Visitations
or, Been There, Done That
A running commentary by, about and from Steve on places, people and things encountered during his trip.
March 28: Steve did get on the road on Tuesday. He is in North Carolina and **** HAS ENCOUNTERED HIS FIRST AMERICANA -- The town of New Bern, NC, which is the birthplace of Pepsi Cola. (Reported by correspondent Jeff Altenhof)
March 30: Steve reported in from Auburn, Alabama, where he was watching Auburn's baseball team take apart the opposition and preparing to check out the bar scene.
As previously reported by Jeff Altenhof, Steve spent a couple of nights enjoying the hospitality of Angelo's brother Jim and his wife Marie at their home in New Bern where he also had "the best tasting Pepsi I've ever had" from the soda fountain at the pharmacy where Pepsi originated. They also visited Atlantic Beach, home of a pretty short boardwalk and lots of shells. While Steve claims to have only picked up a few, Angelo reportedly stuffed his pockets...
Leaving New Bern, he drove through Myrtle Beach but didn't stop to golf because it was raining. Our rambling boy spent the afternoon in beautiful Charleston, SC, where he snuck into some garden tours, wandered around the downtown area, and ate at Wild Wings, a Charleston dinery offering dozens of flavors of wings. Steve's assessment: better than Hooters because of the variety. (Well, there goes the endorsement...) Also of note, the high and dicey Route 17 bridge, with it's narrow lanes and guardrail-type sides. Mike Cowan, he was thinking of you...
He headed on and spent last night just outside Savannah, GA. Toured Savannah this morning and declared it "beautiful; a real romantic getaway," noting it's squares, trees, spanish moss, riverfront and old homes and buildings.
Steve arrived in Auburn with some light remaining, so he pitched his tent in a state park, and ambled around the campus for awhile. He's headed next for the Gulf -- planning to visit Montgomery, Mobile and Biloxi before he gets to New Orleans.
He's enjoying the ride, taking pleasure also in the fact that he hasn't spent a whole day driving yet and that his phone has worked in the majority of the places he's been. He hopes to check e-mail sometime in the next couple of days, so be sure to send any messages to [email protected].
April 4: Steve enjoyed the sights of New Orleans. While passing through Louisiana, he stopped at Avery Island -- Home of the World Famous TABASCO sauce.
Steve cheered the Astros to an 8 to 6 victory over the Brewers while singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas" to LAVA-ites via cell phone during the 7th inning stretch. (Contributed by correspondent Beth Dougherty)
April 5: Angelo's response: "Okay, so I stuffed my pockets with shells (equivalent to my body weight) when Steve and I walked along Atlantic Beach. I admit it. But he failed to report that I had to eat at Bojangles Chicken alone, after he left, because he was too high brow to sit down to a bucket of Bojangles and a pint of dirty rice. Also, while in the New Bern, NC area, Steve and I visited our friend Tara (who attends East Carolina University) for a nice lunch. She closed the candy store her family owns for an extended period of time just to sit down with the two of us and a large pizza."
Angelo also notes that he has "inside" information about some women Steve met while in New Orleans. Other sources contribute that he "busted his budget" in that Saintly city. And, he gives New Orleans 5 Jeeps -- so what's the real story, Mr. Steve?
April 8: The cell phone rang urgently from the side of the volleyball court at Hunting Towers. It was Mike, Laura and Steve calling from the Astros' minor league baseball game deep in Texas. Steve's been visitin' with the Cowan crowd in Pflugerville, TX, since Friday, getting the royal treatment (doesn't that involve wearing toilet seat covers on your head), eatin' barbecue, and searching for the elusive Pflugerbrau. Tomorrow, he's headed out again, bound for San Diego, where he's planning to arrive before Easter Sunday.
April 16: Steve reported in via e-mail from his cousin's place in San Diego. Over the past few weeks, he's visited Auburn, Montgomery, Mobile, and Dauphin Island in AL; Biloxi, MS; New Orleans and Avery Island, LA; Houston, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso, TX; Tombstone, Chiricahua National Monument, Tucson, and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in AZ. Read his comments on these places on the Hits and Misses page.
He'll be in San Diego until Sunday and the weather is looking good for the week ahead.
May 13: Steve reported in via e-mail. SInce the last update, he's been to San Diego, Los Angeles, Joshua Tree N.P., Mojave Desert N.P, Las Vegas, Sedona, AZ and the Grand Canyon N.P. He's also developed a real penchant for calling people at work from cool places -- the first tee at Torrey Pines, Redondo Beach, the Dodgers game...
Read his comments on these places on the Hits and Misses page.
June 5: Steve e-mailed reports in 15 minute segments from a library out there somewhere. Since the last update, he's seen Monument Valley, Natural Bridges N.P., Canyonlands & Arches N.P., Black Canyon of the Gunnison, South Park, CO, Denver, CO, Cheyenne, WY, Black Hills & Badlands N.P., Devil's Tower, Yellowstone & Grand Tetons N.P.
Read his comments on these places on the Hits and Misses page.
He's off to the Yukon and Artic Circle next, making a bit of a revision as there's still too much snow in the Canadian Rockies to go there yet.
July 1: Steve e-mailed his report from Whitehorse, Yukon. Since tomorrow is Canada Day (eh!), he says he's going to hang around for the party!
Since the last update, he's been to Eastern Idaho, Glacier National Park, Waterton Lakes N.P., Calgary, Barkersville, BC, Bowron Lake, BC, Dawson City, Yukon, and Inuvik, Yukon (above the Artic Circle).
Read his comments on these places on the Hits and Misses page.
July 28: Steve checked in from Whitehorse, Yukon, taking a break from driving. His recent voyages include Whitehorse, Yukon; Skagway, Haines, Valdez, Anchorage (where he was surprised to run into John K. from our little part of Virginia), Homer, Kodiak and Seward, Alaska; and Denali National Park in Alaska
Read his updates on the Hits and Misses page.
August 27: Steve checked in briefly from Seattle where he just finished having a great weekend with Beth & Lamar, who flew all the way cross country just to see if Steve is really hiking and camping, or if he's been hangin' out on the West Coast beaches playing volleyball with the Beautiful People (oh, wait, that's US, isn't it?). As an added pleasure, Beth's brother Don took them out on his boat on Lake Washington.
He sent a brief report on his activities, covering Alaska Highway, Mount Robson, Jasper, Banff, Radium Hot Springs, and Glacier (Canada) N.P. but said he'd have to finish up later as "it's too nice out right now to do anymore." (Mm-hmm.... see above... what do YOU think?)
Steve also discovered somewhere along the road that bribing the Webmaster is a good way to get updates posted earlier...ah, the American Way!
Read his updates on the Hits and Misses page.