I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Today I drove into Tennessee. It involved mountains. Lots and lots of mountains. The first part was the scariest drive I have ever had on an interstate, url=http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091101/NEWS01/911010355/Interstate-40-s-Pigeon-River-route-always-controversial-political-problematicPigeon River Gorge. The Pigeon River cut the gorge through the Blue Ridge. It’s the most convenient crossing for hundreds of miles. Settlers pushed through a wagon road in the 1800s, which became a real road, which became Interstate 40. Convenient does not mean that the crossing is easy. The road features narrow lanes, sharp curves, and constant hills. In a few spots, dirt roads merge directly onto the highway. Now, imagine driving this with a concrete barrier three feet to the left and a convoy of large truc... read more

The South, as a whole, worships the past. Historic sites, historic houses, and historic reenactments are everywhere. Most of these have a curious feature: They remember events either before 1865 or after 1940. There is a reason for this. The years in between were very painful; a seemingly unending stream of economic misery, political corruption, and social repression. The region was first run as a virtual colony of the northern states, and then as the fiefdom of a conservative elite (many former Confederate officials). This willing blindness is very unfortunate, because the events of those days have had long after effects, many of which are still felt. The Museum of the New ... read more

Wilmington, North Carolina is known as the Azalea capitol of the south. The flowers are found everywhere, in practically every garden. They certainly grow well in this climate, and are very tolerant of less than perfect gardening. Just after World War II, the local garden club started the Azalea Festival, to show off these pretty gardens. Other groups soon added their own events, until the festival became the largest in the state. Today I experience part of it. It turns out that this festival shows off certain aspects of Southern culture. Azalea Festival Parade The festival started today with a url=http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Dato=20110409&Kategori=ENTERTAINMENT10&Lopenr=409009999&Ref=PH&pl=1parade. Parts of it were very differe... read more

North Carolina Museum of Art I spent today in only one site, but it is a very important one: The North Carolina Museum of Art. This museum is very unusual in that it is owned and run by the state. It may be the only state art museum on this scale in the US. The museum currently covers two buildings. The older one is an international style brick box built in the 1960s. It reminded me of a well decorated office building. The much newer building is a high tech warehouse. There are very few permanent interior walls. The ceiling is covered with oddly shaped skylights that light the galleries naturally. All of the walls are white. It reminded me quite a bit of Dia Beacon (see ). The museum url=http://ncartmuseum.org/collection/collection_overvi... read more

When one thinks of modern North Carolina, pigs and tobacco often come to mind (along with stock car racing and college basketball). These are two of the state’s biggest exports. The place to explore their influence is Winston-Salem. This city was built by the cigarette industry. In fact, it gave its names to cigarettes. This is a town where convenience stores have signs noting that if one’s favorite brand is sold out, they get a free pack on the next visit, and another sign apologizing for needing to card people. Reynolda All of this is the legacy of one man: url=http://w... read more