7.27-30.14 Long Drive Home to NC & MD

Day 40-
We left Colorado and jusr drove east. I listened to Pink Floyd's "Darkside of the Moon" the whole time we drove through Kansas. I really wanted to check out the Wizard of Oz museum but it was a little out of our way and I felt that it would mostly be a collection of memorabilia.

We got dinner at R.J.'s Bob-Be-Que Shack in Mission, Kansas just before we entered Missouri. It was really good barbeque. It helped get us through the night. I was awake when we drove by St. Louis at night. The Stan Musial Veteran's Bridge was beautiful! I would like to come back and explore St. Louis.

Day 41-
We drove through the night. I thought we were going to go Asheville in the morning but plans changed. We have to drive through thick fog in the Smoky Mountains at dawn. We went to Hooker Falls by Brevard, NC. We were travel weary and ready to go home. This was a quick stop. We swam under the waterfall and even learned how to crawl behind it and slide under the waterfall into the base. There was a daring family that taught us. They were diving from the top of the waterfall into the bottom. It was cold and after our previous jump in California I had enough of silly risks.

We got to the Chapel Hill area that evening and reunited with Christina's old room mate. We had dinner at The Pig Restaurant. We enjoyed more barbeque and I tried their gumbo and mac-n-cheese. We went out that night but I was pretty finished with being social.

Day 42-
Last day. We finished watching Season 2 of Orange is the New Black. I wandered down Franklin Street while we finish some last business in Chapel Hill. We completed the tradition of ordering food from the Mediterranean Deli to take home.

It was the hardest part of the trip to come home. I sat in silence in the passenger seat as I reflected. I had no where to run to. I would come back home and face everything that I had left behind. I was sad. We also hit the worst traffic in our entire trip during the last ride. There was traffic on I-495 between Northern Virginia and our destination. Eventually we made it through and arrived home.

It was an intense six week period. We did a lot. All I wanted to do was get home and do nothing. The traveler's depression was creeping in with the exhaustion. I wish I had a happier homecoming. I had a happy trip.