I think we both needed a week just to recuperate. And so you can imagine the shock I was in to have to head right into work bright and early Tuesday morning. Let's just say it was a hard first week back in the real world........
Oh how I just love the open road, the wind in my hair, the freedom of eating wickedly bad food and beverage like Dr. Pepper at every gas station, gorging on fat-laden buffets, and not having a care in the world....every day should be this good!
And then to Charlottesville, NC. Unfortunately, it was getting super late by this time and we didn't have the chance to really see the city. We just hopped out to check out some of the historical downtown district and to have dinner. After all, we had a little ways left to drive in order to make it back to DC that night. We arrived home pretty darn late, and pretty darn tired!!!! But what a trip!!! I can't believe how many miles we covered in such a short amount of time. We definitely had fun cruising, doing our thing, and soaking up the flavor of all the places we went. I think we both needed a week just to recuperate. And so you can imagine the shock I was in to have to head right into work bright and early Tuesday morning. Let's just say it was a hard first week back in the real world........Oh how I just love the open road, the wind in my hair, the freedom of eating wickedly bad food and beverage like Dr. Pepper at every gas station, gorging on fat-laden buffets, and not having a care in the world....every day should be this good!
