Day 11: Castration, molestation, and infestation

Day 10 ended and Day 11 began in Louisville, where I would make my final push to my final destination of Chapel Hill.  I needed to make the 8.5 hour drive in 7.5 hours in order to arrive in time to pick up the keys from the rental office before they closed at 5pm.  Any hope of averaging the required 77 mph were quickly dashed on the drive along I-64 from Louisville to Lexington when I encountered multiple traffic jams.

I decided to make one final stop at the University of Kentucky's campus to take in a few sights and pick up a final few souvenirs.  The campus bookstore was, by far, the worst one of the entire trip.  Bad selection and poorly organized.  

But they did have cowboy boots for the ladies. OMG!

After finding one last pint glass for my collection, I made my way to my car, passing the fine arts building along the way.  Outside were abstract pieces of art, professors sitting on nearby benches grading papers, and a bronze sculpture that made me wince.  I can only assume it was meant to deter Rick Pitino from ever returning to campus.

I was going to stop by Rupp Arena to relive my last visit to Lexington, but didn't couldn't find a parking spot nearby.  I was also going to stop by the football stadium, but who really cares about Kentucky football?

I got back in my car and continued on 64 east to Charleston, WV, then took a turn south on 77 which eventually led me to NC, where I was welcomed by the sight of Pilot Mountain.

A couple hours later, and after a total of 3800 miles of driving, I finally arrived in Chapel Hill.  At this point, it was well after 5pm, which meant I wasn't going to be able to pick up the keys to the house until the next morning.  Luckily, I found a hotel that promised me I wouldn't be molested.

After getting a good night's sleep for the first time in what seemed like a month, I picked up the keys and made my way over to the house where I was finally able to dump all the stuff that had been cluttering up my car for the past 11 days.  

Over the course of the next few days, I reacquainted myself with some of my favorite spots in town, including The 'Dillo, Looking Glass, McAllister's, and Open Eye Cafe, which carries the same pine-flavored rhubarb soda I discovered on my last day in Olympia.  And as in Olympia, it seemed oddly appropriate given that I was back in the land of the pines.

I also stopped by PIRE where they thankfully welcomed me back, but only after I made a peace offering of BBQ sauce from Memphis.

And so here I now sit at Open Eye, reflecting on what a crazy year it's been and all the things I've learned along the way. And as this roach crawls across the cement floor near my bag and across my foot, I think to myself, "I never had to deal with bugs like this in Washington." Maybe I'll move back.