Blogs from North Carolina, United States, North America - page 107

No, I'm not gone yet. I'm packed and almost ready to go, but I'm starting to get nervous. One big problem is I don't have semester-long housing quite squared away yet, and won't until a few days after I arrive in Ireland. The plan is to stay at a Bed and Breakfast (called Cregan's-- sounds cozy, right?) for a few nights until I can check out some houses and apartments around Univ. of Limerick and find a suitable one. Being the (generally) organized person I am (not counting my room), this last-minute stuff is sometimes hard to swallow. But, the UL international student guide says to find housing in this way, so I just pray it all works out when I get over there. I fly out of RDU on Sunday afternoon, hit the airport in ... read more

Well, I just created this blog because I'm getting set and ready to head to Limerick, Ireland for a semester. Generally, I hate blogs because I think journalling is a means for inner peace and understanding oneself, for getting feelings and ideas out that you can't express to others, or to record important things that will delight oneself and jog one's memory years down the line. However, at the request of several friends, I'm beginning a TravelBlog specifically for keeping in touch and keeping them updated while I'm away. Hopefully, it will help. Packing continues, and I continue to grow both excited and nervous before my departure. I suppose when I write next, I will be in Ireland! Wish me luck!... read more

Packing and getting everything ready is probably worth a journal on it's own. And I'll write more about all of that later. I'm at my Mom's in NC and this is technically Day 1 of being on the road, but it's 13 days 'till I leave for Bali, so I'll call it Day -13. Kelly and Doug, et al, threw a really great and touching going away party for me last night. Pics forth coming when I get then new camera batteries. Super thanks for everyone that was there either in body or spirit. It was really touching and warming. I'm really blessed w/ a great group of friends (and boy can they cook). Thanks Brandy, Kelly and Doug for everything. I'll stop this now to test out this new website and just note that on ... read more

I left Hickory, North Carolina as early as I could manage after a late night spent speaking to the small Quaker worship group, catching up with my girlfriend and parents by phone and planning out my route to Black Mountain for the next day. I estimated that I had a seventy or eighty mile day ahead of me. There were two direct routes from Hickory to Black Mountain, and one was inaccessible to me as it was the interstate. Most people along my ride have been surprised to learn that bicycles are not allowed on interstates. Perhaps it is only cyclists, hitchhikers, equestrians and pedestrians that notice the sign at each interstate on-ramp announcing that the interstate is forbidden to "Bicycles, horses, animal-drawn vehicles, self-propelled machinery, pedestrians and hitchhikers." So the other route to Black Mountain ... read more

After a ninety mile ride into Davidson the day before, and with an imminent journey up into the Smokey Mountains, I had no desire to push myself on my ride into Charlotte, North Carolina. Looking at my maps, I guessed that I had little more than thirty miles to ride, although I was not entirely confident in my distance gauging since I had so drastically underestimated my trip the day before. I had spent a good portion of the morning resting, reading “Sports Illustrated,” acquainting myself with my hosts’ dog and icing my knees before my ride. Around noon I finally got out the door and enjoyed the freedom of a marked bike lane for the first few miles of my trip. When my host Fuji had left for work in the morning, he had pulled ... read more