TravelStream™ news feed for member leoj89 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/leoj89 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:50:58 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leoj89/1/1219931100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leoj89/1/1219931100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leoj89/1/1219931100/tpod.html Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:50:58 -0400 Spectacular Cross-Country BBQ Adventure Extravaganza-Palooza

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Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Again, we awoke at least twice to a house keeper peering creepily at us through the door. After the second time, we got up, got packed and left, we had a lot to do anyway. We left Richfield for a quick 100 mile dash South to Bryce Canyon. Our ultimate destination today, and last stop before we reach our goal, is Las Vegas. The drive to Bryce was very pleasant; through the hills, winding roads adjacent to white water rapids and wild animals..... but then..... disaster struck. Please be warned, this was very dangerous and both of our lives were in severe jeopardy.So there we were..... casually driving down the highway. I was driving, windows down, maintaining the speed limit (+ or - 15), keeping my hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel, periodically checking my mirrors, looking around for any hidden road dangers; and that's when I saw it. As my gaze slowly moved from the road ahead to my rear-view mirror, I noticed something, something that confused me. Up until now, my rear window had been clean and clear, but now, there was a large black spot that seemed to change places each time I checked back. I looked closer, yes folks, it was bee. I calmingly, as not to alarm him, turned to Evan and said, " Hey Buddy, take a look at the rear window, is that bee on the inside or the outside? He turned back, eyes wide open, returned and with a cheeky smile replied, "Oh yeah, he is on the inside." Ok; don't panic, he is just hanging out, probably tired, needed a break from flying, he doesn't want to hurt anyone. "Evan. Go kill it." But in despair, Evan couldn't reach back that far because of all my belongings stuffed in the back seats. Suddenly, the smart-ass bee, who probably had been listening to our conversation, decided to play some games, as in fly around inside the car near and next to our faces. Mind you I'm driving close to 80 miles an hour when Bee-Face decides to play tag with my ear. I end up swerving all over the road, which succeeded in doing absolutely nothing to thwart our enemy. The only thing I succeeded in doing was terrifying Evan. After the bee's double loop around the cabin, he returned to his post on the back window. We stopped immediately, literally in the middle of the road, opened the doors and tried to convince the bee to leave without further confrontation. After 5 minutes of negotiation, he quietly flew out of the car. Within seconds, Evan and I bolted back inside my pest free Honda, rolled up the windows, and furiously sped off as if we were being chased by something that could actually seriously do us harm. We were safe, for now.After our near-death experience, we were only a few miles from Bryce. You really can't explain what it is like walking up to the canyon rim for the first time. The view is simply spectacular. We spent some time walking along the upper rim of the canyon taking photos, some in dangerous positions, and enjoying the incredible views. Then, for the second straight day, we decided to do some hiking (against all weight-gaining principles....plus I didn't mention that all we ate today were turkey sandwiches). We hiked a couple miles down to the canyon floor, and spent some time traversing the various trails in and around the formations. Hiking downhill and across flat land wasn't "too" hard, I mean for two guys who have been eating and sitting for the past 2 weeks, but the up-hill was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. Ok, that sounds dramatic, but it was by far the hardest thing I had done in 2 weeks. I thought I was going to die on at least 5 different occasions during the 30 minute up-hill climb back to the top. Evan seemed to do a little better than me. By the time we reached the end of the trail, my face was bright red, my shirt was soaked through, and my calves were burning. The only positive side to it all was that my sweat had a smokey, hickory based scent...mmm delicious. We decided to drive to the other park view-points and enjoy the rest of what the National Park had to offer. We concluded our park tour around 5PM, and took off on the second to last leg of our journey; 270 miles to Las Vegas. When we crossed into the Nevada we gained another hour, Pacific time was in effect. We are staying at the Sahara, which is pretty much the last hotel on the Northern side of the strip (the cheap end). Literally though, it is like $50 a night, and we couldn't pass up on a good deal because at this point we are both in debt. We parked the car and I felt a little nostalgic; Vegas is familiar to me, and only a couple hundred miles from home, CA. Whatever, not there yet. We checked into our room, which is probably the crapiest room yet... although we didn't expect much. We would like to give a shout out to all the Comfort Inn's, Day's Inn's, Microtel Inn's, etc.. that we stayed at. Besides the peeping maid staff, all our rooms were splendid, much nicer than the sand dune suite in The Sahara. Vegas is sickly hot, between 102 - 108 degrees during the day, and a not-so-cool 80 - 85 degrees at night. We signed-up for players cards just so we could get half-price at the dinner buffet, which was pretty terrible. It was like Warren Towers (for all the BU folk) or any other nasty college cafeteria. The rest of the night we toured through a bunch of hotels, were propositioned by cabbies to hit up strip clubs, and spent whatever cash we had left on either booze or betting... neither really worked out.......Vegas.
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Richfield, Utah, United States

We left haveyouheardofourtown, New Mexico around noon. Our first stop, on our way to Arches National Park, and eventually Richfield Utah, was at the Four Corners. We has to pay 3$ each to get in (over-priced). We took some pictures and then decided to get some Navajo Burgers and Tacos from the trailer near the bathroom, because we had no idea how long it would be until we would find food. Yup, exactly....gross. It was like 4 bites of food, for 7$ none-the-less, but at least we could survive until our next meal (which ended up being a Denny's in Salina at like 10PM, because we refused to eat Burger King, and I swear to you all there was nothing else for 100's of miles any direction). We almost ran out of fuel on a 100 mile stretch of open road , without service areas. We ran on empty (with the fuel light on) for almost 60 miles, literally driving 50 miles an hour and coasting down hills. Thankfully, we came upon a single-pump gas station before the estimated 70 mile rest stop that the GPS informed us was the nearest. 86 Octane for $4.07, fantastic. I bought 3 gallons and had Evan speed away as quickly as possible..a toothless woman in pick-up truck was chatting us up a little too much. As we got closer to Arches we noticed large plumes of smoke rising in the distance. As we got closer, we clearly viewed what appeared to be an extremely large fire burning out of control in the hills. We couldn't find any real information about what was going on, except for the fact that it was indeed a wild fire. (We had some better views once we were in the National Park).We arrived at Arches, located on the middle Eastern side of Utah, at about 4:30PM. We gathered some maps and took off across the park. The various arches, rock formations, and sights are scattered across a rather large area. So you drive around, park, and either view from a distance, or hike trails to get up close. Underneath the area is large amount of salt which over the years has led to the development of the unique formations. We did a combination of hiking and viewpoint photo-shoots. The hikes were anywhere from 2 miles to .5 miles round-trip. All that walking and climbing will certainly effect our weight gaining plan, plus we had barely eaten up to that point. But the views were worth it. The park was an incredible sight; nothing like I have ever seen before. We spent about 3-4 hours traveling around (one should really spend at least a day, and even camp out to get the whole experience), and then had to hit the road to our sleep spot. It was another 190 miles to ohmygodanothernonamesmalltown, located somewhere in the middle of Utah. This drive consisted of 80 miles up a back road, then 110 miles SW through hills and mountains, taking us as high as 7,500 feet. The speed limit is 75 through the lifeless 110 stretch (again, with no stops for the entire length), but because there were long stretches of steep down-hills, we were able to break our speed record, 111MPH. Don't worry, it was a long, straight highway with 2 lanes each way and no one else on it for miles; but we did turn the headlights off so no one could see us.This is our last night on the road. Tomorrow we have a couple more sight-seeing spots to visit and then on to Vegas. We will spend 2 days and nights sitting by the pool relaxing and then hit the road for the home stretch into Southern California. But don't worry, we will continue to publish our adventures all the way thru Vegas, Southern California, and the recent addition of Northern California (which begins on Sept 2).Milage as of this evening: 4,400Grease Spots on Evan's shorts from Navajo FryBread: 9Grease Spots on Evan's shorts from Navajo FryBread after purchasing a Tide-2-Go pen: 2.5
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Farmington, New Mexico, United States

So here we are, Farmington, New Mexico. We found a Mexican restaurant to eat at that was supposedly the best in town; I hope for the town's sake that that was a false statement. We ate some taquitos, fajitas (con pollo), and carne asada. We were the only patrons in the place and the food was so-so, but then again, what did we expect. At least we are close to the four corners and Utah which is where we actually have some plans. There were pieces of bagel on Evan's pillow when we got into the motel room, accompanied by the some fresh cigarette burns or mouse holes in the sheets; priceless. Im gonna snuggle close to my BBQ shirt from 3 days ago and try to remember the good old days of Southern cuisine......
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Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

We did 3 minutes of research about Amarillo, TX to sniff out some good BBQ for lunch, clearly not enough time to make a well informed decision, I'll explain in a second. We realized that after we leave Texas this afternoon, we will be officially out of BBQ country...... this was our last chance....and we blew it, big time. The name sounded good... CATTLE CALL...... but the location should have been the first red flag. 1071 I-40 W, Westgate Mall. WESTGATE MALL... this place was in a mall, in Amarillo...... yet we still held out for greatness. First impression was awful. The area stank of cattle feces; hot, humid, and poo .....we are having a great time. The restaurant was like the local senior citizen watering hole, whereas we were there for lunch at 1PM, the rest of the clientele was there for the early bird dinner special. We sat down, and yet still kept optimistic because the menu looked decent. Truth: words and flair mean nothing. We started with "Texas Popcorn," fried jalepenos with ranch salsa. They were deep fried canned peppers with Hidden Valley Ranch, no salsa to be seen. For lunch, Evan order the meat combo, ribs, pork, and sausage, complete with slaw and beans. I ordered the chicken fried steak, smothered in creamy gravy, served open face on texas toast. Everything was sub-par, even the BBQ sauce had been watered down.... we should have induced regurgitation and attempted to eat somewhere else.....anywhere else......so sad.....at least we have the memories....Our ultimate destination today is the mysterious unheard of town of Farmington, New Mexico... another convenient sleep stop on our way to sight seeing in Utah. We have 480 miles to drive through New Mexico, with a stop in Albuquerque. We left Amarillo, and Texas, shortly after our curtain call BBQ lunch in the doo-doo crusted Westgate Mall. We decided to detour into Albuquerque for sanity's sake, because seriously if you think Texas is empty, New Mexico is the King of open space. Don't get me wrong, it was very scenic, with lots of pretty rock formations and sand piles, etc....but there was nothing, no people, no towns, no Sonic.....nothing. Albuquerque was supposed to be something, but it too was pretty much your run-of-the-mill town, couple buildings, parks, and a square block called "old-town," with some adobe looking structures, a Mexican restaurant, and souvenir shops....at least I was able to get a keychain. We stayed 20 minutes, then back on Interstate 40, the old route 66, on our way to Farmington, NM.
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Amarillo, Texas, United States

Evan woke up a little early to do some laundry "the old fashion way," so he claims; soap and water in the shower, followed by a combination hot iron and blow dry technique. Needless to say, we had to lay his socks over the back seat for some additional drying during our drive.The only reason we drove to Lockhart Texas was because this is Mecca of BBQ in Texas. If there was one destination to travel too for the best BBQ possible, Lockhart is it. There are 4 different main locations that have some claim to fame, but we chose the seemingly most popular, Smitty's market. You enter the building and the smokey smell permeates your skin. You walk down a dark hall, passing a butchers room to the left, then into a large sitting room full of benches. One more set of doors takes you literally into the cooker, where you order your meats...by the pound, number (ribs), or basically by using some term of hand motion indicating size. The pit master slices the meat on the cutting board in the middle of the "pit," and slaps in on some butcher paper. You pay right there, according to the weigh, and then carefully transport your paper sleeve full of mouth-watering man fuel back to the sitting room. In there, you can select some side dishes, potato salad, beans...etc. Evan ordered 3 ribs, 1/4 lb of Lean (Pork Shoulder), and added some potato salad...he was having a light lunch. I order 3 ribs, 1/2 of Fat (brisket), and added a dill pickle and a diet coke (trying to be healthy). There is no sauce at Smitty's Market, because the meat is that good. We were skeptical, no BBQ sauce at a BBQ restaurant, but after 1 bite you realize it is completely irrelevant. We sat on a bench admiring the wall decorations seeming to span from the early 1900's to the present. We have a new number 1 BBQ restaurant, Smitty's market. No need to explain; it is the best, hands down. It was worth the trip, and will be worth the next. Go there, seriously. Our destination today is Amarillo, TX, more a stopping point than anything else, but we do have a place in mind for lunch tomorrow, which sadly will most likely be our last actual BBQ restaurant......tragic...... It is 550 miles, a nice 7-8 drive thru absolutely nothing.....Texas is truly full of nothing for 100's of miles. Did I mention that there is nothing. Don't get me wrong, the cities like Houston, San Antonio, etc are all nice I'm sure, but everywhere else is flat, grassy, and empty. There were stretches of time where we didn't even see another car for at least 30 to 40 minutes. We arrived in Amarillo at around 9:30, too late for any decent food, so we grabbed some A&W sandwiches, and a Sonic ice-cream blast (can you tell that we love Sonic), and went to figure out where were going to travel too next. Our motel smelled liked the french fry that you find in between your car seat 3 weeks after you thought you ate it.....pretty good.....no it actually smelled like cigarettes and fart (like it had been kept in a jar and released every time you open the door).
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San Marcos, Texas, United States

Downgraded to a Tropical Depression, Fey swept into Louisiana this morning. Some gusty winds and rain, nothing worse than a typical New England storm. We drove through the surrounding area of New Orleans, taking some photos of Katrina destroyed houses and businesses, as well as some beautiful large mansions. We really had no idea where to go, so we just drive in specific directions for a while, then turned and drove another direction for some time. We received a recommendation for lunch, Jacque Imo's in uptown, but unfortunately it was closed; thanks anyway Lauren! We settled on a roadside Po-Boy joint. I ordered the shrimp, Evan the catfish, each stuffed with lettuce, tomato, and pickles. These were standard, not really that good at all, but we were in a bit of a rush and couldn't wander around looking for other options. After lunch we hit the highway to Houston, our first stop on our way to our eventual destination, Lockhart Texas. We have to be in Las Vegas by Thursday night, and with sights to see each day until then (or in other words, food to eat) we have to make significant progress West each day. Technically, if we drove straight from Boston to Los Angeles, we would have made it today with the milage we have achieved, 2900+ miles.Houston was about 360 miles, 5.5 hours. At the recommendation of our friend and local Houston ambassador of fine foods, we headed to Bubba's Texas Burger Shack, located somewhere beneath the highway, home to real Buffalo burgers. It took us a couple extra minutes to find it, but we did, and a good thing too, because it was delicious. For those of you who don't know the nutritional value of buffalo as compared to beef, allow me to enlighten. 50% less fat 40% less calories40% more proteinleaner than both turkey and chickenbut 50% more stomach ache We each ordered a buffalo burger; Evan added bacon and a bottle of water, I added mushrooms, jack cheese, grabbed a bag of spicy creole tomato potato chips (spiked with tabasco) and a Dr. Pepper (recommended by the Don). I ended up with a slight ache in my belly. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the buffalo, but the fact that I ended up mixing 4 different hot sauces during the course of the meal......nothing a few tums can't fix. Great shack, good food, great time, overall rating 8.8; Thanks Kuba. 200 more miles to Lockhart, which is just outside Austin....although we might stop at Waffle house for a late night fried chicken and waffle snack...Update: So we did indeed need a snack at about 11:15PM, and luckily Sonic was only .3 miles away from the fabulous Comfort Inn, according to the GPS. A couple more burgers, fries, and shakes, and we should be able to hold out until tomorrows lunch date with bbq meats.We did reach the milestone of 3,000 miles, but we settled for a picture instead of a video this time.ROAD NOTES:Best Radio Slogan: Rock 106.3 FM - We don't play Christina Aguilera.......but we'd still do her.Best Road Billboard: It's a small world....I know...I made it. - GodHonorable Mention: Laser Hair Removal 1-800-R-U-HAIRYNew Top Speed set in Texas: 102MPH (I don't think we can go any faster with all the extra weight........My stuff, you jerks, not our fat asses...)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leoj89/1/1219532400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leoj89/1/1219532400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leoj89/1/1219532400/tpod.html Sun, 24 Aug 2008 02:40:03 -0400 Spectacular Cross-Country BBQ Adventure Extravaganza-Palooza

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New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

We were late checking out of our motel this morning, and the housekeeping lady came knocking every five minutes. Even after I told her we were staying an extra hour, which we already confirmed with the front desk, yet she came back again and again, even opening the door once while I was putting on some shorts. I should have charged her for the show, then thrown her off the balcony......no, I wouldn't do that, but I did scream at her thru the door at least 38 times for her to just leave us be.We drove back to Beale street for a keychain and a day photo, then on to Rendezvous Charcoal Ribs for lunch. The entrance is down an alley, and the restaurant is situated in the basement. The specialty, obviously, is ribs. We were seated quickly and served complimentary red beans and rice (with sausage). Again, we were so happy to see delicious bowls of food that we forgot to take a picture before piggy 1 and piggy 2 inhaled the bowls. For lunch I ordered a full slab of ribs (came with slaw and beans), Evan ordered a half slab and pork shoulder. The rib meat was very tasty, these are charcoal ribs and you could taste the additional flavors. The rub (the seasoning; for those who are unfamiliar with the term) was absolutely incredible; so delicious. The sauce selections were regular and spicy, both decent. The combination of the dry rub and the spicy sauce was pure perfection. Rendezvous earned a 9.2 rating, taking the lead as the overall best BBQ thus far.We left Memphis at around 1:15PM; 400 miles to New Orleans, Louisiana. It was a straight shot South, through the entire state of Mississippi, so boring, nothing at all to see. We passed through Jackson, which was enough to say we were there, no offense to anyone from or affiliated with Jackson. However, like I said yesterday, this was going to be the last day of West-less travel, in which we make no progress toward Southern Cali. 6 hours later, we arrived in downtown New Orleans. We scored a place to stay right in the center of it all. We decided it would be worth it to spend a little extra and stay close to the action. We headed down to Bourbon street, only a 5 minute walk. Our initial impression; just like Memphis, but bigger and sleazier. Instead of just 3 blocks, Bourbon street is like 8 blocks with loads of bars, clubs, restaurants, souvenir shops, and gentleman's clubs (strip bars). The other noticeable difference was that is stank, horribly, like trash and throw-up...but I guess you get used to it after a while. We took a lap up and back, pushing through the throngs of people, enjoying the various songs coming from different bands in all directions, as well as the basically naked strippers trying to persuade people to come into the clubs. Next to each girl stood an old scraggly beared man with a cane. You can paint your own picture. We decided on a side street to find some Cajun Cookin'. We ate at Oceana. It specializes in typical New Orleans dishes, which I suppose most places down here do, but it looked decent enough. Our meal began with a couple glasses of Jack Daniels, a tribute, if you will, to the man we learned so much about the previous day, and some alligator sausage. Evan ordered the "Taste of New Orleans," a trio of local flavors, red beans and rice, Jambalaya with sausage, and crawfish gumbo. I ordered "the special", blackened tuna stuffed with a crab crake, smothered in a creole crawfish cream sauce, with Jambalaya on the side. For dessert we had bread pudding. Everything was fantastic. We have nothing to compare it too, but it was awesome all the same. We rated it a 7.5 for a random restaurant near Bourbon street, assuming that if we had more time here we could smoke out the real cajun home cooking. After dinner, we strolled up and down Bourbon street, finally deciding to grab a seat in a jazz bar and enjoy some music. I got a quick clip of the band, even though I wasn't supposed to take video (the singer even tells me to stop taping mid-song..haha) The music was great, better than the cover bands playing everywhere else. But the 1 drink per set rule was annoying so we left after 1. It was getting late and we head west tomorrow. Texas should be interesting, and will take us at least 2 days to cover. Adios amigos.
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Memphis, Tennessee, United States

The drive to Memphis was about 200 miles. We arrived around 8:30ish to drop off our stuff and head downtown...it was Friday night.....we had no idea what to expect. It was a 8 minute drive to the city center, and when we arrived we discovered a massive block party on the famous Beale Street. We thought that is must have been a festival or something, but apparently this is every weekend night in Memphis. 3 blocks closed to car traffic, with police barriers set up around the perimeter. But once inside, it was one huge party. Bars and restaurants lined the colorful blocks. Live bands were rocking outdoor patios and bar stages left and right. The bars all had windows facing the street out of which they sold beer and liquor. You can drink on the streets!! There were tons of people out and about, dancing, performing, drinking, singing; everybody having a great time. What an awesome place. We walked around for a little before finding our pre-determined eatery. DYERS, and burger joint on Beale Street, where they deep fry the burger and buns in the same grease they have used since 1912 (believe it). Deep fried hamburgers with pickles and mustard..... unbelievable. The meat melted when you bit it, so it was good thing we ordered doubles. You leave the restaurant smelling like the fryer, which in my opinion is a plus. I think we will both go to sleep in our clothes just to keep the smell around. Dyer's earned a 8.8 overall rating, but will by far win the best burger for sure.After dinner we spent a couple hours meandering around Beale street, listening to the live bands, having some "Big Ass Beers" and watching the locals. What a fantastic place, certainly one to come back and enjoy properly. Long drive tomorrow, another turning point; it will be the last day of driving that DOESN'T actually get us closer to California. I just burped, and now all I can think about it breakfast....we have a problem.......
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Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Huntsville Alabama = great time; thanks Wesley!! We left around mid-morning, but not before we did a WEIGH IN update. First, to note, this is a different scale than previously used, and the air pressure/density had also changed.Evan weighed in at 159lbs, a DECREASE of 1.5 lbs.I (Joel) weighed in at 183lbs, a DECREASE of 2 lbs.So, go figure....who knows why we are losing weight, I mean we are doing a lot of walking and sweating in 95 degree heat...but you have all seen what we put our stomachs through. Either way, so far Evan is in the lead with a gain of -1.5 lbs. Less walking, more eating.....Our first destination was the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg Tennessee (only 50 miles), but before we arrived, we stopped at Whitt's roadside BBQ stand for lunch . We were so excited to eat that we forgot to take a picture until we were almost finished. These were the softest, most delicious ribs we have had yet. Everything else, the sauces, sides, pulled pork, etc were all mediocre, but judging purely on rib induced orgasims, so far it was the Jenna Jameson of BBQ. Witts earned at satisfactory 7.9 overall rating, HOWEVER, for ribs only, it earned about a 9.6.Only 15 miles to Jack Daniel's country. I felt the warmth in my cockles as we drew close. It is the oldest registered distillery in the United State, established in 1866 by a then 13-year-old Jack. To this day, the distillery produces the entire world supply of Old # 7 Whiskey . The irony, Lynchburg is a dry town - so thay can't actually sell any of it locally. The tour was amazing, and free, and left us wondering why Whiskey wasn't part of the suggested daily nutritional diet.After our liquor wonderland adventure we drove 60 miles north to Nashville, home to the country music hall of fame, grand ole opry, the Predators (NHL) and the Titans (NFL). About 30 miles into this leg Evan wouldn't shut up about the fact that we were losing weight, and was completely convinced that adding periodic milkshakes stops would help our cause. So, we veered off the highway and pulled into Steak'n'Shake (Southern Fast Food - but with a kitchen). We order a milkshake each , but then decided to get a steak burger with lettuce, tomato and grilled onions! See Christine and Andrea, we are eating vegetables too (albeit sandwiched between fried meat and processed cheese). Fantastic, and we'd certainly be ready for more hamburgers for dinner.In Nashville , we did a quick drive-thru tour, snapping some photos . We parked for 20 minutes to walk around and to look at the downtown area, which although small looked fun. 30 minutes and we were back on the highway heading toward Memphis, our dinner and night destination. We hit another milestone during the last leg of today's trip, you can watch it on the video, but be warned, Evan was not prepared.
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Huntsville, Alabama, United States

I woke up with my clothes on and with a piece of chili stuck to my upper lip; it was still delicious in the morning. Evan's bed was covered with a confetti of malox wrappers and smalls crumbs of fruity tums. We headed into downtown Atlanta to see the World of Coca-Cola , the centennial Olympic park , and the Georgia Aquarium (the largest in the world) . We spent about 4 hours walking around, which was probably a good thing, exercise that is. The coke tour was semi-interesting, the tasting room was the highlight, although 90% of the flavors were disgusting. We left Atlanta at about 3:30PM, our destination; Huntsville, Alabama. Evan has a good friend from college who lives in Huntsville, so we are going to crash at her new house . It was about 225 miles, 3.5 hours. However, we passed the Eastern/Central time line, meaning we gained an hour back. We met Wesley, our host, at her house for a quick tour , then proceeded to Dreamland BBQ....it was exactly what the name implies. The menu is on the wall, but you sit at a table, enveloped in thick, sweet smoke from the massive smoker and oven . The appetizer is 6 slices of wonder bread served with piping hot Dreamland BBQ sauce (which is by far the best tasting sauce we've had) We ordered a full rack of ribs , an 8 oz pulled pork open face sandwich (with pickles), a pint of macaroni and cheese, 1/2 pint of potato salad, a crock of Brunswick stew , and a couple beers. The food arrived instantaneously and we gorged . Everything was delicious, the portions were not huge, but the meat and sauce were fantastic. ....so there we were....leaving Dreamland with a yearning for more......so what do we see literally on the next block....SONIC (America's Drive-In).....we had to go.........we pulled into our drive-in spot for some dessert, fried ice cream blasts.....why eat more you say??? .... why not!!! It was a perfect compliment to our pile of meat, and we needed to try SONIC. We were excited, just watch the video . For those who don't know, the lovely woman driver is Wesley, our host. For the rest of the night we decided that in anticipation for our trip to the Jack Daniel's Distillery, we would enjoy a bottle in an actual home, not motel, with someone we actually knew (the first one in 5 days....
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