North Carolina and Tennessee

After driving through Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi yesterday: we finally made it to Louisiana and to New Orleans. But I still haven’t posted about North Carolina!

I thought my biggest challenge while traveling for six months would be to find ways to keep occupied. To find meaningful distractions, as our friend and landlord Hal would say. At this point at least, my biggest challenge is the opposite. I’m having trouble finding time for stillness and reflection.

We know that the impetus for traveling is not merely to move but to BE moved. (In the grantmaking world, we often ask grantseekers how they define success. I think that would be my definition of success for this trip.)

So that’s why I’m up at 5:30 following a fun night out with Ben in New Orleans’ French Quarter. To reflect about North Carolina!

On Wednesday, we were welcomed in Raleigh by family: Aunt Melinda and Uncle Paul, cousins Meg and Kyle (and their kiddos), Catherine and Jim, an PJ. The stop in Raleigh was designed to see them and was a long-overdue trip. They are the very best tour guides and adventure planners and unofficial barbecue historians.

With them, we explored downtown Raleigh and downtown Durham (home to Duke and a growing number of hipster-converted warehouses that are new breweries and eateries).

We learned that eastern North Carolina barbecue is vinegar-based while western North-Carolina barbecue is tomato-based and that the Raleigh area falls right on the dividing line between them.

The heat. Of course, I need to mention the omnipresent and paralyzing heat — at least for northerners like us. Never before has my walking pace matched Ben’s, but I couldn’t muster up more than a shuffle in the 100-degree heat and humidity. Why did we decide to drive the southern route across the US in July??

On the temperature front, Asheville — three hours to the west — wasn’t much better. We arrived in the River Arts District, which stretches alongside the French Broad River. Home to hundreds of artists’ galleries and studios and breweries and eateries, it felt like a hotter version of Pine Street in Burlington. (Will I ever be able to stop talking about the heat?)

We feasted on blueberry chipotle ribs, pulled pork, collard greens, and local brews at 12 Bones Brewery and pork belly, pickled watermelon rind, and mint/watermelon salad at White Duck Taco and then spent a lazy afternoon floating down the river and listening to concerts at an outdoor bluegrass festival.

Thanks to Janet and the Community Foundation, we stayed in her grandparents’ house in the Lake Junaluska Assembly — a lovely lakeside Methodist community. In an effort to balance the gluttony of the previous days, we ran around the Lake.

And then it was time to hit the road again, this time through the Smoky Mountains to Knoxville.

Because we didn’t take pictures, I recommend googling Gatlinburg. It’s the first town out of beautiful Smoky Mountain National Park and it was a jarring experience. Think about a hypothetical Epcot version of Appalachia/Americana. Add neon signs and fast food chains and amusement rides and you’re getting close to Gatlinburg. The 11-year old Prius generated some excitement among locals. (“Is that one of those ‘lectric vehicles?”)

After our experience in Gatlinburg, we spent a rejuvenating afternoon and night at Penrose Farm outside of Knoxville.

And in the morning, we trekked the nine hours to New Orleans! It was our longest day of driving thus far: practice for the long stretches through the southwest after Austin.

As always: drop a line any time! I’d love to hear from you. carolyn.f.weir@gmail.com.