Foamhenge – Go Sassy Sisters!

11 June 2008

Gas prices are at an all-time high, temperatures are soaring, and crazy weather is happening all over the country – it must be time for Peppy and the Sassy Sisters to start another road trip! After weeks of researching and planning our routes, I’m ready to get going. On this trip, we’ll be looking for more roadside giants and anything that’s the least bit curious, off-beat, or downright strange. That’s why this trip is dubbed Ye Olde Curiosity Tour! Our route is loosely based on ‘The Appalachian Trail’ trip from our Road Trip book, although I’m sure we’ll make plenty of deviations. along the way.

For those of you who are new to riding along with us, here’s a quick review of our “Sassy Sister Road Rules”:

Talk to strangers, the stranger the better.
Drive on two-lane roads as much as possible.
Be off the two-lane roads before dark.
Eat at local restaurants (not chains) for every meal possible.
Always stop for ice cream, regardless of the hour.
Start early and eat breakfast before you go too far…
Check the tub before you get naked.
If you think you should take a picture, stop, get out of the car, and take it. Go back and take it if you have to.
Turning around is advised – you’ll always regret that you didn’t stop.
Stop and see any attraction that costs less than $5, especially if it has great billboards.
If there is an alternate route or detour, it’s worth a look.
If it’s a national park, monument, lakeshore, or recreation area, it’s worth stopping for. That’s why you’ll want to have a national park pass!
Ask for what you want. Just because a place looks closed doesn’t mean you can’t go in.
Keep your cell phone charged and handy.
Laugh loudly and laugh often, especially if you’re lost.
Have an idea where you’re going and do your research so you won’t miss anything good.
Be prepared to change your mind and your route at any time.
Be flexible. Call ahead when you’re running late and make alternate arrangements.
When you get lost, blame the mapmaker or the road signs instead of the navigator or the driver.
Be prepared. Travel with plenty of ice and drinks (always have one beer per person in the bottom of the cooler) and take your favorite snacks, too.
Remember all the little stuff you may need – Tide to Go, TP, Sharpies, batteries, paper towels, pocket knives, GPS, etc.
Have great music and play it loudly. And sing.
Synchronize the date and time on all cameras.
Blog or journal and download your pictures every day. It’s amazing what you forget! Use a tape recorder, too.
Take a file for your memorabilia, maps, tickets, plans, etc. and use it.
ALWAYS have a camera with you.
300 miles in one day is a lot to travel on two lane roads with lots to see and do; however long you think it will take, add several hours.
Always have plenty of gas in the tank.
Remember that the ‘rules’ are really suggestions – be safe and have fun!

Kim got a big laugh when we came up with all of these rules, since I’m one of those people who thinks rules are for everyone else…

This year’s trip has started off differently from all the rest – we were on the road before eight, we checked in our hotel before seven, and we saw everything we wanted to see and then some! I met Kim in Salisbury, NC, where we spent a most enjoyable evening with our friends Lynn and Robert and two of their kids, Sarah and Will. We even got to celebrate Lynn’s birthday. And a birthday shout out goes to Skip, too! Peppy could hardly wait to get going…

From Salisbury, we went to Winston-Salem in search of two curiosities – the Shell station shaped like a shell and the big tin coffee pot in Old Salem. And we found them! It was not too far from Winston to Mt. Airy, home of Andy Griffith and the inspiration for Mayberry. We had breakfast at the Snappy Lunch, which is famous for their Pork Chop Sandwiches, but we were too early for one of them. We walked all over town and saw Floyd’s Barber Shop, the Old Jail, Andy’s squad car, and more. Good times!

Fancy Gap, Virginia is just a hop, skip, and a jump from Mt. Airy, and we picked up the Blue Ridge Parkway here. It was a fine day to be on the Parkway – about 15 degrees cooler than it had been, blue skies, and hardly any traffic. We saw mostly motorcycles and a few other hybrid cars and hardly any SUV’s. Our first stop on the Parkway was Mabry Mill, which is allegedly the most photographed spot on the Parkway. You have to admit it makes for a lovely photograph!

The mill is a working mill, grinding cornmeal, grits, and buckwheat. There are also lots of other exhibits there – our favorite was the blacksmith’s shop. Traveling on the parkway is leisurely perforce, since the speed limit is 45 mph. That proved to be a good thing, since we saw LOTS of live animals VERY close to our car!

Like Asheville, NC, Roanoke is right on the parkway. We got off here and went in search of the O. Winston Link Museum. Link is famous for his photographs (mostly black and white) of steam engines and the Norfolk Southern railroad. We were very impressed! The museum also had an exhibit about Raymond Loewy, who is famous for many American advertising icons (coke bottle, Exxon and Shell logos, designing Studebakers, and more). He also had re-designed the Roanoke train station. After we had seen the museum, we walked past the Hotel Roanoke and over to City Market where we had a quick lunch. I opted for Cuban food (carne vaca) and Kim had a turkey pita. Then we were off in search of Miniature Graceland (really!) and the Mill Mountain Star. They were worth the trip!

Miniature Graceland is in someone’s yard in an otherwise normal residential area. You sort of have to see it to believe it! The Mill Mountain star is the largest man-made star in the world. At night, it is lit up in red, white, and blue to show support for our troops. While there, we were on StarCam and our daughters got to see us in real time. Unfortunately, we showed them not our best sides…

Back to the Parkway, and on to our next attraction – Natural Bridge, VA, which is supposedly one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World – higher than Niagara Falls, older than the dawn. We beg to differ. It was cool (well, actually is was muggy steamy buggy HOT) but we much preferred Foamhenge and other enchanted creations of Mark Cline. We went to his Enchanted Castle Studio and got to meet him and his daughter. Again, you’ve got to see it to believe it! That’s him posing with Kim and Batman, which was one of his tamer productions.

We had dinner at the awesome Pink Cadillac Diner and called it a night. Except for blogging, which I’ve been doing for the past two and a half hours! Uploading all these pictures is slow going, so we hope you enjoy them. So, until tomorrow, good night!