Sept. 9 and 10- Atlanta to Hilton Head

I woke up in my Bestest Western, had a nice leisurely morning eating breakfast and working on the blog.  


I was headed to Atlanta to see my friend Meredith P. We were in Fish Camp together, back in the day, and I hadnt seen her in a long time. Part of the reason for this hiatus was Meredith spent a couple years in Africa for the Peace Corps.

I left Nashville and headed to Atlanta, about a 3.5hr drive.  There were some pretty views, especially as I passed through some of the Smoky Mountains.  These mountains werent the Rockies or anything, but there are some pretty big hills.  Big enough to require emergency truck ramps.  It was a pretty drive.    



I was supposed to meet Meredith at 6pm. I was going to be right on time, but I made a rookie mistake.  I did not consider the fact that I was crossing a time zone (and I didnt see any signs for it).  I noticed when I was about 30min from Atlanta.  Dang.  I was one hour late.  Sorrrryyy.  




Meredith lives in a beautiful wooded neighborhood northeast of Downtown, right next to Emory University where she goes to school.  The streets were super narrow, undivided, and hilly.  One of the scariest roads I have driven.  But the neighborhood was very pretty, and I was amazed how cheap her rent was for how nice of a neighborhood and house she lived in.  



We went to trivia at a restaurant with her roommate and a couple friends. We did OK, but didnt dominate.  The trivia here is a little bit more chill, so there was plenty of time to talk.  I tried to tell her friends how famous Meredith is in Texas.  Everyone knows her.   After trivia, we spent some more time chatting and catching up before bed.  The ladies of the house were kind enough to provide a couch to sleep on.  

Meredith: it was so good to see you, and thank you so much for providing a place to stay.  Cat and Abby:  i greatly appreciate how you allowed some dude you dont even know come and stay on your couch.  You were very welcoming and your hospitality was appreciated.    



The next day, on Tuesday, I was heading to Hilton Head, SC.  But first I wanted to take a jog around Emory's campus.  I am of the belief that taking a jog is the best way to see an area, plus you get excercise. Meredith told me where I could find a trail that went around a pretty lake.  I consulted my phone and tweaked the route so that I could see more of Emory's campus.  I decided to leave my phone at home because I figured I knew the route well enough, and I was already carrying my camera in my hand.  I found out later, I would need that phone.   Along the jog I got to see more of Meredith's hilly neighborhood (serious hills).  



I ran through Emorys campus.  It was very appealing, and had lots of open sitting areas.    




I also got to see the CDC.  I had no idea it was right next to campus.  Every science nerd reveres this place.    



On my way back home I went around the lake.  It is in an insanely scenic wooded area in the middle of campus called Lullwater Preserve.  





I discovered the route I had planned wasnt so obvious when I ended up on a dirt trail in the middle of the woods (Mom: this is still on campus, so its safe).  I spent a while trying to find the trail I had planned on taking.  Along the way, I saw lots of cool stuff in the woods.  







Eventually,  I got directions from a student and found my way home.  In the end, I ran about 6-7mi when I had planned on running 2mi.  I was pretty sore (again, there were some serious hills).    


After I finished my run,  I said my goodbyes and hit the road.  The drive to Hilton Head, SC was about 4hrs.  It was a pretty standard drive.  When I got near the coast, I passed over the intercoastal waterways on a huge bridge that overlooked Savannah, GA.  






I was staying at an RV park that allowed tent camping.  I checked-in to the RV park and headed towards the beach.  It was getting late, and  I wanted to see the beach before it got dark.  It was about a 45min drive to the beach. Much longer than I had expected.  People in these parts go EXACTLY the speed limit.  I figure its because the cops dont screw around here.  I didnt see any police, but I figured they had a cloaking device or something.  When in Rome.....  



I made it to the beach just in time.  It was a very special moment when I arrived at the Atlantic Ocean having driven from Texas.  I called Kayley and my parents, and spent some time taking in the view while walking in the surf.    






Hilton Head is a very nice place.  Everything is nice and new (and pricey, but not as much as you might think).  The public beach area was great.  That had lots of areas to sit on the boardwalk, free wifi!, and free parking.    




I even got to have a skype convo with the Kayley courtesy of the free wifi.



I went back to my RV park, setup my tent in the dark, and quickly went to bed so that I could be up early to see the sunrise.  

Tomorrow:  camping in the Smokies!