So, how can one mix redneckery & culture?
This trip mixed a bit of both with a bluegrass festival (redneck), two smalltown demo derbys (redneck), two Celtic festivals (culture), a state fair (culture(, Annapolis Boat show (culture), Tilghman Day workboat competitions (redneck) & Punkin Chunkin (redneck).
As usual it was pick up truck & trailer, reprovision at the Amish Market, weekend in Tilghman then off to first event in N Alabama way off the highway in the hills for a three stage two day bluegrass festival. Some of the best music is when people attending get together after the shows to pick late into the night.
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| Bluegrass is alive & well for future generations |
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| Bluegrass jammin in Alabama |
Next for redneckery was a visit to 'Unclaimed Baggage' In Scottsboro AL. If you have ever lost your baggage this is where it ends up. You name it. It is here being sold at about 50% of what Walmart price would be. The difference is that lots of high end stuff is on the racks such as leather jackets presumably left in overhead bins.
Still more redneckery at Coeburn, VA, a place you would never find on a map unless you had a very good reason. Crash or Rama was a very good reason to stop there. We had skid car racing (front wheel drive cars with no rear wheels), trailer racing, figure 8 racing, burnouts, & of course the demo derby finishing with the RV demo derby.
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| The end of the RV demo derby |
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| Headed for its last drive |
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| Can't beat free camping right next to the track |
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| The trailer race |
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| RV Demo Derby |
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| Trailer race |
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| RV carnage |
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| Virginia Appalachians |
When folks visit Washington DC everyone does the museums, especially the National Air & Space Museum. Well this is the one where the big stuff is kept, all indoors, & enough to keep you busy for a day.
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| Air museum at Washington Dulles airport |
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| One of the Concords |
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| A late 30s Beechcraft |
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| Drum with legs, Highland festival, VA |
Could not help but wonder what would happen if this was Bermuda. Every guy was walking around with either a 10" knife in a leg sheath or carrying a sword. Gotta love a pipe band. There were plenty of them.
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| Somebody who looks a little familiar |
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| Another somewhat familiar face |
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| Virginia State Fair: Yes it works |
This was our first state fair. We did it for a couple of weekdays to avoid the big crowds. It covers a huge area. Take our Botanical Gardens, the whole property, & multiply it by at least 5 times. That is just the Fair area. Not counting parking.
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| Chain saw carving |
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| Amazing work |
Back in Tilghman, MD for a day at the Annapolis Powerboat Show the Tilghman Day for the workboat docking contests & racing.
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| Yes, they are very much alive |
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| I am sooo wise |
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| Extra high tide at Severn Marine, Tilghman, MD |
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| Needed a stepping block |
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| It almost got to the truck |
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| A bunch of captions could be put to this one |
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| A seaside Delaware CG sunset |
After Tilghman Day we had some time to kill so off we went to Delaware, where there is no sales tax, for some shopping in Dover. After that we did a slow amble down the Delaware & Maryland Atlantic seashore to Assategue Island National Seashore. This area is best known for its wild ponys which are everywhere.
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| Assateague Island National Seashore, MD |
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| Assategue Sunset |
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| Another Highland Games |
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| This one at VA state fairgrounds |
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| All by our lonesomes: spooky dark when those lights were shut off. |
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| A few of the big guns |
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| Punkin Chunkin camping |
The Chunk is one of those events that has to be done at least once. Crazy machines built by guys who have way to much spare time on their hands.
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| Big guns firing line |
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| Martinac State Park, MD. All set to go. Next stop, storage barn. |
