Sights and Sounds of the Journey - The Beginning

Last time I checked in I was prepped to head out on what proved to be an adventure of a lifetime. So much has changed since then, but I have to try and capture what I can from that trip. Mark, Alicia and I spent 16 days/ 15 nights traveling 3000 miles on the backs of our trusty (metal) steeds. We saw everything we could as we rode through each of our destination cities, which included Charlotte, NC; Athens, GA; Atlanta, GA; Macon, GA; Orlando, FL; Tampa, FL; Daytona Beach, FL; Hilton Head, SC and Wilmington, NC.

Each day provided so many adventures that blew our minds. On the way to Charlotte we stopped at a winery to pick up the obligatory road port (a tradition we had started the year before on our first road trip together, in Charlotte nonetheless!) and had lunch at the Big Lick. Really, that was the name of the place, and yes we found it by accident! Once in Charlotte we were able to check in with our good friend David, only to get our first reminder of why we were on this journey. He shared that his best friend Eddie, another friend of ours as well, had been given the diagnosis no one expects and yet all too many people hear every day: he had cancer. To be honest, it was hard to leave Charlotte after hearing that. We wanted to stay and help or just be there for them, or even help with the walk that weekend. Knowing there was nothing we could do and not being able to forgo our commitments, we pressed on in what started as a dreary, rainy Wednesday. I don't know about my riding companions, but I spent the beginning of that day not believing that we had only been on the road for a single day and trying not to be all-at-once overwhelmed by the task we had put in front of ourselves. I don't consider myself a supremely spiritual person, but it was like someone knew that we (I, at least) needed the rain to match the mood at the moment and then very symbolically lifted the funk and the clouds, making way for a beautiful, sunny day of riding.

We were now headed to Athens, taking highway only as far as we had to and then jumping on progressively smaller roads. While stopped for gas, we met a man at a gas station who at first just seemed crazy and nosy. Finally it came to light that he had stopped to talk to us after seeing all of the decor and gear all over our bikes and just needed to thank us. It turned out that his life had been torn apart by cancer and it seemed to help him that here were 3 random strangers on the side of the road, loaded to the hilt and fully prepped to spend 2 weeks telling cancer where it could go and just enjoying the journey of life to it's fullest. After that, it seemed like we met people like him almost everywhere we stopped. Everyone had a story to tell, and it was utterly amazing that they all wanted to tell us. The journey to Charlotte was amazing, but for me, day 2 was when I really felt like "this is it, here we go."

Once we got into Athens, we filled our bellies to the brim with, if I do say so myself, the best damn barbecue in the land. If you haven't been to Jot 'Em Down, you should kick yourself and then get in the car and go. We piled our pork-filled butts onto our bikes and rolled into our tiny little hotel just outside of downtown Athens. It was clearly time to pop the cork on the port we'd bought! By staying within walking distance of downtown, we could have a couple of glasses and just saunter over to meet Chris' mom for dinner to help her celebrate her birthday! Needless to say, we were FULL by the time the night was over. We attempted to walk some of it off and I took the opportunity to show Mark and Alicia UGA's beautiful north campus as well as the bar that Chris and I met/ used to work. It was by no means a crazy night as I had to get my beauty rest in preparation for a big moment the next day!

I promise not to go into a crazy amount of detail all the time, but this story is too funny not to be shared! We went down the street for a great southern breakfast and met a feisty older woman who waited on us. In the middle of breakfast, I stopped eating to check my phone. This apparently was unacceptable to this woman, who came over to warn me that if I didn't put it down right away (I think she may have even called me "young lady") that she would take it away from me until I'd finished. 

After I finished my breakfast, I had to leave my riding companions and head for Atlanta for an interview at The Weather Channel! I have to admit - I think I've dreamed of working at TWC since I was 12. I originally wanted to be a TV meteorologist, so being able to take my product management experience to this company was unbelievably exciting for me. For those who are unaware - the interview must have gone extremely well since they hired me!

Onward to the crew meetings for the ATL 3-day, the second of 3 SGK events I'd ultimately participate in during October 2010...