Who is Spot White Adventures

I am Bill White, adventurer, cyclist, runner, and always looking to expand my world and escape the ordinary.  I go, I see, I do and then I write about here.  I evaluate the gear I use and provide my real world reviews that the average person can relate to.  I will tell you about my trips, including the good, bad and what works and what don’t.  Have a seat and grab a cup of your favorite beverage, join me in my little piece of the planet and enjoy.

Here is my story-  I was born in Asheville NC in 1953, Asheville was a very small town at the time.  Lots of dirt roads around the area, moonshine was the  underground economy and NASCAR was just getting started.  I remember going to the dirt track races at what is now the Asheville Tourist baseball stadium.  My Grandfather is Spot White, he raised me from an early age and as a kid I spent all my time at his garage.  I loved the smells, sounds and the constant flow of people coming around the shop.   The garage was like a big playground for me.  Everyone knew Spot White and he enjoyed a big business of working on cars and trucks.  His specialty was taking out the back seats of cars and installing custom made tanks and brackets so the moonshine runners could carry their shine in bulk.  The rear seats were reinstalled and from the outside it looked just like a stock car.  The rear springs were beefed up along with the front suspension and fully loaded the car would sit level.  My Granddad was often paid in moonshine or country hams, chickens, beans or corn.  I spent most of my childhood shucking corn and stringing beans on the back porch.  We did not make moonshine, it was just the money used at the time to pay for about anything.

Viet Nam 1972 on my 19th birthday

 

Bored with school and seeking adventure, I left home at 16 and travelled around the southeast.  At 17 I joined the US Army, I had my 19th birthday in Viet Nam.  I was an Airborne soldier, enjoyed a great 22 year career in Combat Engineers.  I retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 3, attended Kansas State University and later went on to graduate from Campbell University in NC with a business degree.  I retired again (quit my executive job) at the age of 58 so I could travel the world on 2 wheels, seek adventure and expand my knowledge.  Two weeks after I quit my job I cycled to Key West Florida to celebrate!

Who is Spot White-Spot White is Corless Edison White born in 1898 in South Carolina, a WW1 veteran and later moved to North Carolina to start a family and a business.   Spot White and Sons Automotive in Asheville NC was next door to the Thomas Wolfe House for many years.  The lady on the bench is my Mother Hilda.  This is the same bench I sat on every Saturday and sold moonshine as a boy.