Wal Mart Trip

That's right, 23 isles! The parking lot is huge and the store looks
out of place in the middle of this area's natural splendor. And it was
busy as ever at 3 PM on a Monday afternoon. Families loading up for
the week ahead. One lady had two shopping carts full! And I'm
almost certain I saw a first date taking place.

While AI was was busy having "stop and chats" with the whole town, I
was able to take care of a huge chunk of shopping for the road trip.
To be honest, the grocery section is just like Safeway, but unlike
Safeway they still sell my favorite Lipton product: red beans and
rice. Wal Mart, 1... Everyone else, 0

My arrival in the "Whee"

That would be chex mix traditional. One of my favorite snacks.

AI has a tremendous view from his living room window. What
you can't see from the photo is the overhead shot of the Western
Carolina baseball field. Sort of like the view from the centerfield
hotel suites in the Skydome. On the docket for the evening: a visit
to the local Wal Mart, aka "Jackson County Mall".

I'm not going to Houston...

...but they are!

Eve

Tomorrow around 5 AM I'll depart Chevy Chase, MD to go to Cullowhee, NC to go check out AI's crib for a few days.  Cullowhee is the home of the Western Carolina Catamounts and is one hour west of Asheville, NC.  It is also home to a recent gas scare.  

Everything is packed and  good to go for the first few days of the trip. First drive is expected to be about 9 hours.  I don't expect to do too many of these long 8+ hour rides, but I've been down to this area a million times and I'm not looking to make too many stops. Once I get down there I'll check out some of the local attractions and get a taste of the local fare.  I expect to see 7 Bojangles on the way down.  If I'm lucky maybe a Biscuitville! Another focus of my visit to this area will be to see if I can get a handle on an interesting bee study being conducted by the University. (watch the first video)

Maps!

Still working on the old itinerary.

JB

Will it make it into the rotation? 

I'm a blogger...

...Oh boy.