← All Days • Day 1 Monday, May 25, 2026

0700 — Time to Leave

📍 North Carolina → Mount Vernon, KY

Packed up and ready to go — Day 1 departure
On the road, Memorial Day morning

55 degrees. Destination: Mount Vernon, KY.

0726 — Virginia

We have officially left North Carolina. The New River below.

The New River as we cross into Virginia

First stop: Blountville. Breakfast. McMuffin and coffee — Val. McMuffin and iced tea — Keith. Back on the road.

The Phone

Uh oh — Keith can’t find his phone. I used Find My and could see it was somewhere in the truck, but we couldn’t hear it ringing. We pulled over. Keith started going through his backpack. I glanced over and saw this:

Keith's phone — found in a very unexpected location

Apparently his 60-pound weight loss disturbed the nerves in his… seat. He didn’t even feel it. Back on the road.

Things Worth Noting Along the Way

Some of the sights and names I found interesting:

  • Hungry Mother State Park, VA
  • Stinking Creek
  • Turkey Creek
  • Bimble
  • London!
Roadside scenery through Virginia and Kentucky
More Appalachian views along the way
Passing through Kentucky

True to its name, it was raining as we passed through London.

Did you know that Middlesboro, KY is the hometown of Lee Majors?

And we passed this gentleman on his way to a rally down the road — a fine nod to veterans on Memorial weekend.

Veteran on motorcycle heading to a Memorial Day rally

End of Day

Safe in Kentucky. Ginger beer is the refresher.

Ginger beer — well-earned end of Day 1

Stay tuned for the Day 2 report.

— Val and Keith