By MONTE DUTTON

Everywhere has its unique places. They don’t seem unique to the folks who live there because, well, they are theirs.

But I am new to this area, and I am amazed.

During the NASCAR years, I took an avid interest in eating places. I learned that the secret of success is not “location, location, location.” The best places are off the beaten path.

Brevard’s Smoke On BBQ is strictly drive-through. Very little else is on this side of town. It’s at a tricky fork in the road. The line is comparable to parking at a ballgame. A friendly female voice took my order, and the same friendly voice made sure I had the right sauce — South Carolina mustard-based, yes! — and plenty of napkins.

I ordered a plate of burnt ends, seasoned fries, slaw and a slice of bread.

Brevard is similar to Clinton in that it is home to a small college, and most everything is on the other side of town from where I live. The difference is that Clinton, on what was my side of town, has an interstate highway clumped by its accompanying franchises.

Here in Brevard, the closest franchised drive-through is 6.6 miles away, and I don’t like them anyway. To me, McDonald’s is for two small cheeseburgers when I’m running late to get somewhere. It’s reliable mediocrity.

After a morning of writing emails, watching old movies and plunking away at my guitar, I wanted to watch England play Norway in the World Cup, so I remembered that Tanner down at the Adventure Village office had told me that Smoke On was good eating.

The burnt ends played better than England.

Wellpilgrim.com takes its name from John Wayne, who liked the phrase, and the Kris Kristofferson song “The Pilgrim: Chapter 33, Hang on, Hopper.” The title of the site comes from my favorite song, Michael Burton’s “Nightrider’s Lament.”

If you’d like to contribute to the site, I can be reached at Adventure Village #6, 15 Adventure Ridge Road, Brevard, N.C.    28712.

I’d appreciate it if you’d consider buying one or two or five of my books, which are available on Amazon and at other bookseller sites. Two novels, Cowboys Come Home and Lightning in a Bottle, are available in audible versions.