The arrival at our destination of Columbia, SC found us tired and happy to be there. After getting the oil change, settling into our FABULOUS room at the Embassy Suites, courtesy of the zoo I was interviewing at, we were pretty hungry. Throughout this entire trip, I'd wanted to do something interesting and local. But, clearly after the Cincinnati incident, that wasn't a good idea. That adventure had left us at the 12th St. Diner in a back alley that actually had a cage for a door, much like the bars to a jail cell. We stuck to roadside Subways after this. Not the Shellways (as we dubbed all gas station with Subways in them), but the honest to goodness Subway. But not tonight, we were more adventurous.
So we found ourselves at a local place called The Lizard's Thicket. I was later told by the locals (those interviewing me) that you simply could not get more authentically southern than this place. It was so good, we each bought a t-shirt for the road.
After this, we decided to stock up on snacks, and found The Food Lion. Neither of us had ever heard of it, but since our arrival home, there are rumors that this fine establishment is one that is frequently on the show Cops. What is this place like? It seemed normal enough at first, but upon some online research, I found a few things like this:
So the next day was the interview, and since I still don't have results, no need to go into detail. The gist of it was that the poor Director was really really pregnant and not able to be there, making the entire day one long string of unexpected things. But it seemed to be okay in the end.
Now we get to the crux: Why did it take six days instead? Because there was a huge huge ice storm. And I mean expansive. The thing stretched from Dallas to New York. How could we possibly drive around it? We couldn't. We just ended up driving right through the stinking aftermath of it all. But I'll come back to that.
We ended up having to stay in the super nice hotel another night (oh darn) to avoid driving directly into the freezing rain as it happened. So, we went exploring. Where could I live, I wondered. Well, not here, and not here, and certainly not here....so where? We drove a significant distance out of our way and found some places that seemed pretty good.
And then we got lost. Really lost.
I must have missed a fork in the road, because we were definitely not going the right way anymore, and civilization seemed to be further out of reach as we went. Garmon was recalculating in his/her English accent constantly, but was seeming to have a large amount of trouble.
As it led us toward the highway, it pointed us in the direction of an seemingly obscure road, until it asked us to turn right onto an even more obscure road...where we finally said, "Tartarian Road?!! Oh hell no." And we promptly turned around and left Garmon in the dust. I might add that that road looked like the gateway to Banjo Country. I could hear it in the background as the darkness of the day set in, and we flew along well above the speed limit for many miles before reaching street lights again.
On the up side, the zoo was very hospitable, and had given us tickets to see the zoo from a patron's point of view. A few gem pics.
First, a cool one of all the flamingos-if you look super close, you may see the less colorful babies in the background.
Second, my ode to the elephants. They have such a great exhibit, I'd work here just for that and that alone. You would most likely catch me enjoying my lunch right there on the sidewalk by them.
Or maybe right by this little guy. Okay, not real, but pretty cute none the less. After having seen both Asian and African elephants, I think I have a larger affinity for the African.
And finally, it was time to head home, almost immediately after the zoo. A quick stop at the Waffle House (not far from the Lizard's Thicket or the Food Lion) would end our stay in Columbia.
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