Journey down the East Coast: Carolinas & Georgia

 Nov. 18: Myrtle Beach in South Carolina was our first stop after saying our goodbyes to Dane.  On the way, we met some VW enthusists who invited us to their shop to exchange stories.  It seems most couples we encounter are in the works of planning their own cross country trip, though it usually means just crossing state lines.  They couldn't believe we travelled over 10,000 miles without a single hiccup.  Neither could we.

 Though the day was a little breezy, we found a cozy place in the dunes at Huntington State Park to bask in the sun in our sweaters.  We splurged for a campsite near the beach (we found Huntington was more lush and less occupied than Myrtle) and battled a band of raccoons who were quite interested in what was for dinner.

The next day was spent in Charleston.  I absolutely loved this town and could have stayed a week if we weren't racing the weather.  We found a French bistro and, even though we usually prefer to stay away from tourist traps, took a guided ghost tour through the historic dungeon and downtown.  The highlight was the old graveyard located in the heart of Charleston- beautifully spooky.  

Rainbow Row

We were hoping a spirit would show up on film...

The next day we poked around Savannah, Georgia, Charleston's shady cousin.  On our way we passed one deep fried peanut stand after another, and we braked for cider.  I couldn't get enough of the mossy oak trees all around us.  Since I was on a cemetery high from last night's tour, we visited Bonaventure Cemetery, the country's most photographed cemetery for good reason. There was an abundance of old angel headstones, and though most graves didn't date back as old as the ones in Charleston, the place was heavy with history.  We spent the evening walking the trolley route and dining in the Pirate House, now a cheesy restaurant that was once a troubled hot spot.

After a neighborhood overnight, we spent the morning in the park basking in the heat, Ben reading while I went for a jog to admire more moss.  Seriously, I cannot get enough of these trees.

Nearby Jekyll Island in Georgia was home for the weekend.  We were forced to stay in a campground amongst a sea of RV's, but fortunately we nabbed a back corner spot semi-isolated.  The more we travel along, the more we seek out solitude, it seems.  We spent the day painting on the beach until rain forced us back to the bus for an afternoon snooze.  That evening we were amused to learn our camp neighbors were Federal Law Enforcement cadets and they were fascinated with our bus life.  The up side of paying money to sleep at campsites is the laundry and shower facilities.  We were due.

N.C. Camping with Dane

We braved the cold and rolled down the coast past plantations, cotton fields and Ben's childhood vacation haunts.  My brother Dane recently moved to Chapel Hill, NC and we thought we should pay him a visit.  

Sea of Cotton

It was chilly, but never too chilly for Dumser's on the coast in Delaware!

Virginia Beach

Abundant trails just across from Dane's apt.

We stayed for a week in Dane's apartment and caught a Trampled By Turtles show, a Speakeasy, and some solid foosball action.  Before we left, we drove out to the nearby Jordan Lake for some camping.  Dane took the top bunk, we took the bottom.  For the first time on the East coast, it felt a little like home.

D.C.

My first trip to the capital!  Our journey to D.C. was to pay a visit to Aunt Jean.  Eating at home for a change was a dream.  Jean's Maryland place is their family home, and it was so fun to see where Jean, Kathy, and Jim grew up.  Even better, we visited the A Frame that Ben's grandfather built in the woods. After some Maryland crab cakes and a visit to Old Town, we were met with colder weather as we drove to the coast of Delaware.

The cafe on capital hill served cozy mulled wine

An exhibit on Yoga deepened my appreciation

Riding The Blue Ridge Parkway

November 2- On a whim, we decided to take our fun bus south to Nashville.  I couldn't believe the level of crazy going down at 6pm when we arrived.  First stop, the legendary Grand Ole Opry.

Surprise guest appearance at the Opry: Dierks Bentley.  It wasn't until I was an audience member that I realized it is indeed still a live radio show.  Who knew?

The following morning we paid a visit to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's pad.  

Next, we hitched a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway over the mountains and through the woods to Asheville, NC.  What a gem.  We celebrated 10,000 miles at Asheville Brewery with a friendly bartender and fellow VW bus owner.  I was quite impressed with the diverse fare, particularly the Himalayan restaurant.  While wandering the streets and pubs that night, we were disappointed to see that we missed a Dr. Dog performance by a day.  What a shame.  Not to be overcome by poor planning a second time, we secured tickets to a show in Charlottesville two days later.  So, we took advantage of Asheville's yoga, dog park, and float tank facilities, then journeyed on.

Chasing Fall

On the way we stopped and paid a ridiculous sum of money to tour the Biltmore Mansion- the Vanderbilt's gigantic monstrosity of a house; largest in America, I believe.  They were gearing up for Christmas and it was a fascinating peek at an extravagant time in history.  I kept channeling Downton Abbey.  The tour was completed with an endless tasting of their ho-hum winery, which made me feel a little bit better about getting my money's worth.  Would we do it again? Eh. The extreme abundance made me feel a little gross.  Fascinating, but gross. Like the admission price.

Mr. Vanderbilt's view

 

The impressive Arboretum.

We made it to Charlottesville just in time for the Dr. Dogg show.  I'm pretty sure we were the oldest people in the place.

 Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's place, was my favorite historical home to date.  What an innovator.  Just the garden alone was worth the visit.

Kansas & St. Louis

After the wedding festivities, we picked up our dogs to hit the road. Beans was so anxious to loose the "kennel" smell that he rolled in the first steamy pile of hobo poo he encountered. Not only would we not have shower access for a week or more, we certainly weren't planning to wash the dogs anytime soon. Ben did his best to wash Beans in an irrigation ditch with soap, but we were forced to share the bus with his odor for days to come. Oh, the trials of bus life.

We passed through Lawrence, KS- Ben's old college digs. The campus and bar tour was a delight.

After a pit stop to visit his pals Matt and Mark in Kansas City and have a go at Trivia Night, we continued on to St. Louis just in time for Halloween.

The Moundbuilder Civilization of Cahokia -  the oldest pyramids in North America.   I have spoke about this place to 6th graders for years and finally had a chance to see in person.  The site was just outside St. Louis and was once a thriving metropolis.

Effingham is a real place.