Traveling to (and from) North Carolina - Day 16 Home & Final Thoughts

 We returned home Saturday and we were greeted with traffic in Victorville, Ontario and Corona. The only traffic we faced in the entire trip was  in Nashville (because everyone from Cali is already there)

Total miles in this 16 day trip was roughly 5550 miles and we paid between 4.39 - 4.87 for gas outside the state of California. We only hit bad weather in North Carolina ( one afternoon of torrential downpour which flooded the 40 freeway). Normal for folks from NC, totally weird for us from California.

The great thing about traveling I - 40 is that it criss-crosses old route 66 from California to Oklahoma...there is so much history in these small little towns that are dotted along I-40 and it was truly wonderful to see the inspiration that Pixar saw for their movie "Cars"...I really wish I could visit the real "Radiator Springs" and soak up that 1960s feeling...

Cant recommend the app Roadside America enough...most of the really interesting stuff we found on the road came from this website....

Least Favorite Thing on this trip - Long periods of driving and see absolutely NOTHING...Large portions of  Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas...

Favorite things from our trip...I will put this down by state... 

waffle house is an underrated institution...I know it is a southern thing but they make great food and inexpensive prices...I don't want these to come to California because this state will somehow screw it up

ARIZONA

The cities of Holbrook and Winslow...Winslow (because of the Eagles) and Holbrook because there was so much from the movies "Cars"

NEW MEXICO

Roadrunner Motel - Tucumcari unbelievably awesome 1960s roadside motel on route 66      

Earl's Family Restaurant - Gallup, NM - Navajo Fry Brad Tacos....enough said..

TEXAS

Cadillac Ranch - Amarillo - Check the above link on Roadside America

Crush Restaurant - best place to eat in Amarillo

OKLAHOMA 

Cheap gas & lots of Indian casinos

ARKANSAS

Cheap gas and lots of humidity

TENNESSEE

Best BBQ in Memphis - http://www.interstatebarbecue.com/

Best Tennessee Whisky in Nashville - Green Brier

Best Moonshine - Old Tenn Moonshine

NORTH CAROLINA

Durham Bulls A Must Visit

Best Southern Food in NC - https://www.getsouthernfood.com/

Best open trail to run in a big city - http://www.triangletrails.org/american-tobacco-trail

Best winery we found in NC, make a great Red Blend - JOLO winery

Thanks for following along on our trip across the US...late summer of 2023, we might be back at it to go bring Keegan home...

Mark & Kim Zavodnik

Traveling to (and from) North Carolina - Day 14 & 15 (Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona)

 This is our second to last post...decided to combine our last two days of traveling by doing a summary by state..

Arkansas 

Thursday morning we left Clarksville (and no it was not on the last train) and we were ready to leave Arkansas...maybe it has been the locations but we were ready to leave the state of Arkansas...we were done with the heat and humidity and the bugs...

Oklahoma

Again; not much to look at...many Indian casinos...was changing lanes, and I was pretty sure that I saw a turtle in the road...I did avoid it but that a surprise to see that animal in the road...

Saw a leading water tower in Britten, Oklahoma and a one of the last original gas stations on route 66...those were all courtesy of Roadside America...we used this app ALOT on this trip as saw some of the wackiest, strangest stuff..

Also, we did not visit Binger, Oklahoma, birth home of Johnny Bench...

Texas

We stopped for dinner in Amarillo and eat downtown at Crush...excellent early dinner and we didn't even have steak...

New Mexico

We spent the night in Tucumcari, NM at the most retro 1960s hotel on route 66. The roadrunner Motel...the whole room was decorated with mid-century modern furniture...they even had a old radio playing songs and commercials from the 1960s...they even had old retro motel key chains for purchase...felt like were staying at an old roadside motel on route 66 during the 1960s...

We stopped in Gallup, NM to try Indian Fry Bread and we found Earl's family restaurant...Kim and split a Navajo taco with was a giant taco but on Indian fry bread...The fry bread was something between a pastry and pizza dough...excellent all around..

Arizona

We decided to spend the night in the same city we started our trip, Holbrook, Ariz...stayed at the same hotel...we did find an antique shop and eat dinner at Mesa Sports Bar(which is right next door to Mesa Italian Restaurant)...again another great dinner..

We are both tired of being on the road; so our drive home tomorrow will be something we are both looking forward to..

Until tomorrow,

MZ

Traveling to (and from) North Carolina - Day 13 (Cookeville, Tenn to Clarksville, Ark)

 Day 2 of the drive back to California...still missing my Keegan; but she is unbelievably busy at Duke...

Two things from today's drive...

1. Waffle House is Southern thing but I love it for breakfast...you need to experience a Waffle House for breakfast and get those Hash Browns smothered and covered...just ordered that way...you can thank me later...

2. Stopped for Memphis BBQ at Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ just out side of Memphis...so freaking good good (www.interstatebarbeque.com)....sweet BBQ sauce (no vinegar) and we had a Memphis specialty; BBQ spaghetti...think spaghetti noodles covered in Memphis BBQ sauce...hard to explain but great to eat...if you are in Memphis; I highly recommend Interstate BBQ...

Tomorrow is a drive through Oklahoma, Texas and spend the night...looking at a great lunch in Amarillo...will give my review tomorrow...

Until tomorrow,

MZ

Traveling to North Carolina - Day 12 (Durham, NC to Cookeville, Tenn)

 So we left Keegan this morning....you raise your kids to prepare them to leave the nest...doesn't make it easier but you know that Lord has her in her protection and she will be spending the next 15 months killing it...

Today we started back to California...we decided to take the same route back home because there were some things we wanted to see and do so we started back heading west on I-40...only thing I wish we had done was take I-40 all the way east to the end of North Carolina...then I could say that I have driven the entire length of I-40...

On the way to Tennessee, I was able to talk Kim into visiting Greensboro and visiting Guildford Courthouse Battlefield Park...if you know me I love American History especially Colonial America...The Battlefield was a nice walking trail but to save time we drove the battlefield...needless to say; I learned that Nathaniel Greene continues to be my favorite American Revolution hero and again proved why he was General Washington's best general during the Revolution...

We also stopped at Old Tennessee Distillery and tried several different flavors of Moonshine...the flavored moonshine was our clear favorite with Lemon and Watermelon being our standout favorites...the Lemon moonshine added to Ice Tea make an absolutely killer loaded Arnold Palmer...I did try the clear 140 proof moonshine and it did kick my butt...

Arkansas is on the schedule tomorrow...

Until tomorrow,

MZ

Traveling to North Carolina - Day 10 & 11 (Durham, North Carolina)

 Today was our final day in Durham with Keegan...Kim and I were quite busy finishing up her last minute items...last bits of furniture; groceries for the week and trying to square away her apartment before we start for home tomorrow...for those that know our family; this is different then when we left Keegan in New Jersey while attending Rider University...she is way more grounded and hits the ground running tomorrow with school at 9am...15 months will past by quickly and I am already planning a visit in late October, but leaving your kid on the other side of the US still isn't easy...

I do want to talk about some of the great food I have had this week in Durham...

1. Great Southern Fare at https://www.getsouthernfood.com/ ...the best shrimp & grits in the country and incredible bourbon/whisky list...

2. Great burgers & hot dogs and beer at https://www.bullcityburgerandbrewery.com/...I recommend the Motijo as your drink specialty...

3. Great small bites & excellent vegan options at https://partsnlabor.com/ ...I recommend the Dark & Stormy as your drink specialty...

4. Best wine list & cheese broad in the Durham area ...https://www.killerqueendurham.com/....very eclectic and adventurous...

Tomorrow Kim and I head for California...thinking about stopping in Knoxville for the night..

Until tomorrow, 

MZ  

Traveling to North Carolina - Day 9 (Durham, North Carolina)

 

Today was a good day on two fronts...fixed the used car Keegan will be driving here in Durham and we were able to get her U-Haul UBox out of storage and was able to unpack it, load up her new apartment and return the UBox.

Keegan purchased a used Volvo CX60 here in Durham so she can get to and from school and the 2 Duke Hospitals...she is going to leave her Tesla with us for the 15 months while she is in school. We thought about bringing it but it was more difficult than we imagined...her Volvo had a noise coming from the front passenger tire and it turned out to be a loose brake clip...quick repair and we are back on the road...

The really great news was that we were able to get Keegan's new apartment moved in with just about all of her stuff...we decided to use U-Haul and we used their pod "Ubox" to help with the move...it was the cheapest solution but it turned out to be to easiest part of the move...we rented a "ubox" box for 30 days...the UBox was about 9 x 7 and it fit all of Keegan stuff. We picked it up at the U-Haul in Murrieta, brought to the house; she loaded and then we took it back to U-Haul Murrieta where it was shipped to Durham , North Carolina...shipping was about 12 days and they notified us when it arrived in Durham...called yesterday to get the UBox pulled from storage and we drove it over to Keegan apartment, unloaded it and returned it by 3pm today...I can truly recommend the services of U-Haul this was quick, easy and affordable...highly recommend U-Haul UBox services...

Tomorrow is Raleigh Largest Flea Market, to find some additional furniture...maybe a new TV and hopefully Bojangles for fried chicken...

Until tomorrow,

MZ

Traveling to North Carolina - Day 5-8(Monterey, Tenn to Durham, North Carolina)

Traveling from East Tennessee to Durham, North Carolina was the easy part of the last four days….once we arrived in Durham is when the chaos happened…let’s start with the good stuff

THE GOOD

1.Eastern Tennessee was some of the most beautiful country we have seen on this trip…multiple rivers and lakes and the weather was perfect…I imagine the winters are brutal but driving through the Great Smoky Mountains was pretty majestic…

Lodge Cast Iron Outlet

2. We found their outlet in Pigeon Forge, Tenn…could have spent a fortune there but spent wisely and got the small iron skillets I have been looking for…seriously wanted to a buy their wok!!!

Durham Bulls

3.  Went to a minor league baseball game to see the Durham Bulls vs Louisville Bats…great ballpark, great seats and the minor league game moves at a quick pace…beer and peanuts; what more do you need?

The Foster Apartment

4. We finally found an apartment for Keegan…her original apartment was suppose to be ready June 15; then July 1 and then July 15…so we had to call an audible…found her a new place in downtown Durham near the Old Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the weekly  Farmers Market…we move in tomorrow…

THE BAD

1. Car shopping sucks…we did buy a used car for Keegan to use while she is out here in NC…there is a noise coming from the front end so hopefully it is nothing major and it will get fixed fairly quick…

THE UGLY

Extended Stay hotels in NC are DIFFERENT than the ones I have experienced on the west coast…our first extended cancelled on us 3 hours before we arrived…the second Extended Stay was full of people who have a “different” lifestyle than what we are accustomed for…after 10 mins; we made an executive decision to move to another place…found a last minute Airbnb that solved our problem…

Tomorrow is move in day!!!!

MZ

Traveling to North Carolina - Day 4 (Conway. Ark to Monterey, Tenn)

 Got a late start out of Conway, Arkansas...the humidity was already brutal at 9am in the middle...late report on the fried fruit pie...had a blackberry fried pie and frankly, I thought it would be better...more blackberry syrup than actual blackberries....maybe I need to find a better fried pie shop...

Today was traveling through Tennessee...crossing the Mississippi River is pretty impressive and you venture into Memphis and your first site is a giant pyramid sponsored by Bass Pro Shop...I wish the first thing you saw in Memphis was Graceland (home of Elvis Presley)...

We were more excited about Nashville...we had two short visits planned with the goal of getting out of Nashville before bad traffic hit...

1. We made to the Parthenon....Nashville build a replica of original Parthenon in 1897 for city celebration and it stands in the middle of the city...it is quite a site to see what the outside of the Parthenon looked like when I was very fortunate to see the original Parthenon in Greece...the Nashville Parthenon is truly impressive and I am planning another visit to see the statue of Athena on the inside.

2. I was able to make a quick visit the Green Brier Distillery...home of Belle Meade Tennessee made Whisky...I picked up two bottles of their sour mash whisky....truly one of the best whiskies I have ever had...

We finished our drive and we are spending the night in Monterey, Tennessee...had dinner at Monterey "Convenience Mart" and the best gas station cheeseburgers...cant recommend the cheeseburgers enough...

Tomorrow is finish our journey by arriving in Durham, North Carolina...

Until tomorrow,

MZ

Traveling to North Carolina-Day 3 (Shamrock, Tx to Conway, Ark)

Not much to report much today…another driving day through Texas and all of Oklahoma…I lost count after 12 of Native American Casinos across the state of Oklahoma…Arkansas is very green and LOTs of tree but the humidity is unholy…Keegan was hoping to drive through the Ozarks (one of her fave shows) but the distance was pretty far…so she will just have to settle for a fried fruit pie at the Old Fried shop…apparently an instution in Arkansas…tomorrow is Tennessee…Memphis and Nashville is on docket tomorrow…talk to you tomorrow…

MZ

Traveling to North Carolina - Day 2 (Holbrook, Ariz to Shamrock, Texas)

 Today was mostly a driving day...we left Holbrook, Arizona (and the Cosy Cone Motel) and passed through New Mexico on our way to Shamrock, Texas. A couple of hi-lights from today..

1. We stopped just outside of Amarillo, Texas at the famous Cadillac Ranch. It is 10 different Cadillac cars buried in the ground and you can spray paint on any of the cars...They now sell spray paint at the entrance but if you walk up to the cars, there are lots of spray paint cans you can use...we left our mark as we always do...

2. We drove to Shamrock, Texax (east of Amarillo) and we found two awesome things...we found the U-Drop Inn Gas Station (The movie Cars used it for Ramon's paint shop) and we found a small piece of the of the Ireland famous Blarney Stone...Kim and I have been fortunate to see and kiss the original in Ireland but it was still pretty cool.

3. Our hotel, The Shamrock Country Inn might be the biggest surprise of all...old school but super clean and quant...definitely reminds me of some of the motels that I used to stay in with my family in our old car driving vacations...

Traveling to North Carolina - Day 1 (Murrieta, Ca - Holbrook, Az)

 So, since our family has decided to drive across the country again, I decided to re-open our travel blog...

This time we are driving for a different reason. We are taking our oldest daughter, Keegan to Duke University Medical School to complete her Nutrition Masters. She will be locating to North Carolina for the next 15 months. Her and her 2 cats, Taco and Meatloaf. In case you are curious, the cats did great on day 1 of traveling.

We kinda got a late start, swung by her apartment to grab all of her last minute stuff, herself and her two cats. With the truck packed, we headed to our first stop, Holbrook, Arizona.

1. We stopped for a quick lunch (Sonic - Limeades and tater tots) and cheaper gas (4.92 a gallon) in Kingman, Arizona

2. We made a quick stop in Winslow, Arizona and found "Standing on the Corner"....was kinda cool for Kim and I...Keegan haven't even heard the song; so on the drive to Holbrook, we played the song.

3. Holbrook, Arizona is a small town along the way on Interstate 40, which is old route 66. We found the Wigwam Hotel (hotel rooms shaped like Tepees) which Disney/Pixar used to model the Cozy Cone Motel in "Cars".

I have included pictures of our adventure today underneath this post.

Talk to you tomorrow,

MZ