A New Week, A New Beginning

It feels so good to feel good again! (If you missed what I went through in Week 2, read my last report. It wasn’t pretty…)

It is a perfect day in Eastern North Carolina. Beautiful campsite, nice hiking trails with a short walk to a beach on the intercoastal waterway, and sun with mild spring temperatures. Sweatshirt weather but not winter parka weather. Kim and I decided to stay here an extra night, which means a longer drive when we leave tomorrow, but we feel it is worth it to soak up some relaxation time. We are still, of course, on our BBQ, Brew & Spirits tour but we are also leaving the menu open for fresh seafood while in the area.

The last two times I had an extra day at the same location I spent them in bed, unable to take advantage of the down time. This time, however, I am enjoying the feeling of having no agenda so I can get out my playthings to do whatever the mood desires: work on the blog; play some banjo; do some art; write some postcards; read a book; take a nap; go for a long walk; take a proper shower (this one may be the most urgent, as it has been awhile and this campground has a really nice one).

So even though I was feeling lousy and in excruciating pain much of the time over the last couple of weeks, we nevertheless stayed in some interesting spots and met some interesting people, so I think I will focus on that today.

Harvest Host Delivers

Those who have been following me for awhile as I travel, know that I make use of Harvest Hosts, a membership based website and app that tells you about businesses and individuals who make their property available for RVs and campers who need an overnight. It’s free, with the expectation that you will buy something if they have something to sell. Here are some of the spots Kim and I have stayed on this trip:

Goat Island Brewing - Cullman, Alabama

This is a fun brewery that had a cornhole tournament going on when we arrived. I was in the beginning stages of dealing with my health issue so didn’t fully enjoy imbibing as much as I might have, but I loved the ambience and vibe of the place. We stayed in the parking lot with the understanding that we had to leave by 8:30 in the morning. This early departure requirement is a bit unusual for Harvest Host guests, so we weren’t happy and wondered what might happen if we overstayed long enough to have a cup of coffee.

As it turned out I left before 8 in order to go to the urgent care that morning, leaving Kim to leave when she was ready. At 7:30 a big semi tractor-trailer pulled into the area where we were parked, and proceeded to twist around in the parking lot in order to back up to the docking bay that was located right between Kim’s car and trailer and my camper. Noisy to say the least. Then, other trucks began arriving, either delivering stuff or picking up stuff from the loading docks. Not the most peaceful of stays.

Breweries are notoriously roomy places and often allow you to bring your dogs into the tasting rooms.

Double H Farm

I always love staying on a working farm of any kind. I think it comes from having grown up with a farmer for a father. Although he left the farm when he went to college, I have many happy memories of fields, farm animals, haystacks, big barns, etc. from spending holidays at my grandparents’ farm when I was growing up. With Harvest Hosts each farm is different and you never quite know what to expect.

Double H Farm is located literally in the middle of nowhere, Alabama. The farm setting was beautiful and peaceful. The address is listed as Gallion, and I think maybe we drove through it on the way to the farm but it was pretty hard to tell. Other Alabamans we told about where we were going had never heard of the town.

The farm has cattle. Lots and lots of cattle. It is run by an adorable young family who came out to greet us when we arrived. The husband is a descendant of the original farmer who started the place six generations ago, and seemed to have taken over operations in the last few years. The kids were young, school age.

Did I say there were lots of cattle? We parked our rigs in the midst of one of the cow pastures that was unfenced. This meant that there were cattle surrounding us and walking through our site the whole time we were there. And where there are lots of cattle, there are lots and lots and lots of cow piles. Everywhere. I chalked it up to the price of admission and being a sometimes wannabe farm girl, I really didn’t mind. Kim enjoyed the stay, but felt differently about the deposits all over the ground…

These gentle ladies wandered by to say good morning before we left. Sadie would have loved chasing them (having tried to the night before) so I kept her tethered.

Beakertopia - Bon Secour, Alabama

This technically isn’t a Harvest Host site, but it isn’t a place that is readily available when searching for campsites. It is listed on Hipcamp which is a separate website for people looking for “off-the-beaten-path” types of places to camp, which can also include private property, which is what Beakertopia is.

This is a place which is hard to describe so I’ll just share a couple of pictures from the stay. Interesting and funking, with a definite hippie vibe.

This was one of the more interesting structures in the backyard of the property owner. This was the largest of several domes.

Apparently guests can stay in these domes, which are fully furnished with mats and funky hippie-era rugs and pillows and tapestries.

Another interesting guest house.

This was a full size bus that was apparently fully furnished and ready for overnight guests. In the back of the property there was a full size, hand-built teepee, painted in the same colors as the domes.

Sweet Lips Honey - Port St. Joe, Florida

This is a bee farm, so of course we had to buy some fresh honey! It was peaceful, and even though I was feeling pretty lousy by this time I was still able to appreciate the peaceful setting along the inland waterway.

We enjoyed seeing our bee keeper host Daphne (in the hat) at the farmer’s market the next morning in Port St. Joe, Florida.

Charlie’s Harmony Sanctuary and Farm - Nesmith, South Carolina

This farm was very different than Double H. We had a great open field to park our rigs, and the animals were all behind fences some distance away. Our host, Erin, was lovely and told us we could wander all over the farm to say hello to the animals. Chickens, lots of goats, some sheep, a few burros and donkeys and a pony and small horse. Oh, and pigs, quite a few pigs. We had just come from Scott’s Bar B Que a few miles away in Hemingway, where I had seen a big pick-up truck off-loading some hog carcasses ready for the smoker. So when Kim saw the pigs she naturally asked whether Erin, the farmer, sold any of her stock to supply Scotts. Oh no! she told us. Apparently these were pet pigs and they all had names. Oops!

Sadie was wary, but open to making new friends.

Interesting People

I like to buy local mementos when I visit new places, and I enjoy chatting with some of the people I meet. Here are a few examples from the last week or so. Again, I was feeling lousy for part of the time, but still gamely trying to participate fully in the road trip adventure I was trying to have.

This is Emily, mother of Emma who owns the property known as Beakertopia.

Emma was apparently sick the day we arrived, so Emily showed us around the place and made us feel very welcome. She is standing in the outdoor “kitchen” and public space open to Beakertopia guests.

This is Brenda, jewelry and candle maker.

I often buy jewelry from local artists. Earrings are functional and take up little room. This time around it was Brenda’s candles that caught my eye. My picture doesn’t do them justice but you can sort of see them in the far right of the photo sitting on a little shelf. Clear gel candles with sand and shells in the bottom. Had to have one.

This is Mackenzie.

Before I left Georgia I wanted something peachy, even though it isn’t really peach season yet. I decided I could use some good peach salsa so stopped at a Peach World shop on the side of the road just off one of the I-95 exits. Mackenzie may be the best salesperson this side of the Mississippi. I went in for 1 jar of salsa and came out with a bottle of peach wine, a bottle of peach cider, peach bbq sauce, peach amaretto spread, doggie cookies, peach preserves and yes, one bottle of salsa. She was the most enthusiastic, engaging and adorable young saleswoman ever, and clearly saw an easy mark when I walked in the door. No regrets. (yes, those are my bags)

This is basketweaver Brenda.

I have wanted one of these sweetgrass baskets for awhile, but last time I went through the Charleston area I failed to get one. They have historical and cultural significance going back to slavery times, and the ancestors of the Africans brought across the Atlantic have kept this basket-making tradition alive to the present day. They are beautiful and each weaver has their own style. This time around I was determined, and met Brenda at the famous City Market in Charleston. She had lots of competition, but when she told me that her grandson had made the little roses I decided she was the vender for me. Her baskets were beautiful and so was her happy and welcoming personality. I spent too much money but again, no regrets.

This is Eric, basketmaker extraordinaire.

Sometimes when I’m looking over art, deciding whether to buy or not, a particular item “speaks” to me and I have to get it. That’s what happened here. I had just bought my basket from Brenda when I passed Eric’s booth and his lidded basket caught my eye. Eric learned his craft from his grandmother, and his baskets with lids were the only ones like that I saw out of all the vendors that day. Had to have it. No regrets.

Meet Stacy, Kim (who you should know by now), Rick and Izzie.

These are long-time friends of Kim’s who happen to live in Carolina Beach. She was able to reconnect with them after quite a few years and had some good hang-out time while they watched the Michigan March Madness game together. Thanks for introducing me to these lovely people!

This is Cheryl, and this is the Four Hounds Distillery tasting room.

Cheryl doesn’t particularly like having her picture taken, but I was clearly not the first to ask, and she graciously gave me permission to post this one on the blog. If you are ever in Carolina Beach you might want to stop by and sample their rum.

So Kim and I are now beginning the second half of our adventure after being several days apart last week. From Carolina Beach we are as far east as we can be, and will be turning a little north and then west as we trek across North Carolina back up into the Smoky Mountains and eventually home. We are enjoying the adventures as we encounter them.

Stay tuned!