Four Day Routine

I have spent the past four nights at The Heritage Campground in Carthage, NC.  It is a small campground situated on a nice sized lake and consists of mostly large pine trees.  I have developed a bit of a routine over the past week that goes something like; fishing in the morning, coffee around ten, and then dinner over the campfire.

I have found that it is quite difficult to find a solid Internet connection out here in the wide open.  Luckily, I have found a great “home base” less than a mile away from my tent where I can get a great cup of coffee and a stable connection to the web. I stumbled upon the New Matthews Market Company nestled on the corner of Vass Carthage Road and Niagra Carthage Road.  As I walked into the store and passed the bundles of firewood, bins of fresh produce, and homemade wreaths, I knew right away that I loved the grass roots vibe that it radiated.  I was greeted instantly by the stores owner, his name is Doug.  Doug is a well traveled, and friendly man, that I describes his shop as a general store in its infancy.  It felt full grown to me.  It has candy, a great wine selection, beer, fresh sandwiches, great coffee (the flavor of the day today is Fireside Chat), a checkers board, books for sale, and of course the elusive WiFi.

Doug was raised in Georgetown and has spent the earlier portion of his life traveling the world, in fact, he says his two favorite cities are, “New York and Hong Kong.”  He previously made his home in the mountains of North Carolina where he worked just about every job he could to try and make ends meet; bartending, river guide, ski instructor, etc… He misses the mountains for sure, I can see it in his face, but he has created a common place for the people in this small town and I feel like the store will soon become a staple.  It seems like a fun job, rewarding and fun to watch grow.

I could tell right away that Doug is the kind of guy that respects the arts.  He told me that whenever he travels somewhere, he never gets a traditional souvineer, he always differs to a piece of local art which he feels is much more meaningful than a conventional, and almost cliché, bumper sticker or tee shirt.  We have sat and talked music and life over the past four days, trading ideas and stories from the road, and he even has declared today a “Dylan Day”.  He is only playing Dylan music all day long because most of time it has just been him and I in the shop, and of course, I am not going to complain.

I have really enjoyed my time here in North Carolina, but it is my memories from within the walls of the New Matthews Market Company that I will take home with me.  If you are ever passing through, make a pit stop, and grab an ice cream cone and a bottle of red.  Thanks for everything Doug, and from one rolling stone to another…I’ll see you down the path.