No more blog--see me on Facebook!

Sorry to keep forgetting to do this, but I decided Facebook is better than a blog for my trips (the pictures load so much faster). If you'd like to see and read about our trip out West in the summer of 2010, look me up! SockMonkey Tucker

Asheville NC

We decided to head up to Asheville at the start of Christmas break, because DJ had a few days off, it had snowed up there, and we wanted to see the Biltmore Estate. We started seeing snow around I-26 exit 14, and it increased with every mile. There was a good bit at the NC welcome center, and lots of other tourists were in the snow, taking pictures and throwing snowballs. It's funny (and sad at the same time) how Southern adults act where there's a bit of snow on the ground.















Here I am, hanging out in the snow. It was cold!


















There's a neat little place in downtown Asheville called the Early Girl Eatery. It was quite tasty. So much so that we ate there twice while we were in town.









Yes, this is what you think. Ashlynn got another sock monkey. She found him in the gift shop at Biltmore, and Ashlynn had a fit! Angel gave in and forked out the cash. I have to admit he's a nice guy. We're collecting more monkeys and sock monkeys than we know what to do with!

Another Hockey Game

November 6 was the weekend for our annual trip to Raleigh. On our way to see the Toronto Maple Leafs battle the Carolina Hurricanes, we had to make a stop at one of SC's most unusual places--South of the Border. Now for those of you who haven't stopped at SOB...WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! This is by far one of the coolest things along the stretch of I-95 from Florence to Harleyville. OK, so it's essentially the only thing along that route, but seriously, it's a historical landmark. (At least it should be.)

As a child, Angel used to beg and plead for her parents to stop there when they were traveling, and sometimes they would. What a bizarre place!










Look! Ashlynn and I are both wearing sombreros!

















We made it to the game, and guess who was there?! SANTA!










The Canes have a great stadium, and the fans are awesome. BTW, the Leafs won! Hooray!














On the way home, we had to stop in at another of SC's treasured places...Maurice's BBQ! There's one at Exit 98 now, and the girl welcomed us by saying, "Welcome to Maruice's. Our sauce is a mustard-based sauce. Would you like to try some?" I let her know that I was no tourist and am very familiar with his sauce. In fact, is there any other type of BBQ sauce? Maurice might be a little confederate-crazy, but he makes some darn good BBQ!

Shiloh Battlefield and The Great Smoky Mountains, July 21 and 22

We left Memphis and headed toward Shiloh Battlefield, site of a very bloody Civil War battle in April 1862. Angel seems to have planned this trip around "civil": Civil Rights, Civil War. Anyway, on the way, we saw something interesting in a cow pasture outside LaGrange, TN (not to be confused with LaGrange, GA).
We stopped and looked closer, and realized it was deer grazing in the field. Pretty cool!













We made it to Shiloh National Military Park, and since all the cannons and monuments start to look the same after a while, I'll just share one with you.










Ashlynn as Johnny Reb...


















... and as a Yankee. She's "snacking" on hardtack. It's kind of like a big, thick, hard saltine cracker. Minus the taste.

















I guess we're a house divided.













There's an "active" (is that the right word?) cemetery within the park, and this has to be the most redneck headstone I've ever seen.











More deer! These two didn't seem too bothered by us, but by the time we got up to where they were, they had made it back to the woods.











Indian mounds within the park.













After Shiloh, we drove on to Flintstone, GA, which is just outside Chattanooga, at the base of Lookout Mountain. We spent the night at Angel's cousin's house, then headed out the next morning for the Great Smoky Mountains. These turkeys were the first animals we saw in Cades Cove.







But it didn't take long for us to find deer! We ended up seeing about 6 by the time we left the park. They're redder than the deer we have in SC, and have darker places on their faces.











And then we saw what we had been hoping to see--a bear! She was walking through the woods with three cubs. Ashlynn was so excited!











Here's a picture of one of her cubs.














And here we are with Ashlynn heading out of the park. It sure was a great day! We spent a lot of time in the car driving around, but it was loads of fun!









I thought this was a neat sign. We aren't staying in Pigeon Forge though. We're in Sevierville, which is only a few miles up from PF.











Tomorrow: Dollywood!

Miles driven July 21: 360
Miles driven July 22 (including all through the GSM National Park): 210
Total miles driven: 1861 (hey--that date was the start of the Civil War!)
Total license plates seen: 31, plus Quebec and Ontario (finally saw it!)

Maybe it was Memphis... (July 20th)

We headed back to downtown Memphis today. Ashlynn wanted to go watch the Peabody ducks travel from their nighttime, rooftop home to the fountain.


Not really sure, but I don't think the Peabody statue dogs really liked having me around. It would have been nice to have a plaque or sign giving some information about these guys...you know, like WHY they were there in the first place in that silly stance. You can't tell from the angle of the picture, but Ashlynn wants you to know that they are not neutered.






And here we are by Duckingham Palace, nightly home for the ducks on the rooftop of The Peabody Hotel.











Don, assistant Duckmaster, guides the ducks toward the elevator.












When he asked if we would like to ride the elevator down with the ducks, we couldn't say "Yes!" fast enough. Ashlynn was so exited!











Angel had planned to video the ducks walking from the elevator to the fountain, but wouldn't it be Murphy's Law that her batteries died before that could happen. By the time the new batteries were in the camera, the ducks had made it to the fountain.














Seen these guys on Food Network?



















Angel's plate: BBQ spaghetti, baked beans (thickened with BBQ sauce and bits of pulled pork), and pulled pork smothered with Neely's sauce.

No, she did not finish it! There was definitely enough left over for supper...it was a BBQ overdose kind of day.






The Pink Palace Museum. Some really rich guy started building the house, but then ran out of money, so he gave it to the city to turn into a museum.









Seems to be a theme of this blog to take pictures of me with some skeletal cousin. We did this in Dayton last year.











And one of Angel's favorite things to do...dangle me from things. Good thing this guy's extinct; if he wasn't, I sure would be by now!











This was Johnny Holiday, the Holiday Inn mascot for many years.

















This is Lorriane Motel, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. He was staying in room 306, on the corner behind the wreath. That's where he fell after he was shot by James Earl Ray.
The motel is operated as the National Civil Rights Museum.







There was an ice cream truck by the motel, of course benefitting from all the visitors, and this little puppy belonged to the ice cream man. Angel and Ashlynn immediately fell in love with her--just look at that cute pink and black nose! Angel came really close to asking if he would be willing to sell her (she was found in a park only 3 days prior), but figured that DJ wouldn't be too happy about that, so she resisted.










Well, we've enjoyed walking in Memphis, but tomorrow we head East toward Chattanooga. Back to the road!

Miles driven today: 42
Total miles driven: 1291
License plate count: 24 (almost halfway there!)

Memphis, July 18th and 19th

The best free view of Graceland!












Shh! Don't tell anybody, but I wrote on Elvis' wall at Graceland! I just had to show my love for Stripes!












Here I am with Ashlynn at the Memphis visitor's center downtown. We had to stop for a map to the zoo since Angel left her's at the hotel. She could have done a better job taking the picture, seeing as how you can't see the 'I' made from a guitar and the 'S.' I guess if you want something done right, you should just do it yourself.













We made it to the zoo! I think it first opened in 1906.












I do love having my picture taken in front of monuments, especially if they have the name of where we are printed it.











Even a sock monkey needs to stop and meditate once in a while.

















I've posed with many celebrities and important people on this trip. Buddha seemed only too happy to pose with me.











Yet another cut-out face board.
Just call me "Socko Polo." Or should that be "Marco Socko." Maybe "Monkeyo Polo." Ahh, nevermind.
















Family reunion! Only my prehensile tail makes me a bit evolutionarily superior to my orangutan cousin.











All in all we had a great day at the zoo. Angel and Ashlynn went to The Peabody Hotel to watch the mallards walk from the fountain to their nighttime home on the rooftop, but I was pretty tired from the day's zoo adventures, so I stayed in the car. They brought me a duck pin though, that Ashlynn was given by the Duckmaster. (Did I ever mention that I got a pin in Oxford?) If they go tomorrow to watch them go from the rooftop to the lobby fountain, I'll go to watch as well.

Miles driven today: 40
Total miles driven: 1249
Total number of different license plates seen: 22 (plus Quebec, but not Ontario, which is kind of strange.)

Tupelo and Oxford, Mississippi--July 18th

We made it to Mississippi!


















First stop: Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis. This is his very modest, very small home.












Here's a statue of the young Elvis, which, being monkeys, we just had to climb.

















The type car Elvis and his family had.













Next stop: Oxford, the home of William Faulkner. He is one of Angel's favorite authors. Here we are in front of Rowan Oak, his home for most of his adult life.

















A statue of Faulkner at City Hall, which, unsurprisingly, Stripes and I had to climb. If you are surprised, then you are not paying much attention because:
1. We are monkeys. Monkeys climb on things. Hence the prehensile tails.
2. We just talked about having to climb when we saw the Elvis statue. If you missed it, scroll up and re-read.











Miles driven: 327
Total miles driven:1209