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Thank you.
Jack’s sleeping in. It’s a snowy and cold day to end the decade. A re-cap of our trip has been on our minds since our last stop in Lexington a few months back, but neither of us has been able to sit down and recount what happened to us the three months that we were on the road. It takes a while to absorb and comprehend how much we went through; emotionally, physically and geographically in such a short amount of time. Most people still ask us how we didn’t kill each other. Others are wondering when we’re going to sign up for the Amazing Race. And we wonder why we didn’t do this or that, and what we’d do next time. Next time we decide to combat a trip of this nature.
For me, a re-cap is hard to write. Not because I don’t like writing. Most of you who know me know that I jump at the chance to help revise your cover letters or for those of my friends still in college, stay up late with you to write your research papers. Its fun for me. It’s a thrill and pleasure I get out of being able to write down my feelings on the page. But now I’m stuck. There’s so much to say, so many stories to recount, so many places, people, pictures. There’s just so much and for a while it was hard to think that it would be respectful of the trip to write it down in such a short amount of space. It also means coming to terms with the trip being over and returning to home life, the same home life that inspired me to leave in the first place.
But, blogging throughout was helpful in immortalizing our experiences.
You, our readers, got to travel with us to places near and far. To the red rocks of Utah, the Arctic Circle tundra of Alaska, the overwhelming Red Wood Forest and the mysterious aura of New Mexico. And while you weren’t per-say traveling beside us, you were there. Through reading and seeing what we were experiencing we got to share our experiences with our close friends and family. And for that we are thankful.
The trip was not the easiest thing I’ve done. In fact it may have been one of the hardest. I have a new profound respect for my friends who go on tour, working with bands and waking up in a different city every day. Of course, they don’t have to stay in a tent most of the time – but the point is, life on the road isn’t easy. While its exhilarating it can also be draining, which puts strain especially on a couple. If you think you know who you are dating – I challenge you to go on a three month road trip which will keep you in closed quarters for those three months. You really get to know a person, sometimes things you don’t want to know. But that is the nature of the beast and each setback must be taken with a grain of salt and chalked up to the acute nature of the trip.
I don’t want the trip to be over. I look longingly out my bedroom window to see something new, something different. But it’s always the same old town. I check my phone incessantly for any missed calls asking me to come in with a job interview. Something to take up my time but also provide the income for our next trip. Whether it be South America, or my life long dream of living in France (if only for a while). I know that another trip is on the horizon. One that will compliment the previous and will be another whole adventure.
A lot of what I hear from friends and family is that they cannot imagine leaving their lives behind to do something of this nature. To quit their job, to be traveling that much, is something they think they cannot handle. Yet they tell me they are jealous or regretful. If they are young they tell me that one day they’ll get around to it and if they are old they say that day never comes.
After reading the book Vagabonding which is more an inspirational travel book than a guide itself, I felt completely inspired and began to make plans for a trip that the very thought of it paralyzed me. I was petrified camping my first night EVER in Ohio, but the night, despite the rain and horrendous bathrooms, went smoothly and I awoke to a new day further from home and with the feeling that I could do anything.
And each day on the trip felt brand new, and inspiring. It saddens me that most people I know feel regretful at their lack of travel experience and are afraid to let go of the very notions of life that hold them back. Jobs, friends, family. Granted, I write this sitting from the office in my bedroom, still a novice traveler myself…still unemployed. I guess I should be upset that I had to defer my student loans, or that I don’t have a steady income outside of what I do on ebay to make a few dollars, but I’m not. I have never been so sure of who I am and what I want from life after doing this trip. Most of it spent in a car looking out onto a new and different world that I wanted to get lost in. But it’s baby steps.
Who knows where I will end up next. I’ve begun planning a trip to South America as well as Europe oh and don’t forget Africa, and Thailand and Australia. I think a trip every two years is reasonable as long as its financially do-able. Maybe it’s lofty of me to be thinking this way, considering I am not even employed, but the thought of traveling more, of seeing the world is what motivates me.
If there is one thing you could learn from our blog and our trip it would be the following; do not be afraid to follow the road of life, as you never know where it will take you.
We always heard good things about Asheville, North Carolina. A small, humble, yet eclectic community located at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains. The town has a great artsy vibe, the people are friendly and the vegetarian food options are limitless. Asheville was voted the most vegetarian friendly small city according to GoVeg.com and they also sport a Veggie B&B at the Beaufort House!
We decided to have dinner at the Early Girl Eatery where we dined on soup and sandwiches for dinner. My vegan tomato bisque was outstanding to say in the least, and I felt very lucky for having have gotten the last bowl! We took a nice walk among the downtown buildings and grabbed dessert at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge where I had a delicious piece of chocolate cake and Jack (over)indulged on a brownie and hot chocolate.
The next day we poked our head in and out of the various shops sporting anything from eco-friendly home goods, designer clothes, and art. Driving north towards Lexington we took part of the Blue Ridge Parkway which at tree level has a gorgeous display of autumns finest colors. It could rival New England falls any day. Asheville is a great little city and I definitely would like to go back someday to get in some hiking and some more of that great local & veggie food.
We stopped in Virginia to visit my aunt Susan and uncle Bob in Lexington, a quaint community located in the western part of the state. My aunt recently started her own business, Farm to You, an organization which serves as the middle man between local farmers and consumers. The idea is ingenious really and is a testament to how society is changing back to becoming locally oriented. We took a tour of their organic garden located in the front yard which grows a variety of plants from lettuces and eggplant to squash and potatoes. It’s amazing how efficient, sustainable and productive one can be on a small plot of land. They took us out to a delicious dinner at The Southern Inn (which boasts the towns only fluorescent sign). I had a cream of broccoli soup and a side salad which was the perfect finish to my meal which I started earlier in the day at the Co-Op, a huge plate of quinoa with corn. We sipped on wine and got into passionate discussions about factory farming and the recent “Smart Choice” label being stamped onto Froot Loops cereal boxes – you know, typical dinner conversations. We particularly liked Lexington for its austere way of life. The humble downtown with its brick architecture and narrow streets allow you to simply fall back to a time when things were simply more simple.
Virginia and North Carolina pictures.
Our first stop in Tennessee was Memphis. In the morning we went to the Civil Rights museum which was very moving as it’s built into the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. A short film was playing at the center that day and we unknowingly walked by the key speaker in the documentary, Rev. Billy Kyles who was giving an interview. Kyles, who was there the day MLK was shot was one of the few witnesses at the scene and in the film he describes the tenacity and leadership that Martin Luther King Jr. possessed. The documentary was moving as well and highlighted an improvisational speech that Luther gave the night before he was assassinated, the speech is known as the Mountaintop Speech. After leaving the museum I felt somewhat in a daze to really come to terms with how America once was and how far we still need to come as a society and as a country.
There isn’t much vegetarian fare in Memphis, in fact there really isn’t any…so we decided to go to BB Kings on Beale Street which was the only menu we could find that offered something we could eat. I ordered the collard greens not knowing that they come with pork in them, whoops! Afterwards we went to the Sun Records recording studio which recorded greats such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. It was incredible to me to be in the same studio where the founders of rock & roll recorded their unique sound. We also got to see the ribbon mic and guitars used by famous singer songwriters. The bottom of the studio has an old soda shop where they sell root-beer and milkshakes among other gift shop items. The studio is still open and at night serves as a full service recording studio.
After Memphis we headed up to Nashville also known as Music City to see sites such as the Grand Ole Opry, The Gibson Bluegrass Guitar Factory and Music Row. We took a nice stroll along the campus trails at Vanderbilt University which houses old brick buildings. We grabbed lunch at Cafe Coco which had a great selection of vegetarian and vegan fare. I had a toasted croissant topped with a black bean burger, cheese, spinach and artichoke dip and onions, even though it sounds like a strange combination it happened to be absolutely delicious and just melted in my mouth. Jack had the tortellini in a cream blush sauce with some garlic bread which was also very tasty. Afterwards we took another walk heading towards some of the most oldest and famous buildings in the area such as the Elliston Place Soda Shop.
Both Memphis and Nashville had good, fun, and lazy vibes. Please see our full set here.