SOUTH OF THE BORDER

THE HARPER HOUSE

This is day number 2 of my mini-road trip and it starts in Smithfield, North Carolina. I stayed at the the same Sleep Inn this time that I stay at back in 2016 when I attended the Big South Basketball Tournament a few miles down the road at Campbell University.  It was a good stay then and good stay this time too.

After having breakfast at the Sleep Inn I made the 20 mile drive down to the Bentonville Battlefield State Historical Site.  The battle between Confederate Forces under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston battled Union Forces under the command of General William Tecumseh took place here between March 19 - 21, 1865.  It was one of the last major battles of the Civil War and the largest battle to take place in the State of North Carolina. 

There is a small visitor's center on site and just a short walk is the Harper House. This house is original to the property and is available for tours by the park staff. The house was built about 1850 and what the home of John and Amy Harper and their family at the time of the battle. 

Confederate Cemetery

During the battle the house was used as a field hospital and the Harpers helped treat the wounded.  After the battle the Harpers continued to live in the house until John died in 1897 and Amy in 1900. They are buried in the small family cemetery next to the Confederate Cemetery that contains the remains of 24 unknown Confederate Soldiers who died during the battle.

 After the battle, both armies retreated north with General Sherman establishing a command post at the old courthouse in Smithfield.  It was there on the evening of April 12, 1865 he received a message from General Ulysses S. Grant. The message informed General Sherman that General Robert E. Lee has surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia 4-days earlier at Appomattox Courthouse. 

Upon receiving word of General Lee's Surrender, General Sherman sent several dispatches to General Johnston. Over the next two weeks Generals Sherman and Johnston met at the Bennett Farm Near Durham, North Carolina. Finally on April 26, 1865, General Johnston Surrendered his army of more than 80,000 men. More than 3-times the number of troops that were surrendered at Appomattox.  

This was the true end of the Civil War.

After spending more than two hours touring the battle field it was time to continue the journey.

On the way south, I had to stop at the World Famous Tourist Trap, South of the Border in Dillon, South Carolina. It had been over 20-years since I had stopped here and nothing has changed. It is still one Giant Tourist trap. 

This time some of the attraction like the reptile house and the small amusement park was
closed due to COVID.  But all of the stores that sell mostly knock off trash from china were not only open but doing a good business.

I didn't buy anything or spend any money but it was a nice little break to stretch my legs. Then it was on south to my destination for the night, Florence South Carolina. 

Before checking into my hotel, I drove through downtown Florence for a quick stop at Mount Hope Cemetery. Here I visited the grave of the famous depression era F.B.I. Agent Melvin Purvis. 

Melvin Purvis came to notoriety in 1933 when he led the group that gunned down bank robber and "Public Enemy Number 1" John Dillinger in Chicago, Illinois. Then again in 1934 he again led another group that gunned down gangster Charley Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd in an Ohio farm field.

Because of the success of these exploits he received much publicity and fame which riled F. B. I. Director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover did not like his agents to out shine him so he eventually not only force Purvis out of the Bureau but set up a number of roadblocks that prevented him for getting other jobs. 

Purvis who was born in nearby Timmonsville, South Carolina returned to this area. The on the evening of February 29, 1960, Melvin was at the top of a stairs n his home with a gunshot wound his head.  The official cause of death was listed as suicide but some people thinks other wise and to those people his death remains a mystery. 

After finishing my visit to Mount Hope I made my way back a few miles north of town to a Holiday Inn. Florence has a reputation being a fairly high crime area so I chose to stay a little way out of town. There is not much around this Holiday Inn except a Pilot Travel Center with a Wendy's and a Zaxby's.

I was not as tired as I was yesterday, but I still don't have my traveling legs yet.  

The journey continues. 

TOMBSTONE TOURIST

My mini-adventure continues and after leaving Level Cross I eventually ended up in Sanford, North Carolina. In Sanford I continued with the NASCAR Theme and stopped at the Buffalo Presbyterian Church Cemetery. He is paid my respects to two NASCAR Driver, Herb Thomas and J. D. McDuffie. 

Herb Thomas was one of the early Pioneers of Racing. He began his career in 1949 and
competed in the first Daytona 500 - Finishing 12th. He retired to Sanford North Carolina where he was friends with J. D. McDuffie. Herb was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994 and into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013.

I remember J. D. McDuffie as one of the most determined drivers in NASCAR. Never fully sponsored he operated his race team on a shoestring budget. His #70 was sponsored by hometown businesses like Rumple Furniture Company. He died in a racing crash at the Watkins Glen Raceway in 1991.

But before arriving in Sanford, I made a stop in Siler City, North Carolina. Yes, all you Andy Griffith Fans, there really is a Siler City. On the Andy Griffith TV Show Siler City and Mayberry were only a few miles apart but, in reality, 80-miles separates Siler City and Mount Airy.

We all know that North Carolina was the setting for Mayberry and several of the Shows stars made the state there home after the show ended. Andy Griffith, the shows main star and namesake was born in Mount Airy and in later years made his home in Manteo on the Outer Banks.

Betty Lynn who played Barney’s girlfriend Thelma Lou, retired to Mount Airy and still lives there. She very much embraces the character of Thelma Lou and on occasion still makes an appearance during the towns popular Mayberry Days Festival and at the Andy Griffith Museum.

France Bavier's Siler City Home

And finally, the lady that brought me to Siler City, Frances Bavier, who played Aunt Bee made Siler City her home for the last 17-years of her life.

By all accounts Frances was a very complex person who was quiet the accomplished actress and a very prim and proper lady. She was born in New York City, where as a young woman appeared in Vaudeville before moving to the Broadway Stage. She enjoyed a successful stint on Broadway starring in “On Borrowed Time,” and later with Henry Fonda in “Point of No Return.”

When Motion Pictures became popular Frances left the comfort of New York and moved to California. There she made the transition from the stage to the silver screen. Then in the 1950’s something called television came along and Frances once again had to make an adjustment from the big screen to the small screen.

For a period of time, she seemed to have difficulty making that adjustment, being cast only in small part on shows like The Lone Ranger, and Perry Mason. Her big break came when she had a small part in “Make Room for Daddy,” which featured Ron Howard and Andy Griffith. That episode of Make Room for Daddy was actually the pilot for what would become the Andy Griffith Show.

When casting began for the Andy Griffith Show, Frances was cast for the Role of Aunt Bee, and would stay with the show for its entire 8-year run. She was the only original cast member that stayed with the spin-off Mayberry R.F.D.

We have all heard the stories about how Frances and Andy often clashed and were not particularly close during and after the show. A few years back I had the opportunity to attend “Mayberry Days” in Mount Airy. During my visit I got to talk briefly with a couple of the people who appeared on the show a few times over the years.

From talking to them, Andy wasn’t the only on person Frances Clashed with. She often clashed with George Lindsey who played Goober. Now I said earlier she was very prim and proper and didn’t go for a lot of frivolity on the set. She wanted to do the scene and move on. George on the other hand was a prankster and would often ad-lib his lines. His constant pranks and not following his line would so infuriate Frances that she would storm off the set.

But, while she didn’t entirely embrace the role of Aunt Bee, she stayed with the show and appeared in more episodes than any other character. As a result, Frances Bavier would be forever identified as “Aunt Bee.” She once said that after the show ended, that she was so type-cast that it was impossible for her to find work.

She became so frustrated with the lack of roles, she finally retired from acting in 1972. Then ironically, she bought a house and moved to of all places, Siler City, North Carolina.

During the 17-years that she lived in this small town, she essentially became a recluse. Only occasionally venturing out of her home to visit her doctor or go to the grocery store. She spent most of her time inside her house with her cats which sometime numbered as many as 20.

She stayed busy personally answered all her fan mail, often writing long and inspirations letters to those who took the time to write to her. She also devoted a large part of her day to promoting several charities including the Easter Seals.

The refined lady that we all came to know and love as “Aunt Bee,” lived the last 17-years as a recluse and died alone on December 6, 1989. But “Aunt Bee” had one more surprise. In her will she left $100,000 in a trust fund to ensure that members of the Siler City Police Department would receive a Christmas Bonus. Thanks to her generosity every year since 1990, every member of the Siler City Police Department has received an “Aunt Bee Christmas Bonus.

Not many people who live in Siler City today remember Frances, but a few who do have been quoted in newspapers that in addition to being a recluse she wasn't a very good neighbor and was quiet cantankerous and contrary. But to me she will always be "Aunt Bee."

I ended the first day of this little adventure in Smithfield, North Carolina. Before Checking into my hotel for the evening I stopped at the Sunset Burial Park and Paid my respects to one of Hollywood's most iconic leading ladies, Ava Gardner.

Ava was born in Smithfield, North Carolina and became one of Hollywood's most popular Leading Ladies. She was married three times to Mickey Rooney, Bandleader Artie Shaw and finally to ole Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra.

When she retired from acting she move to London where she lived quietly for over 20-years . But when the small town girl who became a Hollywood Icon passed away she came home to Smithfield to be buried in the family plot near her parent and brother.

After checking into my hotel I got a carryout order from a nearby Chipotle and called it a day. It was a long day and found out that I need to get my traveling stamina back. While I am tired, the adventure will continue. 

Stay tuned. 

TRIAL RUN

 Well, The weather was really nice this past weekend and on the spur of the moment, I decided hit the road and take a little road trip. Here in the New River Valley of Virginia it was  forecast to be sunny with temps in the low to mid-70's. So last Friday (March 12) I packed up and left home about 9.a.m., and headed south. 

I was running a little low on material for my YouTube Channel, so this little trip will allow me to shoot some new material. When I left I had a couple of Ideas but by and large I just played it by ear. 

Another thing that I wanted to accomplish on this trip is to see how many places were open and just how much traveling has changed over the last year due to COVID. This little mini-adventure also served as a trial run, for some longer trips this summer. 

My first stop was at the Petty Racing Museum in Level Cross, North Carolina.  The museum occupies a couple of building in what was one the shops where the cars for Lee and Richard Petty were build back in the early days of NASCAR. It was also the home to Petty Enterprises before it moved to the Charlotte Area. 

The Museum has some of the cars that were driven by the four generation of the Petty Family, Starting with the family patriarch Lee Petty, along with Richard, Kyle and Lee's great grandson Adam. 

For over 40-years I was a huge NASCAR Fan, attending my first race with my Dad and his friend Tommy Cline in 1964 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Daddy and Tommy slept on a mattress in the back of a Ford Country Squire Station Wagon out side of turn 4.  I slept in the back seat and it was the thrill of a life time. The 1964 World 600 was the race that claimed the life of my favorite driver "Fireball" Roberts.  

The 1964 World 600 was my first race and for the 40-years I never missed a race at Charlotte. Traveling as a young lad with daddy and Tommy Cline and then with Daddy and Mr. Jim Deskins and some other friends in Tazewell.  Then I got old enough to drive, and I continued attending on my own.  I did this until 2003 when NASCAR got greedy and became more scripted both on the track and with the driver interaction with the fans.

When I was growing up I can remember Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison and other drivers standing for hours signing autographs and visiting with fans.  Then the R. J. Reyonld's Tobacco Company and it's Winston Brand were legislated out of NASCAR along with the deaths Dale Earnhardt, and Bill France, NASCAR Became more scripted.  

I lost interest and attended my last race at Charlotte in October 2003. I haven't been to a race or watch a complete one on TV Since. But I enjoyed re-living the glory days of NASCAR by walking through the Petty Museum.  I spent about two hours at the Petty Museum reliving and remembering those class battle between "The King" Richard Petty and the "Silverfox" David Person. 

Leaving the Museum I had to make a quick stop at the Level Cross Methodist Church. Here I paid my
respects to Lee Petty who is resting with his wife in the church cemetery. 

The Petty Museum was COVID Compliant, and required face covering when inside any of the building.  They were a few other visitors here and we all wore face coverings and kept our distance from each other.  Safety really wasn't a concern and I enjoyed the visit.

I was allowed to shoot video inside the museum to hopefully there will be a YouTube Video coming soon. If you haven't already, Please check out my YouTube Channel (Click Here) and if you like what you see, be sure to subscribe. I try and post a new Video every two week. Hopefully as I get more material I can begin posting every week. 

For now the adventure Continues, More to come from my little Trial Run Adventure. 

TO VACCINE OR NOT TO VACCINE

 In my last post, I said I was basically debating whether or not to get the COVID Vaccine or not.  I try and stay away from politics in my posts here but the truth of the matter is for the Past year, government official on both sides of the aisle have politicized every aspect of anything deal with COVID.

When you hear a member of Congress or state government stand up and speak about COVID, you can rest assured that they are talking out of both sides of their mouth. They are not concerned with doing what's best for the Country, or for you and I.  The are only concerned with how they can get reelected.  So a long time ago I stopped listening, I stopped watching the news, and I haven't watched, listens or read anything coming for the governors office or any other source connected with government. 

From the get go, very little truth has come out of Richmond and even less truth has come out of Washington. Some of my friends said the in order to make an informed decision I needed listen to the Health Department. But when you get right down to it, the Health Department is a State Funded Agency and they are only going to promote the agenda of the political party that is in power. To do other wise would result in a significant lose of funding.

So over the last few weeks, I have talked with several members of my health care team. I trust these people and I really appreciate that they took the time to talk very candid and at great length with me about the different COVID Vaccines that have been approved. 

All of the Independent Health Care Providers that I talked too, started out saying that any decision would be a very personal one. But the most important thing almost all of the doctors and nurses that I spoke too said was, Don't base my decision on what I hear are read in the news media, and to take anything coming out of Richmond and Washington with a grain of salt.  

A few of the people that I talked too ever gave me some information from independent sources that they hoped would help me to make the most informed decision. All of the health care provided told me that the vaccine will NOT Prevent anyone from getting COVID. But if I did get COVID, the vaccine would greatly enhance my body's ability to fight off the infection.  In short, some protection is better than no protection at all. 

So after much reading and research, I made a decision to register to received the Vaccine.  Here in Virginia like everything else you have to register with the state and the State will decide who get the vaccine and when they will get it. 

I realize their has to be some organization to prevent chaos. The state indicated that the first vaccines would go to health care workers, first responders and those with underlying health conditions.  I am fine with that.  Then the second phase was for those people over the age of 65. I fall within this category.

Early in this phase, a couple of friends of mine said they didn't register but received their first shots just by showing up late in the day at the vaccination site.  They said that there is always vaccine left over because people failed to show up for their appointment.  So they showed up late in the day and got their first shot and were scheduled for their second shot. 

So, after waiting for about 10-days an not being scheduled for the vaccine, I drove over to the vaccination site at about 4:30 to see if I could get my first shot. Nope. They told me that I could not received the vaccine without an appointment. Even though they had doses left over. So are these doses going to waste or what is happening to them. 

Well come to find out, I heard from a number of sources that any vaccines left over at the end of the day were redistributed to employees and students at Virginia Tech and Radford. If this is true it is another example of the government playing favorites. 

On March 1, 2021 a new vaccine from Johnson & Johnson and Johnson was approved for use. This vaccine is very different from the Moderna and the Pizer that have been in use for a couple of months. First the Moderna and Pizer vaccines require two shots about 3 to 4 weeks apart while the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine requires only one shot.

The second major difference is that the Moderna and Pizer vaccines have to be stored at extremely cold temperature while the Johnson and Johnson can be store in a refrigerator, similar to other vaccines.  

On Tuesday March 2, 2021, I got a call offering me an appointment for the New Johnson and Johnson Vaccine.  I ask about waiting for the Moderna or Pizer and they told me that it would probably be several weeks before I could be scheduled for the first shot of those vaccines. 

So, opted to get the one and done Johnson and Johnson Vaccine. I was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Friday March 5, 2021 at a local health care provider here in Christiansburg. 

So, at the appointed time I showed up and completed the required paperwork. Ten Minutes later I received my shot. After receiving my shot I was required to wait on site for 15-minutes to see if I had any sort of reaction.

After being discharged from the vaccination site I returned home and life went on as normal until about 2 a.m. I went to be at my normal time of between  11 p.m. and midnight feeling fine.  But about 2 a.m. I woke up feeling terrible, I ached all over. I took my temperature and it was normal. I went back to bed but the body aches got worse and i was unable to go back to sleep.  

I finally got up about 7 a.m. still aching all over. I drank my coffee and tried to make myself do a few things but the truth is, the body aches were terrible and for the most part all I did was lay around.  Then about 6 p.m. I thought I felt a little better.  By 10 p.m. I knew I was feeling better. Having not slept much the night before, I went on to bed and almost immediately went to sleep.  

Sunday morning it was over and I felt good a new.  The only real side effect I had was the terrible body aches. No injection site reaction, No sore arm, no headache or fever. 

So, now that I have the COVID Vaccine behind me will things return normal. The answer is a resounding NO!. As I said the Vaccine will NOT prevent me from getting COVID, it will hopefully allow me a better chance of fighting it off should I get it.

I am still going to wear a mask. I am still going to social distance and avoid crowed places. I am still going to use carry out from restaurants. But the one thing that is going to change is, I am going to travel. Since I travel alone, I hope that If I wear a mask, stay away from other people, and take all of the precautions that I have taken for the past year I will be ok. 

I am looking forward to my first little trip that will hopefully happen in just a couple of weeks. Until then take a look at another video that is posted on my YouTube Channel

Stay tuned. 

TURING THE PAGE

 Well once again, I have been locked out of my account for several weeks. I was finally able to change my password and log back in. Fact is I can't keep getting locked out of his site every few months. I am currently looking for a new FREE Blog site but so far I haven't been able to find anything that I like. So for the time being, I am stuck here until I find something better. 

Well, We have thankfully turned the page on 2020 and are a couple of months into 2021. I certainly hope that we can get this Covid Stuff in hand and I can return to traveling this year.  The vaccine has given us a ray of hope, so we will see where that takes us. 

I did make a concerted effort to social distance during the last years. I ordered my groceries on line and either had them delivered of used the drive up service.  I really limited my social contact and probably ate in a restaurant less than 10 times. 

I have more confidence in the vaccine than I do in the hope that our country will enjoy a peaceful environment. There are just too many subcultures that are bent on having their way and when they don't get their way they riot, loot and burn down cities.  There is no spirit of compromise with any of these radical elements no matter what side of the political aisle you are on.

With that being said, I don't want to look back at 2020. After all there is not much to look back on. I mostly stayed at home, taking only short day trips around the area.  I did manage to shot and upload a number of new videos to my YouTube Channel. I try to upload  a new video on the first and third Sundays of Each Month, and so far I have managed to maintain that pace. 

I still have a number of videos completely edited and ready to go. And I still have several waiting to be edited. This should be enough to keep me uploading on the twice a month schedule until spring comes and I can get back on the road.

In addition to my little day trips, the other way I was able to combat cabin fever was my daily walks. I am fortunate that I live in an area that is blessed with an abundance of trails and walking paths. I spent a lot of time walking the Huckleberry Trail along with hiking around Pandapas Pond.  According to my Map My Walk App that is GPS Based, I managed to walk 759 miles in 2020.  That gives me something to shoot for in 2021. But that will be difficult as a lot of those early miles in 2020 were logged at the Rec Center where I could get inside during the cold and snowy months.  I won't be able to do this this year and I am really behind.

So 2020 gave us social distancing, civil unrest and a divided nation. All those thing combined made traveling difficult and unsafe. In 2018, I spent 82-nights in hotels. In 2019 I spent 48 nights. In 2020, I spent only one night in a hotel. I really hope that number changes in 2021 and I can get  back on the road.

I do have hope that 2021 is going to be better and with that hope I  have started making some travel plans.  Some short trips consisting of one, two and three days.  Some longer trips consisting of a week or more and finally a couple of mega trips lasting a month or longer. We will see how they play out. 

No matter how long the trip or where I go. None of my plans entail traveling to any large or mid-size cities. The possibility of getting caught up in some type of bull shit protest or riot is not something that I want to do.  All of my plans so far see me sticking to the back roads and spending the evenings in or near the smaller towns.  

Also by sticking to the back roads and small towns I can still maintain a high degree of social distance. I do have a great deal of optimism that I will be able to travel in 2021. Now for the big question. Will I get the Covid Vaccine?

That's a decision that I won't have to make for several weeks.  Virginia is lagging way behind the rest of the states in administering the Vaccine. The lack of any type of leadership in our state government is very apparent. So with that lack of leadership and direction, It will probably be early spring before I have to decide if I want the Vaccine or Not. 

Hopefully, after we get through the winter, the Spring will bring flowers and travel.