Two-Steppin' in Nashville - Cross-Country Road Trip 7.5

Haha, just kidding about the two-steppin' part. We did watch some people two-step though, which should count for something.

We pulled into Nashville at about 5pm last night just in time for all of the museums to close. It was, however, just about time for Broadway St. to come alive with crowds and live music. We found prime parking on Broadway and bundled up (we're back to 30 degree weather) to go explore.





We wound up at a place called Tootsie's, which I guess is a landmark there. Autographed pictures of famous country singers cover the walls and some are so old they are crumbling away. There was a great band on stage and, while neither James nor myself are particularly into country music, we couldn't help but tap our toes and bob our heads. Tootsie's wasn't going to be our only Nashville experience so we walked around and ended up finding another great band that wasn't quite so country. A couple of the band members even came up to James after their set to ask him if he's a drummer (he is). They had noticed him air-drumming (a habit I have learned to accept) and just wanted to see what his story was.


Once we were "country'd" out, we weren't really sure if certain areas were safer than others so James wisely chose to park next to a police station for the night. We got some z's and woke up to a layer of frost on the window, just a little reminder that spring hasn't sprung quite yet. After defrosting, we took a tour of the Grand Ole Opry Museum which was educational for us since we didn't know much about the history behind the music. We passed on the Country Music Hall of Fame but did get a healthy dose of country music from the city speakers streaming songs from street signals all day.

All in all, I enjoyed the vibe of this bubbly music town. The people were friendly and weren't afraid "git up and dance" when the music spoke to them. There is a pride in the air in Nashville and, even though I don't share the same particular taste in genre, I can certainly appreciate the passion for it.

Thanks for all the comments! - Cross-Country Road Trip 7.4

UPDATE: I changed my settings so that you don't have to sign in to leave a comment. You now have an option to leave one anonymously but can, of course, leave your name in the text if you wish. Sorry about the confusion!

Thank you, thank you for all of the encouraging feedback! I'm really glad to hear that y'all (my new favorite word) are enjoying the tales of our road trip. I'm really having fun writing about everything, in fact, this trip has reminded me that I used to have a passion for writing as a kid. I guess the busyness of life kind of stifled that, but it's back in full force and who knows where it will lead!

I love reading all of the comments so please keep them coming!

Veganism will have to wait for California - Cross-Country Road Trip 7.3

The drive to Nashville was long, I'm not gonna lie. We tried to entertain ourselves as much as we could but there was no getting around the fact that it pretty much sucked. There were some beautiful spots - we were surprised to see snow again - and it was entertaining to see so many fireworks billboards. There was even a fireworks shop connected to a gas station, I kid you not. I would have snapped a photo for proof but it came upon us quickly and I couldn't grab the camera in time.

We stopped for breakfast as a place called Waffle House that we'd been seeing everywhere. James really wanted to try it so we stopped. We go in and it's exactly like those Southern diners you see in the movies. There's an older, grumbly lady doing all the cookin', a nice younger girl taking orders and a few customers scattered about the restaurant. We take it all in and seat ourselves on a couple of red barstools right up front.

Keep in mind, this is only a couple hours after deciding that I should become a vegan. So I'm looking at the menu wondering what my first vegan breakfast will be, and am horrified to see that there is hardly one thing that isn't beef, or pork, or beef and pork or drowning in pork gravy...you get the idea. Vegan or no vegan, is this really how people eat out here? Very sad. With such limited options, I realize that turning vegan while traveling through the deep south may not be the best idea I've ever had. I end up settling for some hash browns diced with tomato and a side of scrambled eggs. If not vegan, then at least I can ease into vegetarianism as a first step.

On the brink of veganism...Thank you Skinny Bitch - Cross-Country Road Trip 7.2

Last night I started reading Skinny Bitch - a no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous (thanks Marlene!). If you haven't heard of it, I highly suggest you check it out. It's very in-your-face, tell-it-like-it-is, humorous common sense advice on what you should and shouldn't out in your body.

For those of you who don't know, I'm an animal lover. I gave up eating pork one day about 10 years ago because I saw a video on how the pigs are killed in factories. It made me cry and I swore I would never financially support such violence again. Hypocritically, I didn't give up beef or chicken because I wanted to pretend their deaths were somehow not as cruel.

Well I'm halfway through Skinny Bitch and I'm feeling a need to address my hypocrisy. Almost an entire chapter was dedicated to publishing quotes of cruel and inhumane acts performed and/or witnessed by slaughterhouse employees. I literally felt nauseous after reading it.

It's now impossible for me to live in ignorance. Either I support the brutal mass-murders of hundreds of thousands of animals by continuing to eat them, or I take a stand and let my dollars do the talking. It's that simple. Maybe the FDA and slaughterhouse owners would eventually start listening if they saw a change in their bottom line.

The Pros and Cons to calling a Walmart parking lot home - Cross-Country Road Trip 7.1

Macon, GA 4:59am

I know what you're thinking..."What??? There are cons to sleeping in a parking lot?" Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but unfortunately it's not all puppies and roses on the Magic Van Winter '09 Tour.

Pros

• Anything you could possibly need is only 100 ft. away


• Well-lit and security monitored


• They're everywhere!


• That down home, American "Let's slowly strangle all small business by importing goods at such low prices the manufacturers will be forced to use foreign child labor just so we can sell jumbo-size Cheetos for 98 cents" sentiment

Cons

• Tour buses pulling up next to you at 4:59am and letting out douchebags who like to talk (in "I'm standing next to a jet engine" volume) about how unseasonable cold it is. Grrrr!

As you can tell folks, I am definitely NOT a morning person!

Skipping Asheville...On to Nashville - Cross-Country Road Trip 7.0

We made a slight change in our itinerary, partly because we are behind schedule (not sure how this keeps happening) and partly because we want to add another state under our belt. Instead of going back the way we came to see Asheville, NC, we decided to go south to Savannah, GA then will go through Atlanta and up to Nashville. It's the longest stretch so far at about 10 hours so it will be a true test of our road-trippin' teamwork skills.

We left Charleston at around 10am after waiting out some heavy rain. It was literally like a waterfall, but it did make for some gorgeous pictures during the drive. We stopped in Savannah for dinner and found an excellent sushi joint. We've been craving sushi this whole trip but just haven't had the opportunity...it pretty much blew my socks off. I mailed a letter to my little sister, Savannah, because I thought it would be cool for her to have that postmark, then we hit the road again.

James then powered through about 3 hours of driving to Macon, GA where we are now going to sleep. There's still another 5.5 hours until Nashville in the morning!

Boone Hall Plantation - Cross-Country Road Trip 6.5

Boone Hall Plantation was absolutely beautiful, I can't imagine what it looks like in the summer when flowers are blooming. The trees were majestic, I think they said the oldest one was about 400 years old. Standing there, I could just imagine a Southern Belle in her big, fluffy dress sitting under that tree sipping some lemonade on a hot day.

The rain let up just in time for our tour, which was very fortunate for us because it was mostly outside. We took a bunch of pictures but weren't allowed to take any inside of the mansion. The owners still live upstairs during the summer (how cool would that be?) and probably don't want the world knowing what's inside.

We took a tour of the mansion, got a lesson in Gullah (African origin) culture and, my favorite, a tour of what is now known as Slave Street. Back in the day, a plantation owner's wealth was displayed in his slaves. Boone Hall was a successful plantation so they used extra brick to build a bunch of small brick homes (300 sq. ft.) along the grand entrance to the mansion. This is where slaves that worked inside the home would have lived and, at certain points in time, there were as many as 16 people crammed into one of these tiny rooms.

Slave Street at Boone Hall is a very rare sight these days because most slave quarters were built of wood and simply did not survive. These ones are made of brick so are still in decent shape. The staff does an excellent job of educating visitors - one thing I didn't know is that America wasn't the only country bringing Africans in as slaves. Brazil actually took a lot more than us and didn't make it illegal until much later than we did. Not that it excuses what we did, but I did find it interesting that facts like this one aren't taught to us in school.

It's a Miracle, I found my Church! - Cross-Country Road Trip 6.3

New Hope Baptist Church – Mt. Pleasant, SC

For the longest time I’ve had this completely random dream of being somewhere in the South and walking into a church while services were going on – just like you see in the movies. My dream was pretty detailed though – the church would be white, it would be off a main road but surrounded by fields, it would have double doors through which I enter and it would be filled with people singing and fanning themselves and blurting out lots of “hallelujahs” and “amens”. I have no idea why this has been a dream for me, but I’m going with it.

Before we left, I made finding my church a “to-do” on this trip. I had no idea if it was going to happen though because we really only had one Sunday that we would be going through the South. The odds didn’t look good but it doesn’t hurt to hope, right?

So we're driving through Mt. Pleasant this morning, on our way to Boone Hall Plantation, and what do I see pass us by? My church! It was white, it had purple doors and had open space on both sides of it! James quickly (well as quickly as one can in a Dodge Airstream van) turned around and we pulled into the unpaved, overgrown, tree-lined driveway. A sign let us know that it was a Baptist church. A Southern Baptist church...are you kidding? Perfect!

It's about 12:30 so we're not sure if services are done for the day but I was determined to find out. We walk up the steps, enter a foyer area and what is in front of us? That's right, double doors that open into a congregation actively listening and throwing out occasional "hallelujahs" and "amens" when the animated preacher said something that moved them. James and I found a nice bench in the back and took in the scene.

I couldn't believe it, everything was exactly how I imagined it, right down to a man fanning himself with a program or songbook or something. We were even invited by a couple of people to join the communion service afterwards, but we decided to continue on to the plantation. I wasn't wearing anything close to the vintage dress and matching hat that I wore in my dream, but I can certainly live with what I got!

Dieting on a Road Trip - Cross-Country Road Trip 6.4

I was able to get two cardio workouts in during our brief stay with friends in South Carolina and it reminded me that my last workout has not been since almost 2 weeks ago in Denver. This is very hard for me to swallow because I normally make sure to exercise 4-5 times per week. We are getting a little cardio when we tour cities, but I’m definitely going to have some catching up to do.

We’ve been trying to eat as healthy as possible – apples as snacks, only water to drink – but since I plan to fully experience as much culture as I can, that means I’m trying a lot of foods I don’t normally eat. I guess there are times where you just have to throw caution to the wind and let the rules bend for a bit. I don’t look forward to stepping on the scale when I get back though!

I Could Live in Charleston, SC - Cross-Country Road Trip 6.2

If you’ve never been to Charleston, add it to your list. It’s a charming little eclectic city with a nice mix of high-end boutiques, incredible vintage stores (I LOVE finding bargains) and tons of restaurants. It used to be the richest city in the country (richer than New York and Boston) until it was pretty much destroyed in the Civil War. It’s located on the southern end of South Carolina right near the water which I’m sure is beautiful in the summer.



We got there during a rainstorm, unfortunately, but it let up here and there to give us a chance to enjoy ourselves. We walked down King Street and around a residential area. The houses are absolutely incredible, I couldn’t stop taking picture. Then we took a tour of the Old Exchange, one of the last buildings built by the British before the Revolution. Downstairs is what’s now known as the Provost’s Dungeon where prominent American citizens were held captive during the fight.

Next was a delicious dinner at Fleet’s Landing. I had swordfish, James had a NY strip steak, but we were both addicted to the fluffy southern biscuits. So good! The rain picked up again so we did a little pub hopping until it subsided. We both wanted to spend the night here, so we headed back to the van to find our home for the next 12 hours.

We were both excited to discover that the lot we parked in had closed and left the gate open…which meant FREE! We busted outta there, grabbed a movie and then found a 24-hour grocery store with a parking lot too tempting to pass up. So we made camp, watched the movie on James’ computer and fell asleep to sounds of rain falling on the Magic Van.

Side Note: James has been determined to watch a movie on the flat screen…only problem is that we don’t have the right cables to attach it to our computers. He tried once in Rhode Island to no avail and picked up another kind at the Apple store today. That didn’t work either but he is sure that he only needs one more cable. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

Resting and Relaxing in Tega Cay, SC - Cross-Country Road Trip 6.1

We spent the last 2 days unwinding and relaxing at our friends Atiyeh, Anna and Kent’s place in Tega Cay, SC. They live in a quiet suburb south of Charlotte where a practically brand new, 4-bedroom plus basement, humongous house rents for about what I pay for an older 2-bedroom in Corona Del Mar. This is the major problem I have with traveling anywhere outside of Southern California…I get depressed when I realize how much I overpay in rent!

James and I came out here in early ’08 at the same time they were hosting Tim and Rachael on the Jalopy Tour. Since then, Anna and Atiyeh had a baby, Miss Clara Jane, so we got to meet her. In anticipation of our arrival, Anna was trying to figure out places to take us, but honestly, I was glad there weren’t too many options. This was about the halfway point of our trip and we were both pretty pooped. Sitting around all day with TV, internet and good company sounded just perfect to us.

We had great conversations about travel angels (Anna had one in Europe), green homebuilding (James, Atiyeh and Kent want to start a business), politics, economics and I think we even solved the meaning of life. I was able to get about 9 posts uploaded to my blog which was a relief, plus I did a couple of cardio workouts on their NordicTrack. James and I had high hopes for workouts on this trip but sadly, the cold weather has made that nearly impossible. We’ll just have to work twice as hard when we get home!

James was able to help the boys solve a leaky water main problem they’d been suffering with for almost a year and he shaved his head! I’d say between that, the blog catch-up, the workouts and the relaxing, we had a very productive stay in Tega Cay!

Paying it Forward in Burlington, NC - Cross-Country Road Trip 6.0

We got hungry on our drive to Tega Cay, SC and decided to check out a place called Cracker Barrel. We had no idea where we were or what to expect but for some reason it was calling us. We walked in and I was very surprised at how different it felt from all of the places we’d been so far. Not anything physically different, just a feeling. Almost like there was an actual line we crossed going from North to South.

We were greeted by the hostess who was as friendly as friendly could be. Then a nice man named Wayne came to seat us. I don’t know why but for some reason I just felt an instant connection with him. Maybe it was his genuine smile or his humble demeanor, but he was just one of those people you can instantly tell is a deep down good person.

We ate our food (delicious!), played a peg game they had on each table and even treated ourselves to dessert. All the while I kept my eye on Wayne, just watching him do his job. I never once saw him standing idle or joking with his co-workers, he just seemed intent on doing the best job he could. I decided then that I had received so much good karma on this trip; it was time to give a little back.

It just so happened that the manager was working the register when we paid our bill. He was a friendly guy (are we getting lucky, or is everyone nicer on the East Coast?) who seemed interested about our trip. I told him what a great lunch we had and that I thought Wayne was doing an exceptional job. He agreed and said that he often wishes there were more of him.

Normally that would be where I leave it. I did my part by talking to the manager…but no, something didn’t feel complete about it. I wanted Wayne to know. As we’re turning to leave I turn right back around and ask the manager if he would take a picture of us with Wayne. He obliges and the instant I saw Wayne’s reaction, I knew that we had done our job. His face beamed with pride and his huge smile was contagious.

We continued our drive to South Carolina feeling 100 times happier than when we started. For the rest of our drive across North Carolina I think about karma – how easy it is and how good it feels to keep the good kind circulating.

Pancakes in Petersburg, VA - Cross-Country Road Trip 5.4

We left Kendall and Jarred's place late last night after ordering in and unwinding for a bit after such a long day of sightseeing. Our next stop is Tega Cay, South Carolina and is about 6 hours away, so we decided to "tackle some time" as James likes to call it.

I'm a lady, so I won't go into detail, but I was getting over a 2-day "just because I want to throw a wrench in your road trip" stomach ache. About 2.5 hours and 2 stops later we arrived at our home for the night...a Walmart parking lot in Petersburg, VA.

We slept very well, it was the first night without wind threatening to topple the van over. The only time I woke up was from being TOO hot from the heater and all the blankets.

I woke up sans stomach ache and felt like a new person. I was so happy I decided to make a nice pancake breakfast before we hit the road again. Plus I've learned that food is a great way to get James up without having to nag him. The pancakes turned out great, if I do say so myself, luckily we had thought ahead and asked for extra butter and syrup at the Friendly's we ate at in Gettysburg.

We downed our breakfast, played some music and then hit the road again. If I didn't know any better, I'd say we are getting the hang of road tripping in the Magic Van!

Warming Up in Washington D.C. - Cross-Country Road Trip 5.3

Washington D.C. lived up to my expectations. I really enjoyed seeing the White House for the first time. We also walked past the FBI building which was cool for me because I've always wanted to be an agent. A girl can have her dreams, can't she?

We got to see the original Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill of rights at the National Archive Museum (which I was shocked to learn, does not charge admission). That was a nice conclusion to our journey so far. We started up North where the idea of independence got it's legs, then moved further south where the Civil War was fought and concluded, then down further to our capital where all of the documentation is kept safe. I'm really glad that we took this route. Plus it's 49 degrees and I was able to shed my extra layer of thermals!

"Let It Be" in Washington D.C. - Cross-Country Road Trip 5.2

Spent the morning walking around D.C. and saw the Lincoln memorial, Washington Monument, White House, National Archive Museum (where the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights are stored). We're about halfway done sightseeing and since we reached our 3 hour parking limit we're now sitting in the Magic Van cooking some lunch, catching our breath and listening to The Beatles.

As I sit here in the passenger seat with the FDR Memorial to my right and the Washington Monument straight ahead, I listen to the words of Let It Be, I am feeling inspired. So much has been (and continues to be) done for us so that we can live in peace. Why then do we waste our precious time creating so much needless drama in our daily lives? Things tend to just work themselves out when you just let it be.