Savannah and 6 Month Anniversary

I visited Savannah and northern Florida in my search for Big Foot this month. While I may not have captured my prey I am certain I am getting closer and closer. 

I took a walk down the streets of old Savannah and it is just as pretty as everyone says. Forsyth Park is lovely and was full of people enjoying the beautiful day. I kept a keen eye for Big Foot but I had no luck despite the pleasant temps and lovely space.

Forsyth Park. Quite lovely. I took a bunch of pictures but decided this is all you get to see. 

As part of my due diligence in the search for Bog Foot, I also checked out a few breweries. My first stop was Debellation Brewing. The beer flowed nicely as it was again a beautiful day and the the people were very friendly. I tried the new food truck which was run by several deaf chefs. The food was excellent and surprising nuanced for a food truck. I stayed around hoping to see Big Foot but there was no luck that day.

Debellation Brewing. Nice bartender and the owner was also super friendly and shared some private taps. Being nice pays off.

I tried the low country boil for dinner one night and it was fabulous. after dining, I walked past an Irish bar. Since it has been a while since I was in Ireland (5 months) I decided to stop in. I have been to many Americanized versions of Irish pubs but this one was the closet to an actual pub experience. I could swear I was at a place just like this in Dublin with M&J. The only misstep was that he served me the Guinness too soon as it was not done settling down. This of course is a major faux pas in Ireland but I will excuse the behavior this one time.

Relaxing with a pint. If you look closely you might see my reflection.

One final stop in Savannah was Two Tides Brewing. The beer was excellent and the bar was upstairs in an old renovated house. That means that there a bunch of rooms set up with couches or chairs and you could just hang out. I tried several of the rooms (but not the pinball room) along with several of their taps in the hope of running into Big Foot. After that was unsuccessful, I stepped through the open window on the balcony and enjoyed the sun. While Big Foot was not found there, it was a good stop and place to hang out and if I lived in the Savannah area it would likely be my second home.

Two Tides - Just a relaxing place to hang out

I was onto Florida next. I decided to avoid the popular areas and hung out in the pan handle in case Big Foot too thought the most scary creature was "Florida Man". I sampled the shrimp at Ouzts Too oyster bar. One may wonder why I didn't try the oyster since it is an oyster bar. The simple answer was that I felt like shrimp. The shrimp were local and well prepared with a nice blackened seasoning. There was a band outside but I chose to check out the decor inside and look for Big Foot there. I didn't see Big Foot but the giant "Busch" flag convinced me that Big Foot would never go there. Alas.

After checking out several other area establishments and enjoying some walks, it was time to move onto Alabama. 

I have now been a vagabond for six months. Ignoring the trip to Europe, I have towed a camper over 6400 miles and stayed in 16 states. For the purposes of this adventure, I am only counting states that I have spent a night in and not just drove through or stopped for gas. I have camped for 163 nights so far with an average camping cost of $30/day. I am on track to hit 19 states by the end of the year. This has been a pretty aggressive pace which I expect to slow down in the future. There are several reasons for this. Primarily I am so young and there is no deadline as of yet. Secondly slower travel is cheaper since nightly costs drop as does fuel consumption. So far in my life I have been to 47 states and have slept at least one night in 42 of them. By the end of this year, that will be 49 and 44 respectively. I have several alternative plans for next year, but I think a visit to New England is in order to follow the changing colors next fall. That will go a long way to cleaning up the states I have not slept in (c'mon, Delaware and Rhode Island?) and I will visit states I have not been to in a long time.  Those are some of the numbers, but I have a spreadsheet (naturally) with a pivot table and I can break out by amenities, type of site, state, etc, if one is interested.

I thought about posting some reminders about every place I have been and then I realized it has all been written down in this blog. Feel free to go back and read the ones you have missed. I am not certain how long the blog and specifically my search for Big Foot will continue but at least you can read where I am going for now. As a quick rundown of the adventure so far (only places slept count): Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota. South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

States camped in so far. I did stop in Tennessee but that doesn't count for this adventure.

It has been a glorious journey so far despite any momentary grousing I may espouse. I know how truly fortunate I have been to be able to take part in this adventure. I wish Amy was able to share in this with me but I know that she would love the vagabond way as much as I. We visited many states as a family and we never shied away from experiencing life. I encourage everyone to go on an adventure of your own. It doesn't need to be anything like mine, but rather it can be to a new restaurant or museum. I am so thankful this Thanksgiving that I have had six months of the road. I have no idea how long I will continue this journey or where I will land once I decide to have a home base. It frankly doesn't matter. What matters is enjoying this moment and this time and living my best life one day at a time. 

Remember not all those who wander are lost.

Thor

braxwood.com

Visiting the Carolinas

We have been busy in North and South Carolina. This was our first visit to South Carolina and I have been pleased with the visit as it is a beautiful state.

Lucy enjoying a hike. Maybe next time she will pay attention.

We were in the greater Ashville area for a few days and explored the local establishments in the hunt for my elusive prey. We visited a variety of places including barbeque places, breweries, and a mead and cider bar. Before you start wondering if I located any cryptozoological creatures including Big Foot, the answer is no. Obviously that would be the headline along with the photo and not a picture of Lucy about to be eaten by a normal creature. 

We arrived in the rain in North Carolina and this was my first time setting up in the rain with this trailer. I was located right next to a river and the water was quite high but being able to be down by the river is the dream of all vagabonds so I couldn't resist.

View from my picnic table which was next to the trailer.

Our first stop was Okie Dokies Smokehouse. I got a rib dinner to go as I do not like eating hand food in public with the long beard (figure that one out on your own but I can assure you it isn't pretty). The rib meat was cooked perfectly and didn't require any sauce which I also generally avoid. The meat should stand on its own if it's any good. The collard greens were excellent so I know that they were not healthy. I also checked out Phil's Bar-B-Cue Pit in Black Mountain and while they have correctly used the possessive punctuation, their smoked chicken was a bit bland and needed sauce. However I did get their chopped brisket to go which was delicious and I was able to enjoy that in several meals including chili.

Phil's had an eclectic vibe and a steady stream of customers

We also checked out several breweries unsurprisingly and sampled their wares. The first stop was Lookout Brewing Company. There was a nice outside patio and inside space. Since it was a warm sunny day and there was no bar, the patio was my hangout. The beer was good and tasty but certainly not the best I have ever had but definitely a solid choice. After enjoying myself for a while and with the aforementioned lack of creatures, I moved on.

Inside Lookout Brewery. Notice a lack of a bar? Kind of sad

The next stop was Black Mountain Brewing. The beer here was also good and it too had a nice patio space. Apparently it is warmer in the Carolinas per the internet, and I have found most breweries to have patios, but these are larger patio spaces than in other northern states. Since I prefer sitting at a bar as mentioned in a previous post, it is not a big deal one way or the other but the patio does allow for dogs which is nice. That being said, at the top of the upper peninsula of Michigan there was a lovely brewery with a huge patio so you never know. I guess the biggest difference is that the brewery patios in the north are generally or mostly uncovered as to allow the sun versus the shaded patios and decks in the south. I will continue to observe this phenomenon but it will require more visits to breweries, alas.

Inside Back Mountain. It had bar stools but no one sat in them and there wasn't room to walk passed them if you did. Beer was decent though.

Our last stop in North Carolina was at Black Mountain Cider + Mead. As the name suggests this was an establishment with both mead and cider. If you are unfamiliar with mead, I suggest you look it up. This is a blog about hunting elusive prey and not wikipedia. The last time I had mead in Wisconsin I did not care for it. I might have even made disparaging remarks about it to B as he went with me to sample it. So with some trepidation, I ordered several meads and ciders while I waited for Big Foot to walk in. I was quite pleased with the variety and flavor profiles of both and the people were quite friendly. The establishment was a bit of a hole in the wall but the space was relaxing and fun and they played various Irish folk tunes so I felt at home. Obviously Big Foot wasn't there but the place was pretty cool.

Black Mountain Cider + Mead. taps. Sitting at bar and just chillin.

South Carolina was also lovely and the area I was in was quite forested. I am not sure what I expected but the mix of forests and swampy areas was lovely but I can see how it would have been difficult to settle for early pioneers or for General Sherman's army to move through here but both happened successfully which just proves how determination can achieve any worthy goal.

I checked out Craft and Draft in Columbia to get a sense of local beers and for Big Foot of course. The variety of taps and cans was amazing. The owner had a great knowledge of the beer scene in South Carolina and beyond. South Carolina has some of the more liberal liquor laws I have seen for tap rooms and it showed at this establishment. I talked to a gentleman at the bar who had returned to the area after being in the swamps of Maryland for the last 15 years (aka DC). He provided a number of places for me to check and some beers I should take to go to stock my fridge. Unfortunately he provided a list far too long for one visit and I will have to return as there was no sign of my elusive prey at this establishment. 

While at Craft and Draft, I was recommend a barbecue place to try South Carolina Hash at Big T’s. It was a local place and based upon the line it was quite popular. In case you don’t know what this hash includes, read the link. If you intend to ever try it, I would recommend not knowing what is in it but just know it’s served over a bed of rice and is a pork dish. It was very tasty and I took the recommendation of the lady behind me in line and got the sauce on top. The hash was excellent but like other blends of meats (like foie gras) it was a little rich. 

I also decided to check out Columbia Craft for their beers and to see if I could locate my elusive prey. The beers were top notch and the food truck outside even delivered to the bar. There was a steady clientele and the patio and inside space was welcoming and inviting. I didn't make it upstairs but there was no sign of Big Foot on the ground level. While it's possible the creature was upstairs, I will have to wait for my next visit to find out.

The beer labels were artistically made by the tap room manager (who also was there during my visit). Friendly staff and customers, dog friendly - perfect place.

I got to experience the remnants of the tropical storm that hit Florida and moved up through the Carolinas. It rained constantly for a a day and half with strong winds followed by hot and humid. It was interesting but being in a trailer one has to be constantly on the lookout for tornados due to the tornado magnet effect. Thankfully the hounds and I survived unscathed and were able to relax in the palace we now reside in. 

I made one last search at Doko Station Pub and Eatery. This was a little eatery which happened to have local beers on tap. The flatbread was excellent and the ingredients were pretty fresh.. The owner was there and he was friendly and funny. His staff was excellent and appropriately personable for high school aged people. The young man was getting his Eagle Scout badge shortly which was nice to hear. The beers were excellent and I went with a brown ale. Overall an excellent place with locals and clearly friends as customers. Obviously an appropriate place for Big Foot to hang out, but not on this night.

Craft beers on tap and friendly staff at Doko Station Pub and Eatery

I am headed towards Savannah next (checking out Sherman's work on that city too) and then Florida before swinging west as I make my slow march to Texas. I have been reflecting a lot this week on future plans and how the adventure has gone so far. In my next post, I will share some statistics of the first six months of my vagabond adventure. I am still loving the life but since I will be moving only monthly once I get to Texas, I expect a different experience. That will drive my decisions on how the adventure proceeds from there. No matter the style of the adventure, I will not rest until I have found what I am looking for.

Thor

Check out braxwood.com for more information including a continuously updated route map and answers to timeless questions.
 

 

West Virginia and Beyond

For those of you still reading the adventures, I have survived the mountains of West Virginia. It is quite mountainous and forested there and before anyone makes a comment about the peaks out west, I can assure you that the roads in West Virginia were the most scary of all I have driven on in the US. The actual road conditions were fine but it appears that the roads were laid out following the trails of the original explorers of the region - insane squirrels. I think the longest straight section was for 100 feet and that was in over 60 miles of driving. There were no pull offs and I saw only one passing lane the entire time so I was the slow poke on the road. Between the dozens of hairpin turns and sudden drop offs I can say with certainty that the mountains of West Virginia are for real.

Beautiful day in WV

With the remoteness of the area came a certain lack of amenities. Among these would be cute cafes, breweries, and cellular service. I decided to hunt for Moth Man and not Big Foot when in WV due to these limitations. If you are not familiar with Moth Man, he was first seen in the 1960s and is described as a large grey creature whose eyes "glowed red" with giant wings. Moth Man has also been reported to be a harbinger of disaster such as a bridge collapse in 1967. Moth Man lacks the sophistication of Big Foot so I stuck to rural West Virginia for my hunt.

Statue of Moth Man

Instead of hunting Moth Man in the areas he was previously sighted, I chose to look in Hacker Valley. In addition to being incredibly small and off the grid, it was also close to my campground which saved me from having to drive more.

Actually some of the nicest bathrooms I have used

My search took me to the gas station, grocery store, hardware store, auto parts store, and restaurant in town. Thankfully this was all in one building so I didn't have to go far. The store had a wide variety of products but not much depth. For example, they had lamps but only one style. They had fresh vegetables, but only one tomato and one onion. They did have several different kinds of beer, but generally just Busch and Bud varieties of which I am not a fan since I have not suffered from a traumatic injury that rendered my taste buds useless. They did have some Yuengling so I was happy to get this east coast treat in the "Black and Tan" variety. I can't say it is the best beer I have had but it is quite tasty and far better than any other option.

Magic all in one store

Obviously Moth Man is not sophisticated enough to enjoy such an interesting and unique establishment so I decided to go for some walks in the woods instead. The trees were holding onto the last of their leaves but it was super pretty. We had clear days other than the last few and since the area I was in was in a little valley, the land rose up sharply on either side of the river. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to locate Moth Man.

River near my location

I continued to relax for most of the week prior to heading to Virginia for a few days. I will be following the coastal route on my way to my winter in Texas so you can probably figure out my next state I will be in after Virginia. 

I checked out Chaos Mountain Brewing Station in Natural Bridge, VA. The Squatch Ale was an excellent Scottish Ale and I had to take some to go. I also tried their kolsch and stout. This was some of the best beer I have had in a while, at least a week for sure. Big Foot had been here but wasn’t during my visit but the beer was excellent.

Complete with a Big Foot cutout. Getting closer…

I also checked out a cider house, Halcyon Days Cider Company. The dry ciders were excellent including Occam’s Razor and Midas Touch. There was no sign of Big Foot but the mountains of Virginia in the background along with the cider was incredibly relaxing. 

Lucy chillin on the deck of Halcyon. 

I also checked out Devils Backbone Brewery.  It’s a cool place even though it was spacious. The deck overlooks a valley and on my visit it was in the upper 60s, sunny, and a light breeze - truly a beautiful day. I had a good Schwartz beer which reminded me of one of the best I’ve had at Runaway.  I enjoyed my visit but there was no sign of Big Foot so it was time to move on  

Relaxing patio space

I have shared the details of my sabbatical trip on the web page so you can see the route I have taken this year and my location. More precisely you can see my last location. While I have a very sophisticated and elite audience, one never knows. 

Section of the trip so far. Live updates on Braxwood.com

I have finally done something with the web page which is mostly a place to link to the blog, FAQs, and the map. You can continue to access the blog however you choose and I apologize if I have resulted in additional clicks but I actually don't care.

I am looking at reservations for Thanksgiving versus grilling out in Alabama. The dogs have voted for me to stay home and grill them something but I have suggested that they don't get to decide. We are still discussing this and have not come to a consensus yet. Otherwise we will continue our coastal journey with the state of North Carolina next.

Thor

Check out braxwood.com for more information including a route map and answers to timeless questions.