Road Trip To Texas - Days 1 & 2

Full of childish excitement Evan and I packed up his dad's Hyundai and set off to pick up Hongi before setting off south. The plan was to set off on Thursday and drive overnight as to miss the traffic in and around New York, New Jersey, and DC. It didn't exactly go to plan as within 30 miles we were stuck in traffic, the only traffic jam in the whole trip. Not only were we stuck in traffic, but we were also heading in the wrong direction. Evan's idea to go it alone at the wheel instantly hitting a brick wall. This was when we added another companion to the trip, phoney. Phoney told us which turns to take and did so in a very eloquent voice. So we have an American (Evan), a German (Hongi), an Englishman (Me), and now a Korean (Samsung Phoney) in the car.

After pulling over in a car park in Manassas for the night we continued our journey. Silly me thought that because we were heading south there was no need for long trousers or a thick blanket. It was bloody freezing in that car with my thin little rag of a blanket. Not the best nights sleep I've ever had. Driving around the town on the way out was very picturesque and noticeably very clean.

Manassas Town Centre

Wikipedia

In July 1861, the First Battle of Manassas – also known as the First Battle of Bull Run – the first major land battle of the American Civil War, was fought near here. Manassas commemorated the 150th anniversary of First Battle of Manassas July 21–24, 2011. Second Battle of Manassas (or the Second Battle of Bull Run) was fought near here on August 28–30, 1862. At that time, Manassas Junction was little more than a railroad crossing, but a strategic one, with rails leading to Richmond, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Shenandoah Valley. Despite these two Confederate victories, Manassas Junction was in Union hands for most of the war. The crossroads grew into the town of Manassas following the war, incorporated in 1873. In 1892, it became the county seat of Prince William County, replacing Brentsville, Virginia. In 1975, Manassas became an independent city. In modern times, Manassas' development has been strongly influenced by its position as a suburb of Washington, D.C.

On Top Of The World

As we made our way further south we approached the Blue Ridge Mountains. Deciding to take the scenic route we paid the toll and made our way through the mountains at 35mph. The Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for their bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the "blue" in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the characteristic haze on the mountains and their distinctive color. At first the mountains are stunning, although I bet that they are even more

Massive Icicles

 so when the trees and flowers are in bloom. For now the trees were bare and snow dusted the ground. With hundreds of viewpoints to stop at, it wasn't long until we started to pass the majority of them. There is only a certain amount of times you can look down into valleys of woodlands before you get a little bored. We decided to pull over and have a little walk down the footpath to find the waterfall labelled on the map. As we stepped out of the car the first sign of Evan's transformation into a redneck southerner came to the surface. Standing with straw in the mouth he noticed a skunk burrowing in the distance, his way of alerting Hongi and I was to mumble, "Dun lucka dat little mutha ---- ova there." I put gaps between the words now, but there was definitely no gaps when he said it, it was just one long word.

Man Conquers Nature

As we headed on down the path it was tricky to stay on our feet as the snow had turned to thick ice, pushing Hongi became a great source of entertainment. As we got closer to the waterfall the rocks around us had huge icicles dangling from them, I can't say I've ever seen bigger. I relived an old childhood tradition of snapping them and sucking it like an ice lolly. I didn't remember however how cold they are to hold, I must have been wearing mittens as a kid. Reaching the waterfall there is a big sign that alerts us to the fact that we shouldn't stray from the path nor should we walk on the rocks. This is the time where Evan decides that he can't read as he trots off jumping from rock to rock at the top of the waterfall to get a better look as Hongi and I made our way to the bottom. 

Heading off back on the road it became very monotonous as we traveled over 100 miles at 35 mph along the twisting turning road with nothing but leafless trees for company. Mr Sun tried his hardest to kill us all by making us fall asleep but despite gaining victory over Hongi and I, he couldn't break down Evan as we made our way to Asheville and the cheapest motel in the area; well according to the guy behind the desk but he would say that wouldn't he?