St. Louis: If it Weren’t for No Luck Pt 1

After saying goodbye to Lance, Ray, and the farm babies, I was St. Louis bound. A few days prior, I had contacted a man who said he could host Neville and I; we emailed, texted, and spoke on the phone. When I was on the road, I asked the man for his address. He responded saying he can send it, but he can't accommodate the Drag Queen or Neville. WTF?! We spoke in detail about this! I informed him that his listing clearly states RV/pet friendly and suggested he update it. I found a Walmart off the highway and discovered that I have a gift- a gift for finding the Walmarts with no wifi. Super. This should've been an omen that this city is not the city for me, but I kept searching. I used my phone and found a campground that only charged $8 a night. I only planned to be in STL for 3 nights, so I can handle that. Back on track! En route, the directions took me back through my favorite state of Kentucky.. chose there to pull off for gas and a potty break. I notice that the gap between the wall and the bathroom door is huge- I HATE when bathrooms do this. WHY? As I'm minding my own business in the stall, this woman stands directly in front of the crack and is just staring at the wall. Oooook... go away. Stand somewhere else. What are you looking at? The situation reminded me of a friend's husband who was in a similar predicament, but far more intimate since the person on the other side of the door was a child and blatantly stared at him through the crack. When she leaves, I exit and notice that there is a Bible verse painted around the border of the bathroom. Of course.  

Nashville, TN: The River

As mentioned, Timmery and I loosely talked about plans for a river day. These locals know folks that have property on the river and with the heat of the summer, I can think of no better way to spend a day than to be in cool water for hours. Everyone brings some food, hammocks, kayaks, and whatever else and escapes... can't wait! I kiss my sweet pup goodbye, hit the store, and off we go! 

Nashville, TN: Downtown

Lance was not only my host, but my tour guide as well. As I was driving out the driveway, JJ and Spot (the lambs) followed us.. all the way out to the road. Lance had to get out of the car, scoop them up, and then they got a quick ride in the backseat of my Expedition. We drove to a gate that led to the property where he hoisted them up and over, back home. I was elated to have two lambs in my back seat; that's definitely not something I would have pictured happening on my trip. Or anywhere else. Once they were back in their safe zone, we headed downtown, in the hot hot heat and humidity that is the South. 

Nashville, TN: MV Inhabitants

The guys continued to fill me in on Mystic Valley and it’s inhabitants. The farm is home to Ray and his family, Lance, dogs, cows, lambs, and horses. The dogs mainly stayed up at the house we first passed when entering the property and the cows were far out on the land, but the the lambs were always nearby. Once situated, we proceeded to see how Neville feels about the two baby lambs, JJ and Spot. He is eager to get a good sniff in and comes on strong, as usual. The lambs are unsure about him, rearing up to headbutt him whenever he comes close. They were indifferent toward me, but loved their Lance. 

 

Nashville, TN: Mystic Valley

The next morning Neville and I take off to the city of Nashville (again)! Well, more appropriately, a farm named Mystic Valley, about 20 minutes north of the city.  The day was as hot and humid as ever and there are so many strange bugs in this state that I don’t even question them anymore. As I approached the property I called my host, Lance, and picked him up just down the road from the driveway so he could guide me in. This is my first time as a Workaway-er and his first time as a host, so we will learn together. 

Nashville, TN: Wingin It

When I left Autumn Olive Camping, my GPS took my a route that I never knew existed. A one lane, dirt road, that curved around a few miles before bringing me to a highway. Over the past few days I have reached out to a number of people in the Nashville area to host me, but with no luck. I decided to go there anyway and see if anything came through. It was nice driving to my next destination and not have the car struggling uphill. Siri took me through some cute, small, country bumpkin looking towns, one of which was named Allardt: Home of the Giant Pumpkin. When I stopped for gas I FaceTimed some girlfriends and showed them the man dressed in overalls riding his tractor up to the gas station. Inside, everybody working there knew everybody coming in and there was a plethora of tobacco selections for sale. 

LaFollette, TN: Autumn Olive Camping

Nestled in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains is a rustic, fun, and best yet- inexpensive campsite. There are four cabins varying in size that are set up with comfortable beds, electricity, and heat/AC. There is space for tent camping as well, either bring your own or rent one. A clubhouse is available with a large satellite TV, pool table, dart board, hottub, wifi, outdoor games, and indoor plumbing. The owners provide you with the option of having them cook for you; I recommend it, the food is delicious... the got-to-have-it speciality is the biscuits and gravy. The name of the campsite comes from the numerous Autumn Olive trees on the land. A variety of products are made by the owners using the Autumn Olive leaves, such as chapstick, sunscreen, bug spray, soap, face cream, and the list goes on. Within an hours drive are fishing spots, hiking trails, ATV tours, and Norris Lake. The property is located about an hour north of Knoxville in LaFollette, Tennessee. All of that being said, the highlight of your visit will be the company. 

Louisville, KY: The beginning and the end

Kentucky is the next stop on my route. The only other time that I have been to Kentucky was a year and a half ago with my mom and two of my cousins; we drove up from Tennessee to go to a mall since none of us had ever been to the state before. The ‘mall’ we came to was one of a few businesses in a small plaza and it was more like a flea market. Granted, we did find some awesome things in there. I found a sign that says something along the lines of: I got gas here! and has a photo of a gasoline pump on it. Because I’m classy. Mom had the best find, though. Her sister, who we were visiting in Tennessee, runs a campsite business with her husband (more about that later) out in the boonies. The cabins have electricity, but no water, so Mom found a portable potty for my aunt to scare future campers with. Then we went where any other person just over the state line would go to extend the trip- Kentucky Fried Chicken! And our trip was complete.

Cleveland, OH: Landmarks

One day, just before one of me and Neville’s routine morning walks, where I look like a scrub and he keeps an eye out for squirrels and rabbits, we met a neighbor. The pup and I weren’t even one house down when a dog ran up to us, obviously attempting to be a friendly neighbor and introduce himself; sniffing Neville’s rear end, then my own. The man behind the dog chased him down and apologized, but all parties involved were friendly and got along fine. After our walk I get things ready to head into town and do a little site seeing. I was excited to see the buzz around town since this was at the time of the big basketball game the Cavaliers were playing in. 

Cleveland, OH: Getting Aquainted

The scenery from West Virginia crossing into Ohio changed quickly. There were still hills and trees, but not to the same extent. Ohio also didn’t have a welcome center, only one sign a few exits in, but West Virginia has a last stop rest area to say goodbye. Strange. Also, on the sides of the highway in Ohio, many signs warning about drugs were posted. All throughout the state- ‘Don’t drive impaired’ and ‘report suspicious behavior’ and ‘suspect something illegal’ signs littered the road. I’ve never seen that before and assume that Ohio must really like to party. I don’t really know what to expect from Cleveland; basically, I’ve heard mixed reviews and I know it’s a big sports town (that I don’t follow). When Mom was still with me we were talking with one of my sisters (hi Jennine!) about visiting Ohio and she asked us something about the sports going on now. I’m like, ‘yeah it’s baseball’, Mom’s like ‘no it’s football’, and Jenny is like ‘really? it’s basketball’. Yeah, that one. 

Fayetteville, West Virginia: Stopover

About 10 years ago I met a guy named Dave through a mutual friend and we got along famously. Dancing, baseball, tie dye, drinks, and lots of laughs that weekend. We’ve kept in touch since then and when I was planning out my route for this trip, I wanted to visit some new states, like Ohio. That’s where Dave is from so I reached out to him to see if he would be around this summer when I come through. He tells me that it depends on the dates, because he and his wife bought an RV and are driving out west. Are you serious?! What are the chances! That’s my plan! We nerded out so hard the next few days about length, weight, route, cars, plans, family, life, etc. It’s refreshing having a connection to this lifestyle with a friend that won’t get sick of hearing you talk about it. As I narrowed the dates down, Dave confirmed that they will be in town when I come through. Yay! Off to Cleveland I go, but that’s a long drive from Asheville, so I plan to stop over in Fayettville, West Virginia.

Asheville, NC: Solo

The last few days in North Carolina were an adjustment since it was my first time by myself. And while it is always nice to have alone time, I missed having Mom’s company. I started the day off with some yoga and went on to feed the chickens with the help of one of the kids staying at the farm. He was quite the conversationalist, telling me about wildlife encounters and what he thinks about camping in a tent on this land with his sister. I told him about the last time I officially went camping with friends in Cape Hatteras and how the adventure went from a fun and lighthearted experience, bombing our neighbors with waterballoons and having a blast, to waking up in what now looked like Lake Hatteras, with a collapsed tent and personal items floating away. And then Jen jumped in Jenn's pee puddle. What a trip! But I digress.

GA/NC: Mom's Post

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit to being afraid for my baby to embark on the adventure you've read about. What about all those crazies out there? And what will happen if she breaks down, etc.?  So when I was invited to join her on the first leg of the trip I was happy to say yes. Now, I have no more experience pulling a camper or planting organic foods than she, but at least I could be another pair of eyes and ears for car trouble or any other kind. I could also babysit  my grandson, Neville, if so needed. 

Asheville, NC: Explore

As I’ve mentioned before about the WWOOFing experience, the past few days weren’t all work, there was plenty of time for play. The mornings consisted of breakfast, feeding chickens & pigs, shower, and play. 

 

The pigs are so excited that they stand underneath the food and don’t move out of the way when it’s poured, so they end up wearing it on top of their head. They have no manners and completely dive in, with their heart and soul, if they have one. Makes total sense when someone says “So and so eats like a pig.” Yuck. The chickens seem scared of the feed until its done raining down through the coop. Then they come over and start pecking and I keep thinking of Zac Brown Band's song Sic Em on a Chicken. I would post the video, but this wifi just isn't cutting it.

Asheville, NC: Farmhands

One of the things that I was curious about before WWOOFing was Neville’s reaction to chickens, since many places have them. I parked right next to the chicken coop and let the beast free. He was curious, ran around them and sniffed a few times, then basically ignored them from there on out. Good! Mom and I started off learning what the chickens ate and helped feed the pigs. They get excited like dogs do and sound about the same around feeding time. I loved it. 

Asheville, NC: The Farm

We made our way to the Asheville area for WWOOFing adventure #2. Passed by a produce stand off the side of the road and stopped for a looksee. There was a lot of locally made honey, preserves, jelly, and cheese so we picked up some snacks for the road. 

Helen, GA: Adventure

As I previously mentioned, there is plenty of down time involved in the WWOOFing experience (hooray!). The Helen area of Georgia is beautiful, but not that big. Prior to leaving on this trip I read about tubing in the Chattahoochee River and thought we'd give it a try. The website even indicated the tubing is dog friendly- not that that's an option for Neville. He would not appreciate just sitting there, half wet, and would probably pop the raft in an attempt to escape. So he stayed behind while Mom and I went on what I thought would be the first leisure activity of our trip.

Helen, GA: Stovall House

573 miles later, my crew and I arrive at our first official stop: Helen, GA.

"Life is a journey; not a destination." That quote is the theme of this trip so far (points to anyone who sang it as they read it). Instead of focusing on all that has gone wrong in the first 48 hours- and believe me, there has been a lot- I'm choosing to be thankful for all of the things that have gone right. All two of them. 

Tampa, FL: Take Off

Since I bought my travel trailer I have been waiting for a name for it to hit me. I don't like to rush these decisions, I like for the name to fit. Hell, it took me a few weeks to pick 'Neville' for the pup. Then one day, while chatting with a coworker,  in a moment it happened- she was christened! But first, a story.

Tampa, FL: 4 Weeks Out

             This is me, Bex                                        This is Neville

                                       And this is soon to be our home