Plucky Survivors See America 2008: The Plucky Shall Rise Again
The 2008 trip was bigger and better than ever as Mary and Rick headed back to the South for EXACTLY(!) 2,400 miles through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Oh, and then there’s the part where they drove to West Virginia for a hot dog.
But mostly they were in those other states seeing the sights both odd and uplifting including an acre of land owned by God, the South Carolina Barbecue Championships, The Colonel Sanders Museum, The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum, the Martin Luther King National Historic Site, the Scopes Monkey Trial Museum, a 54-hole bible themed golf course, and the World’s Largest Bats (baseball and vampire).
They couldn’t find a World’s Largest Ball of something but thematically, bats aren’t too far off.
Prologue
There was a lot to talk about as we proceeded through our Plucky planning, from mascots to shoes to German tests and more. Check out the madness that ensued before we even hit the road.
Day 1: Los Angeles to Atlanta
Plucky Survivors has begun! On our first day we travel in style, almost re-enact a scene from a Steve Martin movie, and have our first taste of freedom by making our first stop at a place to get a hot dog. Are you surprised?
Day 2: Atlanta to Savannah
After a morning with MLK, our first big day of driving takes along the route (more or less) of Sherman’s March to the Sea with a Whistle Stop for fried green tomatoes before we develop a serious crush on Savannah.
Day 3: Savannah to Charleston
After crushing some more on Savannah, we make a brief pitstop in Charleston and then head off to act as judges in a BBQ festival! And really that just means we got to eat more.
Day 4: Charleston to Myrtle Beach
Our crushing on southern cities continues with a day exploring Charleston then a dash back to Myrtle Beach for more BBQ and some minotaur themed mini-golf!
Day 5: Myrtle Beach to Asheville
We consider the concept of cultural appropriation and sensitivity at a colorful roadside attraction then wonder what the cows are plotting.
Day 6: Asheville to Knoxville
We start the day with a tour of a little shack known as Biltmore, then spend some time with Santa, get a little salty, and stop to say hi to Dolly!
Day 7: Knoxville to Lexington
A jam packed day with several local museums, a visit with the Colonel, and a few rounds of mini-golf with God. Or at least the mini-golf version of him.
Day 8: Lexington to Louisville
It’s Rick’s birthday so of course the best way to celebrate is to drive hundreds of miles out of our way to get a hot dog. If that surprises you, you haven’t been paying attention.
Day 9: Louisville to Chattanooga
We head to the track to test our luck with the ponies (in a museum kind of way), visit with some dinosaurs (without breaking and entering this time), and take a ride on the rails.
Day 10: Chattanooga to Atlanta
We take some cartoon advice and See Rock City, then get up to some monkey (trial) business, and make our last official stop a place where they have BBQ. Again, shouldn’t be a surprise.
Day 11: Atlanta to Los Angeles
Before we fly home, we spend a day in Atlanta visiting Tara, finding Nemo, having a Coke and a smile, and confusing some people at a rental car drop off.