West bound and into a ghost town.

On today’s edition of Tookish Travels, Brandon and I take our first Roadkill inspired road trip to the mountains of North Carolina

 

and

 

SPOILER ALERT…it’s a complete success.

 

Take a look!!

*****

 

Now we’ve been talking cars since we met because a) he’s a car guy and b) literally everything he drives is a conversation starter!

So, when I noticed what I would later refer to as “junk yard magic” (thanks to David Freiburger) in my neighborhood, I knew Brandon could help me identify it.

It didn’t take long for me to start asking car related questions…especially about the older ones, because I am a just a HUGE fan of getting to know other people’s interests and I have a deep appreciation for older, sometimes rustic, neat looking, nostalgia inducing things.

A few weeks after I noticed the Plymouth Fury above, and gladly consumed every re-build video Brandon would send me…I received my first episode of the show Roadkill. It was Episode 4, the Extreme Elco Engine Swap and I adored IT!!!! Having almost zero real car knowledge aside, I was hooked, BIG TIME and the pup in this one didn’t hurt either!

Yes, I know it’s TV but if David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan can do anything, it’s make me laugh hysterically and feel a little bit better about just getting out there and trying stuff without feeling like it’d be the end of the world to, possibly, F-up…and I began to see why I was being sent these videos 🙂

Episode 4, led to Ep 23, which led to Ep 31…AHHHHHH…that’s the one where they get to comb through 75 acres of junkyard and I see Freiburger with his camera for the first time. I thought to myself…”that’s brilliant”.

Episode 18 was the one that sealed the deal for me…I absolutely love that, above all, these guys have FUN in every single episode. So, before I pushed play on the episode that started it all, I sent Brandon a text that said “that’s it!!!! I want a long road trip with potential for junkyard magic!! I think it’d be a great photography project!”.

I had NO idea that I would get my wish the very next day…but someone else did 😉

 

*****

Our version of something a kin to a Roadkill Ep, because Brandon has all the actual car knowledge/skill and I am just an enthusiastic helper with a camera.

It was forecasted to rain (and we’d be driving into it), we were under a particular set of rules given the current national situation (meaning very little opportunity for food/beverage, socializing and even less chance of an open restroom) and our ride wouldn’t have working windshield wipers…Yep! We were starting out perfectly.

Vicki

Our ride for the day was this, full of character, custom built beauty, appropriately named 2006 Crown Victoria police car with a ’75 Ford F100 body, built by Brandon.

We all know by now that I am not the expert here BUT given that she has the seats and dash from the car, I think she rides pretty great and I actually preferred her rumbling while Brandon and I talked to being able to hear the music 😀

 

About an hour into our drive, we hit a little magic just inside the Shelby, NC, city limit and we pulled in. I am not traditionally bold when it comes to my photography (I get nervous and chicken out of many, many opportunities) and was instantly grateful to have someone with me that both knows these kind of places and enjoys encouraging me in my craft.

L&L U Pull It had just what we were looking for, and it was in the front lot!!!

Now, please be aware that if we had gone in to explore, we would have never reached our destination. I spend hours in antique malls, hours…I can’t even imagine letting myself loose in one of these places (you know, where you can’t really break anything).

 

Stories and conversation are a big part of the Roadkill episodes and this trip wasn’t lacking in either of those as a large part of my Mom’s side of the family lived in the areas we drove through and Brandon did come racing around the corner from where we captured our first finds.

 

It only took about an hour more to reach our destination but that didn’t stop us from taking a break to stretch our legs at a covered bridge and for me to get a shot of Vicki under the pines.

 

Our destination, this trip, was Chimney Rock Village, where you are greeted upon entry by Lake Lure and roll on to a State Park and Hickory Nut Falls Campground. The surreal but “beautiful in it’s own way” part was that no one was around. I don’t think I’ve ever been to this area and not been stuck in the traffic the tourism brings. It provided an opportunity for photos that I’ll never be able to get again.

We were able to find a parking space close to about the only place we’d be able to get lunch and we jumped out to explore the riverside.

After exploring the river for a bit, we were hungry and we finished the short walk back through town and ordered some burgers!!!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

It’s very out of character for me but I hardly had my phone on me during this trip so, alas, I didn’t take a selfie by the cars, rocks, or of the SUPER delicious food (next time though, for sure). The only thing missing during this stop was a beer and would you believe that neither one of us thought to ask for it!?!?! Lol

We were in and then we were out. Aside from physically staying at home, we managed to be socially distanced the entire day (except when ordering food, of course) and found ourselves on the road back home about 45min after we arrived.

The trip back was a bit more quiet…it’s amazing how tired riding can make a person BUT it was just as fruitful as the drive up.

On a country highway, we found a small yard with some BIG treasures in it!

 

AND Brandon absolutely HAD TO turn around so that we could grab a photo of a tractor that we passed, once we both, almost simultaneously, said it looked like a “cow” from the Cars movies 😀

There were a couple more detours but that’s for another post, or maybe just us, who knows…

All in all, WE MADE IT safely back to our neck of the woods, using only about 3/4 of a tank of gas and having no need for the wipers!!! Now, that’s a little less drama than Freiburger and Finnegan usually have but I think they would be totally down for the rumble of Vicki on the Interstate, the way she handles mountain curves (and the condition of the roads in general), our drivetime shenanigans and the overall spirit of the trip…or at least we hope so, as we find them great inspiration for road trips.

And just today, I realized that one episode of Roadkill is just enough time to get a heck of an Elliptical workout in and since I’m still on the early episodes, that’s a LOT of work to put in.

The bright side!? Maybe by the time I’m completely caught up, I’ll be ready to find a piece of junkyard magic of my very own and, just maybe, Brandon will help me make it operational 😀

 

Hey, a girl can dream 😀 😉 😀

~CC