Day 4: ZZ Top, Samwise Gamgee and ladies of the night. Welcome to the South!

Oh haaaay yaaawl, made it down hurr to the dirtay south awl safe an soun' like.

Gaaaaah. Yup, the Southern accents are now abundant, and I lost track of the number of beat up Chevy pick-up trucks with Confederate flag stickers that passed me on the back roads of South Carolina. Stereotypes are apparently alive and well my friends.

Regardless, I have made it to Atlanta! I spent last night with my Uncle in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is my mom's older brother and it was a total kick to see him and his wife for the first time in something like 12+ years or so. The drive from Virginia to Charlotte wasn't bad at all. I ended up making a pit stop in Chapel Hill on the UNC campus, GORGEOUS. It definitely reminded me of a bigger (and possibly prettier) UNH campus. I parked my car and high-tailed it for the Starbucks I passed on my way through campus. What is it about Starbucks that makes me feel so warm and fuzzy? I think Starbucks is my "Cheers" of sorts. I feel all relieved and thankful that "everybody knows my name." Ok, yes, I realize I told them my name when I gave them my order. But wasn't it so nice of Suzy-Barista to call out my name and tell me to have a wonderful day and enjoy the sunshine?? I should so know better than to be shmoozed by savvy marketing techniques... What can I say, I am just an average mindless consumer. An average, sometimes-hipster, caffeine addicted consumer. Sigh.

So yes, Charlotte was a great visit, albeit, a short one. I don't think I was much of a conversational whiz while visiting. My brain was apparently pureed with a potato masher somewhere between the cotton fields of Virginia and the outskirts of Charlotte, so I was having trouble stringing together intelligible sentences... "Yea, Micah's going to school to study to be a criminal. Uh, I mean to study criminal justice." Oi vey.

Uncle Mike & I before I hit the road again.

Today's drive was nothing short of AWESOME. I lucked out yet again with b-e-a-uuuu-tiful weather. I actually intentionally planed a pit-stop for today, my first semi-touristy detour. I went a little bit off the direct route to Atlanta in order to stop in Clayton, Georgia, at the Black Rock Mountain State Park. Black Rock is GA's highest point, and COMPLETELY IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. It's awesome. I get to the mountain and start cruising up this insanely steep grade that keeps switch-backing all over the place. Mona the Sube is kinda groaning cuz I have packed her full of clothes and shoes and food (life's essentials), but I'm half way up the mountain when I look to my left and the view is already SIIIIIIICK! So I tell her she's a rockstar and she better make it to the top cuz I don't know what the eff I'd do if I got stuck on the side of a mountain in Red Neck Central, Georgia.

The view at the top was amazing. There was a balcony out the back of the ranger station where I got some great panoramic shots and then I walked around the outlook a bit. Then I loaded up a plate of food from my car and sat in the sunshine to eat lunch with this absurd shit-eating grin on my face due to complete. happiness. overload. It was fantastic.

Gigantic tub of almond butter and a bar of Lindt dark chocolate = happiness. 

How pensive.

And then I made friends with the park ranger at the parking entrance and got his picture. This guy might as well have just gotten off touring with ZZ Top. He was basically The Man. I didn't get his name, but I have decided he'd make a good Amos. Amos the former ZZ Top front-man-turned Georgia state park ranger extraordinaire.

I think he was hiding his Gibson inside the hut.

So tomorrow begins the hike out to New Orleans, which I am SUPER excited about. I'll have a full day on Monday to check out the city. Hopefully my GPS isn't a little jackwad like it tried to be today. It had a minor hiccup and took me off the highway for almost 10 effing miles before deciding "oh totally kidding Emily! I didn't mean to do that." Overall though, I really love having my little Garmin up there on the dashboard. I have decided to name him S.W., as in Sam Wise, as in Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings. Yes I am aware this makes me a severe nerd, even though I haven't even read the books. But the quote on my tattoo is from J.R. Tolkein and I've always loved the somewhat befuddled but always well meaning-ways of Samwise. Not to mention the all-too auspicious-connection of SW also being "South-West"... as in the general direction I happen to be on this adventure of mine ;)

What a faithful little Hobbit.

Ok! Another lengthy entry. Hopefully you made it all the way through. Apologies to my mother and her worker friends for making them cry with my last entry. Not exactly what I had planned. The whole Madonna reference was supposed incite laughter, not tears. My bad. Let me leave you with this little gem of an image incase anyone's getting too sappy: I'm 99% sure there's a bachelor party going on next door to my hotel room, and I'd swear I've heard multiple knocks on their door from lady friends coming to visit. I PROMISE I'm in a legitimate establishment. I did not rent my room by the hour. Honestly.

Hugs and love and mushy mush to the moon <3
EmiLou

PS. THANK YOU to everyone for the notes on my blog posts. If you decide not to set up an account and stay "annonymous," be sure to sign the message pretty please! I'd love to know who's leaving me the love<3 Thank you thank you!!!