Peanut Grower Editor
Over the Christmas holidays, my husband and I spent a lot of time on the road. Without going into details as to why, our journey took us from our home in North Central Florida to the westernmost destination of Destin, Florida, to the northernmost at Williamsburg, Virginia, and then back home after spending New Years in Charleston. We drove nearly 2,200 miles over 10 days.
For most of the journey, expedience was key, and we chose the superhighways. On I-95, a road much in the news, traffic flowed smoothly going north. I-95 south was another matter. Even though it was pre-snowstorm, with so many folks heading to Florida, it was gridlock in a number of places. This reinforced our plan to find a different road home.
That’s how we found ourselves on Highways 13 and 17, a path through farms and coastal towns in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Given time, I will always choose this type route over the same view from most every superhighway. This more interesting road and slower pace offered a chance to see and experience new places.
With that in mind, here are some things I learned on Highways 13 and 17:
1. From the car, it’s easy to tell where cotton and corn were planted, but not as easy to see where peanuts were sown.
2. I saw more center-pivot irrigation systems than I expected to see.
3. I hope to eat at Doris and Roger’s Kitchen again.
4. Many fields contain small, family cemeteries enclosed by a fence. (I have a lot of questions about this one. Is this still a practice or are farmers simply respecting the resting place of their ancestors?)
5. A very good bowl of chowder can be found at Wing and Fish Company in Shallotte across from the Camp United Methodist Church.
6. I now know how to pronounce Shallotte correctly.
7. I saw a lot of cover crops planted.
8. If I take this drive during spring or summer, I will probably stop a lot to take pictures.
As usual, it was the open fields and farms that I enjoyed most. In other words, you can take the girl off the farm, but she just wants to see more farms. Maybe next trip I’ll catch some of you on the tractor. Until then, happy planning and planting.
