Brodnax, VA: Welcome to the South, no really

Miles since last blog: 30.6

Brodnax isn't so much a town as a dirt road, with lots of dogs, but I've got that under control now. It's also my name in Klingon if memory serves.

My Dad was nice enough to share his concerns that I might offend people in the South with my last blog, I think his exact words were, "You know they can read in the South, right?" I didn't bother reminding him that they probably had tv's and dvd's down here and that most people are at least peripherally aware of the movie 'Deliverance' and associated jokes.

Now, it seems that yes, the movie 'Deliverance' and 3 episodes of 'My Big Redneck Wedding' didn't put my mind in the perfect state for my first night in the backwoods of the South, but a series of close calls with dogs hardly set me up for a comfortable first night. Most of my friends from the South make jokes about these things, but just in case it's one of those "I can make fun of my sister, but you can't make fun of my sister" situations, sorry. Perhaps if this upset you, you might be better off in Northern California (real N. Cali, in the mountains) where people, who are mostly white and well-off, are afraid to say or hear anything that might be construed as offensive in any way by any of the many kinds of people they do not meet on a regular basis.

It's okay for me to make fun of Northern California, I'm from there, and so is my sister, from an area not to far from our own real live rednecks. See, we're not so different.

With that said, today was a day devoid of fear, I've adjusted and as I said I have a doggie defense system-wheeling around at them generally scares them back to bark-only-distance.

In fact, the only thing that persisted from yesterday as far as the South is concerned is the hospitality. A man actually pulled over and waited for me to come up the road so he could see what I was all about, meet me and shake my hand. That was really nice.