Day 43: In my mind (and car) we're going to Carolina

US 421 is a beautiful entry into the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway below.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow are all about getting home. I guess we’ve taken in all we can at this point, kind of like filling up at a buffet – there’s a lot more that can be eaten, but you’re about to bust so you stop. That’s where we are. There were a few other places we really wanted to go and people we would have liked to have seen, but we’re ready to be home.

This was another long day in the car – about 11 hours driving I think. We lost an hour when we crossed into Roan Co., TN and moved from Central to Eastern time. On top of that we had to take a detour. I-40 is closed west of Asheville due to rock slides, so that added some time to the trip.

The detour took us places we had never been, leading us to Johnson City and Elizabethton, TN, over the mountains on two lane US 421 through Appalachia through Boone, Wilkesboro and to our last night’s stop in Statesville. The mountains and streams were pretty. Now we know where NC gets our Christmas trees.
(That's a hillside planted with Christmas trees over the guard rail.)

And from the TN line to Boone in what appeared to be sparsely populated hollows and hills there had to have been a Baptist church every mile. No other churches – just Baptists. But why so many?

I enjoyed the fact that the highways were named for Merle and Doc Watson (I'm a bluegrass fan)and Junior Johnson (but not a NASCAR fan). What else in these western NC hills?

Logan’s Roadhouse is one of our favorite restaurant chains, and there is one near our motel. So we cracked open a few peanuts and enjoyed their excellent rolls and steak salad. Now we’re in for the night. My laptop won’t get online for whatever reason (the only such problem I’ve had the entire trip – go figure), but Gail’s is on line. So I’m writing this while watching the NCAA tourney. Glad to see ODU upset Notre Dame earlier. Now if Wake can beat the Longhorns.

We should be home late Friday afternoon. The only planned stop is at the Red and White in Dortches to pick up some of the world’s best sausage.