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The morning of the 18th
I got my stuff packed up again and carefully drove the mile of gravel
back up to the blacktop. My destination Charleston, South Carolina.
I didn't know how far I'd get but I'd try for what I could.
The drive was fairly quick; I made good time. I wasn't interested in Missouri or Illinois. I've seen enough of those states, honestly. But by the time I headed into Kentucky, the scenery got interesting. I found Kentucky and Tennessee to be very nice, though I did notice that traffic picked up in Tennessee. I've been in a lot of states where people's bumper stickers deride the speed limits as "suggestions." But in Tennessee (and the Carolinas as it turns out), it's true! At one point, I was doing 10 over and I was being passed by everybody, including the cops.
I spent the night in Knoxville Tennessee. Nothing there to particularly recommend it; that's just as far as I got.
The next day's drive was
spectacular! It started with tackling the misty hills of the Smoky Mountains,
which in the morning really are covered in mist. It was like I'd driven
into a painting -- or several of them. I also liked the people there.
As before, though, the speed limits were ignored and I found that turns
and speeds I'd have considered hairy at the beginning of the trip, I could
handle with ease now. Some of that was the new tire, I was sure, as it
did roll into turns easier, but I also realized at that point that I had
gotten way better in many of my driving skills on this trip.
Once I hit South Carolina, things got hot. By the time I arrived in Charleston at my sister's house, I was ready for a cool shower and a nap. I think what tires me most is heat, pure and simple. Several times this trip I patted myself on the back for having purchased the mesh jacket as I would have been forced to go without protection otherwise.j
After a good nap and a change into some fresh clothes, and after greeting my sister's roommate Kirsten (who was just arriving home after a vacation), it was time to go to dinner.
