Angie, whom we met the day before, arrived just has we finished packing up camp. She was right on time and ready with her horse to ride with Bill. Angie and her father brought us some stew the previous evening during the truck pull event. Brenda and Bill visited with them, and talked over the route Brenda had planned. Bill always welcomes company when he rides; having someone to talk to helps pass the time.

Brenda drove up ahead to a place called O-Henry's Restaurant. We where hungry so we got some breakfast while waiting for Bill. We met the owner, Ms. Bowman, and she told us a bit about her place (watch the video). Brenda escorted the pair across the Yadkin River, as there was “no escape route” as Bill would say.

We make a second stop at Tobaccoville before making our final stop at Beaver Creek Farm in Rural Hall. Owner Ed Wall visited with us and later that evening we met some of his family. Angie had dinner with Brenda, Bill and I later that night at the seafood restaurant across from Beaver Creek Farms.

In the morning, Channel 12 News from Winston-Salem interviewed Bill; the reporter got on Blackie for his report. Bill rode on and we soon followed suit.

Truck pull in East Bend North Carolina.

We headed out of Yadkinville later then we usually do. Bill needed to reset Black's front shoes and replace a piece of Drilltek. Bill had used cheap nails by mistake while he was giving a shoeing lesson. “The inferior nails where sheering off,” he said, “so I put on some Delta nails.” I was able to use this extra time to write a post and Brenda got some clothes washed.  The previous day had been a bit long; the names of roads where different in the map then those posted on signs. Brenda and I ended up driving all over trying to figure it out. As soon as we found a gas station we picked up a local county map.

After leaving Yadkinville we traveled the route that Brenda has mapped out; down Old US-421 then up Falcon Rd. Brenda passed Mt. Bethel Church road about a quarter of a mile as it wasn't marked. We quickly realized the mistake and ended up stopping at a little café called Burnette's Place. It was about lunch time so we decided to go in. There where only a few people a first, but after we ordered the place quickly filled with locals. Lots of friendly folks.

Awhile later Bill arrived and also had a bite to eat. The locals redirected Bill farther North along Forbush Rd., and then Indian Heaps Rd. to Highway 67.  It was after 3:00 pm when Bill rode out. Brenda called the East Bend town hall to find out if they knew of a place we could setup camp. Brenda ended up talking to a guy named Bud, and he directed us to the baseball park behind the senior citizens center. We had the camp setup by the time Bill arrived; it was sunny and getting warm, so the sun shade was put up along with the usual panel pen. Bud came over to check on us later. He informed us of the tractor/ truck pull the next evening. Blackie was a bit tired and Bill wanted to replace the nails on Blackie's back shoes, so it seemed like a good time to spend a day down.

Bill had met a woman on his way to East Bend when she was picking up her mail. Bill - “She asked me if I was a local, seems there are trails that I could have taken to the town.” Brenda and I met Angie and her friend Jenny when they stopped by the ball field. Angie rides horse and was intrigued with our travels.

The sky was cloudy, and the wind a bit brisk when I woke in New Hope. The threat of rain hung over us again, though nothing fell that morning. Its easier on the horse when its cool. After Bill made his coffee I got to making breakfast. I used my Colman stove to cook up some bacon, eggs, and toast. Aside from the hills this was an easy day, as Bill and Blackie only had 8 miles to reach the town of Union Grove, our next stop.

Jonny and I drove straight to town to check out the Fiddler's Grove Campground. Before the trip I had researched possible places along our route to stop. I called the owners to ask permission to keep the horse there; they had no problem with the horse, so we drove down and setup camp.

Shortly after Bill arrived we met with the manager of the Grove, who was a very kind elderly gentleman. We told him about the trip, and later he came back to refund our camp fee (nice! Every bit helps) and invite us to the Cookshack for some family style Bluegrass pick'n. Fiddlers Grove is famous for its “Ole Time Fiddlers and Bluegrass Festival” which will be held May 23 – 25 of this year.

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04-22-08

We made our first stop about 11.5 miles from the Taylorsville Lions Club Fairgrounds. The numerous churches have been great places to stop my rig. There's one about every 10 miles or so and most have large parking lots. Theres no one around Linney's Mill, seems they are closed on Mondays, so we move on.

When we reach the church in New Hope there is a gentlemen mowing the grass. His name is Jimmy; we tell him what we're doing and ask him if he knows who to talk to to get permission to camp. He drives down to Mr. Youngen's house for us and he comes down to see us. We get permission, and that night camp out near a graveyard. We don't see any ghosts.

Bill arrives tired and goes to bed early.

04-21-08

The ride from the Peacock Inn to the Taylorsville was a little longer then we had expected. At the Taylorsville Lions Club Fair Grounds we met with Sonny Cook, President of the Grounds. Mr. Cook opened up the gates and restrooms for us. He chatted with us for awhile and we learned that there was going to be a wresting match that evening. The sky was clear and it was getting warm, so Brenda and I setup the canopy that Coleman had gave us, which was the first time in quite a while.

In the afternoon we had some locals come by to visit. Hal Bond and Nathan Smart were the first to stop. They petted Blackie and talked to Bill and Brenda about the planed route. We also had the honor to meet J.C Elliott and Bill Ramllett; both men Vietnam Vets. Mr. Elliott is a Navy man, and Mr. Ramllett was in the Army. Bill told them about our trip across the country and showed them he newspaper clipping book.

Milestone Championship Wrestling invited us to watch their event. I filmed some of the matches. Later that night a heavy downpour hit, what Brenda called a "gully-washer". The roof of the trailer leaked and some of Brenda cloths got wet.

The next morning we decided to stay at the fairgrounds another day due to the bad weather. In the morning a heavy fog had settled around us, and it continued to sprinkle on and off. Later that day the weather calmed down. Brenda hadn't been able to find a contact for the next stretch of road, so we unhooked the truck and Bill, Brenda, and I drove down the planed route to scout. There is a place called Linney's Mill with a campground aground it. The church in New Hope seemed to be another option.

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04-19-08 - 04-20-08

Mr. Green owner of Greens Cycles, and Billy Martin with the Lincoln County Sheriffs Department chatted with Bill while he got ready to ride for the day. 

At our first stop, while waiting for Bill, a local electrician by the name of Jonathan Fulbright stopped by to talk to us. We had stopped in the parking lot of a church and he stopped to see if we were the people riding across the country. When Bill arrived Jonathan and Bill got to talking, and not long after Jonny had began grazing Blackie, a few more locals stopped by. Jonathan later brought Bill a halter he had hand tied and a nice check book cover.

Brenda contacted the Catawba Sheriffs Department, and talked to Major Reed who recommended that she call the Peacock Inn located in Newton, NC. The Inn was glad to have us, though they were getting ready for their big opening at the time. They had showers, electricity, and best of all (for me anyway) Internet. We first met Mike who took us on a tour of the nearly completed house. The house is about 150 years old and is in excellent condition.

We also met the Schreier's and “Big” Edd Sigmon, who is the former owner of the property. In the evening the Peacock Inn crew invited us to a little family B-B-Q. Mike cooked up some burgers and hot dogs and after we ate he and a young man played some music.

The next morning we decided to stay down. Brenda's parents came out to see us, and we all went out to lunch. I was able to get some pictures uploaded. Blackie also was able to rest a full day.

04-17-08 - 04-18-08

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Right now we're in Yadkinville North Carolina. Looks like its gonna be a late start today. We stayed at the Days in here in town so we could shower, get Internet and sleep in a bed for a change. Bill is resetting some shoes on Blackie right now. I guess the nails he used to put the last pair of shoes were inferior. Brenda is also taking this opportunity to wash some cloths; I washed my cloths last night.

There seems to be something messed up with the truck or our 12v AC adapter, as my laptop is defiantly damaged. I managed to figure out a way to be able to hear sound; disable the laptop speakers in Windows, and plug in my headphones. Like this the on board speakers still play sound, even though they are disabled. The sound from them is trash. Headphones sound fine, so I'll use it like this for now.

I tried using the AC adapter in the truck a few more times. There is a constant static feedback sound that isn't present when using battery or direct AC power. Our older laptop also receives the same feedback. I also noticed that placing my hand on certain places on laptops will change the noise; I think there is some grounding problem with the truck. Brenda had complained about the truck running strangely when an adapter was plugged in. She said the truck would surge while she was driving. It also seems possible that this had something to do with the trucks CPU dieing twice. I say it is a problem with the truck because we started the trip across America with another adapter. I bought a new one because of the surging problem, but it seems the old adapter was not to blame.

We wanted to thank a few additional folks we met at Harmon Field: Wanangwa Dever, Frank Ortiz and Meg Rogers. Lorna Dever also sent some pictures. Thanks.

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04-20-08 | 04-21-08 | 04-22-08 | 04-23-08 | 04-24-08

The weather on the forth day was a little cloudy, though it wasn't nearly as cold as it had been. Corporal Hardin and a fellow office arrived as we were preparing for the day. The Community Club door had been opened for our use, and I was preparing coffee and oatmeal. Corporal Hardin was unable to escort Bill out of the county, as he had a previous appointment. So another office was assigned. Bill and the officers were talking about the day ahead. No one was paying attention to tiger and somehow she slipped away; sneaky three legged dog! :( We searched the area and called for her but to no avail. There was only so long we could stay, and we told everyone we saw that our Tiger had gone missing. Bill had been gone about an hour before we decided we could no longer wait.

Jon and I drove past Bill. Later Rutherford County Sheriffs Department had to break off at the county line. We stopped at a gas station that was closed, to wait for Bill.  Deputy J.D. Owen with the Cleveland County Sheriff's stopped to talk with us and waited for Bill's arrival. Shortly after Bill arrived, The Shelby Star tracked us down for an interview. The Shelby Star Created a Video while talking to Bill.

Our route took us a short distance though the North West corner of Cleveland county. The second and last stop of the day found us just across the line in Lincoln county, in the small community of Laurel Hill. We noticed that several of the businesses had closed their doors. I bought some frozen pork loin at a small discount grocery which had recently opened. As I came out of the store my cell phone alerted me that i had a message.

Chief Deputy Barry Tailor of Lincoln County had contacted a local and arranged a place for us to stop. I realized the motorcycle shop next to the grocery, was where we were to stay. The owner was on the phone when I entered Greens Cycles, Harley Parts and Service. I turned to look at the 8 x 10 photos hanging on the wall and saw a proud Marine standing guard over the helicopter, Marine One, saluting President Jimmy Carter as he boarded. I later learned that the owner of the motor cycle shop, Ralph Green, was the Marine in the photo. Mr. Green served four years in this honorable position. That evening Mr. Green treated us to pizza and made sure that we would have enough to buy fuel at our next stop. Many Thanks.

Jon and I set up camp and settled in to wait for Bill. After we had the panels set up and I was thinking about what to cook for dinner, officer J.D Owen, whom had been escorting Bill through Cleveland county pulled up. It wasn't a criminal that he had in the back seat, but a three legged dog covered in red clay. She was found in Rutherford County by someone from their Sheriffs Department. Somehow the officers worked together to get her back, though we'll never really know what happened. If only dogs could talk.

Tuesday morning was sunny and chilly. As we prepared to leave, Lt. Adkins arrived to take us to a place where we can get showers. A good hot shower is always welcome! Back at the church, Bill waited his turn and chatted with some folks. When Jon and I get him to go shower, we saddle Blackie and pickup the panels (Jonny note: gez Bill spent the whole time we where showering talking...). When Bill got back we were ready to go.

Corporal Hardin escorted Bill on this day. The beautiful rolling hills and lush, green vegetation is quite a contrast to the brown landscape we saw in much of the west. We make our lucnh stop at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church. 

Later we find a "Community Club" that we can stay at for the night. We setup our camp. Later that evening Bill and I are invited to a "pick'n and grin'n" with the Golden Valley Crusaders. I got some video of that so hopefully Jon can put something togather with that soon.

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