By: Grace Elkus, 2013
Perhaps my favorite parts of the Highway 64 adventure were the unexpected moments. While it was necessary to plan the majority of our trip – after all, we needed to research the times and locations of the various festivals and farmers markets we were visiting – it is often the unanticipated surprises and slight nuances that make the journey memorable.
Many times, these are found on the road, through the lens of the windshield. The conversation we read between Philip Caputo, author of The Longest Road, and William Least Heat-Moon, author of Blue Highways, stuck with me throughout my Piedmont travels. Heat-Moon’s comment “if you’re traveling by auto, the windshield becomes a kind of movie,” became my motto as I drove along Highway 64.
On our way to Saxapahaw, we passed garage sales, farm stands, people out walking their dogs. Could I convince my whole group to stop, just because I was intrigued by the items for sale? Perhaps not, for we were on a mission to get to our destination, a concept so engrained in our generation that the thought of taking a detour or conversing with a stranger seems unnecessary, if not absurd. But when we traveled this road a second time, on our last leg of the journey, I made the executive decision to make a pit stop at the Purple Peddler Incense and Novelty Shop, primarily because the bright purple building had me curious as to what was inside.
We arrived before the shop had officially opened, but having been oblivious to this, we strolled right in and began browsing. When the lack of other shoppers clued us into our earliness, our apologies were cut short — “If the doors are open and we’re here, anyone is welcome,” the owner told us. The paraphernalia was eclectic, from t-shirts to moon-catchers to incense. I purchased a pack of color-changing candles, an item I often look for but tends to be difficult to come across.
One we arrived in Pittsboro, we experienced the best surprise yet — Small B&B Café. I won’t go into detail on this charming bed and breakfast, but our takeaway from this experience was that asking locals where to eat will undoubtedly wind you up in a place with more character, soul and charisma than wherever Yelp’s #1 pick leads you. If it’s truly a local favorite, it probably isn’t broadcast to tourists to begin with.
After brunch, we made our way back into downtown Pittsboro and immediately spotted another gem of a store — Beggars and Choosers Antiques Shop. It was nearing Halloween time, and we were lured towards the storefront by the hanging rack of vintage Halloween costumes placed outside the store. Once inside, the store transformed into a museum-like arena, with every type of collectible imaginable, as well as antique cookware in the basement and an overwhelming amount of vintage clothes upstairs. I didn’t even know where to begin. It was the type of place that swallows you up makes you forget who you’re with, where you are, or what time it is.
As a cookbook aficionado, I purchased the 1966 New York Times Menu Cookbook for $12. Brynna literally had to drag me out of the store, and after stopping for some homemade ice cream, we hit the road again. But the surprises of the day were not lost on me, and my appreciation for spontaneous travel skyrocketed. Fitting more of these experiences into my life will begin taking priority — that I am sure of.