Spring Road Trip 2025 Edition
I’m three days into my two-week road trip, and already it is surpassing expectations. Yay!
The first few days of any road trip are in some ways the most fun. I’m excited to be back out on the road, starting a new adventure. The camper is all organized and everything is clean (including me). A few days before every trip I gather what I think I will need. (I feel like such a veteran now!) Based on the time of year and where I’m going and what I’ll be doing, I tailor my packing to fit the trip. So for this trip I removed and put away the snow chains, electric blanket, flannel sheets, and water jugs that I needed for the February Taos trip. I loaded the folding chairs and bike, and made sure my camper water tanks were full. I decided I would not likely be cooking outside so left my charcoal and grill behind but I did make sure I had my sandals and bug spray. I checked the maps, made a tentative plan for the route I would be taking, then checked whether there were any interesting Harvest Host locations along the way that would be worth an overnight. I reserved several that caught my fancy.
Monday morning I was ready to hit the road bright and early - woohoo!!
Weather has been unusually bright and sunny so far. Clear skies and smooth roads that surely won’t last. I have my favorite playlists and podcasts to distract my brain from any disturbing news of the day, and I also typically use driving time to think about this blog and other writing projects I have going on. I’ll admit there is a definite escapism aspect to the trip, but I know everything will be waiting for me when I get back...
So at the end of Day Three, here are some initial impressions, highlights, and thoughts so far (with a few pictures sprinkled in):
Day One
Sadie was very unhappy that she did not get to go on this trip.
The first stop was to Lucky Puppy Doggie Day Care. Sadie is spending the two weeks I’m gone at her own spa retreat. When we arrived, she happily jumped out of the van and ran to greet the other dogs, but when she realized I wasn’t coming into the doggie enclosure with her she let me know she wasn’t happy about it. It’s kind of like dropping off a toddler at day care. I had to walk away from her standing at the fence barking plaintively at me, her way of crying I suppose. Once I was out of sight I’m sure she was fine…, right…?
Second stop was to visit with my Uncle Lee in Columbus, OH. This was a diversion from the direct route south, but not by much. Lee’s 95th birthday party at the end of February was canceled when he went into the hospital with a nasty viral infection. He is recovering and feeling better, but with hospice now involved I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to spend a little time with him and deliver my birthday greeting in person. I’m so glad I did. He was alert and awake and seemed to enjoy my short visit. Sending loving vibes to him and his family while I am out and about.
The day ended in Lexington with my banjo buddy Chris. We met last year at Banjo Camp and when I remembered she lives in Lexington we arranged to meet for dinner. It was fun comparing notes on our progress since the camp. We’ll see each other again at the June Midwest Banjo Camp.
Day Two
This is Bob, who makes beautiful jewelry.
Day two I avoided the big Interstate 75 altogether. That highway runs from upper Michigan all the way through Florida and is busy and crowded pretty much all the time. On this day I was not in a particular hurry so I wanted to do some exploring along the way. Doing that meant that what would have been a three hour drive turned into six hours. But what’s the point of a road trip if not to make getting there as fun as being there? I spent over an hour exploring Berea, Kentucky and spent way too much money in this artsy craftsy town. I met Tim and Bob, two of the artisans. Tim works with wood and makes amazing stuff, most of it very practical but also very beautiful. He told me he “used to be educated, but now I’m a woodworker.” Bob sold me a pair of earrings he designed that looked like banjos to me - how could I resist? That wasn’t really his intent, however, and he told me that the design gave him so much trouble that he will never attempt anything like it again. So I have an extremely unique, one of a kind, never-before-seen and never-will-again pair of earrings. I don’t care what anyone says, I swear they look just like banjos. And I love them.
As I drove through Kentucky south into Tennessee I was aware of being surrounded on all sides by the browns and grays of late winter. Beautiful, yes, in its own way, but still drab. The Smoky mountains are hanging on to winter, but only by a thread. I didn’t realize how suddenly the landscape can change when one is traveling until I made a turn from one small road to get onto another and continue south. BAM!! I literally turned a corner and was hit between the eyes with a feast of color. I couldn’t believe it. Suddenly before me was a purple carpet, lined with yellow forsythia and a sprinkling of daffodils. Google tells me that the purple is probably Henbit and Deadnettle. All I know is that it was gorgeous, but the roads were too narrow for me to stop anywhere and take a picture. I kept going and the purple continued, and here and there yards and roads were lined with the beautiful white blossoms of - hmmm… don’t really know my spring flowering trees as well as I should, but it is beautiful and fluffy looking. In any case, the point is that I drove right into spring! Can’t wait to see the changes as I go back north in a week.
Other than discovering that spring actually does exist in some parts of the U.S., the other highlight of day 2 was arriving at my Harvest Host host for the night. I chose to stay at a ceramics studio, and it turned out to be a really good decision and lots of fun. Connie was a great host, and I had arranged for a 90 minute ceramic lesson, which turned into probably two hours. Connie is passionate about her work, and is also an excellent teacher. She was patient, kind, and encouraged me in turn to be patient and kind to myself. The point was to have fun, and she was constantly reminding me to “breathe” and to relax my fingers and just let things happen. At the end of the session I had two bowls! Woohoo!! She’s going to glaze them for me and mail them to Michigan. Way cool and I would totally stop again. Connie is one of those people I would want to know better if I lived in the area. She’s an interesting person and a wonderful, passionate artist. You can find her website here: Two Cents Ceramics.
This was a great stop at the end of a long and winding driving day. Look what I made!
Day Three
Today I stayed on small roads again. The route would have taken me right through or around Atlanta, but I really didn’t feel like dealing with city traffic. Besides, I’ve been to Atlanta and didn’t have a burning need or desire to spend time in that city on this trip. So I checked the map and took a roundabout way that went through the mountains and into Gainesville, Athens, and Macon, Georgia. A year ago I spent time in the western part of the state and this route took me more in the middle, east of Atlanta. As before, a 3-hour interstate trip transformed into a 6-hour small-roads-through-the-winding-mountains trip. Some impressions of today’s drive:
Within the first hour after crossing into Georgia I saw two confederate flags. Mmm… Thankfully those were the only two I saw all day, and I guess I should be grateful for that. I’m used to seeing Trump and MAGA signs in the rural areas I drive through, but the confederate flag is always a sad surprise.
In the middle of the day I pulled off the road briefly and joined an online Zoom volunteer training that was happening. A couple of weeks ago I decided that one way I can try to impact the highly politicized environment we are in right now is to do some volunteer work. I contacted the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, which provides legal assistance to people navigating the immigration process and who can’t afford their own lawyer. I haven’t practiced law in over 25 years (wow, am I really that old???), but I should be able to jump in and help out once I have the training and support I need. After making this decision I felt pretty excited about getting directly involved with legal stuff again. As I said, it’s been awhile. So today’s training was in the middle of the day and I was able to participate and listen in while I was driving.
As I drove through Georgia I was also listening to snippets on the Autio App. This app kicks on periodically and narrates a story about the area you are driving through whenever there is a story or history that someone has recorded for the app. It’s kind of nifty and I learn interesting things about the different places that are near me as I drive through a state. For example, I learned that the alternative rock band REM grew up in Athens, Georgia. But the more memorable story of the day was about the history of Milledgeville, Georgia. I had never heard of that town, but apparently I was near it and it turns out that the city was the original capital of the state of Georgia until it was moved to Atlanta in 1868. Being surrounded on all sides by cotton fields, Milledgeville was also an important economic center for buying and selling cotton. The city was the poster child for the antebellum south, and the streets were lined with the types of big Greek revival mansions common during that era. Cotton was not all that was bought and sold in the city. Milledgeville also boasted its own auction block in the public square for the buying and selling of people. Much of Milledgeville was destroyed during Sherman’s March to the Sea, and the narrator described the turmoil at that time as “The War of Southern Independence.” Mmmmm…
I ended the day at the largest peach producer in Georgia. I’m staying in their parking lot tonight, and got there in time to score a big peach cobbler to bring to my relatives in Kentucky that I will be seeing in a week. It is frozen and I had to cut the thing in half and rewrap it so I could get it into my small frig freezer. I also purchased a fried peach pie to enjoy for myself. And some peach salsa. And peach cider. And peach bbq sauce. And pecans. Lots of pecans.
What a bonus that I was in Georgia at the height of peach blossom season!
Day Four
Tomorrow I head into Florida where I will arrive at my southernmost destination. Suwanee Banjo Camp!! Super excited and will file another report as the experience unfolds. Temperature today was 80 degrees. Definitely not in Michigan anymore!
Stay tuned.
