I was quite far from any of the big interstates, so travel would be slower for a while. I took 119S for quite a ways. It became a "Scenic Kentucky Byway" for a brief bit, and I must say it was scenic. Vast mountains arose, akin to the Smoky's. I was able to call home and Hillary from the mountaintop which was nice because I wasn't able to contact them in a while due to lack of cell towers. I must have gotten some good range from the mountaintop to hit some farther-away towers. I also left Paul from work a message, and I am (semi) jokingly wondering if they are not contacting me back because I charged too much in my letter for contractor work. Oh well, it gives me more time to enjoy my trip. Here's a scenic picture from where I pulled over.
So, at some point 119 turned into the "Kingdom Come Highway", and ultimately hit Route 25E. I got off at some point for some breakfast food, and saw a sign for the Kentucky Coal Mine Museum. I wanted to see what coal mining was all about, so I hit the museum, which I was surprised to see open on July 4. I paid $4 to go inside, and figured I'd spend about 30 minutes there. They had a few movies to watch, but they were too long for how much time I could spend in the coal mine museum. This was in the town of Cumberland, and the Grateful Dead tune, "Cumberland Mine" is what led me to stop there. However, the museum clerk didn't know of any Cumberland Mine specifically, there were many mines in the Cumberland area, though. Most of the museum was relics of Cumberland's coal-mining heyday, and had mock stores, pharmacy, wardrobe, and house of the era. I was more interested in the history/process of coal mining. It was still an enjoyable stopover, though.
I got back on the road, and continued the travels down 119. I made a wrong turn turn at somewhere around Harlan, KY, I think. A friendly old man at a gas station told me how to get back onto 119 (119 turned into 421, I think). He also told me how 119 would end soon, and hit Rt 25E. This would take me straight to the SE corner of Kentucky, and then into Tennessee. This junction would connect by a mile-long tunnel, which the old man seemed fairly excited about. He was eager to show off the new Kentucky 4-lane highway tunnel to me. I think I even saw postcards of the tunnel at the museum earlier. I didn't realize the pride people placed on such city works projects.
I made it to Tennessee about 1 PM. Brief lunch which was essentially a BLT sandwich with scrambled egg on it. Finally made it to the main highway 81. I realize that I could have made it to that point by just staying on Rt. 81 since yesterday, and would have made it there much quicker. However, the leisurely scenic route is more my style, and I prefer it when the time and mood permits. It was July 4, and thus there were fireworks for sale everywhere. Here's a shot I took while driving my car, so please forgive the quality.
I took 81S to 40S, and then took that right into North Carolina. Incredible scenic mountains and valleys presented themselves, covered in lush green forests, but the brisk pace of the traffic kept my eyes down on the asphalt. After a brief stop at the North Carolina Welcome Center to figure out my route, and a bad donut from a vending machine, I headed to 26S. This took me through Asheville, which was the old stopover point many years back when I did my Outward Bound excursion.
I got onto 26S, and at some point I crossed the border into South Carolina. Picked up some info at the welcome center there, which was maps and a list of campgrounds. I was amused that they had a signing roster, for new visitors, and asked what they thought so far of South Carolina. What a question for visitors that have just entered the state, I think I saw a whole 5-10 minutes of the state before stopping at that rest stop. The people, however, were incredibly friendly. It seems that the further south I travel, the friendlier the folks get.
I got back on the interstate, and stopped at a Smile Gas station, and paid $3 to take a shower there. It was my first shower since leaving Dan's house on Sunday morning. I asked about fireworks shows, and they told me Columbia would probably put on a good show, so off I went. Made it to Columbia around 9 or so, and wound up in front of the Statehouse. It was interesting, because only days before, the Statehouse was just in the news for moving the Confederate flag from the dome atop the Statehouse to the lawn in front of it. There were three guards on duty at all times to protect the flag, which seemed kind of ironic. Why fly something high, which would incite civil unrest? Here's a shot of the flag, with the Statehouse dome in the background.
Here's a closeup of the Confederate flag, for anyone that's interested in seeing more detail of it. Don't complain about the pictures, the weather was so calm I had to wait several minutes just to get enough wind to billow the flag enough to get this closeup picture.
I found out the fireworks show would be at Fort Jackson, so I meandered over there. Downtown Columbia sure seemed rundown and empty. On the up side, they had many palm trees. This makes me wonder where the northern-most US outdoor palm tree is located. I hit a local supermarked to make some sandwiches for dinner. I bought bread, cheese, turkey, mustard, and to my surprise they had Dr. Brown's Celray Soda!!! (Those that don't know, this is celery-flavored soda, and is totally incredible stuff! Most people either love it or hate it.) I was so happy to see a Delicatessen specialty in the deep south. I thought it would be a decent meal, and then it wound up costing $15!! Oh well.
I made it to Fort Jackson and ate some sandwiches. Walked about a mile to the fireworks area, and there were tens of thousands of people lounged out, awaiting the show.
I went riht up to the front, and wound up next to an old couple formerly from West Freehold. It seems that wherever you go, there are always people from central NJ, or even from Freehold. Cases in point are when I met some dude from Freehold in a bar in Israel back in 1990, when I overheard him tell someone else he was from Freehold, NJ. I also overheard someone else at a Dead show back in 1994 say the same thing, and it turned out to be some guy I knew back in high school. It's amazing to see how the people of Freehold have spread out to all corners of the world.
I was in the front row for the show, but in front of us, off to the side, was a huge team of army soldiers in uniform. I was amazed at their machine-like efficieny. A trash can in front of us was overflowing with bottles and other garbage. A roup of 5 soldiers walked past, and within a minute or so, bagged the overflowing and spilled trash, and rebagged the arrel. Such strict order can have it's advantage at times.
The show was decent. They started by firing 50 cannon shots, one for each state. That was how I met the older couple from West Freehold. Then, they shot fireworks for maybe 10-15 minutes. They were decent quality. Not the best I've seen, but still pretty good.
After the show, I hit 77S to 26S, around midnight, hoping to find a campgrounds. At a rest stop, I got approached from some guy who needed $15 for a tire to get his father to the VA hostpital. In the cities, stories lke this are a dime a dozen. But he seemed like a decent, friendly guy, and everyone else down south was so friendly, that I figured, "When in Rome...", so I gave him a few bucks. Southern hospitality in it's true form is a great thing, I can't corrupt it with my Northern short-tempered and removed antics.
Hit 26S aain, and after a few miles, a campground sign presented itself. It was a nice campgrounds, by a lake and some sort of fenced-off stockyard. It was $13 per night, and all I have is a 20 and 5 dollar bill. I slipped a 5 in the slot, and will pay the other 8 in the morning when I can get some change.
| Location | Fishpond Lake, KY |
| Odometer | 129,963.4 Miles Total 1209.7 Miles On Trip 460.1 Miles Today |
| Coordinates | 33° 37.561' N 80° 54.018' W |