in the POD - winding our way through Tennessee

somewhere in Tennessee.

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Heading south out of Knoxville this morning we decided to stay far off the well traveled highways on our way through Georgia and into Florida. We traveled mostly on State Highway 411 through Tennessee skirting the foothills of the Smokey Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest. Early morning was beautiful as we passed through thickly shaded rural areas nestled deep in small, damp valleys. The morning fog was just lifting as the sun, peeking over the hill, lit the air. These rural areas were both spectacular in their remoteness and beauty and yet - a bit sad at the same time. The area was populated by small wooden houses that really were like shacks, seemingly held up by sheer will alone, and then just a few turns in the road later - acres, of what used to be farmland, filled with brick trophy homes. For the most part - most of our drive through the small towns and communities was very pleasant - and I for one always relish the opportunity to get off the highway and take in what is offered up to us - visually. Tim was much more upset by it than I was - probably the myriad of Trump signs that we saw. I have yet to process it - but my optimist self tells me that I need to understand all the stories and stay strong.

So.... on a lighter note..... last night in Knoxville - which is yet another city that is definitely worth a second look! NOT that we were hungry or even needed to eat another thing till maybe-  next week...... We did, however, have three BBQ places on our option list that we needed to explore.
I picked Sweet P's Downtown Dive, based on reading a combo of Yelp and Trip Advisor reviews.....

Sweet P's - right by the train tracks.

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Sweet P's combo plate with three sides

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Order and pick up at the self serve counter, find a table or a high top in the small bar area and order a few beers. Friendly atmosphere, mid 80's funk playing on the sound system and the young people at the bar were great fun to talk to. We split a combo plate of pulled pork, 1/2 rack of ribs, 2 slices of brisket, and three sides; cole slaw, mac and cheese and green beans. The brisket was not perfect - we still had the burnt ends from the other night in our minds and this was definitely not even close. The pulled pork was good - dry and tender -  but less than memorable. The ribs, however, were fantastic! Really flavorful, smokey and quite tasty. First ribs we had sampled so it was nice to have them be so good. Sides were all fine - with a stand out mac and cheese.

And because serendipity always seems to work in our favor... there was a distillery just up the block from the BBQ joint! Crazy!  Knox Whiskey Works is a small batch distillery that makes ALL of their product out of 100% Tennessee corn. We sampled 2 flights in order to try all of their offerings and they were all, surprisingly, really good. Unfortunately, they were all out of their first batch of bourbon - which had sold out in 4 days!!!  

Knox Whiskey Works

a few of the offerings

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We ended the day in  Jasper, FL eating all our BBQ leftovers from the last few days. Still delicious and allowing us to relive the moments and the places. 

Makes me smile.

We head to Pine Island, FL tomorrow. 

Friends. 

in the POD - BBQ for breakfast?

Bonnie Blue Southern Market and Bakery

Winchester, VA

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Only 24 hours into this drive I shouldn't say that we found our favorite place already .... but I will say that we have decided to make this restaurant a stop on our return north just so we can eat here again!! Besides the fact that this place is AMAZINGLY adorable ( - a redone old gas station!), the interior was charming and quirky, and all the people were friendly and pleasant - our breakfast was truly DELICIOUS!
No, we did not have BBQ for breakfast (insert semi-sad face here) which is one of the reasons we want to come back. As we arrived this morning at 9 a.m. they were just getting the large smokers out back heated up - and they were already smelling great!

one of the smokers on the side of the restaurant

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Inside there were large farm tables to share and counters lining the walls. The BBQ menu was written high above the bakery counter and although it looked great we did feel that we should stay on the morning side of eating - besides, good BBQ deserves a beer and even I could not give us a dispensation this early with 7 hours of driving ahead of us!!

Bonnie Blue Homemade pickles and locally made "Cheerwine" 

for sale.

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Front counter and bakery

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I opted for the "Happy Sailor" - House smoked kielbasa, 2 eggs, biscuit and fried local apples. The kielbasa was drop dead awesome deliciousness. Peppery, rich and complex! (so wish I had a beer ....) The fried apples were perfectly cooked on the inside and just crunchy enough on the outside - what a great idea! 

....and of course a red feather Christmas tree!

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Tim had the "Amazing Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy". Two biscuits covered in housemade sausage gravy with an overly generous side of cheese grits. Tim loved his breakfast choice noting that the sweet sausage had just enough pepper and the biscuits were, in fact, amazing. The grits were delicious and seemed to be a mix of both white and yellow corn.


Winchester, VA is a beautiful little city! Established @ 1750 the historic Old Town area is filled with large and small Georgian, Italianate, and Victorian style architecture. We are already looking forward to our return for a little more exploring, what we expect to be great BBQ, stocking up on those pickles, and trying some of the great looking bakery that was offered!

Next stop - Knoxville, TN

in the POD - on the road again!

 somewhere on the road

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Today's sky is reflecting the slate grey pavement in front of us,

white lines point out our direction.

Enclosed within this quiet world

we look to each other for the color of adventure.

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Yes. We are finally back in the POD! Our refuge, our escape. Looking forward to 4 weeks on the road visiting both new and familiar places. Planning to take our time, eat lots of BBQ along the way, unwind and unplug, and mix in just enough history to keep it interesting! Recharge.

We will be making our routine stop at Dietrich's Meats and Country Store in Pennsylvania to pick up a special treat - bone in pork loin - to cook on the spit for New Years Eve. And then .... our first (of many) stops for BBQ along our month long route. The plan is to sample all the regional varieties, compare, enjoy and wash it down with great local beer!

And thus, we begin. Dinner at Hempen Hill BBQ in Hagerstown, MD. A relatively large establishment - maybe 100 seats - located @ 2 miles off of Interstate 81. The place was very busy (on a tuesday eve after xmas!) and we sat at the almost full bar. Great selections of beers on tap, BBQ, and other pub style items. I had a Barley and Hops Winter Lager, a microbrewery out of Frederick, MD. Terrific! Great barley flavor with a modicum of hops - a rich and full bodied seasonal brew. Tim had the Flying Fish Baltic Porter, from a brewery in New Jersey. Very dark, creamy with a flavor of roasted malts and a hint of chocolate. Yum!

For dinner, Tim had the Tuesday night special - "burnt ends" of smoked brisket. He was quite the happy camper! Large chunks, crispy, smokey and flavorful!!

I had the 2 meat plate - smoked sausage and "pit" beef, which is smoked prime rib done rare, sliced thin, and then tossed into an au jus just before serving. Never had anything like that before in the BBQ world .... and it was really, really delicious.

Of course we shared it all and there were ample leftovers for us to take with us.... in case we can't find another BBQ stop between here and Florida! ;)

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FYI - The sun did eventually come out as we drove south ........ blue skies ahead!