Golden Bat-terred Chicken

Kentucky - home of a certain recipe of fried-chicken. Strange then that we found it to be decidedly lacking in the poultry department, yet still full of things to do in the one day that we spent in the State of "unbridled spirit".

We left Nashville and Tenessee behind and headed on into our latest state, and within an hour spotted our first place of interest on the highway. The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. We felt slightly guilty pulling up outside in a Ford Mustang, and were very impressed with the "Corvette Only" parking bays outside the front door. The owners of these cars had more priority than disabled drivers! Inside we were greeted by a plethora of beautiful vehicles, all given the utmost care and attention in their lifetimes. It was well worth stopping off and viewing a slice of history about America's only real sports car.

Back on the road, and the Interstate took us along some surprisingly beautiful roads cut through rock and forest. A running theme throughout the trip so far has been my ability to come across road-works whenever I take a shift behind the wheel - and today was no exception. However, unlike the UK, this presents no real delay in travelling time, as everyone still pootles along at 65MPH.

Another hour into the drive and we noticed on the map that we were running pretty close to Fort Knox. Pulling up alongside the Army Base that encloses it, it became clear that there was no intention by the US Government to make this a tourist attraction. You can only pull up outside the base for 5 minutes at a time, and there are no guided tours. So it was a case of pull up, take a few clicks on the camera, and then push on. So we did.

Into the afternoon, and the change in timezone back from Central Time to Eastern brought us to Louisville on the Indiana border. Adam was determined to head into the city and buy himself a baseball bat from the Slugger Museum. We parked up in a rather empty car park and walked up to pick up his stick. Now, it was at this point that we realised that we were pretty hungry. "No worries" we thought, "we're in Kentucky, we'll just find some chicken somewhere". This was not to be, as the city had a dearth of eateries of any kind, let alone one that would provide us with breaded-winged-creatures. Nevertheless, we made it to the Museum to buy Adam's personalised bat, that he's going to attempt to fit into his luggage on the journey home. We walked back to the car, and could take the hunger no longer. We made for the only eatery we could find - a White Castle. I say this now in the vain effort to prevent anyone ever going to one. AVOID LIKE THE BUBONIC PLAGUE - it was god awful. My burger tasted like a shepherds pie had been shoved into a small white bap. Horrid, horrid, horrid! And we were so looking forward to some chicken too! Still, at least the bat was cool....



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Now playing: Elvis Presley - Kentucky Rain
via FoxyTunes

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM KENTUCKY & TENNESEE HERE

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM FORT KNOX AND THE SLUGGER HERE

Hit the Road Jack

Atlanta was swell, but we had to leave our swanky hotel behind and hit the road once again to the small unchanging township of Lynchburg Tennesee.

After the drive from Daytona to Atlanta we knew the mere 196 miles from Atlanta to Lynchburg would be a walk in the park. We settled in easily and found the scenery quite beautiful as the road wound slowly through mountains that were clearly in the planners way when they were laying the I25. Massive rents in the earth through dense forested areas was the scenic backdrop to the first leg of our journey. Looking like something out of a videogame it was hard to believe it was made by man, such was the scale. As we got further north and the road rose up we got some amazing views and our first hint of just how the roads seem to stretch on forever.

The contrasting colours of the deep greens of the trees and the stark blue and white of the sky was something to marvel at... though not while driving.

Before we knew it we were in Tenessee and the kinds of middle America we always thought of came into view. As the multi-nationals, gas stations and towering advertising boards dissapeared into our rear view mirror. We knew our goal was close. Lynchburg as they say isn't the type of place you "pass through" on your way to somewhere else. It's so far off the beaten path, it's either your destination or your lost.


We pulled into the oldest registered distillery in the U.S. we were, to say the least a little excited. We arrived just in time for one of the 50 minute guided tours of the premises and were greeted by a portly, country gent named David. We learned that the water is filtered through limestone found only in the local area and is a major part of what makes Jack Daniel's No.7
what it is.

All the Corn, Barley and Rye are form in and around the local states which, according to Mr Jack, was the best grain in the country. Through massive towering copper stills they make the neat Whiskey which is as clear as water. Then onto the 'mellowing' process, where the whiskey is passed through 10ft of charcoal made onsite at the distillery. The company cares so much, that it even manufactures the barrels by hand in which to age the whiskey in. This is how the whiskey get's its flavour and colour.

Needless to say we were both taken aback by the whole process and really enjoyed the tour, it was a shame that it was Sunday, as we were unable to purchase any onsite on the day. We would fix that the very next morning. Any Jack Daniels sold ANYWHERE in the world all comes from the beatuiful, quiet and unchanged town of Lynchburg right out of the stills and barrels we walked past that very day. It made us feel proud to have experienced it. You can to by going down the local Wine Rack and buying yourself a bottle. I just got $20 for saying that.



We left the atypical small American town of Lynchburg with some wicked souvenirs, a tear in our eye and a need to get some good old fashioned sippin whiskey inside us. Through the rolling hills of Moore county and up to Nashville we passed corrals and stud farms the size of which we could not fathom, i mean they just filled the surrounding countryside, horizon to horizon.



We went for a stroll through Nashville upon arriving and had some seriously tasty burgers at Bailey's bar on Broadway and listened to piped country and western music as we walked through town. Our hotel was nothing to write home about, not after the sheer opulence that was the Doubletree in Atlanta, so i'm not about to write about it here. 'nuff said.

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Now playing: Thin Lizzy - Whisky In The Jar
via FoxyTunes

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM LYNCHBURG HERE

Georgia on My Mind

It's been a couple of days since our last Blog Entry, but in that time we've achieved quite a lot. We've covered around 1000 miles, and headed up through Georgia, and spent some time in Atlanta.

When we left Daytona, we knew we were in for maybe our longest drive of the entire trip. We started on our journey away from Florida - home of the orange - and up into Georgia - home of the peach. Leaving at around 10am, it was around seven and a half hours till we reached our hotel - The Doubletree - just North West of Atlanta. In that time we covered around 600 miles, and listened to numerous compliation CDs. But the funniest part was when Adam got into the hotel room and realised that he'd managed to miss a couple of bits on his forehead with the suntan lotion, and ended up with two rather silly red marks.












The hotel was a great place, with friendly staff - in particular Cameron on the bar, who kept us well stocked on Coronas the two nights we stayed there. They pointed us in the direction of a great steak house called Houston's just around the corner. When we arrived there we momentarilly thought we were the victims of a car-jacking - until we realised it was just the valet-parking! Anyway, we moved inside, and were greeted at the bar by a women serving Newcastle Brown Ale!!!! We were led to our table, and found that they had misspelled Adam's name on the booking, and called him Swine-house! The food in this place was out of this world - possibly one of the nicest steaks I've ever had was served to us, and we were rather pleased when the valet told us there is another one in Santa Monica. Something tells me we'll be heading there in a couple of weeks.

The next day, after being told to hop onto the number 10 bus to downtown Atlanta, we took the number 12 instead, and ended up seeing rather more of the city than we'd anticipated. Anyway, eventually we arrived at the Centenial Olympic Park (which was rather fantastic) and looked outside the three major tourist attractions in the area to dicipher which would be most accessible at short-notice. The World of Coca-Cola and the Aquarium (reportedly the largest in the world) were completely rammed, so we headed into the CNN building, which is unlike anything you would expect from a TV Headquarters (Phil - take note of the following). The lobby area filled full of food outlets and shops, and there was a hotel off to one side. It was bustling with people, but thankfully we were able to make it onto the tour of building. It was a brief 55 minute look at the world of CNN, but was pretty good value at $12 per head.












Anyway, after a couple of days in Georgia, it was time to head into our third State of the trip - Tenessee - which is one for Mr Swinhoe to tell you all about.

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Now playing: Ray Charles - Georgia on My Mind
via FoxyTunes

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM ATLANTA HERE

Gentlemen - Start Your Engines!!

We've realised that there are two important things that you have to do when you stay in Daytona.

Firstly, you must take advantage of the excellent beach that the city has to offer. One of the best things about it is the fact that you are free to drive up and down the beach in a car at a mere cost of $5. We were very tempted take the Mustang to the sands this morning, however we felt there'd be a more fun, if slightly more pricey way of enjoying the sensation of motoring on the beach. We rented a golf cart, and went pootling down the dunes at 10mph, avoiding slightly portly Floridians and their kids.


After this little jaunt, Adam obviously felt some strange compulsion to join these chaps in their portly-ness, and promptly ordered a Chili-Cheese-Dog from a beach vendor. MMMmmmmmmm!

So, after this healthy lunch, we decided to head to the second of the two "must-see" attractions of Daytona - the world-famous International Speedway - home of the Daytona 500. Now, we can't pretend that we know a hell of a lot about NASCAR Racing, or much about any of the drivers save for ex-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya - however, that didn't stop us from enjoying the Speedway Tour enormously. It is an unbelievable venue - huge in scale, with great facilities. And the noise from the cars as the zip round the track is quite something. I have to say we may just have to tune in for the Daytona 500 early next year!













So, after a hectic day racing golf carts, and watching other's race NASCAR, Adam thought it best to get some more food (another chili-cheese-dog).... at Hooters!

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Now playing: Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
via FoxyTunes

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM DAYTONA HERE

Day One

I wish I could tell all you jealous people back home that we've had nothing but disaster since we got here.... but I'd be lying.

I honestly can't believe how smoothly things have gone since we left home at 9am yesterday. No delays at Gatwick, and we got upgraded to the Premium Economy service on Virgin Atlantic - which we were thoroughly impressed with. Champagne, some good movies, tasty food, and oodles of leg room - couldn't ask for anything more out of transatlantic flight really.

We arrived in Orlando about 15 mins ahead of schedule, and prepared ourselves for what we thought would be a long process at baggage claim, and then at US Customs. Imagine our joyous surprise when our bags were out first, and we got through Customs within 15 mins of getting off the plane with no probs whatsoever. Well, apart from the Customs Official thinking we were a gay couple.

Off to the car-rental desk we went, thinking our luck was going to run out, and we'd be lumbered with a Chrysler Sebring instead of a Mustang, and that they'd charge us loads of money for all the extras we didn't have included in our orginal quote. Our luck remained the same though, and we got the car we wanted, and the same reasonable rate we'd quoted over the phone 6 weeks ago. That'd be this one......


A brisk 90 min journey to Daytona Beach followed, with no probs at all. Adam found the car easy to drive, and it was a very smooth, comfortable vehicle to be a passenger in. Of course the gas-guzzling nature of the vehicle does mean that you can visibly see the fuel-gauge needle moving rapidly toward empty - but then again this is hardly the land of economising.



Anyway, we're at the Oceanside Hotel in Daytona, which is a perfectly acceptable place, with a very nice chap called Neil on reception, who arranged for a cab to take us to dinner at Hog's Heaven BarBQ - where Adam ate a rather large amount of chicken, and I had my first American Half-Pounder.


Now we're doing a bit of roaming on the beach, and will head off to a few bars later for some beers - life is just pretty damn great so far!



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Now playing: The Verve - Lucky Man
via FoxyTunes

Before the Beginning

So here we are on the day of departure. We're at Gatwick awaiting our flight, all full of breakfast and the news that we've been upgraded. Good start to the trip I say!






Onwards and upwards to Orlando we go!









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Now playing: The Coral - Goodbye
via FoxyTunes

Fast cars and running over little old ladies

So, Adam has been having an "exciting" last couple of days. Not content with losing one half of his drivers licence (the new one has arrived now), he's now taken the opportunity to get into trouble with the police twice this week.

First up, driving home in the early hours of the morn, he was spotted driving at a somewhat excessive speed by a couple of traffic cops. Obviously perturbed that someone would be going that quick in a small family hatchback, they decided to pull him over for a word in his shell-like. Thankfully for Mr Swinhoe, the 2 chaps had forgotten to bring their speed-gun on shift (which surely makes their job as traffic police somewhat redundant, not least because they claimed they were "looking for speeders"). So, without evidence of how fast he was going, they let him off with a warning.

So, what did lucky Adam decide to do next? Relax at home away from his car, and the temptation to break yet more traffic laws? No. Instead he set off in his car to pick up some odds and ends. Trouble was, when he'd picked up said items, he got back in his car, and promptly reversed into a little old lady out walking.

Now Adam, kind-hearted person that he is, did take the lady in question to hospital, and thankfully, she was perfectly ok. But again, he had to face the police, and report the incident.

I've now come to the conclusion that Adam is trying desperately hard to lose his licence before we leave for the States, therefore rendering our booking for the hire-car (which is in his name) completely irrelevant, as they wouldn't give it to a banned driver.

So, here's a open plea to him - get out and walk man!!!

Not-so-delicate preperation

So - 2 weeks to go, and you'd expect the trip to be intricately planned by now, yes? Well, not quite. You see, whilst we have planned a rough route across the Big Country, we haven't booked anything while we're out there, save for the first 2 nights accommodation on Daytona Beach. We just felt that half the adventure of the trip would come from the feeling of doing whatever the hell we want on a daily basis.

Problem is, that its started to have an effect on our overall attitude to the trip, in particular the details of what we need to have with us when we arrive Stateside. Now the obvious one is our tickets (check) and passport (check). Then there's the travel insurance (check) and the car-rental confirmation (check). So, along with a couple of large rucksacks full of clothes, toiletries, suntan lotion, and odour-eaters for Adam, you'd think we have everything pretty much covered. Turns out we haven't quite done everything we needed to do.

Yesterday I decided to buy myself a new wallet, as my old one was, well.... old, and full of holes. Anyway, upon transferring the contents of one wallet to another, I stumbled across my paper Counterpart Drivers Licence. "Oooo, I'm going to need that for the US trip" I thought to myself. Several hours passed until I realised that if I was surprised to find my paper licence, chances are Mr Swinhoe wouldn't have a clue where his was. So after sending him a text, I got a phonecall from a rather sleepy individual, and true to form, he'd lost it.








Now this is quite a big deal, as chances are Budget Rental - who are providing us with the Mustang - would only allow us to pick up the car with BOTH parts of our licence. Adam was straight onto the phone to the DVLA asking for a new licence at the princely sum of £17.50 (make sure you put that money to good use Mr Brown!!) Thankfully, they're sending one out to him first class in the post, but had we not thought about this sooner, it could have put a rather large hex on the whole trip.

Needless to say, I'm now thumbing over things in my head, to find out what else we've forgotten!