Jacksonville

Last time I was here I had just arrived in Jacksonville.  My goal was to shoot down to Cape Canaveral, watch a shuttle launch, visit with family, drive BACK to Jacksonville, and see some more family for a few days.  Let's see how that went...

I received a tip from a fellow traveler to check out Jax Beach. I navigated Sasha through the night and found a cool looking strip of bars along the water. Public beach parking was only five dollars, and they said I could camp out overnight in the lot. I could hear the ocean while I slept! These two photographs are two sides of the same coin.

The beach was beautiful! The Florida sun was changing my color like bread in a toaster, but the water was a perfect escape. As luck would have it, there was a music festival going on not even three blocks from where I had parked. I ate some ice cream and enjoyed free tunes.

After I'd had a bit of time at the beach, I went to visit family! At this point I had eaten oatmeal/rice as the primary filler for far too many meals. My aunt and uncle brought me out for dinner on the intracoastal, and I can't express how much I appreciated the view and food. The food though. Seriously. Later that weekend we also traveled through St. Augustine to get to another cool restaurant. We even saw a manatee!! This picture is from inside of the restaurant.

Before too long, it was time to say goodbye to the sweetest cousins a guy could ask for. For now...

We said our goodbyes at night, and we noticed that my headlight was out. We thought it best that I leave in the morning, as Sasha wasn't quite ready to leave in the night. With everybody up, I said my goodbye, and began my trek south the watch a shuttle launch. Again, Sasha was not ready for us to leave.

Peace. I couldn't have said it better myself.  I spent the next few days in a hotel. I ate ice cream, watched garbage television, had pho on my birthday, and waited for an estimate on Sasha's repairs. The news came, and my aunt offered to let me stay with them for a little while longer. Nothing beats family.

We visited more restaurants, went swimming almost daily, and explored the pleasures of Jacksonville while I stayed.  This was the longest that I've visited with family that I can remember, and I'm so glad that my 'disaster' turned into something so great.

After the repairs were completed, we said our goodbyes (for now) and I hopped on I-10 West from Jacksonville with my heart set on New Orleans. Sasha was running better than she had for the whole trip. I put the mementos that I had collected in Jacksonville over my rear-view mirror and drove westward. 

The Deep South

I lied. I haven't touched the ocean yet, but I've got WiFi so I'm going to fill you in! Yesterday began in Charlotte, and boy was it a hot one. I decided to break form and hop on an expressway. I needed the ocean, and nothing was going to stop me!  After driving for about an hour I filled up my tank, learned about a VW graveard, and turned around to find this magical place.

After Sasha and I visited her fallen comrades, we hopped back on the expressway and drove straight into Columbia, SC. The sky was ominous, and the my spider senses were tingling. I had a turn signal out, so I went to the nearest auto store to replace it. I hopped out, closed the door, and heard the unmistakable sound of glass shattering as my side mirror popped out. Clearly a bad omen.

By the time I got to my old street, the rain was coming down and the sky was black.  Lightning was crackling across the sky, and water was running through the cracks in Sasha's seals. My phone was buzzed with a flash flood warning ,and I couldn't see but ten feet in front of me. In the darkness I managed to navigate my way to a safe parking lot for the night. It always storms hardest in the south.

The next morning I cut out of town pretty early. I rolled into Savannah and saw a friendly face.

Savannah had some cute restaurants, great food, and a great feel to it. There were horse drawn carriages, old statues, town squares, and traffic.  My goodness was there traffic. I stuck around to explore the recommended spots.

Not too far outside of Savannah I realized that I had to... I needed to... I really had to use the restroom. That creamy lunch from Savannah was moving expeditiously. There was no time to spare. I found the first spot that looked like it would have a bathroom. I wound up having to pay five dollars, but it was the cleanest bathroom in all of Georgia. I highly recommend it.  Also, the five dollars will let you see the beautiful Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens. Me and all of the old people really enjoyed the flora.

Somewhere between Savannah and Jacksonville I found a spot to do a quick hike.  The wetlands were beautiful, and I ran into this guy!

I believe that brings us to now. I'm currently in Jacksonville, ,and I'm going to go check out some of the nightlife. I didn't pass any vehicles today, and Sasha is still running smoothly.

-Nick

Heating Up!

Alright, I've got a lot to cover!  Last time I filled you in I was in Toledo, OH.  It was my goal to leave the state and venture deeper into the south.  I'd like to begin by stating that Ohio is an impressively long state.  I had resolved to take as many back roads as I could, and pretty early on I was able to pull over and capture this beauty!

There was an adult nearby, but it took off just as I had pulled over.  I watched for a few minutes as this eagle repeatedly swooped in, picked up the critter, and dropped it.  Perhaps this was a learning period for a young Bald Eagle.  I cannot say, but it was a pleasure to watch.

I made a quick stop at OSU to stretch my legs. This guy said he always posts a picture from his nightly run/walk. I took one with his phone where he was pretending to drive.

After pushing through Columbus, I crashed for the night in northern Kentucky. By morning I smelled like the critter I'd seen the day before, so I went in search for a place to swim.  A gas station clerk recommended that I check out Yatesville Lake.  The drive was treacherous, but the destination was worth it. 

I slipped into a bathing suit, put my soap and washcloth onto a log, and floated out into the lake.  It rained.  It was beautiful.

If you know me well, then you probably know that my favorite movie is The Princess Bride.  You know that scene in the Pit of Despair (West Virginia) where Count Rugen (Me) hooks Westley (Sahsa) up to the Machine (Mountains) and steals a year of his life? It was kind of like that. Even the wildlife knew what was up.

After escaping with some of Miracle Max's magic pills, I stopped in Ashland for a quick tour and chatted with the owner of a guitar shop. The town was quaint, but for some reason I had my heart set on reaching Charleston for the night. The first spot I picked out had some live bluegrass music!  The frontman, John, was warm and sincere.  A lovely newly wed couple, Quinn and Keith, welcomed me into their conversation and gave me some tips for the following day!  After parting ways, I wandered into this spot.

I spoke with the members of the weekly band, and they offered to let me get up there to play some songs.  It was SWEEEEET!!!  Sadly I didn't get any pictures of the inside (sorry), but I'll be back again.

The next morning I took the advice of many West Virginian's and checked out Fayetteville, West Virginia.  I had lunch at the Secret Sandwich Society. Shhhhh! The menu was as complicated as Keith had warned me, and the food was as delicious as Quinn and promised. After a mild food coma, I checked out the New RIver Gorge Bridge.  There was a way to drive down to the river beneath, but I far my sweet Sasha would not survive the journey back.

I spent the rest of the day cruising the mountains and landed in Charlotte just in time to get some sleep.  I've got a hankering for swimming, so I'll likely check back in once I've touched the ocean.  

Number of breakdowns: 0
Number of cars passed: 3

-Nick

Ohio

Dear Ohio,

Thank you for an exceptional beginning to my road trip. Toledo was full of kind and welcoming people, like these cats!  

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We watched live music, danced, and I left my debit card at a bar that is closed on Sunday. No worries though. I really had nowhere else to be in a hurry, so I camped out for the weekend. I had a relaxing time exploring the Maumee River, and cooked up a few meals with these guys.

For dinner I looked for the most interesting colorful local bar that I could find. Before I could sit down, a gentleman declared that there was a newbie in the bar. My instinctual fear as an outsider was immediately relieved when another gentleman bought my first drink!  It was a gay bar, Mojo's, and Chef Darrell made sure that I knew it was the best spot in town.  He cooked up a mean burger, and invited me to come back for another if I'm ever in Toledo. I'd be happy to return. For now, I'm off to my next spot. I'll let you know when I find out what it'll be.

-Nick    

Packing up.

Tomorrow I'm setting out in the band bus, Sasha, for a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm taking her to see the country, write music, meet people, gain new experiences, and find the limits of my patience while living in a 1973 VW. If you are one of the many people that I run into, thank you for visiting my website, and I hope that we can connect again. If you are a friend or supporter, words cannot express how grateful I am to have you on my team.  Let's have an adventure.      

-Nick