Eastern Time, not a fan

Since we started traveling, we have been in 7 North American time zones (Alaskan, Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern, Atlantic and Newfoundland). Of those, I would have to say that Eastern is my least favorite. I just cannot get used to it. I have found that we are sleeping a little later, getting up at 7:30, which would be 5:30 back home. But, what I cannot get used to is my football schedule. At home games start at 11:00 am, 2:00pm and then 6:00 for the night games. Out here, the games at 1:00, 4:00 and 8:00. The night games do not get done until 11:30 or so! This old man cannot stay up that late! Maybe if we lived here longer, but as of right now it is wreaking havoc on my system!

Except for New Years Eve. My Viking's were playing (if you could call it playing) the Packers, so I stayed up for the entire game. Once that was over, it was only 26 minute until midnight, so we stayed up and brought in the New Year!

Interesting thing about Pennsylvania, when the clock struck 12:00, everyone started unloading their guns into the sky. It sounded like World War III out there with all the gun fire. There were fireworks also, but the distinct sound for gunfire dominated the noise we heard. Shane contributed with 3 shotgun blasts himself before we hit the hay for would be our last day in Pennsylvania. 

I've read many posts that said they were glad that 2023 was over and were moving on. Personally, we had a great 2023. Nationally, I think we are still a mess, and I do not see that changing anytime soon. The media is going to do everything they can to insure that. Especially with the election this year. They are going to sensationalize and terrorize us all through the election. 

But, with the start of 2024, it is time for us to move on. So we packed everything up, hugged everyone goodbye and pointed the truck south. We had a great and productive trip, but with Jess heading back to work and the kids back to school it was time to head south. We made it out of there without any broken bones, just a bump on the back of Barb's head. Oh, and a nasty scratch on Zoey's nose when she got too close to one of the cats. Zoey was a bloody mess, but totally deserved it and STILL did not learn her lesson! I just wished I would have taken a picture of it instead of cleaning her up right away.

Our first stop was in Waynesboro, Virginia where we hiked the Blue Ridge tunnel trail. At 4,237', it is the longest railroad tunnel in the country.  It was in operation from 1858-1944, now it makes for a very interesting hiking trail. 

See the light waaaay back there?

We started on the east end and as we approached the tunnel and saw the light at the other end, we thought that there was no way it was almost a mile to the other end. 

Zoey, and her bat ear shadow

But as we walked it and the light on the other end did not seem to be getting any closer, we learned it was indeed almost a mile. We brought flashlights for the middle section, which was pitch black. We heard tell that there were salamanders and crawdads in there, but we did not see any. What we did see were bats. Not a lot, but there were a few hanging from the ceiling. 

Headed back through the other way

After that hike, we had worked up a thirst, so we headed to our Harvest Host for the night; Seven Arrows Brewing Company right in Waynesboro. Our plan was to hit as many Harvest Hosts as possible on our way south. 

If you have never been to the eastern part of the country, you may have this picture in your mind of lots and lots of people and you would be partially right. But the countryside out here is as beautiful as you will see anywhere else in the country. Mountains, rolling hills, farmland and forests. The countryside around Waynesboro is stunning. That said, as Barb and I settled in for the night in the parking lot of Seven Arrows, we did hear the distinct sound of gunfire coming from somewhere in town, and it was not even New Years Eve!

The next day was one Barb had been looking forward to for over a year when she started seeing the place called The Blind Pelican in Holly Springs, North Carolina. The Blind Pelican is known for their infamous bloody mary's and Barb planned our route so we could stop there and get one.

When it we got to town, it was a bit early to start drinking (is it ever really too early?), so we headed to Holly Springs park and walked around the lake with the girls. 

It is two miles around the lake which normally would not be a problem, but at the one mile mark my foot fell asleep, then it started creeping up my leg so my leg was numb up to my thigh. Barb was laughing at me as I tried to walk with this numb stump for a leg. Looking more like a guy about to have a stroke than a healthy man out for a stroll with his wife and two dogs. I don't know what the heck was going on but when got back to the truck we figured a little hydration was in order, so we headed over for Barb's bloody mary. 

When she saw the prices, she started to back off her desire for one, but I told her, we came this far, we are not leaving without her crossing this off her bucket list. So, we made a meal out of it. 

Pickles, olives, peppers, a grilled cheese sandwich, shrimp, a pound of crab legs, two lobster tails and frog legs just for fun. That was our supper for the day and Barb said the bloody mary itself was just how she liked them; spicy!

The waiter took a picture of both of us, but when we looked at it later, it looked like the crab leg was right up my nose!

Out Harvest Host that night was Mason Jar Lager Co. in adjacent Fuquay-Varina. 

The next day we were off to Florence. Zoey was comfortable on the center counsel, sleeping most of the time or gazing longingly into my eyes with her head on my shoulder. 

Dakota gets half of the back seat to herself. Both are really good travelers never moving or whining until we are stopped. Then they get up, look out the window to see what brewery we stopped at next!

Why, it is Seminar Brewing of course! We went in for an appetizer and beer before settling in for the night. Earlier in the day, we stopped by Tubb's Seafood for lunch. A kind of hole in the wall place, but very good food!

Next up was one of our favorite towns along the coast, Charleston. The history and architecture in this town is incredible. And if you are into old churches and cemeteries, this is the place to be! This is the Circular Congregational Church graveyard established in 1681. 

Some of the headstones are just as old, but you cannot read them. This pillar monument below is just one of the many in the graveyard. The picture to the right of it is the inscription. 

I am sure back in the day, these inscriptions were hand chiseled into the stone. Poor Nathan (below left) was a merchant from Rhode Island who died at the age of 48.

From there, we walked about 2 miles to the waterfront where we looked at the monuments honoring war hero's and those lost at sea. 

While we were in town, we stayed at two Harvest Hosts. The Tideland Brewery and The Striped Pig Distillery! Breweries that serve food are the perfect place to stop as we got some great food and got to sample some local beers. We got to talking to the owner who gave us a tour of the backrooms and get a behind the scenes look of his operation. 

The Striped Pig is a very cool distillery, family owned. One of the son's gave us an in depth tour and a tasting of each of their products. They got their name from a tale back in 1838:

The story behind our particular Pig dates back to 1838, when the Fifteen Gallon Act was enacted in an effort to curb the excess drinking practiced by Americans at the time. 

The Act stated that liquor purveyors could only sell alcohol in quantities of 15 gallons or more, essentially making the product too expensive for the average man. In retaliation a quick-witted fellow devised a plan to make money, whilst staying within the confines of the law – he no longer sold spirits, he gave it away for free. He cleverly striped a normal pig with paint and charged admission to see this “most un-natural curiosity.” 

Even more strange, the cost of the ticket was equal to the amount of a tipple of rum. The Striped Pig later became a representation of less regulation and tax in political cartoons all over America. 

The next day we set off to tour the USS Yorktown. As we pulled up to the gate, the attendant said, "You cannot park here, you are too big" Then she said, "Unless you can fit into one spot".  Well, I can, if I back in and overhang the grass area so I asked her how much parking was. She said, it is whatever you want to pay day. We paid $5 to park. 

After parking we went up to the ticket booth. Prices were $27 for adults, $19 if you were over 62. At the booth told the attendant 1 adult and one senior (Barb being the senior of course) and he said, "It's pay what you want day, how much do you want to pay?" I said $30 and he gave us our two tickets and we were on our way. We overheard the two couples behind us say they wanted to get in for free, so the attendant just gave them tickets. It was so weird paying that way! 

The carrier itself is huge! You could spend all day there. One does not realize what it takes to operate, maintain and provide for the 3500 crew members. Cooking, laundry, doctors, dentists, everything that goes into running a city is contained into this one ship! We spent about 3 hours taking each of the four self-guided tours. 

Exhausted, we drove south an hour parking at a trailhead right along the highway. Noisy, but we managed to get a good night sleep. Then we were off to Savanah! We arrived yesterday, and now are parked next to our son and his family. It seems like the past few days just flew by and now we are ready for some relaxation and visiting time!