On the Road with Adie

The Lucky Rabbit

“I am mapping us to a surprise,” Miracle said as we cruised southward. It was cold outside and we finally had a break in the rain, although the air was still heavy with moisture. I wasn’t sure if I could handle any more surprises since my last surprise—which happened to be a brake job. But then we pulled into The Lucky Rabbit.

In search of coffee

We continued south on the Trace, stopping for coffee at a place called Lost Gringos in French Camp. Normally I make coffee in the mornings. It’s a process I have outlined painstakingly in previous blogposts and a source of pride. Heating the water to the right temperature, pouring it and compressing it in the air press. Adding more water to make an Americano. It’s the most artistic thing I probably do all day. The problem that particular morning was the lack of fuel.

Podcast: Ces

Ces Saavedra contacted us before we departed on our 49 state tour in our own VW bus, Aide. She sent me this picture of her six buses lined up on the shore of Lake Norman and said, you need to come to North Carolina. We put her on the map right away and a mere 12 weeks into our journey, we were able to meet her and her husband Doug and their pack of dogs.

Oxford, MS

When we were in Miami, our driveway host, Ian, told us about a little spot in Mississippi we needed to visit: Oxford. He was right. This little slice of the south is the stuff right out of a southern gothic novel—and for good reason. This is the home of William Faulkner.

Playlist: Mississippi

Let’s jump on the Nachez Trace and mosey our way southward. I got the tunes to help us wander our way through the Magnolia State. And here we have three very solid songs.

Frank Lloyd Wright

This is Miracle and I’s fourth Frank Lloyd Wright house—the Rosenbaum House. It is the only FLW house in Alabama and perhaps the best example of his Usonian design (made for middle class folks, which is absolutely hysterical by today’s standards). With any luck, we will see a few more of his houses on this journey of our’s and maybe even his only skyscraper…

Alabama in review

Technically we have already stayed in Alabama on this journey. Technically we could have skipped it on our trek southward. But something didn’t seem right about doing that. Our last pass-through the state was with Neil, our trailer on the flatbed behind us, heading for an engine rebuild in Minnesota. We took the interstate and stayed at a Home2 by Hilton in Decatur after securing a good deal through Priceline. Nothing about the one night we spent on the banks of the Tennessee watching reruns on a TV and DoorDashing food was authentic. Besides, the Natchez Trace clips the corner of the state and there’s a magical little place called Muscle Shoals I needed to see.

Podcast: Peter & Andrea

We caught up with Andrea Bowker and Peter Kraiker—a couple of soft-spoken hardcore adventurers in their Old North Toronto backyard. They own a magnificent 1982 matador orange diesel Vanagon Westfalia named Babe. Babe has been Peter’s mobile office and a makeshift ambulance.

Tennessee odds & ends

We didn’t exactly have the normal stay in central Tennessee. In fact, we didn’t even set foot in Nashville proper, opting for more rural locales and some cool hikes. Here’s some highlights:

The last of Tennessee we’ll see

We loved Tennessee, but it is time to keep moving. We will definitely return—hopefully once we are off the road and can go down for a night on the town without worrying about Jolene too much. Tennessee is lovely. Bob and Bonnie, as I mentioned, were wonderful hosts when we were south of Nashville. And the Natchez Trace. Oh, boy. The Trace. What a road. What a ride.