After the Oil Spill–Enjoying the Gulf Coast
On April 20th, even before our adventure began, our dreams of a beautiful Gulf Coast and wonderful fresh southern seafood were dashed by news reports about the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the Louisiana coast that killed 11 workers and would eventually result in the largest oil spill ever in the U.S. […]
Where the Locals Eat–Manatee Springs, Florida
Way down upon the Suwannee River… is Manatee Springs State Park! Manatee Springs State Park in Florida is home to a freshwater spring where manatees come to munch sea grass every winter before turning around and continuing up the Suwannee River during their annual winter migration north in search of food and warmer waters. Manatee […]
Gone Fishin’ in Stuart, Florida
I have never been much of a fisherman but during our stay in Stuart, Florida I got a chance to try my hand at the reel and really begin to enjoy the leisure, thrill, and fresh fish that this sport brings to the table. During our stay at their home in Florida Amanda’s cousins Katie […]
Crabs, Cats, and Gators on Tybee Island
Just outside of Savannah, Georgia is Tybee Island. This coastal island is home to a fun loving and breezy beach community where people come to kick back and relax. We ate at the highly regarded, super funky island eatery called The Crab Shack whose motto is “where the elite eat in their bare feet.” We […]
Gullah Good Times in South Carolina
In Lowcountry South Carolina and Georgia there are a group of African Americans who have preserved African heritage better than anywhere else in America. This culture is known as Gullah! Gullah culture takes the form of traditional farming, language, basket weaving, stories, songs, and cooking! Gullah language and culture is vibrant in and around Beaufort […]
Skip the Strip at Myrtle Beach
Just off the main strip of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina there is plenty of authentic Lowcounty culture to be discovered. We stayed south of the main strip at Myrtle Beach State Park just after the South Carolina coast had received 20+ inches of rain in two days. In addition to many campsites being drenched in […]
The Pit – Right on “Que”
Amanda and I were first introduced to The Pit restaurant’s eastern North Carolina style barbeque two years ago at New York City’s Big Apple Barbeque Festival in Madison Square Park. After tasting The Pit’s memorable chopped pork sandwiches from their street setup in New York City we made sure to stop at The Pit’s permanent […]
Pork, Catfish, and Bluegrass in Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina is a beautiful college town and home to the University of North Carolina. Just as in any good college town there are some great, funky restaurants and many bars playing live music. Amanda’s aunt and uncle Wes and Tania (and their two kids) who live in Chapel Hill took us to […]
An American Ham
How did people preserve meat before the days of refrigeration? They salted it, dried it, and smoked it! In America we still keep a few “leftovers” from the old days of salted meat in our fridges today. One of these everyday salted meats is bacon and another is country ham, the best known of which […]
Hikes and “Yikes Its a Bear!” at Shenandoah National Park
After having been on the road for several months and camping much of the time we were very excited to visit our first National Park. From the fertile plains of the Shenandoah Valley between two mountain ranges we drove up to the ridge of the eastern mountain range to Skyline Drive, the main road running […]