Blogs from North Carolina, United States, North America
May 24th 2012
Just one more full day until we embark on the adventure of a lifetime. A little after midnight and I'm praying we'll get the RV packed and everything wrapped up in time to leave Friday right after school is out. So are we nuts? Two months away from home living our of our RV and traveling nearly 500 miles through about half the states in the U.S.? Crazy of not, we're taking off on Friday on what we believe will be a great adventure. The boys are psyched and honestly, Candi and I are a little giddy as well. We've dreamed of doing this for years, but the time was never quite right. But we've closed the doors of our business (at least for a couple months) and we're going to actually relax. Not one of ... read more
May 23rd 2012
I think I have packed up everything I'd like to bring. Spent quite a bit more money at REI than I had previously planned, and definitely spent more money on over the counter and prescription medicines. This smooth looking backpack is 50L and the plan is to carry on the plane over there. I took it on board on a dry run to Memphis earlier this month and seemed to fit above the seats without problem.... read more
May 13th 2012
I have two days until I leave for Spain. I have packed my bags and I am now waiting for the day to leave. I really want to get over there and enjoy the country. I look forward to seeing a new country. I am going to keep a better record of what I am doing this time around, so do not worry. I have skype there I am pretty sure. Other than that, make sure that you subscribe to the page and get the latest on my travels. I have no clue how often I will blog, but it will not be enough to get in the way of my fun. I guess the first blog is going to be in Spain. Its going to be fun. Until next time,... read more
Asheville, North Carolina
Published: May 5th 2012North America » United States » North Carolina » Asheville
May 5th 2012
After a night in DC we rode into Asheville, North Carolina for an organic good time. The city is bigger than it seems and each corner is filled with charm. Almost all of the businesses in downtown Asheville are locally owned. Passing by each shop and cafe you can feel a warmth specific to this town’s character. They advertise local living, educated consumerism and quality products. Famous for it’s hippie lifestyle and delicious water, Asheville was a great lil spot to stop and rest for a bit.... read more
Conneticut to North Carolina
Published: April 14th 2012North America » United States » North Carolina » Sparta
April 14th 2012
Day 07……..07/04/2012 A bit of a chill out day today, gave the bikes a good check over and clean, a catch up with as many people as possible back home, and to look forward to Elaine’s legendary corn beef and cabbage dinner, apparently it’s an old Irish dish, and a real family favourite. Reg’s sons, Dale and Colin came to visit, and I managed to download a copy of the US maps for my Tomtom for forty quid, a lot cheaper than buying a new satnav, this will take a lot of pressure off getting too lost over the coming months, but apart from that not much to report today. Day 08…….08/04/2012 Today we will have to leave the pleasant and comfortable surroundings of the Patchell home, and take to the road ... read more
Two Weeks In The Outer Banks NC
Published: April 11th 2012North America » United States » North Carolina » Kill Devil Hills
April 3rd 2012
After enjoying Wilmington NC, I was heading to the Outer Banks for a two-week visit beginning March 20, 2012. Even though MapQuest told me the actual drive to Cedar Island NC was only 3-1/2 hours, I got a relatively early start because I wanted to stop at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort NC. I had heard/read that this museum was the recent recipient of an anchor recovered from Blackbeard’s shipwreck Queen Anne's Revenge. Tuesday began as a hazy, foggy day but by the time I had stowed the gear and made ready to set sail, the sun was blazing. (Informational) Irene took me on a route through Wilmington NC I had not yet seen. No A/C, no heater, no radio – windows down all the way! The first half of the trip on US ... read more
Wilmington NC & The Cape Fear Basin
Published: March 23rd 2012North America » United States » North Carolina » Wilmington
March 20th 2012
Most of the drive on US 17 from Charleston SC to Wilmington NC was inland from the coast, again due to the swampy nature of the low country. The first leg of the drive was through the Francis Marion National Forest. I had considered camping at the Buck Hall Campground but had decided against so because of the distance to Charleston. I’m sure glad I did – it was about a 45 minute drive. Georgetown SC was an interesting-looking town, and the area around nearby Myrtle Beach was enticing. That area will go on my list for the future. Carolina Beach State Park, my destination, lies on a peninsula about 15 miles south of downtown Wilmington. It’s much more designed for tent camping than RVs in that there are no electric or water hook-ups – nothing ... read more
Smoky Mountains
Published: March 21st 2012North America » United States » North Carolina » Waynesville
March 13th 2012
Stop by the visitor center, grab a map, start planning the trip. Pick a vague route, it will probably change, subject to nature's whim or other hiker's endorsements. This looks like a good parking spot for the trail head. Pack up the duffel bag. Only necessities, don't make it too heavy. Plenty of food, all the emergency stuff. Sleeping bag for sure, tent...guess so. Bulky, but probably going to do a night away from the shelters. Mushrooms Demystified? Heavy, but have to hunt some shrooms. Alright, that feels fine. Find out for sure in a few hours. Map says this path will run into the trail, good place to start. Five minutes in, and already a river is in the way. There has to be a bridge near by, parallel the water and it will show ... read more
March 12th 2012
Rise and Shine. Day 3 of the road trip upon us... which means another 7 hours and 59 minutes on the road before getting home. BUT to make the most of the trip, we decided we'd at least have try to see a little bit more of downtown Asheville. Having experienced the wonderful hot breakfast that Hampton Inn served yesterday, we decided to head back to the fancy McDonalds for breakfast. Hopefully the water break has been fixed and we could go in. Thankfully it was. McD was very elegant. There was a baby grand in the corner, a fireplace in the middle and leather seats. Same low cost though. Now we can say we've been. After breakfast, we went to city center downtown Asheville. We found parking on the street. The parking meters were a ... read more
O to be a Vanderbilt
Published: March 19th 2012North America » United States » North Carolina » Asheville » Biltmore VillageMarch 11th 2012
Day two…. We woke up early today excited to have a hot breakfast Hampton Inn style only to be disappointed. For some reason this Hampton Inn’s definition of a hot breakfast consists of fresh waffles, but microwaved pancakes, chicken biscuits and French toast. Not very hot and not very good. We were disappointed, but had a full day ahead of us, so we ate there anyways.At least the coffee was decent. We checked in at Biltmore, which was about a 10 minute drive from Flectcher. Very close and very convienent. Once we got past the front gates of the estate, it was another 2 mile drive thru the woods to get to the parking lot. In my mind, it was very Ireland-esque. You had tall trees, cobblestone bridges and lots of greenery…. All leading up to ... read more
