The launch of Vincent Van Go was uneventful. After thoughtfully (albeit nervously) packing all morning, around 2pm on Friday, 13, April, Ryan slid the key in the ignition, fired up the engine, and backed Vincent out of the garage. Shaking with anticipation of the unknown, I clambored into the passenger seat with not a single scrap of grace.
And we were off!
Our first "On the Road" stop was Sixth Sense Brewery and Burritos, located in Jackson, Ohio. This is really just on the other side of Chillicothe (the first capital of Ohio), but it was on our way to our destination of "I don't know- some state park in Kentucky," plus, we determined long ago that our trip would be dedicated to the two things we do best: Ales and Trails.
Anyway- the burritos. As mentioned, my anxiety was about 65/70, so I really and truly appreciated the large chalkboard inside the door that explained how to order a burrito from this lovely establishment. We split a pork burrito, and I jokingly mentioned that we should order three more road burritos. This would turn out to be key, because that half burrito was our only meal on Friday!
Murk Juice consumed and burrito resting well, we headed back to the road. Our key element here is that we want to take the expressway as little as possible. Two reasons: 1. It's not the destination, it's the journey. 2. Vincent Van Go-es a maximum of like, 60 mph. Thus, we wound our way through some of the hilly scenery of Southern Ohio. Every once in awhile, we'd come to a fork in the road, and Ryan would mention he had no idea where he was, and that knot in my stomach would show up... but ultimately, we found Ironton and crossed uneventfully into Kentucky.
As the sun set on our first day, I asked Ryan where he planned to sleep. His response re-awoke my trepidation: "Oh, I don't know. Let me check the map for a State Park." *gulp*
This map, for the record, was given to me as part of a welcome packet when I first signed up for my very first insurance, when I purchased my first car (Blanche) in 2006. The world has changed since 2006. Thankfully, Carter Caves has only upgraded, and after proudly rolling through the wrong campsite while RV folks gathered around and praised Vincent (the first of many "Nice van, y'all!!" we would receive), we settled in for the night.
Now was the moment of truth. We had never slept in the van before. I was tired, cranky, road sore, and all of my emotions were bottoming out after a long, anxious day. Therefore, Ryan gave me the task of peeling the backs off of Velcro squares while staring longingly at the many, many stars that shone above us. To keep ourselves from being spied on at night, we've elected to hang dry-erase style contact paper over the windows. Since we need to see out the back window to drive, that piece of contact paper is hung with little Velcro squares, so it's removable!
The first night was rough, sleep-wise. Bad dreams, too hot, too cold, too noisy, what's that light, I have to pee, etc, etc, etc.
Around 9.30am, we were awoke by this little lady, singing us a song:
We contemplated hiking a bit, but the weather called for severe storms, so we pressed on.
Eventually, we got hungry, and I used my phone to dig up a suitable stop for lunch. Our rules for eating out are simple: 1. Must be non-chain (or limited, local chain) 2. Must serve regional food.
Winchester, KY: The Engine House Pizza and Pub. We had a pizza drenched in country ham and pimento cheese spread, and contemplated our future. We wanted to hike, but sorry, storming. We wanted to go to the Kentucky Horse Park, but it was storming in Lexington. So back to what we do best: Breweries!!
Ryan wanted to hit West 6th, as he had tried their wares before. We parked in a puddle and hustled through the driving rain. This is where we hit a key inspiration: charge your phone wherever you can. While Vincent does have ports where we can plug in our chargers, his little battery can only do so much. So we combined delicious, delicious beer and borrowing electricity to leave glowing reviews of the places that donated to the cause.
If you want our reviews of the beers, check out Ryan's Untappd, or my Instagram (erniewalk).
Next, we stumbled upon Ethereal Brewing in a really cool complex set up from a series of old factories. It was open, it was loud, there were dogs, and I loved it.
Ryan had already pin-pointed Big South Fork park in Tennessee as our landing spot for that night, but he was hoping for a Wal-Mart parking lot or rest area. It soon became apparent that wasn't an option. There was nothing near the park. In fact, the road was a 13% grade, first downhill, switching back and forth, then uphill, switching back and forth. Vincent was a champion, and while all of our belongings listed back and forth, we landed in a campground, safe and sound in monsoon-like conditions.
The wind howled through the trees, and the rain drove fiercely against the van, but we were safe and warm inside, huddled in our sleeping bags, wondering what to do next.
Now, all the pictures and articles I've read regarding Van Life have featured long leggy antelope women who probably dab Perrier and coconut oil behind their ears each day and look gorgeous. At this point, I more resembled a wildebeest who had proudly wallowed in a manure pit. I needed a shower. My thoughts fondly strayed to memories of indoor toilets. I felt gross, and standing in the wind and rain just reiterated my misery.
Lo and behold, the campground had shower buildings. They even had warm water.
Thus revived, we headed towards Nashville, because again, we couldn't hike in a downpour. *shakes fist at sky*
We had four stops in mind: Antique Archaeology, Frist Museum, Bearded Iris Brewing Co, and Fat Bottom Brewery. Again, keeping it inside 'cos it was yucky outside.
Antique Archaeology was a blast. Ryan and I watch the Pickers, and both have a long-standing love of "Old People's Old Stuff." We ended up buying a poster of some band we've never heard of, which we picked out strictly due to the luxury of the male members' moustaches. It's located in the Marathon Building, which used to be an automotive manufacturing plant, around the turn of the 20th century. The original equipment is set up throughout the building, with signs explaining what occurred at each location/each machine, while the halls are lined with little shops and wineries. It was quirky with a strong respect for history, which really hit home with us.
We also hit an independent gallery and took in some local art, which was great. We snagged some postcards of our favorites, too.
The Frist Museum was a bust because there was no available parking. Bummed out, we got significantly lost, then arrived unscathed at Bearded Iris.
I *LOVE* their set up. Basically, you walk into this huge, dark warehouse, and in a corner is a half-wall, and inside that half-wall is the taproom! It's dark, lit only by chandeliers. It's loud, as speakers bleat out obscure vinyl (no complaints). It's decorated with independent art, and the beer was lovely, but we eventually got hungry and moved on to Fat Bottom, which I chose strictly due to the appetizer menu.
Black-eye pea hummus. Definitely regional. Incredibly delicious, but dangerous for people who live in vans, if you catch my *drift*.
After a delicious dinner, we headed further south towards Alabama, which I'll save for my next blog entry. Stay tuned, and Enjoy The Journey!
Reading the whole blog start to finish and very jealous already.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the trip! It's been pretty weird and wonderful
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