Monthly Archives: August 2013

Pulled into Charleston, SC this afternoon.  Checked into our hotel and rode the bus downtown to see some sights.  Back to hot, humid and salty air!

View over the bay and USS Yorktown

After a hotel breakfast, we decided to hit the hotel gym to get a little exercise before getting back on the road. Kind of weird to be staying in hotels again! We decided to take the scenic tour to Charlotte, NC through the windy mountain roads. Jalapeño the cat usually does quite well traveling in the truck, but as we were winding around the mountains, she started getting car sick. We quickly pulled over, got the leash on her, and she jumped out to take care of her business. Chris admitted to feeling a little carsick himself. The scenery was beautiful however, and we drove past Chimney Rock, a famous lookout, and also part of where the movie Last of the Mohicans was filmed. The mountains faded as we made our way to Charlotte to visit family. Gonna be the last of the mountains that we see for a while as we continue to make our way to Florida. It was great to visit with more family in Charlotte! We enjoyed a delicious sushi dinner at Enso, a restaurant in downtown (or uptown, as they call it) Charlotte. Then we enjoyed a nightcap as we caught up with each other back at the apartment.

Found our way downtown on Tuesday afternoon.  Sort of a late start to our day, since we have been staying up late the last couple nights, due to the time change and our recent habitual viewings of “Breaking Bad”.  Haven’t followed any TV shows for quite some time, but we have both gotten hooked on this one.  Watching a few episodes in a row is an amazing method of staying up late, something I rarely accomplish.

First stop was for lunch.  Cindy’s sister recommended “Tupelo Honey Cafe”, so we parked at the visitor center and walked to it.  Spectacular food and drink!  We enjoyed a crafted adult beverage followed by fried green tomatoes w/ grits and then split a black bean burger.

Afterwards, we spent a few hours on a self-guided walking tour.  Downloaded the map and the audio clips for the trail.  A nice way to see a downtown area.  Obviously not as entertaining as a guided tour or trolley, but 100% cheaper.  Zigzagged our way around the area, seeing the architecture and listening to some history behind it.  From our own observations, it appears that chain smokers of all ages in Asheville must be keeping the tobacco industry afloat.

Largest free standing dome in the US

Quite a varied array of shopping opportunities

Smallest bench ever built

Beautiful day for a stroll

Two civic buildings that were intended to be similar

Around 530 we wrapped up our tour and walked by a brewery.  Decided to sit down and people watch over a couple cold ones at Wicked Weed.  Added to our knowledge about state liquor laws, we learned that North Carolina does not allow happy hours (any drink special that does not last the entire day).  So full price drinks even on a Tuesday evening.  An hour later, a bus pulled up across the street with comedy tour noted on the side.  Sounded fun, so we researched online finding mostly great reviews.  Booked the 830pm haunted comedy tour.

Walked back towards the truck, stopping for dinner at Rosetta’s Kitchen.  This was a highly rated vegetarian spot on Yelp.  Never seen so many highly rated restaurants in a single downtown area.  Appears to be a great town for eating well.  Enjoyed a tempeh reuben and wrap.  Walked to the truck and moved it closer to the pickup spot for the comedy bus.  Bought a couple cold ones to bring on the bus which is BYOB.  We both enjoyed a hilarious 1+ hour tour with adults-only comedy alongside some true historical facts.

A horrible picture on my part, but this is a riding bar where everyone peddles while sitting at a bar to move it around the streets.

Back to drinking on a school bus

Ghoulish Gary in the middle of his act

We both enjoyed the day, finding downtown Asheville to be a very unique city with a most eclectic mix of artists, hippies, gypsies, bums, business people, tourists and smokers.

Another 500 mile drive on Monday brought us into Asheville, NC.  Nice to be back in some mountains with cooler weather.  Booked a hotel for a couple nights so we could explore the area for a full day.  Considered a trip to the biltmore, but after seeing the $50/person cost, we decided on some other sightseeing options.  Been at least 10 years since I had visited this area and Cindy only had vague memories from passing thru previously.

Beautiful day for driving and hiking

Some original artwork

Successfully made it to Memphis on Friday evening.  Joined some of Cindy’s family for a weekend to celebrate the approaching birth of her sister’s baby. Spent saturday morning running along the Ol’ Miss.  Immensely humid and hot even at 9am.  Gonna take a few weeks to get used to this weather again.

The ladies enjoyed a baby shower on Saturday afternoon while the men drank a few beers while enjoying the famous Rendezvous ribs in downtown Memphis.  The group convened back at the house, consuming some leftover cupcakes, tiramisu and ziti.  One other memorable foodie spot we had to visit that evening was Jerry’s, serving the world’s best sno cones. It was amazing as usual.  Glad I had run earlier in the day in preparation for a classic Memphis meal.

Our two weeks in Chicago were thoroughly enjoyable!  Fantastic weather and good times spent with family.  Tough to say our goodbyes today.  Left the trailer in Chicago with my parents to hopefully sell it before the winter.  On the road today, plan on arriving in Memphis later this evening.  Took some effort this morning to convince Jalapeño to join us.  Think she wanted to stay back with her buddy Jack.

Hit up the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago on Sunday.  Walked about 3 miles each way.  Saw some exhibits and air show acrobatics overhead before walking back home. 

Took the train back out to the burbs on Monday afternoon.  Enjoyed a nice dinner that evening at my cousin’s new place.  Headed up to lake geneva on Tuesday morning for some boating.  Perfect day to be on a boat!

Hanging out down in the city today for the air and water show. Beautiful weather!

Explored the area around my sister’s place today.  A nice run in the morning down to Humboldt Park, then a delicious cuban lunch at 90 miles cafe.  Best empanadas we have ever eaten.  Spent the afternoon doing some shopping for clothes, but the shops nearby were a bit too hipster for us.  Visited the nicest whole foods grocery store, before walking back to cook dinner at home.  Some tasty zucchini boats filled with veggies and quinoa.

Made it back on Friday to Chicago!  Happy to be spending time with family the next couple weeks.  Plan on cleaning up the travel trailer and trying to sell it while we are here.

Peney is back with her buddy Jack

Family dinner in downtown Chicago

Spending time getting ourselves cleaned up as we enter back into society.

Step 0

Step 1 - My first pedicure

Step 2 - A shower and a shave

Step 3 - A much needed haircut

Success!