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Okay, when I write a story, I often have an idea of the ending. The tale I'm
going to tell has a reason... a plot... a moral... a message I'm trying to
convey...
This is no story, it is a journal of reality and we don't know what's next, let alone how it will end.
We are stepping into the unknown. We are going to see what's out there...
For the next few weeks we are going to pack up our belongings and travel across the country.
We'll see friends and family, and seek and explore with an open mind.
Week 1
Wed, 08/10/05
We left a day later than we had planned, but that's okay. We're not on any sort of time-frame.
We had a nice drive down route 301 to route 17 and ended the day camping near New Bern,
NC.
Thur, 08/11/05
Continued down route 17 past Camp Lejune. You can tell the local economy is based on
having thousands of young Marines near by. First, in Jacksonville, NC there is a Motor Mile
with every sporty new car you have ever seen. Hundreds and hundreds of them at dozens of
dealerships. Then you start to notice a bunch of tattoo joints and bars and then, a little further
down the road as the development starts to thin out, on the edge of town, there are the
"gentlemen's clubs".
We had lunch in the small little beach-town of "Surf City" (we liked the name). Bolted past
Wilmington and Myrtle Beach and ended the day in Mt. Pleasant, SC, just north of Charleston.
Fri, 08/12/05
Oh my God, this was the most humid and bug-filled camp site I have ever been to in my whole
life! Everything is damp and last night I was eaten by chiggers! Both my legs look like I have
chicken Pox from my knees down to my toes...
The drive into and out of Charleston is fine even at the morning rush hour. We make great
time into Savannah.
Wow. We both had it in our heads that we would be looking for a new place to live out West,
but this town is so wonderful! The beauty is beyond what I expected because it has not been
"cutified". Savannah has some grit to it and very few big chain stores downtown. In fact there
are a number of old stores that look as if they are thriving. Plus there is a strong tourist-based
economy. I bet that equals jobs...
We had a late lunch at the Crystal Beer Parlor, an old venue that had been a speak-easy
during prohibition. Great food! (and cheap beer!)
After a short nap, we took a Haunted Pub Crawl and had a blast!
Our tour guide was named Jamie. He was dressed in an authentic Civil War uniform... wool
pants, crappy boots and all. He was a fantastic story teller (see my story page) and knew his
history. We spent over 3 hours going from bar to bar to bar with a stop or two at one of the
many squares along the way and at each stop he would tell another ghost story about that
particular bar or place or give a tid-bit of history that was full of fact, fiction, and odd
information. We slept very well after all those beers and all that walking.
Sat, 08/13/05
From Savannah we headed south to the Space Coast to visit Julie's brother and nieces. Along
the way we had lunch and a stroll around St. Augustine where we ran into our friend Carlos
who lives down in Key West and was up in St. Augustine for work... very odd that!.
The Castillo was interesting, but the town is a little too cute and over-run with tourista. Perhaps
the town is a wee-bit too close to Epcot...
Sun, 08/14/05
We left Michael's house and drove through the middle of the state (not recommended) past
Lake Okeechobee and a lot of aggressive drivers. Near the lake the traffic was slow for a few
miles, but then we understood why: MUDFEST!
All those Super Big Wheel Trucks and Modified jeeps and ATVs and Dirt Bikes gettin' MUDDY!
They made a gigantic field a super-sized mud puddle and cut loose! Those swamp-billys sho
know how to spend a Sunday!
We arrived in Naples with enough time to shower and change and go to dinner with Julie's
parents and her visiting Uncle Rocky and his girlfriend. Julie's father Joe also entertained us
with some stories (see story page).
Mon, 08/15/05- Wed, 08/17/05
Julie and I helped Joe with some yard work, re-packed our gear (lightening our load by two
boxes), worked on our bikes, spent some time in the pool, and I uploaded the first part of the
website. And then we were ready for week two.,,