On the way home. The Continuing saga of David Bruce’s travels.
I passed through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut (except two hours in the capital Harford), New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia.
Virginia: I spent two nights near Lynchburg awaiting the 80-minute Sunday morning service at the late Rev. Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church, now led by his son Jonathan. An automatic TV cameral recorded the proceedings as he walked across the stage. Liberty University nearby was founded in 1971.
On the way home. The Continuing saga of David Bruce’s travels.
I passed through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut (except two hours in the capital Harford), New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia.
Virginia: I spent two nights near Lynchburg awaiting the 80-minute Sunday morning service at the late Rev. Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church, now led by his son Jonathan. An automatic TV cameral recorded the proceedings as he walked across the stage. Liberty University nearby was founded in 1971.
Lynchburg was established in 1786, 29 years after John Lynch opened a ferry service. It was incorporated as a town in 1805 and became a city in 1852.
The post office in the town of Henry opens at 7 a.m. – but closes at 11 a.m.
The post office in the town of Henry opens at 7 a.m.-but closes at 11 a.m.
North Carolina; About 160 miles SW of Lynchburg on secondary roads thru such town as Burnt Chimney, Henry, Horse Pasture and Flat Rock is Mt. Airy, Birthplace of actor Andy Griffith (1926-2012). His home of 1935-1966 is available for daily reservations.
About 8 miles south of the Virginia border on the Ararat River; Mt. Airy was the model for Griffith’s 1960-1968 TV town, Mayberry. I stayed two nights at the Mayberry Motor Inn, visited Mayberry Country Store and Mayberry Mall, saw Wally’s Service, Walker Drugs and Aunt Bea’s Candy Kitchen, dined at Aunt Bea’s Barbecue for lunch and breakfast, and bought candy at Opie’s Candy Store.
Many merchants already existed before the TV show even came on the air, Like Floyd’s (City) Barber Shop – but it was never owned by a fellow named Floyd. The original 1947 owner is Russell Hiatt, now 90 and retired from barbering since last February after 69 years – but he still greets his customers with conversation, much the same as they did on the show. He posed for a photo with me.
Mayberry Days celebration is held the last weekend of September I missed it by a few hours. Nearby is Pilot Mountain (Mt. Pilot!)
Mot. Airy also commemorates the lives of the original Siamese twins Eng and Chang Bunker (1811 – 1874), who lived in the area and are buried near a Baptist church in White Plains two miles away. I pent four hours at the Andy Griffith Museum wearing headphones for a self-guided audio tour, which included speeches by him and a discussion of the Siamese twins.
I left Mt. Airy just in time to catch the 5:00 rush-hour traffic in Charlotte, about 100 miles South.
I stayed in Columbia, South Carolina, crossed the Coosawatchie River on I-95, and drove a mere 100 miles across Georgia from Savannah.
Florida: After SC and GA, I exited from I-95 to spend two hours at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, taking a train ride through he zoo past a rhino, elephants and giraffes. Before the zoo closed at 5:00, I visited the fishpond, Butterfly Hollow, lions, tigers, anteater, flamingos, and snakes. There was a sign that read: SNAKES ARE CLEVER, SNAKES ARE FAST, / IF YOU SEE ONE, / LET IT PASS.
The next day I rode the free Jacksonville Skyway across the city named for Andrew Jackson, first governor of Florida under the United States flag in 1821.
Fifteen miles up the St. John’s River, the transport Maple Leaf was destroyed y a Confederate mine during the Civil War on April 1, 1864. The Gulf of Mexico is the site of Englewood and Venice.
In Tallahassee I took FL20 100 miles West to find the town of Bruce, where I paid a visit to the Bruce Store after havinga breakfast of eggs and cheese grits at the Bruce Cafe.
Alabama: Fort Louis de la Mobile (now known just as Mobile) was founded by the French in 1702 and has been under six flags – the French, English, Spanish, American Republic of Alabama, confederate, and again American. The Battle of Mobile Bay on Confederate, and again American. The Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864 was one of the most decisive in Naval History.
After stopping at Betty Jo’s in nearby Theodore, I continued West through Mississippi.
Louisiana:
I spent an hour navigating the narrow congested streets of New Orleans but did not stop. The independent Republic of West Florida overthrew the Spanish and existed fro 74 days befro being forcibly annexed by American forces on December 19, 1810.
Before continuing West, I stopped at Gator Chateau in Jennings to pet two baby alligators. It was all right, the said, be ause they haven’t learned to eat meat yet!
One hour later, I left the stae on I-10.
Texas:
I made it to Houston just in time for another hour of rush hour traffic.
I wpent 8 hours in the City of San Antonio, home of the Alamo and Rio San Antonio, where I took a 30-minute narrated boat ride, similar to Venice, Italy – except it wasn’t a gondola. All 183 defenders of the Alamo lost their lives after they were attacked on March 6, 1836 ( the Mexicans some 1,500 casualties).
A trolley ride, an enchilada lunch at Market Square. and an elevator ride up the 750 Tower of the Americas overlooking the city rounded out my visit.
180 miles NW of San Antonio on US90 is the town of Comstock, settled as Sotol City in the early 1880s for the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad near the Amistad Reservoir on the Mexican border near where the Pecos River and the Rio Grande meet. The town was later named after railroad dispatcher John B. Comstock.
