Trip on a Tank: Virginia
HOLMES: Twenty minutes past the hour. Reynolds Wolf taking you on a trip on one tank of gas. You can actually do this?</s>REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Are you a car trip guy?</s>HOLMES: Not really.</s>WOLF: Really?</s>HOLMES: I hate driving. Driving more than 30 minutes I got a problem.</s>WOLF: A lot of people they don't have much of a choice anymore because we're in a situation where the economy is so poor that a lot of people can't afford to take the family of four across the country.</s>HOLMES: Across the country.</s>WOLF: You got people that are getting back in the car. They're filling up the tank and they're going out to explore, re-find America.</s>HOLMES: Old school.</s>WOLF: Old school style, old school fun. Check out our latest trip.</s>WOLF (on camera): Today's "Trip On A Tank" starts in Norfolk, Virginia which is the home of the USS Wisconsin. This beautiful battleship's day happens to be over. But our day is just getting underway. A long trip all the way from Norfolk to Washington, D.C. Let's get going. When you go on any trip, it is very important to have a great crew. Thankfully we have photojournalist Jeremy Long with us.</s>JEREMY LONG, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: At your service, governor.</s>WOLF: We also have producer Alicia Eagan. Alicia, How many miles are we going today?</s>ALICIA EAGAN, CNN PRODUCER: About 350.</s>WOLF: Three hundred and fifty, oh, yes. First stop? Smithfield, Virginia. That is the ham capital of the world. That is great if you are hungry. The problem is this is a prop. We need the real deal. Unfortunately, as you know, reality can sometimes be a little bit harsh. Here at the Isle of Whyte Museum in Smithfield, Virginia, take a look at this. Oh, my gosh. It is the world's oldest edible ham. The one right there in the middle. Tracey Neikirk, the museum's curator is here. Tracey, how do we know this thing is edible?</s>TRACEY NEIKIRK, CURATOR, ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY MUSEUM: It is the wonderful curing process here at Smithfield Ham. A combination of smoke and salt and it is cured in 1902. We think you can still eat it. We haven't cut into it.</s>WOLF: I'll take your word for it. Wow. Something else that is cool here. Check it out. It is the world's oldest peanut. Amazing, here in Smithfield. You think something that neat would have its own museum, wouldn't it? Here in Waverly, Virginia, dreams for peanuts do come true; it is the first peanut museum in the United States. Alicia, is it open?</s>EAGAN: It's locked.</s>WOLF: And we're going. Next stop on the road takes us to Colonial Williamsburg. This is a place, that despite the hot day, it is frozen in time. The proof is all around you. You have the old tavern, you have the wig maker, even a silversmith on one side. What it does is it brings you back to a simpler time; a time without air conditioning. Let me tell you it is hot. Jeremy, you ready to get back in the car? Yes, me too. I'm feeling nostalgic a little nostalgic, right about now.</s>LONG: Me, too. I'm thinking Civil War.</s>WOLF: The next stop on our trip brings us here to the wilderness in Virginia. More specifically to the final resting place of Stonewall Jackson's left arm. The Confederate general lost his arm on May 3, 1863. He lost his left arm. I'd give my right arm to get out of here. Let's get going. Along the journey, we have been finding bits and pieces of Americana. What we found in Stillhouse Distillery in Culpepper, Virginia, is really no exception. Now, they are making moonshine, and corn whiskey in this premises. Distiller Brendan Wheatley is with us. And Brendan, these really are the all-American spirits, aren't they?</s>BRENDAN WHEATLEY, ASST. DISTILLER, STILLHOUSE DISTILLERY: This whiskey and style of whiskey has been made for over 400 years here in the United States. And we try and carry on the tradition.</s>WOLF: A lot of tradition, with a lot of bottles. Let's watch them roll. Well these bottles are on the move, and so are we. Well, we finally made it. Washington, D.C., right behind me you can see the Washington Monument, beyond that, the Lincoln Memorial. If you pivot all the back around over here, you have the Nation's Capitol; 350.7 miles from Norfolk here to D.C. and what a trip it was. A little bit of Americana mixed in. I hope you enjoyed it. We will see you next time down the road.</s>WOLF: Now to be honest with you we probably could have gone a little bit farther but you know, it was a long day, we tried to stop right there. But you know, you have a few options. And believe it or not the trip itself is not very expensive. In fact, we got a budget for you. You can take this</s>HOLMES: But again, the museums and the stuff you were talking at, stopping at, all that stuff is free.</s>WOLF: Yes, all free, just walk in and enjoy it.</s>HOLMES: All right. And he says the responses have been coming in. Keep sending them, he says.</s>WOLF: On Facebook.</s>HOLMES: Good stuff. Reynolds, thank you. Quick break and we are right back, folks.