Lexington Barbeque Festival

Today is the 26th Annual Lexington Barbeque Festival in Lexington, North Carolina. It is a huge street festival that takes up about 2o or so blocks of downtown Lexington, the self-proclaimed "Barbeque Capital of the World". Here are a few photos from earlier this afternoon.

First, if you feel the swine flu coming on, you may need one of these shirts.


I never heard of a collard sandwich before. The couple in the picture must have thought I wanted their picture, since they stopped to pose. Then a guy walked in front of them.

1927 Pontiac

1949 Ford in cherry condition

Grill & hood ornament of a Hudson Terraplane auto

General Johnson and The Chairmen of the Board did a great set of Carolina Shag Beach Music

Wish they all could be Carolina girls...NOT!

Amazing sand sculpture of a haunted house

Davidson Covnty Covrt Hovse...faux Latin gives it a real touch of faux class

It is a barbeque festival after all...so let's partake!

Two buns on top when you open up, and under the foil, red slaw and barbeque pig! MMMmmmm!

A Quintessential Carolina Barbeque Joint

Yesterday, some delicious Carolina barbeque was the lunch pick of the day. Off to find Gary's Barbeque, a quintessential barbeque joint in China Grove, North Carolina. The barbeque pork plate was some slow smoked, chopped pork; a baked potato, the distinctive red Carolina barbeque slaw, a slice of tomato, and three delicious hush puppies. The sauces available were a sweet and smoky sauce of about a ketchup consistency. Very good. There was also a vinegar-based sauce that was very thin by comparison, but oh so tasty. To drink the North Carolina favorite soft drink, Cheerwine, was perfect with the barbeque. Cheerwine tastes something like a cherry Dr Pepper, but not quite. We were too full to order dessert, but our waitress brought out a generous "taste" of their homemade banana pudding.

This is my kind of place. I am not a fan of chain restaurants if I have a local eatery available.

Chattanooga 1966

Here is yet another old photo I came across today. I took this with a cheap little box camera using 620 Kodacolor film. The photo has seen better days since it was damaged in a flood, but at least it is still viewable. What you see here is the view from Point Park on Lookout Mountain near Rock City. You are looking basically toward the north at the Tennessee River and the city of Chattanooga.

The freeway making the big, sweeping "S" curve along the river is Interstate 24. The interchange in the center of the picture is where US 27 peels away and heads north.

This picture was taken back in 1966, so that would make me 13 years old at the time. Hard to believe my oldest grandson is about to turn 14 this week!

Houston Freeway Videos

Freeway Jim, mentioned in my last post, also has a great video of driving through a few of the terrific stack interchanges in Houston (another of my favorite places). Below is his video, again courtesy of YouTube:



And below is Jim's downtown Houston freeway tour. The building to the left of the freeway at 2:20 into the video is where I worked at Houston Traffic Central, a radio traffic reporting service that provided reports to most of the radio stations in town back in the late 1970s. The shorter building just to the left of it was where I worked at KULF, AM 790. The radio station was in the penthouse suite. This particular section of road is I-45, and is locally known as the Pierce Elevated, since it runs above and beside Pierce Street.

Great Freeway, Great Video

It has been a little while since I have been able to post anything the least bit roadgeeky. Today while noodling around on the web, I came across a YouTube road geek who calls himself Freeway Jim. One of his videos is a trip westbound on Interstate 68 from its eastern terminus at I-70 in Hancock, Maryland; through to Cumberland. I have photos I took along this stretch of road last year posted here. However, Jim's sped up video gives you an idea of what it is like to travel through the beautiful scenery along this stretch of highway in rural western Maryland.

When I lived in Cumberland, I didn't have much in the way of money or possessions, but it was some of the best years of my life. This part of the country will always be a special place for me.

Below is Jim's video courtesy of YouTube:



Yet another YouTube citizen has a nice, real time video of I-68 Eastbound from about the point where Jim's video ends. It starts in the western part of LaVale and goes through the city of Cumberland. I have included it below. Items of note:

As the video begins, you are eastbound on I-68 on the side of a mountain. Just off screen to the left, on top of the mountain, is Sacred Heart Hospital. That is where my oldest son was born back in 1975.

At 0:17 on the video, the Exit 42 ramp is a long and very steep one that trucks should not take. You cannot really get a sense of how steep it is from the video. This is the exit to US 220. If you turn left at the bottom of the ramp, you are routed onto Greene Street into the city of Cumberland. If you turn right, it is McMullen Highway (both are US 220) and head southwest through Potomac Park, Bowling Green, Cresaptown, and on to Keyser, West Virginia.

At 1:46, the camera pans to the right across the Potomac River. Those houses are in Ridgeley, West Virginia.

At 1:35, you can see the road sign warning about the sharp turn at Moose Curve, which is visible in the distance. It is so named because of the Moose Lodge that was at the side of the road there.

At 1:55 TO 2:04, you are actually in Moose Curve. The old Moose Lodge is the red brick building right in front of the camera.

The radio station playing on the car radio is WKGO (GO 106). That was the first commercial station I ever was on the air at. It is the FM affiliate of WTBO (AM). My first job in radio was to be a DJ at WTBO, and I had to come in early to do local breaks on a college basketball game that was on WKGO.

Estes Park, Colorado

Just another photo from last Saturday. This time it's the rock sign along US 36 as you begin the descent into the town of Estes Park.

Rocky Mountains

There are many good things about Colorado, most of them being the natural beauty and generally agreeable climate of this state. The lovely spouse and I drove up to Estes Park today, about 100 miles to the northwest of of our home. It is a beautiful day, and I took this picture of the mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park just to the west of the town. I never tire of the scenery there is to enjoy in the Centennial State.

Parking Convention

Earlier today, I mentioned the convention that I worked over the past several days. Well, as it turns out, there is yet another one coming to Denver. This time it is a convention for the parking industry. Yes, that's right. People who run parking lots, meters, garages, and other places to leave your car have their very own convention coming to your favorite mile-high city. Who'da thunk it? I can guarantee you that there is one thing you won't find near the Colorado Convention Center...and that is free parking!

Au Revoir, Chief Pontiac!

First it was Oldsmobile. Now the weakened state of General Motors has brought us the demise of another great American automotive brand. GM will eliminate the Pontiac from its stable of cars.

During the muscle car performance days, Pontiac said "We build excitement". The "Wide Track Pontiac" was touted as a better handling car than its competitors. The Bonneville, Grand Prix, and Sunbird gone forever. Who can forget Burt Reynolds as "The Bandit", driving his performance Pontiac Firebird from Atlanta to Texarkana and back, being chased by Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Buford T. Justice of Texas?

Yet, it was the even older Pontiacs that I have a fondness for. The 1950s versions with their light up hood ornament of Chief Pontiac has to be the coolest auto decoration ever made. The very first car I remember riding in as a very small child was my parents' old 1938 Pontiac. I used to love sitting in the back, looking out the small triangular window near side rear of the passenger compartment.

So off to history Pontiac goes, joining not just the Olds, but Plymouth, DeSoto, Cord, Hudson, Rambler, Studebaker, LaSalle, and others that once owned America's streets and highways before anyone had ever heard of a Toyota or a Hyundai.

Jack-N-Grill

In the ongoing search for the quintessential hole-in-the-wall eatery, the Lovely Spouse and I went to a place we saw on The Travel Channel's Man v. Food program. Jack-N-Grill, a Mexican / New Mexican restaurant that is located at 2524 Federal in Denver, just a few blocks from Invesco Field at Mile High. It is famous for a giant 7-pound breakfast burrito that defeated man, as Adam Richman, the show's host, could not eat it all. It is rare when food wins against man on the show, but this intrigued me.

So we went over for a late lunch / early dinner. The place is not very big, and is located in a free standing building that has housed other things in the past. We were going to eat on the patio, but the wind kicked up so much that we decided to move inside.

I had the calabasitas enchilada plate, which was absolutely delicious. These stacked enchiladas were made with chopped zucchini, corn, and cheese; and since I could not choose between the red and green chili, I got it Christmas style...with red on half and green on the other. The LS chose a stacked shrimp enchilada plate with green chili. Both came with charro beans and roasted red potatoes, and were supposed to have spanish rice also. The bad news was that they were out of rice and so we got extra potatoes and beans. Not that these weren't delicious, but I wanted to try the rice also.

One other disappointment was the waitress forgot to bring the chips and queso that I ordered as an appetizer, but we really had so much food that we didn't need that anyway. So I have to give Jack-N-Grill a couple of demerits, but the food was very good, so it balanced out. Overall, the staff was friendly and I did enjoy myself.

On the way out, I noticed a couple of interesting things. One is captured in the second picture in this post. It is obviously an early Taco Bell building that is now home to some other Mexican restaurant. Since Jack-N-Grill is right across the street from it, I imagine there is some competition going on here. But this is in a predominately Mexican part of Denver, so there are Mexican restaurants, bakeries, and shops all along Federal.

The other interesting thing was the old Ford F-600 truck parked behind Jack's. It's bed is closed in with a cage, and it is equipped with a snow plow blade. It appears to be in excellent condition and still used. What a work horse this truck must be!

To view the Travel Channel video from Adam Richman talking about his visit to Jack-N-Grill, CLICK HERE and scroll the list of videos for the correct one. To visit Jack-N-Grill's website, CLICK HERE.

The R&R and A Giant Shiny Moose

This morning, the lovely spouse and I decided to make a quick run down to Black Forest, Colorado to have breakfast and coffee at the R&R Coffee Cafe, owned by my good online buddy, Ryan, a fellow road geek who has a terrific blog dedicated to this fascinating hobby. Ryan's new bride, known as "The Ring" on his blog was there, along with other family members who all work at the coffee shop.

First, let me just say that the food was delicious. I had a wonderful burrito with eggs, potatoes, ham, and other yummy ingredients, and had some of their great sausage gravy on top. The LS had basted eggs and potatoes. And of course, the hand crafted care of their home-roasted coffee was evident in the flavor. I highly recommend a stop at the R&R for some great food and conversation. Even Ryan's little 6-year old sister-in-law was there, and she seemed to be enjoying all the folks enjoying the food, coffee, and live classic guitarist. She pulled up a chair and sat with us, engaging us in some interesting stories. Ryan has a great family, a terrific business, and I wish him all the best of success. It appears he is well on his way.

The trip down took us through the scenic pine forest surrounding the Black Forest community. Using Colorado 83 is not only more aesthetically pleasing than the longer route of going down Interstate 25, but it is also much less stressful. Beautiful vistas of Pikes Peak greet the southbound motorist along the way.

On the trip back, I saw something I had missed on the way down. In the community of Franktown, at the crossroads of Colorado 83 and Colorado 86, there was a shiny silver moose of gigantic proportions. It was at a business that sells those chain-saw carvings. I knew I had to take its picture, particularly since my oldest sister and I have had this thing about calling each other "Moose" since the early 1970s. I knew I had to take a picture of it. As always, click on the photo for a larger version.

A Scofflaw in Texas!

This is a photo I took last week of a Lexus driving east on Richmond Avenue in Houston. It drew my attention, as it was a European-style plate, but had a Texas flag on it. Now I know that Texas allows its drivers to order a wide variety of custom plates on myplates.com, but I have never seen one of these.

Well, as it turns out, a quick Google search yielded the site this was obviously purchased from. What is interesting is that these are novelty plates only, and are not to be used in place of the state-sanctioned plates. In fact, the site that manufactures these has a warning about this on one of their pages, seen here.




So, obviously we have a case of someone thinking they are above the law. But the way I see people driving in Houston, I doubt that is an infrequent feeling amongst the motorists there.

Non-Standard Roadsign Colors

It has been too long since I have posted any road geek photos, so let's remedy that right now. This is a picture of a 'YIELD' sign I saw in a Phoenix parking lot. I didn't Photoshop it, and yes, it is really blue. Looks weird, doesn't it?

Sights in the Arbuckles

Turner Falls in Oklahoma's Arbuckle Mountains

The Arbuckle Mountains are a very old range of mountains located between Davis and Ardmore, Oklahoma. This uplift is somewhere around 500-million years old. Today, Interstate 35 makes them almost unnoticeable, but old US 77 wound around for a few miles through these hills. They are so old and so worn that they are no longer mountains in the sense of the Rockies or even the Appalachian range. Still, they are quite beautiful, and home to the Arbuckle Wilderness and Turner Falls, pictured above. Turner Falls is a 77 foot drop of spring-fed Honey Creek, making it the highest waterfall in the state. At the time I stopped by, the water appeared to be at a low point in volume.

In the 1930s, a doctor decided to build a couple of castles beside the falls. Below is one of them.


One of the Turner Falls castles

When I was a child living in Houston, we used to travel the old US 77 to Oklahoma City to visit our grandparents. At the time, it was a bit scary to go through the Arbuckles and the hairpin curves, especially at night. We were always afraid of falling off the mountains. Had we seen the sign below, it would have made for even scarier stories!


Road monument in the Arbuckles

You see, it turns out that this old highway was built through the mountains in the mid 1920s by prisoners. The imagination can come up with all kinds of spooky stories about what could have transpired in the dark along this stretch of highway!


Close up of monument showing this road was built only 18 years after Oklahoma became a state

A Little Oklahoma Road Geekery

On Tuesday afternoon as I drove along I-35 from Oklahoma City toward Dallas, I saw many reassurance shields for I-35. Most of them are the typical ones you see everywhere. However, I saw two like the one below just north of the town of Ardmore.


Look closer...the shield is not cut out, but is painted on a white, squared blank. Interesting? Only to us road geeks!

Seen In North Texas

Yesterday, I was in the Dallas area on business, but still got to take a few interesting photos. My morning started before dawn, and I arrived at my company's offices in Arlington, Texas just as the sun was coming up. So here are a couple of things I saw near the office. As usual, click on any picture for a larger version.

First, I like how the moon was setting, yet still in the sky above Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, home of the American League Texas Rangers. So I pulled the car over to the side of the road, and snapped this picture through the open window.


Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in the dawn's early light

Also nearby is the site of the new stadium being built as home to the Dallas Cowboys, and as the new venue for the annual Cotton Bowl game. Below is a photo I took of the stadium as it is now, followed by the architect's rendering of the finished stadium.


New home of the Cowboys under construction


New Cowboys stadium as it will look when completed (looks like a giant bicycle helmet)

Later in the day as I was heading to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, I stopped at a Kroger supermarket, where one of the famous Oscar Meyer Weinermobiles was parked in the lot. "Oh I'd love to be an Oscar Meyer Weiner!"


What's that guy doing hot-dogging all over the road?

Arizona Still Loves 'Em Some Colors

Maybe its because with the exception of the beautiful blossoms, the desert is all sandy colored. But the state of Arizona has always had a thing for colored highway shields. Back in the 1950s, the state used various colors for their US Highway shields. (CLICK HERE to see a picture of these, including one of the old black on yellow stop signs.) Then they have more recently used colored shields for Arizona state highways.

When I was in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago, I managed to grab these two shots with the cell phone camera. The blue shields are on US 60 as you approach Loop 101, the Agua Fria Freeway. Then at the point you turn onto the entry ramp, there is a white shield. THIS SITE says the blue ones are being phased out. In any case, I found this to be in interesting piece of road geekery.

Arizona also has the distinction of having once had a swastika on its state highway shields (CLICK HERE for an example). These were changed out during the 1940s and 1950s after the ancient symbol (used by the Hopi tribe of American Indians) was used by the Nazis in Germany under Adolph Hitler.

States To Which I Have Been

I have enjoyed traveling to many parts of the United States, and find something I like everywhere I go. So for grins, I decided to color code a map of our fifty United States of America. The code is as follows:

Green - States where I have lived for at least a year
Purple - States where I have lived for less than a year
Blue - States I have been to
Yellow - States I have flown over, but not been to on the ground
Red - States I have yet to visit or traverse by air

Philippi Covered Bridge

West Virginia Historic Marker for the Philippi Covered Bridge.
Barbour County Sheriff's vehicle is approaching the bridge in the background

During my recent trip to West Virginia, I got to take in some historic sites. One afternoon the Lovely Spouse, her lovely mother, and I took a little drive south from Grafton to Webster and Philippi (pronounced "FILL-uh-pee"). This town is rich in history from the Civil War era. The line of loyalty to the Union or the CSA was between Philippi and Grafton, 20 miles to the north.

Philippi holds the distinction of being the location of the first land battle of the Civil War (with Ft. Sumter, SC being the first sea-based battle). The state of West Virginia owes its existence as an entity to that war, as it was created from loyalist counties in what was the western part of Virginia. In any case, the highway between Grafton and Philippi parallels the Tygart Valley River, and today carries US highways 119 and 250. In 1861, this was the main route south to Richmond, Virginia. Troops from both sides had encampments along the road, and one of the rail lines that runs beside it was a major transportation line even during the war.

The covered bridge at Philippi was used during the Civil War, and today is part of US highway 250. It is also one of the longest covered bridges in the United States, and is the only double-barreled covered bridge carrying traffic of a major federal highway.

As an additional note, three of the miners who died in the 2006 Sago Mine Disaster were from Philippi.


A side view of the Philippi Covered Bridge


View of one end of the Philippi Covered Bridge

Road Trip - Morgantown to Washington

Here is some fodder for all you fellow road geeks out there. This is my trip last Saturday from Morgantown, West Virginia to Reagan Washington National Airport, a distance of about 220 miles or so. I put these in a slide show, since there are over 170 pictures. All but a few of these were taken by the Lovely Spouse as I drove the rental car. She did a rather good job, I'd say. She may be getting in touch with her inner road geek. She took over 400 pictures and these are the cream of the crop. When she was having trouble with my Olympus E-500, I told her that she was no Jimmy Olsen with a camera, but after reviewing these, I think she may just be better than Jimmy.

Note: The slide show plays rather fast, so you may want to pause each picture to have time to read the captions. Or it may be easier to go directly to the album by clicking on the link below, where you can take your time with each picture. Either way, enjoy!

Morgantown to Washington