Departure...

So the time arrived. Saturday, May 2nd at 4:30, I departed the Good Year Service Center on Main Street. I had gone there, at the last minute, after noticing how heavy the load in my SUV was, and how crappy my front tires were. In the interest of safety, and to ease the concern of loved ones, I spent an extra hour (and $252) in Gainesville. Then I drove up 441 to Alachua, and turned right on the northbound ramp of I-75.

My first stop was my sister's house in Alpharetta, Georgia (HERE). After a long process of packing, moving and good-byes, I was exhausted. I am here now, resting, and visiting with my sister and my two nieces. Tomorrow, I will head to North Carolina and the bottom of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

To my family and friends, I want you to know that I am moving farther away, but I am not leaving you. If you know me well, you know that I check my e-mail compulsively, and I am never without my cell phone. I am only a few hours away by plane, if you need me. I will ride my goddamn bike if I have to. I hope you know that, because I’m not sure I could survive if I thought you felt otherwise. Even now, I miss the many friendly faces that I have grown accustomed to seeing so frequently. I don’t want to lose you. I just want to find me.

I am anxious to find new challenges, to use my brain until it is as tired as my liver, to process new information on an hourly basis, to walk two blocks and be hopelessly lost instead of knowing exactly where I am. I am anxious to do something that makes a difference. Somehow. I am, at the very least, anxious to try.

I have been an emotional wreck, one minute near giddy delirium at the thought of the new experiences I hope to enjoy, the next minute wanting to curl up in an infantile ball in the corner and cry until I can't anymore - wondering how I can survive outside the town that has been home for my entire adult life.

Tomorrow, I assume I will end up in a campground near Asheville (HERE). I'm not yet sure where I will stay, although I am leaning toward the Asheville West KOA. They have free WiFi, and, as much as I am looking to escape from the stress for a few days, I'm not sure I'm ready to give up my internet access. We'll see.

I expect to relax, travel slowly, enjoy my free time as much as possible, and maybe even take a few photos that I will share with you. Wish me well. I love you all.