Road Trip

Internet Withdrawal

Hot TatersTonight we are relaxing in Unit B-327 of the Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort. If the sun was still up we would have a great view of the beach, but it is 8:00 PM in November and pretty much all we can see is the blue glow of the largest swimming pool on the island. There are over 50 crystal clear cable channels to choose from, but no Internet access. What? Whatever will I do? Blog to a text file and upload it a day late from a hot spot somewhere on the island.

On our way down we took the scenic, AKA long, way here and picked up 4 Post Offices. First stop was a return trip to Ehrhardt. The first time we attempted the PO in this town a festival filling the main street and blocking access to the place thwarted us. This afternoon worked out great as I got to park right up front and the sun even cooperated in being behind me. Next were two (out of the three total) Walterboro Post Offices we had left to do. The first time in town we got the main downtown PO easy, but a big wreck on I-95 prevented any attempt on these northern two. One is a little country store in Canadys where not only can you mail a package, but you can feast on hot taters and chicken or buy bait and tackle. As far as the USPS is concerned this is a Walterboro Post Office with a zip code of 29488-5753, but the defiant sign outside the Penny Pincher Mart says it is the Post Office for Canadys, SC 29433. We somehow missed the Jacksonboro Post Office (could have been the vague Google map), but did manage to find our way to Green Pond.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 479

Ten Plus Glenn Springs

Glenn Springs Post OfficeWe did get those two stray Post Offices, 8 more official ones and a historic no longer used one. In just a random happenstance on our drive we stumbled on a small post office in a place we didn’t expect. A quick u-turn and we found out it wasn’t a currently active PO, but a restored building from the old days in Glenn Springs.

You can no longer search for the term gafinkleforp on Google and not get any results. There are two, yesterday’s post and the front page here. Not bad, less than 24 hours. Yahoo is still behind the times, they return no hits — yet.

We had breakfast in Saluda (BK’s French Toast Sticks are the greatest food invention since, well, ever.) Lunch today was in downtown Chester at Annie’s Arbor, whose buffet paled in comparison to the Kings morning offerings. Dinner was at home, thank goodness.

Just in time for Christmas, all nine seasons of the X-files, plus the movie all in one jumbo box for just $246.99. I’ve added it to my Amazon Wishlist in case anyone is feeling generous.

More realistically, the new Blade Runner (Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition) has been added to the wishlist as well and it is only $54.99. This looks like the only way to get a copy of the 1982 Theatrical Release with the Harrison Ford narration. But to get it to me in time you will have to use expedited shipping as it is not going to be released until 12/18. Happy Shopping.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 473

69,000 Pieces of Aztec Gold

Last night we turned the clocks back and took advantage of that extra hour to sleep it away. But somehow, even though we got moving this morning at the “normal” time, it seemed like we were an hour behind all day.

Might have been the time we spent walking around at the Cowpens National Battlefield or it could have been time spent walking a block of downtown Gaffney looking for a Post Office or it could have been the time spent circling Newberry looking for a lunch place before ending up at Taco Bell or maybe it was…

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot,
Drink up, me ‘earties, yo ho.
We kidnap and ravage and don’t give a hoot,
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.

I told her not to do it, but she did it anyway, Donna switched the channel over to USA at 8:00PM tonight and another 20 minutes were lost — watching the beginning of TDPM.

Somewhere between Carlisle and Union the Emperor kicked over 69,000 miles. With 3 weeks to go until HRH’s 4th birthday he may even reach the 70k mark before then.

Started up, went down, back up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 468

Full Day Too

We started our day with a trip to Chimney Rock Park. After threading our way through the Eye of the Needle, we climbed the rest of many stairs to the top of the rock. The view up there is great and while the leaves are at peak higher up, in the surrounding mountains at 2 to 3k there is still a ways to go. Donna and I then walked the 1-1/2 miles of the Skyline-Cliff Trail Loop. A lot of the out is on boardwalk, but the way back is mostly dirt and rocky. On all of the loop there is thankfully fences and rails, because the average elevation of the trail is around 2300 feet and you can look straight down at all of it for quite a bit of the walk.

After cruising slowly back and forth through the touristy towns of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure we ended up deciding on Mexican for lunch. In spite of the upper 60’s temps and cloudless skies we were the only two people dining on the porch.

The afternoon was spent at the Foothills Highland Games and Festival in Hendersonville. Pipe bands & Celtic rock, musket fire, bonnie lasses & brawny laddies, sheafs & cabers being tossed and probably hagis for sale, but we didn’t look for any.

I took a couple of Post Office pictures, but they were of towns in North Carolina just in case this is the next state we pick on.

And TDPM is on again tonight, but I’m not watching it, so there.

Pictures from today can be found HERE.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 465

Pretty Full Day

  1. Breakfast in Aiken
    • We went to the New Moon and came to the conclusion that we are still eating there because of past performance. My muffin, while good, was not heated nearly enough. Donna’s hot chocolate had to be requested a second time before being served. If our last 3 visits here, were our first three visits here, they would be our only 3 visits here.
  2. Walk in Hitchcock Woods
    • Instead of our usual ingress point we started at the South Boundary entrance because we were already downtown for breakfast. A beautiful fall day and we shared the 2,000 acres with a horsewoman and her dog plus another woman walking a couple of small dogs. As is usually the case with our walks in the woods, we were certain of our path for approximately 75% of the time, never actually lost, just sometimes not sure where we were in relationship to the map.
  3. Pack the car and head north
    • I am constantly amazed with how much stuff we can stuff in the small trunk of the Miata. I am also constantly amazed with how much stuff we have to take with us for being away from home for a mere 48 hours.
  4. Lunch in Newberry, SC
    • The Grill On Main serves a mean Patty Melt. Donna had a cup of vegetable soup and a half of a chicken salad sandwich. The chicken salad had some mustard and maybe thyme in there to give it a different twist.
  5. Photographed 5 Post Offices
    • Whitmire, Union, Buffalo, Jonesville, Pacolet & Pacolet Mills. We stopped at White Stone, but it was busy and it had enough character that we decided to come back on the way home Sunday when it might not have cars in front of it.
  6. Dinner in Asheville Fletcher, NC
    • We had pizza from the second place we tried. We drove the 4 miles to a place just inside the Asheville limits that had some good reviews I found on the web. We left after we never got any attention from a server after being seated. That and the dozen small ants that crawled out of the menus and had to be squished under our fingers. The next place we tried was take out only so we ended up dining in our room at the Fairfield Inn in Fletcher, NC. The pie was not bad and probably would have been better if we could have eaten it moments out of the oven instead of the 15 minutes or so later that it took us to get back to the hotel and get settled.
  7. TDPM on USA
    • Commodore Norrington: No additional shot nor powder, a compass that doesn’t point north, [looks at Jack’s sword] and I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of.
      Captain Jack Sparrow: But you have heard of me.
Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 463

290 + 9 = 68,000

Caesar's Head LookoutWe set out to get the remaining eight Post Offices in the northwest part of the state and ended up with 9. Midway between Travelers Rest and Liberty we passed right by a mystery CPU. I did a u-turn and went back to get a photo. The closest town to us then was Dacusville, but it didn’t have a Post Office. Donna wrote down the address and this evening when we got home I looked for a Post Office in that town, none was listed. There was a new CPU for Easley that wasn’t on my original spreadsheet, the addresses matched. We have 299 PO photos taken, but we now have 162 to go as the state total just got kicked up a notch. About halfway through our loop we detoured up to Caesar’s Head State Park to see if any of the leaves were changing, they weren’t. The photo above is the view from the lookout near the ranger station, that granite faced mountain off in the distance is Table Rock Mountain with Pinnacle Lake in front of it.

Somewhere south of Calhoun Falls on SC81 the Emperor passed through the 68,000 mile mark.

Started up, went down, back up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 444

It’s Saturday, Let’s Go To Town

As we hit the outskirts of Anderson the road turned to four lanes, we pulled up to a stoplight first in line in the right lane. Next to us, blocking out the sun, stopped a full-size Chevy panel van. The passenger looked over and down at us, gave us the V sign with his fingers and then mumbled something unintelligible in a heavy rural southern accent with a big smile on his face. The light turned green and they lurched forward trying to get the jump on me. I accelerated at my usual brisk pace and as their out of tune van bucked and stumbled, the Emperor pulled away. As the van reached speed it smoothed out and tore right by. Until the next light.

Even again, my rural friend leaned out the window and said, “We figure with this curve up ahead we’ll take you easy.” and smiled big to let me know he was kidding. Then he said, “Look behind us.” I thought he was going to point out an LEO, but no, I could see a red and white two-tone mid 50’s Chevy. “Fifty-five,” my new best buddy says. I ask, “Wonder if he’d trade me straight up?” The passenger just rolls his eyes and the driver says, “Depends on how much money you got in your pocket.” The light changes and off I go.

At the next light, the van is in the right lane next in line behind me and they are directly across from the ’55 Chevy. I can’t hear what they are saying, but everybody’s jaws are moving. I can bet our rural friends are not asking if the guy in the ’55 Belair wants to swap cars with me. And if they are, guaranteed there will not be a swapping of pink slips at the next light.

The next light is a long way off and by the time I get stopped at it, both the van and the ’55 are long gone.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 441