Filed under: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Restaurant Reviews, Texas, what were they thinking?
Southern Oklahoma is beautiful, rolling hills, dotted with oak trees and zebras. I swear.
We ate lunch at this magnificent little restaurant in Clarkseville, Texas. Oh My Word, what they did to a beef brisket was…well, it was very nearly a sin to eat it, it was so good. Called The Main Street Restaurant, a little frame building (I took a picture of it), you walk in the side to a buffet line where they serve you whatever you point at.
I took lead from the guy in front of me, and got the brisket, fried okra, cole slaw and a glass of water. The brisket had this lovely lovely smoke ring, so you know it really was smoked, and not just flavored with something chemical from a bottle. It was tender as butter with a tasty not-too ketchupy not-too vinegary sauce I could carry on all day about it. We got there about 11:30 and by 11:45 it was hopping, the waitresses knew everyone’s name (except ours) and where everyone wanted to sit (except us) and had their drinks on their tables before they sat down. Dessert was a little dish of sour cherry cobbler. *sigh* We were both very very happy about our impulse to stop there. So, if you ever find yourself in Clarkseville, Texas at mealtime (and why wouldn’t you? It’s right there in the middle of nowhere!), eat tat the Main Street Restaurant. It’s right there on Main Street.
The rest of the day was spent trying to get lost in Hugo, Oklahoma, and noticing that the Lone Grove Oklahoma High School fundraiser involves selling fireworks at a stand across from the school.
Terry noticed that Oklahoma has more yard art emporiums per capita than any other state we’ve been in, even Mississippi. “Some stereotypes are earned” he commented.
Oh, we passed through El Dorado, Arkansas earlier. We had stopped at The Catfish Inn for supper and asked the waitress how far it was to El Dorado. She gave us a blank look and said “whut?…Oh! you mean El Dorado! It’s about an hour.” I had pronounced it “El door-AH-doh” and she said “El duh-RAY-duh” Well, ok.
So today was all about getting through Oklahoma. I got some lovely pictures of some cool architecture. Paris, Texas is a town that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with the Eiffel tower mock-up wearing a cowboy hat to the cute little “Pyro” dragon statue at the edge of the Jr college campus. Downtown is pretty, with nicely restored old buildings and a obvious desire to take care of the old stuff.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas (and me)
Pyro the Dragon
Filed under: Uncategorized
We left Opelika this morning, after a cup of Gramp’s bracing coffee, at 6 am. Because it was 70 degrees, and because we could, we rode with the top dow, stopping in Tallasee for some photo ops, which you will have to wait patiently until we return to Statesboro to see, as there’s no photo editing software that I can figure out on this laptop.
In Alabama, there’s interesting stuff to see in Tallassee, the old mill, a cute little radio station, and then there’s Rebel Run in Talbotton. Pictures forthcoming, but for now you’ll have to wait.
We stopped at the gorgeous Waverly Plantation between Columbus and West Point Mississippi. If you ever find yourself there, give this place a tour. There’s, like, no advertising. You have to know it’s there to find it and it’s a private residence that funds itself through tours. Built in 1854, with gorgeous grounds and an amazing 250+ year old magnolia tree in the front, it’s a great place to get out and wander around ($5 for garden tour, $7.50 for the home), peacocks included. I’m telling you, it’s in the middle of nowhere and you’ll think you’re lost before you get to it.
Mississippi has well… it has crappy roads. That’s all there is to it. baDUMP baDUMP baDUMP all the was across the state and the when you cross the river (a gorgeous cable-stay bridge is under construction, it looks like a sailing ship from a distance) suddenly the roads are GOOD! There’s nothing like riding on terrible roads to make you appreciate a good one. Even in Arkansas.
Dinner was at The Catfish Inn in Hamburg, Arkansas. Anything you could want to eat, as long as you want it fried. Catfish, froglegs, shrimp, fried okra, fried onions, 2 kinds of fried potatoes…ok, and the hushpuppies had bits of jalapenos in them and were light and fluffy. There was a big tray of cinnamon rolls that the owner was very proud of, and Terry and I shared one (they were as big as my head). It was tasty, and sweet. $12/ head, all you can eat buffet. I can’t say I was WILDLY impressed, but it wasn’t bad, we were hungry and it was there when we were hungry.
Now we are in Crosett, in the Ashley Inn, so chosen because they had a big sign out front that said “wifi”, and we’re tired of riding, and it was there. It’s a Mom and Pop local place, the room is cool the bed is king sized and there’s no coffee maker in the room. Oh well. I believe there’s a Waffle House down the road. The only thing Terry can find on the TV is a bull auction and a James Bond movie. But eh, for $60 a night…that’s ok. Oh, apparently there’s a policeman staying in the room next to us. At least his car is there, anyway. I don’t know if he’s spending the night of just taking a siesta, but I’ll sleep better thinking he’s there.
I asked Terry if he wanted to say anything and he said “no, I don’t guess.”
Sorry about the lack of photos, I didn’t think to install a photo editing program and all the pictures I’m taking are 8 mg, too big for posting.
Filed under: get set...
When the boys were young, we hit upon this method of packing that hs served us very, very well when traveling in the car. rather than each person pack their own bag, thus requiring us to unload 6 bags every night, we pack a bag for each night, with each bag holding 6 outfits (1 for each of us), plus another bag with the ‘every night’ stuff like toiletries, books to read and so on. That way, we only have to unload 2 bags a night. We stuff the dirty clothes back into the bag, and that way we know not to grab that bag the next night. A long time ago I bought a whole bunch of humongous canvas bags from Hobby Lobby, they had them marked down to $2, and that’s what we used. Now we use the $1 totes from Walmart, you know, the reusuable grocery bags. So they aren’t exactly Coach Luggage, but eh, when you’re staying at the Super Eight and not The W, they’re used to it and who cares anyway? They’re soft and squish down nicely into Carmina’s trunk. They hold 2 changes of clothes perfectly, and the toiletries go into a bright green bag that is easily identified.
Now, once upon a time I was watching this travel program on How To Pack. This professional person that people actually HIRE to come into their house and pack their clothes for a trip (can you imagine?) was showing how to pack clothes for a Wrinkle Free Trip. Well, this was assuming you could go to TravelSmithand lay out $100 for a blouse, but anyway…she recommended rolling your clothes instead of folding the. So, I started doing that. It was great for the kids, I would take a pair of jeans, and roll a t-shirt, underpants and socks all up in a log, so all they had to do was grab it and there they were, all they needed. Now I do that with our clothes, they aren’t exactly wrinkle free, but then we tend to wear all-cotton instead of the strange microfiber whatever that Travelsmith uses. Besides, most motels have an iron. Lacking that, a steamy shower will do, or, in my case, just wear wrinkles as a fashion statement. If Eva Longoria can do it, so can I.
Anyway, today is Packing Day. And Take The Trash to the Dump Day, And Mow The Grass Day. It is, essentially, a 42 hour day and I am trying to fill it. With packing and mowing and trash hauling. Plus a visit to Mistress Brittany for a back stretching session and some shoulder-pulling-hand-numbing stuff. I’ll probably have everything done by noon and there’s no new Netflix movies to watch.
I may regret it later, but I am packing linen for the trip. White linen tops, lovely for keeping the sun off my shoulders yet breezy and cool in the top-down summer heat. Cool and just about threadbare linen pants, flip flops to slip on and off in the car, and cool cotton sport bras that don’t exactly keep the girls looking lovely but are fantasticly designed for sweat issues.
A while back I griped about being so…not spontaneous. Terry has a friend who decides to go somewhere Friday at noon, puts his toothbrush in the motorcycle saddlebag, and leaves at 12:15. The two of us…not so much. We decide in April where we want to go in July, and spend the next 2-1/2 months aquiring maps, computer programs, GPS thingies, planning stops, making sure there’s motels along the way, and lists, endless bottomless lists. I said to someone before, we are as spontaneous as a long distance adoption.
I’ve learned to embrace my inner listmaker and the process. I’ve even decided that I enjoy the planning as much as the trip itself. Every day that I go to Roadside America and discover a new and strange site is like opening a Christmas gift. Every little town we think we might hit about meal time is a cornucopia of local possibilities, from The Chat ‘n’ Chew to Nyla’s Haunted Gymnasium. Each new option is a rattle of the gift box, wondering what’s inside.
And the lists, o! the beautiful, beautiful lists. Lists for David, of chores he needs to do while we’re gone (feed the dogs, make sure they have water, check the mail, leave the house as clean when we get home as it was when we left.). Lists of chores to do before we leave (check the tires, make sure the tool kit is in the car, clean out the refrigerator and take the trash to the dump, mow the grass),and lovely lovely packing lists. I love to pack off a list. Every item crossed through is a smile of satisfaction, and at the end of it all, when that piece of paper is all horizontal lines through many, many words, I cansigh and drink a beer, and know beyond any doubt that We Are READY.
I even got a travel-friendly haircut and did my nails. How’s that for planning!
2 days 6 hours to go. Not that I’m counting, or anything.
Filed under: Restaurant Reviews
In order to secure tasty snacks for the trip, we drove to Savannah today. Terry also wanted to try out his cute (can you call a man’s toy ‘cute’? is that allowed?) GPS thingy. It’s not the fancy pants Garmin or TomTom with the sexy voice, but rather a doo-hickey he bought with the Microsoft Map program that plugs directly into the laptop computer. This means you need a copilot, but that’s ok. It will talk to you in the voice of a tin can robot, but it did get us where we needed to go with relative ease.
After going to Brighter Day for the All Organic Low Fat Snacky foods (so as to avoid Traveler’s Bloat whilst on the trip) we both felt peckish, and decided barbeque was in order. Now, having never eaten there, but noticed the place had been there since before either of us had been born, we decided to eat lunch at Carey Hilliard’s. This establishment was building a new place right here in Statesboro so we wanted to see if the food was any good.
I noticed right away the interior was..well…1974 banquettes, vinyl booths with high backs and 1995 light fixtures. Kinda…hm..dissonant. But, the people eating looked happy and the booth was comfortable and no one was sitting in any stranger’s lap. This is important to me. Eating is a private thing, and I don’t like doing it thinking that strangers can see me shoveling in the cheese. Our waitress (Hi Katrina!) came quickly, got the drink orders right, and was cheerful and attentive. Terry’s sweet tea was Southern Style, meaning you could pour it on your pancakes if you wanted to. Katrina was not fazed by his request to fill his glass with unsweet the second time. Nor was she dismayed when I asked her to top my unsweetened tea off with a splash of sweet.
Now, so we could each try something different, Terry ordered the catfish, with fries and slaw (does it get any more southern than that?) and I had the chopped BBQ (pork, of course) with an upgrade on the potato to the twice baked potato thing, with a side of brunswick stew.
Now, for the unenlightened, brunswick stew is a Southern Thang. It’s a finely chopped melange of vegetables and a mixture of meat: pork, chicken and beef, usually, but depending on who made it, would have possum, racoon or rattlesnake in it. Typically the ingredients are cooked long enough that they become unidentifiable. It is essentially an unappetizing looking brown pasty stuff. This did not disappoint. Oh, but it tasted GOOD. It had a bit of a tang to it, like there was a splash of vinegar. Delicious. I polished mine off without sharing. I mean, it was really good. Ugly, but delicious.
Terry’s fish was perfectly cooked, hot like it came right out of the fryer. Instead of the usual cornmeal coating that comes on catfish, it had a nicely seasoned flour based coating, but not a thick battery (a’la Captain D’s) sort of thing. It was really tasty, mild fish, lovely coating. His fries were fries, well done, not greasy, but how much can you say about fries with that kind of fish next to them? Whoever made the coleslaw forgot to salt it. The fish, it was delectable.
My Barbeque pork was well cooked, not at all fatty (that was really nice!) with a spicy tomato based sauce that strikes one as a bit ketchupy at first, but then a vinegar spice thing hits you a few seconds later. It was subtle, and tasty. The sauce is just poured on top of the meat, leaving you to mix it in. I could have done with a few more of the crispy outside bits of meat, but my waitress and I chatted, she said she prefered the inside meat, so to each his own. The twice baked potato was…mmmm. It was cheese with some potato underneath, and a paprika based “secret seasoning” on top, baked so the cheese was crusty-ish. Perfect and delicious.
We chatted with Katrina a bit about the menu, asking her preferences and all as we confused her with our iced tea orders. She said all the fish is good but “the flounder is SLAMMIN’” I asked her if the fish was local and she looked at me for a second and said “I have no idea.” Anyway, she was friendly and efficient. If the Carey Hilliard’s Management is reading this, take care of Katrina, for she is very good at what she does.
Filed under: Alabama, Architecture, Arkansas, Back Through Alabama, Bridges, GO!, Georgia, Georgia Pt.2, Good Lord, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Weird stuff, get set..., on your mark...
Here we are, getting ready for a serious roadtrip, from Statesboro Georgia, to Amarillo Texas, to hop on Route 66 and ride through Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri all the way to St. Louis, then down through Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Home Again 9 or 10 days later. All told, 3000 miles or so, all in a convertible, with a cooler in the back and an iPod full of good travelin’ tunes. Keep in touch, I’ll be posting as we go, photos of The World’s Largest Ball of String, Big Brutus, and much, much more.
Filed under: on your mark...
changing the name, as some of Terry’s coworkers want to follow the trip. Also rearranging the posts a little..you know how it is, when you move the furniture has to be rearranged a few times before you’re happy with it.
Filed under: Georgia
I bailed out on the housewiferly responsibilities (not all, I did get the Netflix movies mailed back, and Sweet Daddio- I found the car stickers. In the basket. Where I said they were.) With camera battery charged, Li’l Martha and I went into town and I took some pictures.
The first place we went was out Pulaski Road, because there’s a sign that charms me every time I see it. I don’t know why, maybe because there’s nothing of artifice about it.
Then I went into town, right smack the middle of town where Main Street meets Main Street meets Main Street meets Main Street. You think I’m kidding, don’t you. It’s hard to read this size, but there’s 4 Main Streets here.
On Main at Main at Main at Main is the requisite Southern Town Monument to The Confederate Soldier
And the courthouse that looks like a gingerbread cake. It use to be all white, and looked like a wedding cake.
Main Street, with the Averitt Art Center on the corner. Sometimes they have controversial art, but most of the times it’s pleasant photographs of leaves floating down the Ogeechee, or cobwebs.
First Baptist Church, the heart, soul, and gonads of Statesboro.
Old houses turned into businesses. There’s alot of that around here,it one thing Statesboro does right. That’s cotton in the grass. It’s ugly but we don’t consider it litter.
The Packinghouse- Statesboro’s Haunted Finest. Apparently long time ago this was a functioning meat packing plant, that caught on fire. Thanks to the foresight of the management, the exits were all chained shut. 23 (or 28, depending on who you ask) people died as a result. If you go by at night, you are supposed to be able to see shadowy figures running, trying to get out the doors, but can’t. Also, on the 3rd floor, corner window, you’ll supposedly see a woman’s face, screaming. I’ve never been by there at night, so I cannot verify.
Statesboro’s Newest- El Sombrero. Already a fine establishment of Mexican deliciosity, they’re doing so well they’re building a new restaurant WITH a copper dome AND a second floor open deck!
The Gin, where all the farmers bring cotton, peanuts and there’s a tobacco barn ’round back. The railroad track runs right by.
The Muffler Tree. Doesn’t every town have one of these?
Just outside of town is a community called Hopeulikit. I’ll give a gold star to the first person (except Sweet Daddio) who pronounces it right.
Filed under: Georgia
What a perfect day. Clear and bright, not too hot (relatively). All the planets aligned just so to give Sweet Daddio the day off, and a certain 16 yr old was out of money and happy to babysit. About 8 this morning SD and I climbed into Little Martha, put the top down and took Highway 301 from Statesboro Georgia to Orangeburg, South Carolina. It was quite a trip.
First, we saw Paradise
We stopped at the oldest continuously operating welcome center in the country. No joke. It opened in 1962 and has been open since.
Groovy architecture, eh..
SD’s into bridges. This is a cool old swing bridge over the Savannah River. It looked like all it needed was a little grease to be back in service.
We Stopped& Shopped at the This and That
We thought about eating here, but then rethought it. Cool sign tho.
We crossed this road, to get to…
Denmark.
Betcha didn’t expect us to go there, did you.
Then we proceeded north to…
Did you know that this is the tallest building in Norway?
then we kept going, until we were all the way to…
Look at this cute little building! It was about an hour’s drive (at 50mph) from a slew of motor courts. Folks probably stopped there for a sandwich before heading…
here!
