You just gotta have a little drive

"A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles."- Tim Cahill

This may have been a short trip for us but it is definitely, as Tim Cahill says, more than the miles that matter.

As our next trip was approaching I kept checking the weather and it was looking bad with storm possibilities basically blanketing the entire route. I thought about postponing or cancelling it since it was to NC and technically Meg and I were already there in our first road trip of the year... but our Mom wasn't with us on that one and still needed the state to complete her own 48.

Now this one wasn't that far but because of the timing of when I wanted to get to one of the stops it required us either leaving on Thursday for part of the drive or leaving at like 2am on Friday morning. Since we know sleeping in the car is going to be part of the future for our long two week trip out west I opted for the sleeping in the car option so we can get used to it a little. So we picked up our Mom in Nashville and began making our way East on I-40 toward North Carolina. We stopped a little bit outside Bristol and slept at a rest area.  I've been using a bandana as a mask and this weekend the bandana really showed off its versatility. I used it overnight as a blindfold to help block out light from the rest area security lights. I used it as a hair tie at various points. And, obviously, I used it as a mask. 

The next morning the first order of business was coffee; and for that we crossed state lines to Bristol, VA, and the Blackbird Bakery. 

We were refreshed and energized and ready to explore a few spots in Bristol so we drove all the way ;-) back to Bristol, TN. Otherwise known as driving around the block. State street was split with TN on one side and VA on the other side. The street lights even had the corresponding state flags hanging from them. 

We drove to the birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford. Ernest Jennings Ford was born in 1919 and he began his career in music in 1937 at WOPI Radio. In 1946, after returning from service during WWII, he continued his career in radio traveling to CA and hosting his own morning show. He enjoyed success in radio, tv, and his own recording career. So much so that he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame 1991, given three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1984. He had one of the first and big country-pop crossovers with his working man's anthem of "Sixteen Tons" which spent multiple weeks at the top of country and pop charts.

Our next stop in Bristol has been labeled the birthplace of country music as the site where Ralph Peer first recorded "hillybilly" artists like the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers in the Bristol Sessions for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Here is a recording from the second session of Jimmie's "Blue Yodel."

      

Across the street was a strange metal man holding a guitar. I walked over to get a better look at it and passed by one of the city of Bristol water works sewer caps. On it was a fiddle so I decided to leave my fiddle rock there with the Music Man.

  

And then we were on our way to Jefferson, NC. We took a northern route through VA for a bit before cutting back south to NC through the mountains.. and by through the mountains I mean our GPS decided to take us on a crazy one lane dirt path up the winding cliffside of a small mountain. Thank God no one came from the other direction because I would not have been able to get out of the way. It was so beyond being a road that grass was growing in between the worn tire tread marks. I forget what the name of the 'road' was but it was definitely one of the most tense drives I have ever had. But despite the strange route we ended up at our next destination: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. And pretty much on schedule. This was Church six out of seven from back during Lent when I was trying to visit seven Churches in seven States. I picked the Church because St. Francis is one of my favorite Saints, the patron Saint of animals. And I pray to him often. We prayed to him when Roma got out of the house and was missing for over 72 hours, when our German Shepherd Schultzy passed away, and again when Roma became mysteriously ill. 

Since we had Gypsy Rover and Domino with us we asked the priest if he could bless them and he did. Then I brought Gypsy around to a statue of St. Francis at the front corner of the property. I will write more about the visit to the Church when I write the blog post for the last four churches in my Lenten resolution. 

We were right on schedule and it was time for lunch so we went over to the cute downtown area of West Jefferson where it looked like there are actually several small breweries. We settled on New River Brewing which had outdoor seating. Unfortunately the clouds were getting threatening but we thought we had enough time to eat... at one point there was a little sun shower but I think the dogs appreciated the rain as a break form the sun and heat. The wings with their signature sauce were delicious and I liked that the food was served in baskets with a fake newspaper liner. The article was marking the anniversary of the Miracle on Ice when the USA men's hockey team went on to win the Gold Medal in the 1980 Olympic Games.

Next was a bonus stop because Meg spotted a sign with an arrow pointing down a side street that said "Church of the Frescos." St. Mary's in Ashe County is one of two rural churches that house fresco paintings by Benjamin Long. Ben was born in Texas but grew up in Statesville, NC. He went to Chapel Hill to pursue an education in art. When other young men were being drafted he enlisted into the Marine Corp with hope of using his education to serve the military and becoming a combat artist. On his second tour in Vietnam he served as Commander of the Combat Art Team and some of his work from that time is on display in the Smithsonian Museum and can be found at his website.

In 1976-1977 Ben worked on the three frescos in St. Mary's: The Mystery of Faith, Mary, and John The Baptist. I sat in the church admiring the frescos and the detail in them. I loved the imagery of an eclipsed sun above Mary.

Next we drove east to High Point, NC. Our first stop was a statue of Atlas holding up the earth however it was behind a gate on the campus of High Point University. We could see it from the road but could not get close. Our next stop was the American headquarters for Italian Furniture company, Natuzzi. Their office building is in the shape of a ship, well half a ship, complete with a porthole. The effect is best seen from the front. 

It had been a long day and we were ready for dinner so we searched for a hotel along the way to our next stop and ended up in Hickory, NC. For dinner we went to the Blowing Rock Brewery. They had a great outdoor atrium with live music and tables and then to the right was the closed in bar. As we were waiting for our table I ordered a beer, kolsch. A fellow from the local paper, Hickory Daily Record, asked if he could take our picture for Hoppin' around Hickory. Meg didn't want to be in the picture so she held my beer while my Mom and I posed with our respective pups. 

As we sat outside in the atrium enjoying our meal and beer we got to listen to the awesome acoustic performance from Kevin Smith. By the way they had the most delicious home made chips. If you are in the Hickory area go there and order the chips you won't be sorry.

The next morning our hotel actually had breakfast! For the first time since we re-started going on trips again. It was plated instead of buffet style I had scrambled eggs, sausage patty, and home fries. It surprised me because I know NC is one of the more lock-downed states but it was a nice bit of normal to start our day. That being said I still wanted more coffee and googling coffee and Hickory, NC, one thing was clear... we had to go to the 'Coffee Bus.' The company is Taproot Coffee. And the owner is Malachi Morris. He was 19 when he decided coffee was his future and has been bringing people together ever since. As we pulled into the back of the parking lot where his coffee bus was parked it was quite clear that even Covid-19 couldn't keep people away form the coffee and the experience. There were several different pods of parked cars with lawn chairs in the parking lot as people gathered to sit and enjoy their relaxing Saturday morning.

Our next stop was a quick one in Old Fort, NC, where they have a 30 foot arrowhead monument beside the town train station. They had a cute park and a gazebo so we sat and took a photo with our non-stop on the go puppy.... you can see how well that turned out.

 

Afterwards we drove to our last stop in NC: Lake Junaluska. The town is named for one of the leaders of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian Tribe. He fought alongside Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and was credited with saving Jackson's life. A moment he would come to regret as he and his fellow Cherokee were mistreated and forced out of their home to the "Indian Territory" in Oklahoma. Junaluska would return years later and again make his home in NC. 

With our trip through North Carolina finished we began driving home to TN. Looking at the time it worked out perfectly that we would be arriving in Knoxville right in time for some dinner with a little sightseeing before that. But we had a little bad luck. Our first stop was to see a giant Rubiks Cube located in the lobby of a hotel, a gift from Hungary to the city. Unfortunately the hotel was under construction and closed. 

Next we went to World's Fair Park to find a statue honoring the late Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff who played his last concert on February 17, 1943, in Knoxville.

   

And here is the master at work:

I almost didn't find the statue. It was nestled in a very peaceful circle of trees. Meg was able to use Google Earth satellite images to guide me to his location.

Our next stop was a fun and random statue of a man rowing a boat in the middle of the sidewalk. I don't know why the statue is there in front of a bank. I left my last rock with him though for safe keeping.

Our last stop was a nice stop and a bit of TN history. On August 18, 1920 Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the Constitutional Amendment that gave women the right to vote. The final vote according to legend was cast by 24 year old Harry T. Burn. It was a letter from his spirited mother Febb Burn where she wrote:

"Hurrah, and vote for suffrage, and don't keep them in doubt... I hope you see enough of politicians to know it is not one of the greatest things to be one... Don't forget to be a good boy."

Burn himself would eventually give his mother her due credit explaining:

"I knew that a mother's advice is always safest for a boy to follow and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification."

Certainly a very fitting statue to visit as we approach the Centennial Anniversary of that historic vote.

Now we had just one more stop to make at yet another brewery (our shortest trip has the most breweries). I'm pretty sure if I lived in Knoxville I would be there every weekend. It was the Schulz Brau Brewing Company. We entered a stone portico with benches and tables. To our left was a row of benches with coverings on them so we set ourselves up there since it gave the pups a booth and some privacy to rest. We went inside and built some flights and then came out to decide on our food. The food served is traditional German faire... and I had the Fleischkase Burger and potato salad- I was certain they would have delicious potato salad and I was not wrong. Fleischkase is a bologna sausage and the burger had a fried egg and sauerkraut, mustard, and green peppers on it. I'm going to be honest on this Meg picked the place because she read a ridiculous sounding review that gave the place a one star. Not believing the rating was warranted she wanted to see for herself. I haven't gone on yet to give it a review but I promise you it will be a lot higher than one star!

And then we finished the last two hours home and we were actually home on a Saturday! Which meant we had Sunday to rest and prepare for the next road trip. It's a big one. Here is an updated map on all the states we have visited using weekend trips from TN.

As you can see it's time to head west...

Behold: Falcon Heavy

So we took a road trip to see the Falcon Heavy on historic Launch Pad 39A. And spoiler alert: we saw it. This picture was taken by me putting my brand new binoculars on Meghan's tripod and carefully holding my i-phone up to the eye piece. 

But let me go back before that. Long before that. When we were around 8 or so our parents brought us to Florida on vacation to see Disney, Sea World, and the Kennedy Space Center. We remember Disney and Sea World pretty well but all we remembered from Kennedy Space was that the trash cans were full and there were bees. I don't know if maybe we were too young, or not yet interested enough in the information presented, or if it was just the shock of Disney overpowered our experience.  I mean the interest was there because a few years later my parents bough us our telescope and we liked science fiction like Star Trek, so the real thing should have made an impact. We remember when we were 12 or 13 talking with a good friend about possibilities of people going to Mars. So as I look back I'm not sure why the KSC did not result in more of a memory. But maybe it is good that it didn't because my lack of a memory fueled my desire to return.  That and the historic Falcon Heavy sitting upright on the pad waiting for it's test fire and historic launch.

The test fire was scheduled for Monday in the afternoon. So we left Nashville after Meg got off work Sunday night and began the 12 hour drive. I was off a few hours earlier than her and tried to catch some sleep in the car which worked because we reached Cape Canaveral around noon. We would have been there in time to see the test fire but due to our politicians inability to function as adults the American Government had shut down which meant the test fire was on hold until they could get a long. So instead we just explored Cape Canaveral and Playalinda Beach.

In the days leading up to the road trip I checked online and asked people for recommendations of things to do and see near Cape Canaveral. One recommendation was to see the Astronaut Memorial in Titusville, which is also listed as one of the top spots to view a launch. So we headed over to 8 Broad Street in Titusville and saw the Memorial to the seven Gemini Pilots.

The boardwalk there was badly damaged by the hurricanes this year and was fenced off from visitors. But I did get to take my binoculars out and explore the horizon a bit.

From the park we left to head to Playalinda Beach which took us through the Merritt Island Refuge. At the first pull off we stopped so that I could use my binoculars and look across the water at Canaveral while Meghan took some pictures of the wildlife. We ran into a gentleman there Lane Hermann of Space Head News, who is a local historian on the space program. As we talked he told us about a few points of interest in the Kennedy Space center to pay attention too. He also showed us some pieces he has collected over the years from various rockets. I have to say it was amazing to us to be holding a piece of a rocket. He also showed us his book on the Enterprise and the test shuttles Lane Hermann. 

As we left and began down the road to the beach I passed a gigantic alligator at the side of the road so I pulled over as soon as possible so Meghan could bravely go back and photograph it. I didn't feel any strong need to go back near it so I stayed by the car to look at the Falcon Heavy which was visible just across the water and is when I took the above picture. Meg had great success with the alligator as well.

When she came back to the car she turned her attention to seeing what photos she could catch of the Falcon Heavy. 

Meet the Falcon Heavy! There is a lot that is amazing about it but specifically to me the two most amazing parts are the fact that the Falcon 9 rockets which make it up will return and re-land themselves (two at Cape Canaveral and one on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean). And second the fact that private companies like SpaceX have taken interest in the space program means that NASA can focus on the next step of deep space exploration. 

Now at this point it is Monday at maybe 2pm and we already have had a successful road trip. I mean we could have turned around and been totally satisfied with the trip! But that isn't the end Meg had a lot of success with wildlife photography and we had a lot more exploring to do.

Meg snapped a picture of this little fellow on Playalinda Beach.

And at one of the other pull overs she saw this beautiful bird enjoying the wonderful weather.

On the way out of the park we saw this armadillo hanging out in the grass. At this point I realized that the armadillo is really just a well armored rabbit and look how cute he is.  

Now whenever planing a road trip I look for roadside attractions along the way and at out destination. Other than the obvious must sees listed at the Cape was a large boulder that had been painted to look like the earth, on one side. The other side was painted black and it is unclear whether it was left blank on purpose to represent night or if the painter just lost interest. Either way we headed over to see it ourselves. 

After that quick stop we started to go to the hotel when a warning light came in on Meg's car to check the tire air pressure.  Luckily we had seen a Tire King as we were driving around the Cape and we returned to it. The staff added some air to Meg's front left tire and we reached the hotel. After check in we left to find a bite to eat. 

Another thing I like to do on road trips is find local craft breweries to try and maybe get a growler to take home. Online I had found Florida Beer Company Now they don't serve food there so we picked up sandwiches to bring with us, they also encourage people to have food ordered in and there are a number of local food spots ready to deliver. 

And that ended day 1. We went back to the hotel completely exhausted and ready to sleep. We were getting up early the next day to go to The Kennedy Space Center. 

As we drove to the Space Center in the morning Meghan's air pressure light came back on. The day before I wasn't worried because we had been on a long car ride but to have the light come back meant there had to be a problem. I'm going to be honest, as I parked at the Kennedy Space Center I was worried we may come out to find a completely flat tire. Not worried enough to lose time at the Space Center and get it fixed before we went in of course. 

We got there early and parked in one of the first few spots. The parking lots are sectioned off and named for different Astronauts. We were parked in the lot named for Walter 'Wally' Schirra. 

As we waited for the doors to open we looked at the countdown clock which now counts the last minute before the Center opens every day but in the early days of space travel it had counted down to the Gemini and Apollo launches.  Being there early also gave us time to try and plan our day to get the most out of the day visit. Our plan was to see the Rocket Garden right as we entered so that Meg could get photos and play with her fisheye lens for her Cannon Rebel. After that would be boarding the bus at 10:00am to head to the Apollo/Saturn building. We would return to the Atlantis building and then try and get to the "Meet an Astronaut" where Norm Thagard would be speaking about his many experiences at 3pm. That was the plan at least. 

Rocket garden was a success Meg's fisheye lens allowed her to get the full rockets in the shot and being there early minimized people being in the shots. Now at 9:30 was a 20 minute guided tour of the rocket garden and even though it might have meant a later bus we decided to take the tour. If there is one thing I can stress about the Space Center it is take the time to wait for the guided tours! It was worth it. When we got to the line for the bus it wasn't very long but we let people in front of us so that we could wait for the next bus to be the first one's on. This way we could get the front entrance side seat. It allowed us to see out the windshield instead of just the side tinted windows. As the bus went around the driver pointed out several points of interest like the giant platforms that rockets will sit on to be moved from VAB (Vehicle Assembly building) to launch pads. We also saw a manatee hanging out just after our bus driver finished saying she doubted we would see one. 

Crawler

VAB

The bus could not go to 39A because of the Falcon heavy sitting on it but we still got pretty close.

 Then the bus pulled up at the Apollo/Saturn V building. Again there was a guided tour and it was sooooooooo worth it. We ended up spending much longer in this area then originally planned but I learned so much about the history of Space travel. I knew the most famous names like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin but there was so much I didn't know.

We got to relive the launch of Apollo 8. As different voices came over the recording different stations would light up. 

Then we entered the main room and there was the gigantic Saturn V. We looked up at the Apollo badges hanging from the ceiling. 

One thing that really resonated with me was the feeling of optimism and unity that surrounded the space program. The Apollo 11 badge was a great example of that with the bald eagle representing America rather than having the astronauts names listed. Also the words on the plaque that was placed on the moon "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."

We also learned a lot more about the Apollo 1 crew and tragedy. I had known of the accident but not much. 

"If we die we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life."- Gus Grissom


To read Gus Grissom's words were chilling. There are a lot of qualities that the first Astronauts shared like courage, determination, and perseverance, The also had an amazing understanding of the history they were creating and their own part in it. There is a beautiful elegance in Neil Armstrong's first words on the moon. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

As we returned to the main campus of the Kennedy Space Center we saw but were unable to photograph a bald eagle perched in a tree next to a gigantic eagle nest. Apparently it is one of several nests in the refuge but the only one actually visible from the road.

From there time seemed to fly we went into the Atlantis Shuttle display and experienced what being launched into space would actually feel like. Unfortunately because of spending so much time in the Apollo/ Saturn V building and then at Atlantis  we missed the Astronaut meet and greet. But like I said above I learned so much I think it was worth taking the extra time to go through exhibits. For this reason though I would certainly recommend spending two days at the Space Center for anyone planning to go. We didn't take advantage of the I-Max movies either but those were never actually part of our plan.

Since we missed hearing Norm Thagard speak we went to the exhibit on Mars next and took a look at replicas of Curiosity and the other Mars rovers before heading over to the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

And that brought us to 6pm and the Space Center closing. We went outside and I was relieved to see that our tire was not flat. On the way we passed a wild pig just to complete the wild life bingo card. We went to a different Tire King and discovered that somewhere during our trip we had picked up a nail in the tire. Luckily it wasn't bad and the repair was quick. Now it was time to look for dinner and for some reason I really wanted a salad. Like a giant amazing salad. Meghan searched for restaurants with salad bar and found Sonn'y Barbecue.




Well! We went for the salad bar but we will go back for the barbecue. Don't get me wrong the salad bar was perfect and hit the spot and the barbecue was amazing! Also Meg tried another local brewery Playalinda's Tropical Wonderland. So after a delicious meal we headed to Playalinda's location to try some of their beers.

Then we went back to the hotel. In the lobby is an astronaut statue so we stopped to take photos with it. As I was taking Meg's photo I joked "Ok smile both of you." I got to say. It's a bad joke that would definitely make my Dad proud. A passing guest gave his approval of the joke too.

The next day we got up early because we had two more museums to go to before driving home to Nashville. 

The first museum was the Air Force Space and Missile Museum. A small museum dedicated to the many other launch pads at Cape Canaveral. This museum was loaded with information. The volunteer on duty was Chuck Anderson and he shared lots of personal stories and great information. It is free admission with a donation box at the entrance and a gift shop. I'm so glad we took the time to stop here and look around. Each launch pad had a different display with many different interesting facts.  

 Also and I did not know this before we went there but right next door is SpaceX's Launch and Landing control building! On the door was one of the best signs I have ever seen which showed a picture of someone walking through the door with another person following very closely behind and it warned "Watch for Tailgaters".

Then we went to the next museum American Space Museum. Another small museum which was jam packed with memorabilia and very much worth the trip. Our tour guide here was John and again he was wonderful and the tour was incredibly informative.

 After that we had to leave the cape to head home but we had one more stop to make and that was in Kissimmee, Florida. In 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbor when Dr. Charles Bressler-Pettis wanted a symbol of unity. He sent out letters to state governors to send him rocks. He was sent rocks from all the states from the governors and from individual citizens. The rocks were incased in concrete and stacked into a pyramid.

Another photo using the fisheye lens. In case you can't tell I love Meg's photos with that lens. It is fun to watch her take them too. She has to walk right up to the subject to take a photo and then to see a full photo result is awesome.

There were also several rocks from foreign countries.







Then we were heading home to Nashville. We had a good break and chance to stand when we stopped to visit family in Atlanta and leave behind some astronaut ice cream. We probably got home around 4am pretty tired but it was worth the trip. We spent 24 hours driving and 48 hours in Cape Canaveral. I think we made the most of our time and the best part is we are doing it all over again.

Shortly after we got home February 6th was announced as the launch date for Falcon Heavy. So after work on Sunday 4th while most people are watching the end of the Superbowl Meg and I will be hitting the road again to go back to FL and witness history!

And for no particular reason at all here is one of the best youtube videos in existence as Chris Hadfield covers David Bowie's "Space Oddity. " In honor of the future of space exploration: