Day 2: December 22, 2017 Six in a Day Comment via blog

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The day gets started with an only slightly blurry drive-by shot of the Dixie Highway and Robert E Lee marker in Marshall, North Carolina.

This panel almost duplicates one from 2014 except today I had strada instead of quiche at the Well-Bred Bakery & Cafe in Weaverville.

Because I'd read of an attack on the DH/Lee marker in Asheville, I thought I might do more than a drive-by but the parking situation changed my mind on that. Even in the drive-by shot, a bend in the plaque's upper right corner, that came from an attempt to pry it off, can be seen.

The aforementioned parking situation almost caused me to forego my other planned Asheville stop. The city is home to several breweries and I thought this would be a good time to raise the number visited from one to two. But parking was hard to find in the downtown area where many are clustered and I was considering just moving on when I found space in front of the Burial Beer Company on the southern edge of the cluster. Their noon opening was a couple of minutes off but the time passed quickly. I quite liked the one beer I tried, Skullsaw Porter. Both the door and tap handles hint at the company's commitment to recycling.

Although this is a US-25 rather than Dixie Highway trip, it seemed right to photograph the DH markers I passed. In the end, it seemed right to alter my course for them. The first two pictures are of the markers in Fletcher and Hendersonville. When I realized that following the currently signed US-25 would bypass the marker at the border between the Carolinas, I chose to follow the old route instead. This is the most isolated of the ten markers and is the only one to actually go missing in the recent swell of ill feelings toward Confederate monuments.

Less than ten miles from the plaqueless marker, and almost as isolated, stands this small Christmas display. On one hand, the creation of the display seems at odd with the destruction of the marker but, on the other, maybe not.

The DH/Lee marker in Greenville, South Carolina, is on neither an old or current alignment of US-25. It has been moved to be part of a collection of monuments. After photographing the other DH/Lee markers, diverting to photograph this one also seemed right.

Maybe I'll stay at the Lookaway Inn someday but until then I'll just keep taking pictures of the outside. It sure does look good. The Thomas Meriwether monument still stands in Calhoun Park and so does the Monopoly man Christmas lawn ornament. Roadside America calls Meriwether "a white supremacy martyr". I included a couple more links in my journal for a stop here in 2012. The Rich Uncle Pennybags look-alike might just be enjoying an innocent skate with a companion but his outstretched hand and her backwards look could indicate a #MeToo moment. I alternate between feeling guilty for thinking that and wondering why everyone doesn't.

A skating rink and other attractions across from the James Brown statue help make downtown Augusta, Georgia, a lot more active than I recall ever seeing it. And I don't recall ever seeing either of these theaters lit. Of course, that could all be a function of my recall ability. By the way, I (and a couple others) did try the James Brown Cam but it seened not to be working.

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