The evening's festivities began with a message from the mayor.
This festival had everything, even a dancing Spiderman.
The Smithereens opened with "Behind the Wall of Sleep" off their debut album, a song I used to play when I was doing college radio. They still sound great.
Of course, it's not a birthday without a cake...
Grand Funk Railroad came on at 8:30P and they've still got it. They're even touring with two of the three original members. They ran through most of heir hits and closed with "We're An American Band."
That's original member Don Brewer on drums. I didn't realize how often he sang these songs.
On bass, original member Mel Schacher. Mark Farner returned for a reunion tour in the '90s, but hasn't toured with them since.
Of course, you know there can't just be one concert on the roadtrip. Tomorrow, it's back to Wilmington, NC for another one. From my house, it's about eight hours. So, I didn't hang out after tonight's concert.
Back home and out cold by midnight.
Day 2
Sunday September 13, 2026
With a long drive ahead of me, I was up and out nice and early. Next stop, Wilmington. On a good day, it's a little over eight hours drive.
Leaving the subdivision..
In another case of excellent timing, I did stop in Thompson for gas and ended up talking with a guy sporting a T-shirt from the Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival. I've definitely got to do that one of these days. Florence, South Carolina is a little over three hundred miles. Imagine my surprise when I found Local Motive Brewing Company. Not only do they have food, but they open at 11A...on a Sunday. This wouldn't be allowed in Georgia. You can't buy or serve until after 12:30P.
It was great to finally roll into Wilmington and my sister's place. Staring at the road ahead does get old after a while.
We caught up for a while on family stuff. But, at 6:30P, I had to go.
This was my first time seeing a show at the Wilson Center. It's down by the riverfront in Cape Fear Community College. Parking is only $10 across the street in the student deck. Super easy.
Sunset from the parking deck.
As I was walking in, the lobby lights started flickering. Time to get to my seat.
Tonight's opener was Sarah Lee Guthrie, daughter of Arlo and granddaughter of Woody. My ticket didn't mention the opener. This was such a cool surprise.
She then brought out Mike and Chris Holt, one of his guitarists. No microphones, no amplifiers. Just one song. But, they still filled the room.
Mike and the band came out and played for a little over two hours. It was an extra treat when they played the more familiar Tom Petty songs. You can hear their song, "Electric Gypsy" here:
And that guy behind Mike...
That's Steve Ferrone. He played for Tom Petty for twenty-five years. Previously, he played with pretty much everyone.
Day 3
Monday, September 14, 2026
I was born in Wilmington, way back when, and my family moved to Jersey when I was nine. We really were spoiled. Wrightsville Beach is a short drive, so we spent plenty of time there.
From my sister's place, it's fifteen minutes. Since I was up, off I went for sunrise.
Last year, I stopped on my way back from the beach to shoot this bridge in the morning light. It hums as you drive over the grating. As kids, we naturally called it The Whistling Bridge. Like many bridges here, it's on the list for replacement. It just won't be the same.
As I stood there reliving childhood memories, I heard a familiar ding, ding, ding sound. The crossing gates were coming down. Then the siren blast. The bridge was going up.
At first I considered myself lucky for the timing. Then I remembered something from long ago. Sometime around 1970, the rules changed. Previously, the bridge went up whenever a tall boat approached. You can imagine how disruptive that could be to traffic and businesses. From that point on, the bridge would be raised only at the top of the hour. Boats would have to wait. I was standing there as the clock struck 8A.
The rest of the day was hangin' with my Sis. We ventured out late in the afternoon for an early dinner at a place called Dockside. Great view, delicious meal and excellent company.
With a hour until sunset, we settled in along the Intercoastal Waterway...
Another great day in the books.
Day 4
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Of course the day began with sunrise on Wrightsville Beach.
I posted this photo on my Facebook page. An old friend posted a comment that she and her husband had moved to Wilmington in April. We made plans to meet for sunrise the next day. Love when life works out this way.
After all these years, I do believe this was the first time I ever walked across the Whistling Bridge.
On the other side, there's a pedestrian walkway underneath the road.
After coming back to the beach side, I will admit to being mildly disappointed no boats approached the bridge. I've never watched it go up from this point. Perhaps tomorrow.
James Taylor was playing the Live Oak Bank Pavilion tonight. I've always respected his voice and talent. But, I was still on the fence whether to go or not.
In the end, I just settled in for sunset down by the river instead. I met a woman at Friday night's concert who does freelance bartending at all the local Live Nation venues. She was working the night of the James Taylor show. She told me a group of people on the lawn booed every time he tried to play something new. They just wanted the familiar songs. Makes me glad I didn't go.
Day 5
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Naturally, the day began with the short drive out to Wrightsville Beach for sunrise.
There's a small group who comes out to the beach every morning. They pray and sing after the sun comes up. They also maintain that "Jesus" in the foreground.
Of course a trip to the Wilmington area wouldn't be the same without a visit with one of my closest friend's Mom. As usual, we met at a place called PT's Grill. Good food, even better company.
Of course I stopped back down by the riverfront later in the afternoon. With no set plans, it was great to just wander about. Unfortunately, both the used bookstore were already closing for the day.
The Pixies are playing tonight. To be honest, I was on the fence over this one, too. What little I've heard, I liked. But, I hadn't heard much. For a single resale ticket in the back of the balcony, it would run me $110. For the same area in Wilson Center where I sat on Sunday, $150. Yeah, I passed.
Seen downtown...
After a few laps up and down the riverfront... sunset framed by the USS North Carolina.
Day 6
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Another beautiful morning on Wrightsville Beach...
The morning's vibe in one photo...
If you drive north to the Public Access Lot #2, that brings you to an area known as Shell Beach.
Walk north for about fifteen minutes and this inlet cuts you off from the private resorts and residences.
The way the beach curves here, along with wind and water erosion, creates these patterns in the sand, as well as these holes. Pretty cool actually.
In the afternoon, I decided to check out one of the new and used vinyl/CD stores in town.
Right in front is a display of "New Additions." I bought this album in high school and still love it.
Now, I do realize vinyl has made a resurgence over the last few years, and thus demand is high. But, I wasn't expecting this... I paid $5 for mine.
There are some in that bin significantly higher. But, they looked new. As for the CDs, I saw a few for $3.99. A few I looked at were $12.99. So no, I didn't buy anything. Instead, I simply drove out to the riverfront again.
Seen along the way...
Hughes Brothers tire shop has been on this spot since 1935. No wonder it looked familiar. This is the Burgwin-Wright House. Built in 1744, General Cornwallis made it his headquarters in 1781. His troops needed time to rest and recover from an especially costly win over Gen. Nathaniel Greene.
While here, he decided it would be too costly to subdue the Carolinas. Instead, he would eventually move his troops into Virginia and eventually Yorktown. And we know how that ended. Just a block up, I passed this stone wall. The late light made for some dramatic effects.
This is the Latimer House. It was built in 1852 for shipping magnate Zebulon Latimer.
I only mention it because it's apparently haunted. There have been claims of children's faces appearing in upstairs windows, children's voices, cold spots and one case of a levitating poetry book. There are a few ghost hunting videos out there. I saw nothing convincing.
On the far end of the riverfront are these colorful buoys. It's part of an after school arts program.
This street musician had been playing while I waited for sunset. I wasn't expecting "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. So yeah, I left him a nice tip.
Day 7
Friday, September 18, 2026
A few minutes before the sun peeked up over the horizon, I was once again met by my friend Patty and her husband Michael. He told me he took up surfing when they lived in San Diego. There's some sort of storm brewing somewhere far away that is supposed to bring higher surf on Monday. He seemed pretty excited about it.
Just up the street from my sister's place in Long Leaf Hills Park. There's a longer outer loop trail, and a few shorter cutoff.
As always, it felt good to be walking.
Not too bad...
I came across another trail close by...
It certainly sounded promising. The preserve's trail is in the middle of the UNCW campus. I found the trailhead. There was space for four cars. All occupied. Everything else was permit only. Maybe next time.
The last commitment of the roadtrip was ZZ-Top at the Greenfield Lake Amphitheater. It's a 1,200 seat venue. Parking is either in an adjacent field or on the street. But, it's free. Bonus!
I had walked in with a General Admission ticket. For $45, I could upgrade to what they call a "lawnchair." All things considered, it seemed worth it.
The view of the lake...
Worth the upgrade... oh yeah.
This morning, the electrical storms seemed to have pushed off until late. I hadn't checked again before the show. The first flashes of lightning in the distance became visible around 8P. Instead of the stage crew setting up, they started bringing out black covers.
Live Nation owns the amphitheater and has a policy against outdoor concerts during electrical storms. Completely understandable. These alerts went out via text at 8:20P.
People were milling about the outdoor bar area. Staff kept telling them, "No, you need to leave." You could feel something brewing in the wind. Fortunately, the rain held off until I was in the car. After watching the radar for a while, I bailed.
Thirty minutes later...
The band came out at 9:40P and started their abbreviated set. Ordinarily, shows are required to end by 10P since this is a residential neighborhood. If they're delayed by rain, they can go until 10:30P. So, we got fifty minutes. Still better than a total washout.
That's Billy Gibbons on guitar and vocals, the only remaining original member.
On bass, Elwood Francis. He was Dusty Hill's guitar tech for years. When he died in 2021, Francis was asked to fill in.
That's Michael Monahan on the drums. Frank Beard asked him to take over for a few shows when he wasn't feeling right. He passed away last month.
Nice to see the fuzzy '80s guitars. No, they didn't spin.
While do I find it annoying watching people record shows, Bobby Curling did get a recording of "Sharp Dressed Man." No idea what's with his camera work. Promptly at 10:30P, the band thanked us for our patience and support, said good night and left. If I had stuck around until Sunday night, I could have snagged a $30 ticket to the Foreigner show here. I was a big fan back in the day and have their first four albums. However, they're touring with no original members. So, I stuck with the plan to just drive home in the morning.
Day 8
Saturday, September 19, 2026
I didn't set an alarm, but was up anyway. By now you know overcast skies don't keep me away from the beach at dawn.
That's the sum and substance of the color. Still worth it.
With only small waves, there were only a couple of surfers out. They seemed bored. Out beyond the surfers, a small group of kayaking were paddling along...
After grabbing a coffee, I hung out by the bridge. Just like yesterday, only small boats and paddleboarders went by. Denied.
Just across the bridge, there's a short walking trail. With a long day driving ahead of me, just walking was welcome.
It's free parking by the trailhead. But, only until 5P. Then it becomes reserved for customers of the steakhouse. The trail is easy, level and paved.
It ends after .8 miles in a rather nice neighborhood.
Now comes the fun part. Packing the car for the eight hour drive home.
It's 435 miles door to door...a rather boring 435 miles. I stopped for gas twice. Both under darkening skies. A few lightning flashes to make it even more interesting. But, no rain. A relatively painless, but long drive.
The sky from my driveway.
Dave
9/2026
PS: Next up for the road, I'm thinking of a big loop to hit a bunch of state parks. I have that annual senior pass in the car and it's good through February. Might as well make use of it.
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