Make Joe Drive

The Coast

I’ve got a couple more hours of driving tonight before I can share about the big day but for now here’s a glimpse of the East Coast from this afternoon at Folly Beach, SC.

The West Coast version can be seen here on Wallblank.

Drive on.

Weaver D’s, Athens, Georgia

The band R.E.M. once found inspiration at Weaver D’s, winner of the Jame’s Beard Comfort Food Award. Dexter Weaver’s motto “Automatic to the People” became their source for a mainstream album title after the band had dined in this treasured establishment.

Once again I’m finding that the most loved cafes and restaurants are those who operate behind the soul level of their existence. If you’re not impressed then you won’t be missed. But the door is always wide open.

Weaver sways behind the counter with eyes and mouth relaxed and open as he drawls a food order or question around the corner into the kitchen. When the front door opens, however, he turns to watch as if this was the first day of business. Then he starts; “Ahh got chickkkkin, tallllapliaaaahhhh, caffffffffisshhhhhhhhhh….” he drones and I’m not sure what’s going on because when he stops listing food I suddenly feel small and out of place.

I took the catfish and they added potato salad and a green leafy side and cornbread and sweet tea. The food was good- maybe not great but not forgettable either. It’s more the experience and this experience is worth coming to have.

I wasn’t the only one here to see the man behind Weaver D’s and I waited twenty minutes for a previous interviewer to finish their chat with Dexter. Words fail to further explain this place so we took a couple pictures instead.

Athenians

The best part of this trip has been the people that come out of the places you’ve pointed me towards.

Meet Zak Noles (on left in picture below) and Eric Murphy (right). I ran into them before leaving Jittery Joe’s and we had a great chat about Athens, this trip, photography, and their cycling passion. Zak represents The Hub and the Terrapin Brewery in Athens and was last year’s du-athlon National Champion in the twenty to twenty-four age bracket. This years he’s finished third at for Duathlon Nationals and is a two time member of Team U.S.A.

Eric holds 19 wins as the Georgia state champion at the Master Criterium and is also 2008’s Road Race champ. He bears the Team Ion banner but is shifting perspectives to raising awareness for childhood obesity. He has a keen interest in photography as well.

I also ran into Nick who has a custom amp business. I asked him for his website and when he spelled his last name as Greer I made mention to former Texas Ranger outfielder Rusty who, come to find, happens to be Nick’s cousin! Give GreerAmps.com a look and give Rusty a call in case you need a game-saving dive to preserve a perfect game. I’m not even joking!

Other Athens hotspot recommendations: 5-10’s and Mamma’s Boy (#1 breakfast and Zak knows best- he’s also a cook there).

There’s a coffee shop/pub that I stopped at right before leaving town. I won’t give their name but I got an average Americano and for the first time I felt I had just visited a place that was not up-to-par with the other places visited and mentioned thus far. Thankfully this wasn’t a direct recommendation and I take it as a reminder to keep relying on your great tips. Keep them coming, we’re only halfway home!

Forthcoming

I’ve got some big things to share.

Right now, however, I’m about to meet the Wallblank winner here in Charleston, SC, and will soon post the rest of yesterday’s people and places in Athens as well as today’s exciting events.

Stay tuned.

Jittery Joe’s, Athens, Georgia

Authenticity and excitement of a business stands out. Sometimes it even jumps at you when you’re in the parking lot of a sweet barn-like, corrugated roof building that is Jittery Joe’s roaster location at 780 E. Broad Street in Athens.

Charlie came out to greet me and proceeded to give me a tour of the coffee shop, his area of coffee roasting machinery, and also the bike shop area in back. This place does it all. I gave him a “Joe Was Here” sign and t-shirt and he returned the favor with a couple Jittery Joe Cycling Team t-shirts. (Follow them on Twitter @JitteryJoes).

He also gave me two cans of freshly roasted “Travelin’ Joe” whole bean coffee which will help make a great extra prize for the winner of WallBlank’s art delivery in Charleston, SC.

J.J.’s Front Counter

Charlie explains roasting

The Massage in Calhoun, Georgia

Some of you have been texting me from alongside the highway and been joining the adventure via the road. Sweet work!

Last night I stopped in Calhoun, GA for gas and coffee and got a text from Lisa who had seen the Make Joe Drive sign in the back window of the Lincoln (aka Big Mama). She ended up meeting me at the Starbucks where I had stopped and I hooked her up with some sweet stuff from the prize trunk including a WallBlank print, A “Joe Was Here” t-shirt, and, as requested, a harmonica solo.

Turns out that she’s a massage therapist and brought her chair to give me a massage! Thanks again! Lisa has an online shop: Remains of the Day. She melts and repurposes old bottles and other materials into jewelry.

The Prize Trunk

Along the way I’ve been giving away awesome stuff from the prize trunk as I meet up with people and get hooked up with your connections. We’ll give more in-depth shout-outs to those who helped fill it, but a few of them are:

• J.R. Kortman Center for Design
• Boreded Up Screenprinting
• Burlap Works
• WallBlank.com

As well, there are a few prizes that I’ve picked up along the way via purchase and trade. If you’re nearby, make sure to call/text/tweet so that I can hook you up!

P.S. Nashville

I had the privilege of meeting Nashville local Cheryl who’s given me a couple extra places to check out next time in town (Check out her photography website and her photography blog, amazing stuff). Here’s what she has to share:

Grimey’s is one of the best record stores in town and underneath the shop in the same building is The Basement, one of Nashville’s favorite places to see new and established artists perform. Parking is around back so get there early.

Also don’t forget about nearby Franklin, Tennessee, where you can walk a historic old downtown and the visit small shops that bring the relaxation to a small town feel.

Nashville has been awesome. Good things to come.

Sleep is on My Mind…

Another long stretch of highway and interstate has brought me to Athens, Georgia, where the sign on the state line beats you to the punchline of having to say what’s “on your mind” as they immediately thank you for having Georgia already on yours.

It’s been a great trip so far and I’m looking forward to arriving in Charleston to deliver the prints on Thursday. For now though, it’s time to sleep.

I’ll be at Jittery Joe’s for a good chunk of tomorrow morning to fill you in on the last happenings in Nashville and to share the story of a Make Joe Drive fan who caught up to me at a gas/coffee stop.

What else is worth checking out on an afternoon in Athens, Georgia? Have any places on your mind?