rdancemom... Pam 113 Posted December 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 I'm real grateful to have met these nice folks with their unusual rest-stop method of walking their pups b/c that's when we realized there was a problem with the rear passenger side tire. It was shortly after sunrise when he told me my tire was low. LOW??? whatcha talking bout Willis? I watched DH check all the tires before we left. How could we miss that?In the bright light of morning, I saw something else too. Our nice clean vehicles were now covered in spattered blood from the front bumper all the way back past the rear wheels of the TT and there was a fair sized gash following the tread around that low tire. I'd find out the hard way later at the tire store just how covered in blood the hitch was when DH and I adjusted the chains on the sway bars. OMG Let's just say, I wouldn't be eating breakfast after all. Suddenly, all I wanted was a hot shower and a change of clothes...DH and I still disagree on this, but I still think one of the bones from that poor deer sliced our tire. Other than the pithy construction and road gator explanation he favors, it's the only thing that makes sense.A quick detour down the highway & off at the next exit took us into Wilson NC, and the only super walmart I've ever been in without an automotive department. Wouldn't that figure...But wait... thankfully, there was a tire store across the street open on Saturday morning. The folks at White's Tires in Wilson were terrific. It was a busy day for them and we had to wait a while but they managed to get to us very quickly considering and had the right tire in stock.They didn't jack up the price of the tire either, even though they knew we were from out of town. In fact, before they looked at it, I think they were just planning on patching it and sending us on our way as cheaply as possible. The mechanic even loaned DH his air rachet & a socket to readjust the hitch. They couldn't have been any nicer if they'd known us all our lives. If you're ever near there and want an honest place to take your vehicle for service, this is definitely the place to stop.Heading back to i-95 out of Wilson the girls spotted cotton fields ready for harvest. I'd sen them all my life but somehow never taken the time to point them out or talk about how cotton grows with the kids before.DD10 had just finished reading the American Girl Addy books and remembered that Addy & her mother had escaped from a plantation where the overseer made Addy eat tobacco worms and they hid in the cotton fields on their way to freedom. The drive between Wilson and our stop at Pedro's place was filled with happy conversation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Ella and Lola might be related! She loves people, but is terrible with other dogs. I'm glad y'all had a break to unwind some! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Starla 21 Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 I'm going to add another picture for your enjoyment as well! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Great update, Pam. Having hit a deer on the the way home from picking up a brand new utility trailer, I feel your pain. Our situation was a little worse. The deer was alive when we hit it so there was more than just blood involved, if you catch my meaning. :barf: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rdancemom... Pam 113 Posted December 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Great start! I'm a firm believer that leaving late is a sign of good luck... or at least that's the way it always seems to work for me.Thanks! I'll have to think about leaving late being lucky. I didn't feel very lucky but we did have an awesome trip - TWO awesome trips sort of rolled into one actually so I bet you're right!Ella and Lola might be related! She loves people, but is terrible with other dogs. I'm glad y'all had a break to unwind some!You know they could be... does Lola bark frantically at cardboard boxes? I'd suggest a family reunion but Ella isn't as polite as some of her cousins... :laugh:Wait'll you see the pics in this next update. The girls really unwound at South of the Border. The TT was finally pulling right again, the cranky stressed mom who invaded my body disappeared... we'd finally hit the halway point, and a celebration was definitely in order!Great update, Pam. Having hit a deer on the the way home from picking up a brand new utility trailer, I feel your pain. Our situation was a little worse. The deer was alive when we hit it so there was more than just blood involved, if you catch my meaning. :barf:Ewwwwwww... I guess we were lucky this deer was more of a road pizza... although when I grabbed that sway bar to pull it up and pulled my hands away, I sure wasn't thinking that. I'll see your :barf: and raise you :barf: :barf: :barf: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TnBob 311 Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 It's funny you mention cotton fields, we have some fields of cotton here but in the last few years there have been less. On our trip for Halloween we noticed a lot more fields than ever in Alabama, picked with the huge bales and to be picked. I opined that it must be a result of the high price of cotton right now that it made sense to plant more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rdancemom... Pam 113 Posted December 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Okay, time to liven this whine-fest up with some pics. The countdown has begun. Do you know Pedro? We sure do. Actually, for anyone who's ever traveled any distance on i-95 thru North or South Carolina, he's a hard guy to miss. We've become superstitious about it too... after I drove by once years ago b/c it was after midnight with just my aunt, DD10 & me ion the way to wdw and nobody felt like getting out of the van... It was the only time in known history that anyone in our immediate family had driven past without stopping since my aunt was born in 1936 and wouldn't you know we ended up broken down on the side of the road waiting until 3 am for a tow within 20 miles of snubbing Pedro... Never again will we pass without at least a drive-by just in case Pedro's figured out a way to put a hex on tourists who ignore him or something. There were 102 signs between the NC state line and Pedro's place at the SC state line in Dillon. I know b/c DD10, Starla & I counted. We counted on the way north again too so we could see if it was the same but that question can wait for now. Just in case you missed one of those 102 signs proclaiming Pedro's greatness, here's a couple more... My grandparents loved this place and my dad did too. Hence, it's always been a family tradition to stop at South of the Border even if just to get out and take a single picture before getting back on the highway. The girls and I walked around and stretched our legs while DH rested for a bit in the truck. This time we took lots of pictures. Here's a couple of them... But wait... rumor has it that Dave is pulling out all the stops and creating suspense by witholding some sort of hat picture. You want hats, we got hats too... maybe even more than that guy with the sweet smelling peach cobbler I didn't get to taste... I've saved one of the best for last. Starla said this next one was just for you fiends... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 I love all the pics! Being fron Florida, I haven't done Pedro's. I hope he doesn't have a far-reaching hex! Love that y'all counted the signs. We like the Cafe Risque signs on 75. We actually saw the owner with a state of Florida cafa risque personalized tag one day on I-10. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stefa70 205 Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Great post Pam! As a kid living in NY, we traveled to Florida every year for a month. The Pedro signs were always a highlight of our trip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rdancemom... Pam 113 Posted December 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 I love all the pics! Being fron Florida, I haven't done Pedro's. I hope he doesn't have a far-reaching hex! Love that y'all counted the signs. We like the Cafe Risque signs on 75. We actually saw the owner with a state of Florida cafa risque personalized tag one day on I-10.Too cool! Did you see what Mr Risque looked like? Did he have the standard rent-a-blondes accompanying him? I have this mental image of a seedier Hugh Hefner... :hah:You might be safe in FL. I suspect the hex can only get you within a certain distance of Dillon, SC. It seemed like we had just decided not to stop when the engine quit and we found ourselves - three women alone - sitting on the shoulder in the wee hours of the morning with trucks whizzing by and a AAA lady who told me the mile marker I was looking right at didn't exist.hmmm... remembering that night, perhaps you might want to plan a pilgrimage north just to be sure - like maybe head to Gettysburg around Easter weekend. I hear that's supposed to be a good time...Great post Pam! As a kid living in NY, we traveled to Florida every year for a month. The Pedro signs were always a highlight of our trip.LOL There's a billboard somewhere that says "Kids Love Pedro" or something like that and signs don't lie... well, that one at any rate. We always watched and waited for the signs and counted down the miles but never actually counted the signs before this trip when DD10 had to make up math problems.Do you remember the little plastic see-thru boxes of jumping beans? They had them sitting in cardboard displays on the counter by the registers and while you waited the tap-tap-tapping of the beans jumping against the plastic made it downright irrestible. You just had to have them to show your friends back home.As a kid, those jumping beans were some the coolest things we brought back from vacations - at least until the worms hatched, that is. They don't carry them anymore. Not sure why but figure somebody must have deemed yet another thing we loved as kids too harmful for today's kids to be exposed to... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Those 42,000 Pedro signs have always been an embarrassment to many of us Carolinians. Haven't been there since I was a kid -- can't believe the place has grown so large! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rdancemom... Pam 113 Posted December 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 You'll want to see what I found on the way back from Thanksgiving then. It's pretty obvious the boom has passed and they over-built. Maybe just a few more billboards would help though... >:D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
we3peas 12 Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 PamWe've passed by SOTB so many times and never stopped but I think the next time we go that way we will. It looks extremely kitschy and DH loves that! It was great meeting you and your family at the wine tasting event. If we had only tasted some wine! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Great post Pam! As a kid living in NY, we traveled to Florida every year for a month. The Pedro signs were always a highlight of our trip.I spent my childhood in New Jersey, and while we didn't travel to Florida every year, we did take several trips to Florida down 95.I sure remember those signs! The only thing is that my dad refused to stop at South of the Border.We always just went on by.When I made the drive myself as a young adult, I made it a point to stop there.I found out that I hadn't missed very much after all.TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64 Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 Great post Pam! As a kid living in NY, we traveled to Florida every year for a month. The Pedro signs were always a highlight of our trip.Yeah and reading all those signs as a kid did seem to make the trip go faster. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.