The Great Doughnut Quest

Last time Mary Frances and I visited Seaboard we discovered a cute little bakery on Roanoke Avenue in Roanoke Rapids called Simply Divine Cakes and friends, their cupcakes were simply divine!  Their doughnuts? Not so much.

Then we heard tell of the new Doodle Bug Doughnuts on Julian Allsbrook Highway. But then we heard “too pricey”, “too small”, “too long a wait!!!” And though we give them bonus points for a great name, we heeded the warnings of friends and loved ones and drove right past with our noses in the air.

My Seaboard buddy, Laura Brown asked innocently “Have you ever had a doughnut from South Hill?” Friends, I’ve never BEEN to South Hill. So despite Laura’s mothers admonition that we neither one NEEDED a doughnut we set out on the Great Doughnut Quest at 7:30 am. It seems the holy grail of doughnut shops is open only UNTIL THEY RUN OUT OF DOUGHNUTS.

The route from Seaboard to South Hill, Virginia is off the beaten path. It is off the unbeaten path too. In fact you have to look hard to see a path at all.

But gorgeous! And green! Fields of soybeans and tobacco, rolling hills, giant hardwoods, stately pines! Morning sun burned off the wisps of fog and slanted through the grove of trees lining the (very) narrow byway. So beautiful in fact I had to stop the Queen Mary (my Ford Flex) and take a photo. It’s a bit shaky as I shot it with my phone prior to jumping back in the car to avoid being flattened by a stately old Buick that came roaring around the corner.

On to South Hill where Laura guided me to the S and B doughnut shop. The unassuming building was tucked away on a side street, but the parking lot was jammed! 

A line waited patiently inside and the smell of sugar filled the air. We had made it in time, still plenty of doughnuts left! Laura bought 3 dozen, I bought 4 plus a chocolate covered beauty of a crème puff. We stumbled over to the American Legion park and reverently ate a doughnut each. (Mine washed down by Diet Coke. Saving calories don’t ya know?)

Bliss. Sugar so thick and sweet I was instantly transported back to the old “Daily Made” bakery of my youth. Delicious satisfaction!

In a sugar coma Laura and I stumbled down the street to visit the South Hill Doll and Train Museum. We were greeted by a lovely docent who gave us a grand tour. I was astonished by all the doll eyes peering at me from shelf after shelf of vintage dolls.  I saw everything from Shirley Temple dolls to china head dolls to Campell’s Soup Kid Dolls. Dolls from around the world and of every imaginable country – two from New Zealand! It was a small room, but obviously full of love. The dolls were the gift of Virginia Evans, now 99, who carefully researched and labeled each one.

Around the corner was a fabulous train layout. It was a world in miniature and I spotted (in addition to speeding trains) a tiny cemetery, Ferris Wheel, rock quarry, merry –go-round, Kentucky Fried Chicken and yes, ladies and gentlemen, even a nudie show!

We bid our docent good bye and made the short walk back to the Queen Mary. We took a DIFFERENT scenic tour on the way home, driving for miles over curving twisty roads. And around each corner we found so many things to gaze and wonder about.

I’ve seen my share of country stores, but never one with birds for sale in front! We turned one corner and stopped to visit with beautiful young parakeets and an insouciant pair of creamy yellow cockatiels. (They liked us and wanted to come home with us.)

I didn’t even know the Rosemont Winery existed and it necessitated another stop-in-the-middle of the road occasion as I tried to photograph the rows and rows of grapes disappearing into the distances. Rich purple grapes were draped from the vines begging to be picked. (No, OF COURSE WE DIDN’T! REALLY!)

Laura took me down one remote road named DROMGOOLE. Turns out a gentleman preacher named Edward Dromgoole settled in the area in 1786 and was an early Methodist circuit rider. 

And just when I thought I was well and truly lost I had one last surprise in store. We approached another country store and Laura said casually that we were in Ebony, Virginia. Ebony! Lake home of my good friends, Anne and Al Hartley. Back in the day, my cub scout den camped on their lakefront many a night. A happy place with many happy memories!  Around the next curve, the Kenan House – where Earle and I had our rehearsal dinner many many moons ago.

So with a backseat full of doughnuts and a hearts full of joy, we made our back to more familiar territory: Gaston, Garysburg, Gumberry and finally home to Seaboard. I’m so happy we stepped off the beaten path in search of the ultimate sugar fix. The sweetness will last me a long time.