Road Pickle: North Carolina

Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Mount Airy, NC: The Origins of Mayberry

Wally's Service Station, where Gomer Pyle used to work.

Andy Griffith never filmed his show in Mount Airy, NC, counter to what many people have heard. He was just born there.

North Wilkesboro, NC: Carolina Style Swap Meet

At the beginning of each week, in the center of town, Wilkes County residents from far and wide gather for their Monday ritual. Shopping at the Cattle Sale involves far more than the auctioning of livestock; it is the gathering spot for locals on an epic scale. My new friend Miss Ashley, wife of my high-school friend Jack and our hosts in Hays, NC, was excited to take me to see the best "shopping" in town.

Miss Ashley has lived in this area her entire life and was kind enough to give me the insiders guide on where to shop, how to order your food, where to find local gossip, how to address locals in a proper manner, and how to beat the heat. During our visit she was a goldmine of kindness, insight and that famous Southern Hospitality, as well as feeding us fabulously on local favorites. The BBQ Pork she prepared was the best pork I've ever had! Her Mama should be proud.

"You can buy yourself a rifle, pistol, ammo and knives over here, get your cammo over here, buy holsters for your guns and knives here, buy you some rations over here and get back up in the hills before 9am," Miss Ashley drawled in her luxurious southern belle manner, pointing in all directions.

What I found was everything any person could want or need, along with plenty of things I couldn't imagine using. But to each his own, I say. Along with the weaponry that appeared on every other table, there were toys, clothing, tools (new and used), and produce. Miss Ashley showed me which produce was locally grown and which were brought in from Mexico. And while we saw plenty of people shopping the Mexican produce, very few of them were native North Carolinans. Most of them were migrant workers from Mexico who have come to this area to find work. The "locals" liked to purchase the local produce because that's the entire point of the Cattle Sale Market; to buy local and eat the freshest foods.

Tyson Chicken has a plant in Wilkesboro which is a huge employer for the area. Jack and Ashley had shared stories with us over a breakfast of eggs and liver mush about how the chickens are raised, caught, shuttled to the plant and processed. I was told of rogue feral chickens who had escaped during the shuttling process. They live in the woods, chase after the feed trucks which spill feed on the roads, and are the meanest animals in these parts. I had been on edge since the stories, watching the roads for the large, mean, black chickens of which I had been warned. Smaller livestock was available at the market, such as rabbits and chickens, in little crates, but I wasn't going near any damn chickens, cooped up or not, at this point.

The heat began to creep up in the North Carolina borough, so we called it a day. I had spent only $3 on fruit and a new "Miss Ashley" doll, our newest Road Pickle Mascot. Perhaps she might keep Asphalt Annie out of trouble. A true lady with her southern charm and proper etiquette may have a positive affect on our wayward mascot. I know the real Miss Ashley had that affect on me.

Hays, NC: Hot Dog All the Way

In the cool dry air of Coffee House in North Wilkesboro, NC, four people sit around a table and order up "Hot Dogs All the Way".

North Wilkesboro, NC: Death of a Speedway

In the back country of Wilkes County, NC, obscured from hills, trees, and newly built homes, lies the rotting corpse of a once American icon.

Blue Ridge Parkway by Motorcycle

Often referred to as "America's Most Beautiful Highway", the Blue Ridge Parkway was a route I wanted to take on the Road Pickle tour.

Asheville, NC: The Wet and the Weird

In 1995, after a particularly traumatic series of life events, I was introduced to the music of a folk singer David Wilcox.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Motorcycle

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park may be the most visited national park in all of the United States, but that doesn't mean the riding sucks.

Nestled on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, the park serves as a scenic transition between the big cities of Knoxville, TN and Asheville, NC. Tall old growth trees tower high above US-441 shading out the midday sun and creating a darkened, cool tunnel through ridge upon ridge of forest and waterfalls.

Sash and I left Knoxville, TN late in the morning on July 2, 2013, taking US-441 south through the resort towns of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. We thought that Sevierville was overgrown with resorts, hotels, and chain restaurants, but waiting for us a few miles down the way was Pigeon Forge, a town that basically resembled Disneyland with a highway running through it.

The traffic in Pigeon Forge was absolutely horrid. Long lines of SUVs, Minivans, and RVs, chock-full of tourists and snot-nosed kids clogged up the highway, forcing traffic to a crawl while Sash and I roasted under the 90+ degree weather and humidity. I had never seen so many miniature golf courses, dinner theaters, ferris wheels, souvenir shops, go-kart tracks, and boat-rides crammed into a one-mile segment of road.

Yet only a few miles further away, supposedly, was pristine forest lands. How could "God's Country" be so close to such a pitiful, commercialized ocean of polo shirts and mom-jeans?

Just before the entrance to the National Park was Gatlinburg.

Gatlinburg seemed more like a mountain village that turned itself into a tourist trap, and then somehow overdosed on steroids and ended up looking like Hollywood Blvd meets Grizzly Adams. We stopped into the Smoky Mountain Brewery, at the recommendation of Garry, a guy we met earlier in Memphis at Boscos Squared, and sampled the brews and ate lunch. Karolina, the brewery's manager, remembered Garry, and treated us well, and made sure we had everything we needed.

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US-441 finally leaves the tourist-chaos of Gatlinburg and rushes into a more serene, relaxed, zenful experience of Mother Nature. It was like those old television commercials where a guy had just spent the afternoon laying asphalt on the road, then picked up a glass of Nestea and fell backwards into a swimming pool. It was that stark of a transition from crass-commercialized tourist trap to the simple beauty of protected forest land.

For the most part, the highway takes a meandering course up and over the Southern Appalachians, through a dozen tunnels, and offers spectacular views of valleys and canyons. Traffic starts out heavy at Gatlinburg, but eventually thins out as tourists pull off the road to visit the many exhibits and visitor centers.

The riding is largely easy. National park lands all have moderate speed limits, while the curves are more wide and well suited for beginning motorcycle riders. You wouldn't want to ride too fast on the roads anyway, or else missing much of the beauty of the Appalachias.

And the best part of riding through Great Smoky Mountain National Park.... it's free! No park entrance fees.

Once out of the park on the other side, you can pick up the famed, Blue Ridge Parkway, which starts here along US-441, and then runs another 469 miles north to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

But for today, we'd only go as far as Asheville.