North Carolina

Leave a comment Posted on September 13, 2017September 13, 2017 Health, Uncategorized, vegan

Vegan Friendly Review of Boone, North Carolina: Featuring the Best Veggie Burger I’ve Ever Had in My Life!

As the Manliest Vegan on the Internet, I revealed this week that I can no longer fit into my size 31 pants, despite being a vegan for 4 and a half years. That’s right, I have undeniable gained weight and gained a dad bod. Looking back, it might have had something to do with my family recent “Road Trip to the Boonies” in the 2017 Toyota Sienna.

Why go to Gatlinburg when you can just go to Boone, North Carolina instead? Seriously, Boone is undeniably a vegan-friendly city and it also has the private woodsy atmosphere of Gatlinburg.

Sure, we cooked some of our own meals in the cabin, but we definitely enjoyed visiting some of the many vegan-friendly restaurants in Boone.

Let me start my proclaiming that I’ve now had the best veggie burger of my life! It was at a place called BBQ, Burgers, & Brews, just a few miles from the cabin where we were staying.

Openly, I admit: I didn’t specifically ask the waitress if the veggie burger was vegan. That’s how I am when I am travelling. I turn a blind eye to the possibility there are add whites in the veggie burger, knowing that traces of egg whites are consistent with the “0% cholesterol” aspect of my vegan lifestyle.

Why was this veggie burger so awesome? Let me tell you…

First off, the bun. It was big and round with sesame seeds; reminding me of what a good hamburger bun is supposed to taste like. (Again, there may have been traces of egg in the bun as well, but I didn’t ask.)

Next, the veggie burger was topped perfectly with the classic veggies I want on a burger: Lettuce, onion, and tomato.

As for the burger patty itself, it tastes so good that I legitimately feared they accidentally had served me beef. However, I’m confident wasn’t actually meat because after nearly 6 years of not eating meat, I speculate my digestive system would have immediately rejected any meat.

(Needless to say, I had no digestion issues whatsoever during my trip. Of course, becoming a vegan over 4 years ago pretty much illuminated all those problems. Before I stopped eating meat, I suffered reoccurring stomach and sinus issues.)

Lastly, the BBQ sauce! Seriously, that stuff was legit. My brother-in-law, who was sitting next to me, joked that he should see if he could get a huge gallon size container of it. My favorite was the BBQ mustard, though there were several options including sweet, spicy, and vinegar based.

But I can’t not talk about the fries and the onion petals!

Though I love fried pickles, which were also on the menu, I decided to upgrade my side (for an extra dollar or so) from fries to onion pedals. Like the burger, they went so well with the BBQ sauce.

Lucky for me though, my son didn’t finish all his fries, so I got to try them as well. They are my favorite style: big and crispy.

I endorse BBQ, Burgers, & Brews 100% percent. In fact, if you don’t visit them on your next visit to Boone, North Carolina, then it would be a crying shame. Ah, I already miss that place! But it wasn’t the only great place for plant-based food.

In addition to picking up some vegan groceries from Fresh Market and Ingles supermarkets to make meals back at the cabin…

There was of course Mellow Mushroom, a fine establishment we visit on every single road trip in the South…

And the extremely vegan-friendly Barberitos, where my family perfectly loved our burritos.

I also want to point out the glory of Higher Grounds, where we all stopped for coffee each morning. I particularly loved their spicy Mexican Mocha. But of course I would, as my recent DNA test confirmed I am like 53% Latino.

It was a fun place for the whole family to hang out before we began our activities for the day.

There you have it. If you are a vegan or vegetarian, go to Boone, North Carolina right now.

Just pass “go” and just pass Gatlinburg… you’ll enjoy Boone more anyway.

Leave a comment Posted on September 7, 2017 car reviews, fatherhood, parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Strutting Your Stuff During Our Family’s Walk at the Park on Kennedy Trail in Boone, North Carolina

6 years, 9 months.

Dear Jack,

On Sunday, the sunniest day of our family’s fall “Road Trip to the Boonies” in the 2017 Toyota Sienna, your Uncle Tom suggested we all leave the cabin and talk a walk in a nearby park. So we made our way down the mountain and ended up on Kennedy Trail.

Once we all got moving on the path, I immediately thought back to when I was packing the Sienna when I asked myself, “Should I pack the double-stroller and my skateboard?” I easily had room to pack them, in addition to our luggage.

I am known in our neighborhood in Spring Hill, Tennessee for being the 36 year-old dad who skateboards while pushing his 2 kids in the stroller. But I figured the chances of needing a double-stroller and skateboard with staying up in a cabin at the top of a mountain in Boone, North Carolina were quite unlikely.

Oh well, I was wrong. This park would have been perfect for me to do that, as skateboarding college kids were everywhere.

It was fine though, because earlier that morning, your cousin Taylore and I had ran for 25 minutes going down then back up the mountain our cabin was on.

So instead of wearing out my calves anymore that day, I spent most of that 90 minutes working out my arms and back, as I served as your sister’s human chariot.

Meanwhile, you enjoyed being the default leader of the 12 of us, as you ran ahead, looking for cool stuff; like a giant caterpillar.

It became apparent to Mommy and me just how grown up and independent our little boy had become. You were just out there being a boy.

Jumping, climbing, getting sweaty. Having Mommy and me tell you to stop throwing rocks.

I was able to catch a glimpse of you as a preteen. You just seemed like a cool dude, like in that Violent Femme’s song from 1983: “When I go walkin’, I strut my stuff…”

Thanks to Uncle Tom suggested our visit to the park, a dozen people had a great time. While the cabin was awesome, it was good to take advantage of a nice day down in the valley.

Love,

Daddy

1 Comment Posted on August 30, 2017August 30, 2017 car reviews, fatherhood, parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

We are Taking a Luxurious 2017 Toyota Sienna “Swagger Wagon” for Our Family’s Fall Road Trip to Boone, North Carolina

Ah, the life of a daddy blogger… to have a brand new decked-out vehicle delivered to me whenever our family goes on a road trip. It’s pretty awesome, actually. I love getting to share the stories that present themselves, as my wife and I (ambitiously) travel across the South with a now 1^st grader and a 16 month-old.

This makes the first year our family will not be travelling to California. Instead, 2017 is a year of smaller road trips for us.

Back in May, we traveled to Destin, Florida in the 2017 Toyota Prius.

Then in July, we took a fun little trip to Louisville, Kentucky (and saw dinosaurs) in the 2017 Toyota 4Runner.

Our next upcoming event will be our fall road trip to Boone, North Carolina. We will be sharing a cabin with two of my wife’s siblings and their families. It’s going to be a long drive there and back, but we’ve got the right vehicle for it.

The 2017 Toyota Sienna “Swagger Wagon” that was delivered to me feels like a luxurious spacecraft. Our whole family is psyched!

My wife is excited because of how spacious the cabin is and how the captain’s chairs, in the 2^nd row where she’ll be sitting next to our young daughter, are full recliners.

Our son is thrilled because he will be able to watch DVDs during the trip, as he loves taking up the 3^rd row for himself.

I’m confident our little girl is going to love the Sienna on account of being able to be so close and accessible to her Mommy sitting next to her.

And as for me?

I like knowing that as the captain of our voyage, as I listen to Jimmy Buffet’s Radio Margaritaville on Channel 24 on SiriusXM up in the front row, my family is going to be comfortable and entertained in the middle and back rows.

Could a 36 year-old husband and father be more excited about taking his family on a 6 hour road trip to a cabin in North Carolina, in a 2017 Toyota Sienna “Swagger Wagon”?

I submit that he can not.

Leave a comment Posted on December 10, 2015 Nostalgia, parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Our Ride on the Polar Express in Bryson City, North Carolina

5 years.

Dear Jack: Our Ride on the Polar Express in Bryson City, North Carolina

Dear Jack,

Last weekend we met up with one of Mommy’s seven brothers and his family in Bryson City, North Carolina; where we boarded the Polar Express (from the the movie and book of the same title).

Dear Jack: Our Ride on the Polar Express in Bryson City, North Carolina

We turned in our golden tickets to get on the train and were shortly after given hot chocolate, before riding past Santa’s house and toy shop in the North Pole.

My personal favorite part was when Santa entered our train car, and out of your pocket you pulled some catalog clippings of items on your wish list, from the store Brilliant Sky.

I had no idea you had schemed this!

Forget the traditional wish list… you were all prepared with a full color ad of exactly what you wanted. You were ready and waiting for that exact moment and opportunity.

(Santa was actually unaware that one of those items was on your list, so it looks like Christmas shopping isn’t quite complete yet.

Dear Jack: Our Ride on the Polar Express in Bryson City, North Carolina

Every Christmas until now, your visit to Santa has been at the Bass Pro Shop in Nashville; during which you’ve been slightly intimidated to talk to him.

Not this time. You were all business.

Dear Jack: Our Ride on the Polar Express in Bryson City, North Carolina

Santa immediately tucked the catalog clippings into his pocket and reminded you, “Now be a good boy for me.”

You matter-of-factly agreed and then Santa was on his way to the kid in the sit next to you.

Despite the natural shakiness of the train, one of my pictures that turned out the best was the one of you with Santa.

Dear Jack: Our Ride on the Polar Express in Bryson City, North Carolina

Not only was this an amazing experience because you got to meet Santa this year, but also because it took place on a train.

What 5 year-old little boy doesn’t have an appreciation and/or fascination for trains?

You’ve already asked when we can ride the Polar Express again.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: Our Ride on the Polar Express in Bryson City, North Carolina

1 Comment Posted on October 17, 2014 Health, Nostalgia, Uncategorized

Our Visit to the Buchi Headquarters And Avonlea Learning Community

In what turned out to be a major coincidence, two weeks ago I happened to mountain bike a few miles up to Whole Foods during my lunch break and treat myself to a Buchi brand Kombucha. I happened to turn the bottle around to see that Buchi is made in Asheville, NC.

The reason that is important is because just a few days later, we would be going to Asheville anyway, on our fall road trip from Nashville to Asheville, as we reviewed the 4G capabilities of the 2015 Buick LaCrosse.

So I sent a quick email to Buchi requesting a tour while we were in town and they said yes.

Therefore, today with great honor, I share our visit of Buchi, as well as, the Avonlea Learning Community with you.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Kombucha, I refer to it as “vegan soda.” It’s extremely healthy for you and full of probiotics, but contains no added junk or chemicals like soda does; nor is it an actual alcoholic beverage, despite the appearance.

Without a doubt, Buchi is a very fascinating company. Why else would our family make an effort to visit their headquarters while on our fall mini-vacation?

For starters, Fast Company recently featured them in their magazine.

The next thing I find fascinating about them is how humble the workers are. I met with Mike Numinous, the Vision Caster and Kombucha Ambassador of Buchi.

He sincerely hugs anyone he meets. It’s that mentality that gets bottled up with the Kombucha itself.

I am amazed at how “uncorporate” the Buchi company is, not just in word, but in action.

For the type of national distribution they have, I assumed they must have a huge warehouse.

Nope.

I’m so impressed how far this company has gotten without a major corporate affiliation. Talk about the underdog! Buchi’s staff is very hard-working, yet full of heart.

The Buchi headquarters, which is up in the mountains, about a 25 minute drive from downtown Asheville, is simply part of the communal property which also hosts the homes of many of Buchi’s staff as well as their Montessori-based private school: Avonlea Learning Community.

They have mixed age classrooms, art and physical education daily, and an emphasis on nature exploration. They focus on critical thinking, teach chicken farming and gardening, and are located on 180 acres of organic farm and woodland; all with affordable tuition! Man, if only we lived in Asheville…

Another coincidence in this whole story is that the flavor of Buchi I happened to be drinking in the picture at the top, before we ever made our visit, was the Avonlea flavor; which was named in honor on their school. Avonlea, along with Fire, happen to be my favorites!

We really enjoyed seeing the school. I mean this in a good way; it was like seeing the Dharma Initiative in 1977; at least the way it was intended to be. (That’s a reference to once my favorite shows, Lost.)

In the backyard of the school is a chicken coop; the children sell the eggs to the community. There is also a trampoline and plenty of room to run around.