SOUTH BOUND
October 7, 2024“I got to get away, got to get away
Got to, got to …”
(Rolling Stones, 1965)
I’ve got to get away to create my photographs. Sometimes it’s for a few days, other times a few months. However long, I’ve got to get away. For my sanity.
I wanted to get away for two weeks this September. I started planning a road trip through the south. Bethesda MD to Kitty Hawk NC, Fayetteville and Columbia SC, then on to Greenville NC, a swing over to Chattanooga TN, then on to Greensboro NC, Charlottesville VA and back home. I started looking at the driving times between the destinations and experienced PSTD-lite flashbacks of my Canadian road trip two years ago. Hours and hours in the car, in traffic, eating away at the time I wanted to spend exploring. After the shakes subsided, I revised the itinerary to a ten day excursion. It being September, I was confident this was going to be a great trip. I fully embraced my glass-half-full approach to life and assured myself of pristine skies and cooler temperatures, perfect for photography. You’d think at my age I would know better, but, well, no.
Kitty Hawk. A great lunch of Coconut Shrimp but low, grey cloud cover.
Fayetteville. This was an overnight on the way to Columbia SC. I didn’t have much in mind in the way of photography.
Columbia. Visited a good friend for two days. Some photography downtown and a great dinner at a Thai place in Lexington.
Greenville. Clouds, mist and rain for two days. Frustrating, however a terrific lunch at the Oyster House of exquisite crab hush puppies and Shrimp Louie salad.
Greensboro. More rain, more mist, with a few breaks in the clouds. Disappointing spare ribs, in North Carolina no less, made the day a downer. After one day, a long drive home to Bethesda.
For largest display, click on the image.
My ten day trip ended up being seven. The combination of the poor weather and the constant change of locations was wearing. I am going back to my other travel model, at least two weeks in the same spot, enough time to explore and feel like I belong there.