Asheville, NC
The morning came early yesterday. After weeks of sleeping until it was time to write, a 6 AM buzzer in my ear was not a welcome noise. I turned it off and was glad to hear Lake Ontario telling me to wake up. The waves were louder than usual and the wind was making its case. Mother Nature told me it was time. Rather than snoozing and laying there, I was up and headed down to the shower. I had a date with Black Beauty. She and I were making a run south, down to Asheville. I was excited at getting back on the road. 6 AM or not, I wiped the cobwebs out, got showered, grabbed my remaining bags, got the ham and cheese sandwiches out of the fridge, said goodbyes to my parents, and was out the door just past my goal of 7 AM.
It was a cool morning in Rochester and I was in for the long haul, so I had my Old Navy sweats, some white running socks, and my NY NY Casino shirt on. During my summer drives I would go barefoot or sandals, but I needed socks on today. I couldn’t so 12 hours in my sneakers, so I settled for the next best thing, my slippers. The soft brown moc’s made their way down 390.
Normally I’m a CD guy all the way, but in the morning it helps to have the uncertainty of radio. I flipped between 96.5, 95.1, 94.1, and a welcomed addition, 90.5. I hit the radio for about an hour or so and then I put in a favorite, The Shins. My friend Sean had borrowed them for a few weeks so it was nice to hear it again. It was strange that it was still dark all the way up to 7:30 or so. I guess that’s why this horrible time change went into effect last night. It’ll be dark by 5:30 now. Ouch. I guess it’s good for early risers though.
I barreled down 390 to the thruway and headed to Buffalo on 90. I cruised along pretty good and came to 79 South. I got on my southern connection toward Pittsburgh and made my first pit stop outside of Erie. I had grown a bit sleepy, so I hit the bathroom, filled up the tank, and tried to shut my eyes for a minute. It may have been five minutes and I was back. I felt a lot better.
The day was fully upon me. The sun tried to peek out, but the clouds won the battle. It was pretty grey and drizzled off and on. As I headed south, the elevation changed. Down through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee, they were all hilly. I was driving amongst the mountains and the trees. A lot of the leaves have fallen off already, but the ones that hadn’t were a bright yellow that I had to force myself not to keep looking at. As I drove, leaves would fall off of the trees and come down in my path. It was a surreal feeling, shooting through the colored leaf rain.
I took out the Shins and even listened to some country for a few minutes. I timed it right as they played a few songs that I knew and liked. That is not always the case with country. I put the North Mississippi All Stars on next. I found the CD in my cleaning. I hadn’t heard it in a long time.
Noon came and a ham sandwich went. The NMAS ended and out came the Flaming Lips. I didn’t know much about them, other than She wears Tangerine’s. You remember that song? They are much better than that.
West Virginia brought more yellow to the scene. I drove on. And a little more.
By this time my butt was hurting from sitting so much. I quit the cruise control to add some action to the drive. Up the hills and down I went, weaving in between the truckers. It’s nice to see speed limits of 65 and 70.
I can’t write much more about driving, but I stared at the road, I passed cars, I got gas, I ate, I fought off naps, I saw beautiful scenery, and I made it to Asheville. I left at 7 AM and arrived just before 7 PM. It went as I hoped. I was psyched to be back on the road and psyched to finally be here.
King greeted me with a smile and a guy hug. Gordo was there to greet me as well. He may have the biggest head and neck I’ve ever seen on a dog. He is a 130 pound, black lab/American bulldog mix. His tail wagged and he demanded to be petted. I obliged.
I was tired and needed to stretch. I paced around for a while and then took what could have been a top 5 shower and shave experience. Sitting in the car for 12 hours makes you feel grimy. Not shaving for a week or 10 days makes your face feel dirty. The shower and the shave reinvigorated me.
King’s place is nice. It sits on the top of a mountain, not on the top, just below the million dollar homes. King’s lady, Stacy, came over as we prepared to go out. Another guy from college, Keith, and his girlfriend Jami, live in Asheville too. They met the three of us Asheville Pizza Co. This is a cool place. Every city should have one. It’s a pizza/beer joint up front, and in back is a huge theater. We saw the Bourne Supremacy. The beer and fatigue didn’t allow me to follow it as close as I’d like, but I think it was good. We sat at what would be at a VIP table at a bar – a high backed round table that fit all 5 of us.
We walked downtown for a bit and saw some costumes. We weren’t dressed up. We played some darts at Barley’s and called it a night. We felt OK (see pic).
Today is Halloween. Boo. I type this from Port City Java. They have an internet connection and I had a cup of joe. It’s now noon and time to go. The sun shines and Craggy Gardens awaits.