Zamia Ventures
38 FOLLOWERS
Hi! We are Shannon and Ken, a couple of average white collar workers who spent years trying to make the most of our weekends. In February 2018, we made adventure the centerpiece of our lives, embarking on an ambitious plan to travel the country for several years in our Airstream travel trailer to visit as many national park units and other points of interest as possible.
Zamia Ventures
1M ago
After settling into our home base, our RV usage dropped dramatically. Our trips have been much shorter — our final camping trip to St. Augustine was just 5 days long — and the 25′ of cleverly-designed trailer space we appreciated for full-time RV travel is far more than we need for short trips. Plus, the ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
8M ago
The last time we visited Ken’s brother and his family in Silicon Valley was way back in 2018, when we stayed in the area the week of Thanksgiving during our time on the road. A return visit was way overdue, plus we were in no particular rush to get back to the heat, humidity, and ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
8M ago
When we planned our two-month summer sojourn in North Carolina, one of the main objectives of the Winston-Salem leg was to get our fill of urban amenities that are lacking in our very beautiful but very rural home community. I think I can say without reservation that we achieved that goal. After suffering through my ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
8M ago
The heyday of cigarette and underwear companies as employers in Winston-Salem was during the middle years of the 20th century. Eventually automation, the lower cost of overseas labor, and general market changes led to much of the manufacturing exiting the area, leaving Winston-Salem relatively bereft of major employers. The 1980s were not a great time ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
9M ago
Judging by today’s numbers, Winston-Salem doesn’t seem like a powerhouse in North Carolina. With a population of about 250,000, it ranks as the fifth-largest city in the state and isn’t even the largest in its immediate region, with Greensboro taking top honors in the Piedmont Triad. But today’s population figures obscure the significance of Winston-Salem ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
9M ago
After our scenic relocation from the Asheville area, we immediately dove into the activities available in the Winston-Salem area. The city is probably best known as the home of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, particularly thanks to the Winston and Salem cigarette brands, and there’s no question that RJR had a defining influence on the ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
9M ago
Time flies, and after four marvelous weeks in Big Sandy Mush, Asheville, and surrounding areas, it was time to leave this appealing region and move to our second rental of the summer in Winston-Salem. We definitely did not run out of things to do, although for our final week in the area we mixed in ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
9M ago
This was a good week to be somewhat more modest in our hiking and sightseeing ambitions, since a north wind brought a lot of Canadian wildfire smoke to the area followed by several days of rain. Not only did we get hit with air quality advisories, but the airborne particles pretty much destroyed the nice ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
10M ago
We learned from years of full-time travel that whenever we hit a new location, we need to plan our most important visits at the front end of the planned stay. Weather, mechanical problems, distractions of various sorts, and sheer laziness can all prevent us from getting to some planned destinations if we wait too long ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
10M ago
Our home away from home for the month of July is the Big Sandy Mush, a secluded valley located about 15 miles northwest of Asheville. European settlement of the valley dates back to around 1800, but the mountains ringing the valley kept it fairly isolated. Generations of residents raised all their own food, kept cows ... Read more ..read more