Travel – Mobile Granny

August 13, 2013August 26, 2024

If you’re gonna talk about locations in your song…

… make sure your geography is correct.

Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker has such a pretty melody… but it annoys me every time I hear it because it’s geographically wrong. You don’t go West from the Cumberland Gap to Johnson City, you go East. Or you go West TO the Cumberland Gap FROM Johnson City, TN.

Going south from Roanoke, you’d either take I81 (the song was written after the Interstate opened, but if you want to argue, in the pre-Interstate days, you’d take US11 South – the roads run side-by-side most of the way), and hit the Johnson city area then go west to the Gap. He clearly hitched a ride with the wrong trucker as US221 from Roanoke to Hillsville VA then east to Mt Airy NC and on to Raleigh would be the shorter route. Or even south on I81 to I77 (except parts of I77 weren’t open when the song was written) and hitch a ride with an east bound trucker…

Even if he took US58 or a similarly dinky road west from Roanoke through Southwest Virginia to the Gap, you’d still go East to get to Johnson City. Plus, it would be stupid to hitch a ride west when Raleigh is east….

“Walkin’ to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly
Had a nice long toke
But he’s a headed west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee ”

Full lyrics:

Headed down south to the land of the pines
And I’m thumbin’ my way into North Caroline
Starin’ up the road
Pray to God I see headlights

I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin’ me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I’m a hopin’ for Raleigh
I can see my baby tonight

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama any way you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

Runnin’ from the cold up in New England
I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time stringband
My baby plays the guitar
I pick a banjo now

Oh, the North country winters keep a gettin’ me now
Lost my money playin’ poker so I had to up and leave
But I ain’t a turnin’ back
To livin’ that old life no more

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama any way you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

Walkin’ to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly
Had a nice long toke
But he’s a headed west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee

And I gotta get a move on before for the sun
I hear my baby callin’ my name
And I know that she’s the only one
And if I die in Raleigh
At least I will die free

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama any way you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

September 19, 2010August 26, 2024

Monarch migration

We’re on our way to the Asheville area to see monarchs by the thousands… we decided to go all the way down the BRP from Charlottesville Va. In the area of Arnold Valley overlook (3510 elevation), we found hundreds of monarchs (and some hawks) migrating. We should see thousands over the next couple days when we are in the Ashville area where larger numbers cross the parkway.

May 29, 2010August 26, 2024

Veteran’s Day

Dad served about 22 months in WWII (he’s not sure of the exact time but he joined near the end of the war). He went to New Orleans and FL for training then to the South Pacific, serving on a small boat.

He spent his time in the service circling in the ocean, waiting to rescue pilots in a boat that couldn’t hold enough gas to go anywhere….

He said there were 16 crew plus 4 gunners from another boat (no one in his crew could shoot) on a 110 ft boat. It needed towed a lot because it couldn’t hold enough fuel. They went out to sea to support the bombers – circling in the water, waiting for the pilots to bail out. None did. When the runs were finished, they were towed back to port.

I wish I knew more of his war stories. The only one he really talked about was being within 50 miles of Australia and never going to shore there. He always wanted to go back, but after he retired, he always had excuses about why they couldn’t go.

Oh, and he talked about the endless meals of spam.

Prior to joining (being drafted?) he supported the war efforted by working in the shipyard in Chester PA. When he went to war, mom and their two toddlers went “back home” to stay with her parents.