Still reading huh?

Yeah....so here's the thing- I fell a little behind on this whole thing. No surprise there. Anyway, we're back in Richmond and the trip was a success. Allow me to catch you up on what went down during the rest of the trip:

Austin- Cool town but I got sick....not so cool.

Albuquerque- Also a cool town. Climbed a volcano. NM's landscape is a little bleak for me.

Phoenix- Climbed a mountain. It was hot. I don't like heat.

LA- Bro's new pad was cool and his art is equally cool. Saw MI-III on the cinedome. 80 foot Tom Cruise frightens me.

Sequoia National Forest- One of the more beautiful places I've seen in America. I'll bet you wish I wrote more about it.

San Fran- Lissa was fun. San Fran was hilly.

Oregon- Camped near the ocean. Quite lovely.

Seattle- Awesome town. Wish it was a bit closer.

Western Montana- Pretty, but cold. Ask Eric.

Eastern Montana- There are people in Eastern Montana?

South Dakota- Rushmore and Wall Drug are deliciously campy. Speaking of which....we camped again.

Minneapolis- Al.....most......home

Madison- Marcus Miller has a sweet, lakefront pad.

Chicago- Cubs game was awesome (ie they won). It rained all of day two. Second City is funny stuff. Feel free to laugh at my explanation.

Well that's about it. You really didn't miss much. And here is, undoubtedly, what you've come for- the pics.



Sunset. Middle of nowhere New Mexico.



Me and E at the NM Volcano.



Hollywood.



My Bro in Griffith Park.



My Bro's art.



Sequoias are BIG. I is small.



As is Eric.



San Fran.



Sunset at the Cali/Oregon border.



Spaceneedle.



Mt. Rushmore.

New Orleans

As the drive from Tallahassee was a rather daunting drive and we just so happened to be rolling into town during the Jazz festival, we were desperately seeking a place to rest for the evening. Luckily, my mom'’s friend Tom was generous enough to put us up for the evening. On top of that he gave us a tour of his studio (he’s an artist like my mom) and showed us around the areas flooded by hurricane Katrina. It really was as bad as people make it out to be. Strip malls are abandoned with 15 foot piles of trash in the parking lots, entire neighborhoods deserted, a noticeable 8 waterline throughout large sections of town, and houses moved from their foundation near where the levies broke. On a brighter note, the next day we got into the Jazz Festival for free as another one of my mom'’s jeweler friends, Julie, who was also staying with Tom, was showing her wares at the Festival and we got to be her 'assistants.'’ As we got in before the doors opened, we had a pretty easy time walking around at first so we got within 30 feet of the main stage. When 11am came and the doors were opened we noticed a wave of 20 somethings charging our way. They rushed in, laid down tarps and began their revelry. What had Eric and I let slip our mind? Dave Matthews was the headliner later that evening. Must.....….escape...... Anywho, we did see many cool acts including a few traditional brass bands and, my favorite, a HUGE gospel choir. Unfortunately, we had to make it to Austin that night, so at 4 we closed up shop and moved on.



Eric avisiblevisable water line.



Damage near the busted levy.

Tallahassee

Tallahassee, like Atlanta was a quick stop for the two of us. After an overly labored journey to find our friends’ apartment, we plopped down our stuff and enjoyed a good sit. We were staying with our friends from home Stephen and Dustin. Stephen is a grad student at FSU and Dustin is an office manager for a local dentist’s office. That evening the four us ate dinner with Eric’s uncle. After dinner we didn’t do a whole lot, as Dustin had to get up at some ungodly hour to work the next morning. The next morning Eric’s uncle showed us around FSU’s campus then bade us a fond farewell. Westward we go.

Atlanta

After Chapel Hill, we make a quick pit stop in the ATL. We stayed with Eric’s grandparents who graciously provided us with full bellies and cushy beds (a most welcome sight as we’re quite used to sleeping on floors). The next day we tinkered around Olympic Centennial Park and kicked around the idea of peeping the aquarium, but a steep ticket of 22 dollars squashed any further consideration. So we quickly moved on to our next destination.

Chapel Hill

Looking to take a slightly more scenic path to Chapel Hill, Eric and I decided to take another stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway en route to our destination. Unfortunately, it turns out the parkway was closed about 30 miles into our journey, with no other way out other than to turn around and exit the way we came in. For those of you at home keeping score, that’s Blue Ridge parkway: 2, Greg and Eric: 0. Anywho, a few hours later we rolled into Chapel Hill. I was, somewhat surprising to myself, like a kid in a candy store. I couldn’t have been more excited to be back. That night we hit up the powerful 1-2 punch of Kurama (sushi) and Yogurt Pump with Heather and Erica (former roommates of mine) and Niki (another good friend of mine). Afterwards, Eric, Heather and I walked around campus, which was as lovely as ever. I challenge anyone to name a more idyllic local than Chapel Hill in late April. The next day I spent a good deal of time waxing nostalgic, by walking around campus. Eric and I played some Frisbee golf on the recently improved coarse and afterwards Eric met up with an old friend while I talked with one of my professors. Actually, by the time I had left Chapel Hill I had seen 4 professors and a TA that recognized me, but only one was planned. In the evening we did another Chapel Hill two-fer: Cosmic Cantina and the Varsity movie theatre. We saw ‘Friends with Money;’ a decent flick but by no means life changing. After the movie we charged back to the car through the pouring rain and scooted back to Niki and Erica’s place to talk to them a bit and see Erica’s dog Sonny who’s equal parts dumb, lovable oaf and skittish coke addict. That’s about it for Chapel Hill. I really didn’t expect to be that psyched to be back, but I was pleasantly surprised. So, as a parting thought, I leave you with a quote:

"What is it that binds us to this place as to no other? It is not the well or the bell or the stone walls or the crisp October nights. Our loyalty is not to the memories of what William Richardson Davie did 200 years ago . . . No, our love for this place is based upon the fact that it is as it was meant to be The University of the People. Two hundred years to the day since the founding of the First State University, we can read again the words on its seal--"light and liberty"-- and say the The University of North Carolina has lived by those two short noble words and say that in all of the American story there is no other place like this."_-Charles Kuralt, class of 55_UNC Bicentennial_October 12, 1993

Asheville

Originally, we had planned to take the Blue Ridge Parkway entirely from Charlottesville to Asheville. But, as it turns out, winding through the Appalachians makes driving significantly slower than utilizing the interstate, so after an hour of beautiful yet laborious driving, we got off the parkway and started forging a more direct path towards Asheville. On reaching the city we met our dear friend Annie, her roommate Lindsay and our friend from home who, for the sake of anonymity, will henceforth be known as ‘Betty.’ After dinner the 5 of us went back to Annie and Lindsay’s place to play some Trivial Pursuit and discuss the finer points of life. The next day we enjoyed a picnic at the botanical gardens and later that day we walked around the grounds at which Annie and Lindsay work. Although it seemed innocuous enough, it apparently isn’t the most enjoyable employment. You see, they work with youth who, instead of giving out hugs and kisses, dispense expletives and projectile fecal matter. But, to Annie and Lindsay’s credit, they are and forever will be better people than myself. Later in the evening we made some burritos and played more board games. Back to back board game nights. Truly we know how to party hardy.