One Tree Hill Road Trip

Day One - March 26, 2022

I am starting this trip with today’s date even though technically I left last night once school was completed. There’s really not much to say for yesterday because I just drove for about five hours and arrived in Hocking Hills, OH around 8 pm. I listened to one of my two One Tree Hill playlists, which had all of the songs of Gavin Degraw, Tyler Hilton, Kate Voegele, Fall Out Boy, and Jana Kramer - if you have never watched the show, all of these people play a big part in the show throughout all the seasons - and I played a game of “Who Sings This Song!?!” For the record, Tyler Hilton was always the hardest one to identify because there is a twang to some of his songs that could have been Jana Kramer, and then he also has stuff that could fit into Gavin Degraws’ realm, as well as Kate Voegele. I know I am completely ridiculous, but it was something fun to do. I also talked on the phone with Krystyn for a while because I have needed to talk through some stuff, and she is obviously my best friend and always helps me when I need guidance through my thoughts. Anyways, once I got there, I set up my campsite aka blew up my air mattress and made my bed in the back of my car. Then, I got ready for bed and read a book for a while before falling asleep. It was pretty cold because it decided to snow (and I think hail or rain because there was some form of loud precipitation that woke me up) last night. My body was warm except for my nose, which I would put under the blankets, and then I would get too warm, so then I would remove my face from the blankets, and then I would immediately be too cold. As you can see, this was a whole thing for most of the night. This resulted in a spotty night’s worth of sleep. 

I woke up this morning around 7:30 as a result of the aforementioned issues of the weather. I laid in bed for a little while until I could mentally force myself from bed. I got ready and then packed up my car because if I was going to be up, I decided that I should just go about my day. I originally was going to go rock climbing through a company, but they cancelled (I know this is the British version, but I like that it has two ls and the American version only has one) ahead of time due to the expectation of snow. As a result, I decided to go on two short hikes. One to see Ash Cave and the other to see Cedar Falls. Honestly, I wish that it was nicer because Hocking Hills was SUPER GORGEOUS! I really would enjoy coming back when the weather is much nicer to redo that section of my trip. Even though I was planning on staying in Hocking Hills tonight as well, I didn’t really have anything to do because it was just miserably cold, so I decided to ditch my second night at my campsite. I was texting Krystyn and asked her what I should do for the day instead. She suggested going to Chief Logan State Park in WV, since that is where her family is from. This means I went from Logan, OH to Logan, WV. Both of them were cold and snowy. 

On my drive, I listened to my other One Tree Hill playlist, which I found on Spotify, which is titled for apparently having every single song that has been in every single episode of the show. OTH definitely has a vibe to its music. The playlist also had the song called “Holiday” by Doktor Kosmos, which made me burst out laughing because it’s from Nathan and Lucas’ road trip, and I had just been thinking about that episode. If you cannot tell, One Tree Hill is one of my all time favorite tv shows, and I am so excited that I will be in Wilmington at the end of this week! 

Anyways, I got to the park a little before two, and I went into their museum. They had a park map of different hiking trails, which really needs to be updated. I chose to go on one called the fitness trail because I was unable to go to the gym today, and it said that it had different exercises along the way, but the exercises were hard to see because of sun damage, and some of them required me to touch the wet ground, so I obviously ditched that plan. Then, I decided to follow a different trail. It had two separate trails in it, and I started on the one, but then it was unclear where to go and it began snowing decently hard, so I turned around because being Christopher McCandless was not on my to do list today. (For those who don’t know, he’s the main character in Jon Krakauer’s book Into the Wild, who died in the Alaskan Wilderness.) That trail was also supposed to be easy, but it had large periods where you were essentially walking vertically into the air and then directly down. It was not an easy hike by ANY means. Then, I tried to follow a different, shorter path, and then at one point the trail markers just stopped, and it felt like I was walking for way too long for it to still be correct, so I decided to turn around and officially called it quits for the day. When I got to my car, I called to add another night to my resort where I was staying tomorrow. I then decided to go get pizza at this place called Giovanni’s (another shoutout to Krystyn because she was the one who suggested it). Finally, I headed to Pipestem Resort to be done for the day. In case you have never been to West Virginia, the roads are super windy and intense to drive through. (I heard Sheryl Crow’s song “Everyday is a Winding Road” this morning, and I didn’t realize that it was foreshadowing the drive I was about to embark upon.) 

*Also, I had been telling my students about my trip, and they asked me to bring photos, which I said that I don’t take because you all can just google the places and things that I mention and find amazing photos taken by professionals. They decided that I needed to purchase disposable cameras because “it’s the most Ms. MacDonald way to take photos!” All trip, I have been taking photos and chuckling EVERY SINGLE TIME I click the button on the camera, and I think “this photo is not going to turn out!” It’s been a surprisingly amusing part of my trip. I cannot wait to see how these photos actually come out. 

Day Two - March 27, 2022

This morning I woke up at 7:30… I think my internal clock is messed up and needs to be reset. When I woke up, I decided to reorganize my luggage a little bit, so I could put my suitcase back in the car and bring a different bag in. I really don’t want to have to make two trips out to my car when I leave tomorrow. I also decided to get breakfast. I thought the breakfast was like a sit down restaurant style, but it very sadly was a buffet style. I really hate buffet style food when strangers can touch food and it’s been sitting for who knows how long. Super gross to me. 

Anyways, my plan for today was to check out New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, which I didn’t realize was as large as it is. I made my way to the New River Gorge Bridge, which was a little over an hour away from my resort, which is also a part of the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. On my drive to the bridge, I drove down this sketchy road that was two lanes, but it definitely felt like only one car could fit on it. It gave me a flashback to the summer when Megan and I were in Copper Harbor, trying to find a waterfall, and I managed to make my way onto an ATV trail in my car. Same vibes. 

The Bridge is huge, and I was fascinated to learn that it was built in 1977 and cut down a forty-five minute drive into one minute. It’s also the height of the Washington Monument and two Statues of Liberties. (As I write this, I realize that I have seen both of those in person and I am a decently well traveled person.) There was a boardwalk that had around two hundred steps to get a good view of the bridge, and it’s just an amazing view. Everything in West Virginia is a mountain, so no matter where you look, there’s an amazing view! 

After that, I went on a hike to Diamond Point, which I don’t think I technically made it to, but I did stop at an overview that basically just dropped off the side of a cliff. Again, it was gorgeous to look at. Once I was done with my hike, I went to get food at Firecreek BBQ & Steaks, LLC. They played some Tyler Childers. It was a perfect atmosphere because it reminded me of two good friends. 

Next, I decided to go to Sandstone Falls. I started at the Visitor Center, and there was this driveway I thought I was supposed to go on, but I realized too late that it was gravel, and if people were supposed to actually drive on it, they probably would have paved it. Once I got my car up this random road, I was at a cemetery. It was the second time today that I had a flashback to the ATV trails from this summer. (I don’t know why I am the way I am sometimes, but I guess it takes me to unique places with interesting stories…) After I left the random cemetery, I went to the Sandstone Falls Overlook, and I saw the waterfall from up above. Then, I had to drive thirty minutes to go one mile to actually see the waterfall up close, which I decided to do because I had nothing else planned before going back to my hotel. I took the boardwalk and looked at the falls from a few different angles. They were really pretty, and it was worth taking the extra trip to see them. 

Day Three - March 28, 2022

I woke up at 8:30 today because I refused to get up when I initially woke up at 7:30. I got ready for the day, and I left my hotel. I wanted to stop to get coffee, so I found this coffee shop that seemed cute on my way. The directions got messed up because it told me to turn and then got mad at me for turning… GPS can suck sometimes. The directions basically made me drive around the building. On my way back, I realized that it was for the best that the GPS got confused because the building next to the coffee shop had this huge mural of a whole bunch of books. It was a pleasant surprise to look at the huge covers of so many different books. It made my morning. Once I was done getting coffee, I drove through four states - West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. For some reason, it threw me off that I was in Tennessee. I really do not know geography very well. Clearly. 

My stop for today was Asheville, so I went to the Biltmore Estate. I arrived around 1:30, and I purchased tickets from the sweetest woman ever. I decided to get the ticket for the Monet exhibit and the estate, so she arranged the schedule for me to be able to do both before it closed. She asked about if I enjoy art while trying to determine how much time to give me between the tickets, and I said that I could take it or leave it. It worked out where my ticket was for 2:30 for the Monet exhibit, but I got there around 2, and the people were nice enough to let me in early. The woman who checked my purse saw my disposable camera and laughed at it because it was so outdated. This disposable camera is such a ridiculous add-on to the trip! I feel like it has to be a requirement for all of my future trips. Or I have to invest in something that’s in the same vein. 

As I told the woman who I purchased the ticket from, art is something I don’t really care about. Whenever I contemplate spending any amount of time in an art exhibit, I think of the time that Krystyn and I were in Chicago and spent most of our time for one of the days in the art museum, and we were unbelievably miserable. However, this art exhibit was phenomenal! There was this hour long video that took his art and pretty much animated it, while playing classical music in the background. It was so relaxing and cool. I really didn’t expect to be so amazed at the exhibit. While it was mostly about Monet, there were other artists that were also showcased, due to the impact that Monet had made on their work. A lot of the artists I recognized through watching Neal Caffrey on White Collar. Again, art is not something that I particularly know about. 

Once I was done with the art show, I made my way to the Biltmore Estate, which is absolutely breathtaking. I went through a self-guided audio tour through the house, and I feel like I learned a lot. It blows my mind that someone had enough money to build that house and to own that much land. (Dear Future Husband, please have a large sum of money so that we can live in a grandiose mansion with large amounts of land! I want my room to overlook a pond or lake or ocean. Thanks!) With the self-guided tour, you just plugged the number of the room into the audio thing, and it told you facts about each room you were looking at. Along the tour, I basically kept pace with this other girl who was alone. In my head, I named her my tour friend! When we were through the house, I walked around the gardens because I had some time before my free wine tasting session. I ran into my tour friend, and she and I started talking because she said that I was her tour friend. Her name was Amy and she was from Mississippi on a trip with her dog. Clearly, we are kindred spirits, except I do not have a dog. She said that she enjoys taking random trips to random places, and I clearly said the same thing. 

After that, I went to another place on the estate, where the wine-tasting would be. On my walk over, I saw an ice cream place, and I decided that this trip has been lacking in the dessert department, so I decided to get some. I ordered this cappuccino ice cream that was delicious! For the wine-tasting, I was able to sample five different wines, and I was shocked at how good some of them were. The person who was the server knew so much that it was impressive. Wine people always surprise me at how knowledgeable they are about pairings and what it does to the flavors. 

Once I was done at the estate, it was time to head to my Airbnb and dinner. I found my room, and I decided to talk the ten minutes to a restaurant called Nine Mile. It’s named after where Bob Marley is from, and it was Carribean style food. I had this salad with Jalapeno Lime Cilantro dressing that was so much better than I anticipated, and I ordered this chicken dish that had bell peppers, rice, beans, pineapple and jalapeno salsa. It was delicious! I would go back again and highly recommend it to someone else. 

While I was at the restaurant, the host had a shirt on that looked like one Krystyn had in college that someone stole, and I took a photo of him and sent it to her. When I went to leave, I stopped and said, “Can I ask you a question?” He said sure, so I asked him where he got his shirt from, and he said that it belonged to his boyfriend. (He definitely thought I was going to ask for his number.) I explained that my friend had had a similar one, so I was curious as to where he bought it from, so she could potentially replace her beloved shirt, and he allowed me to look at the tag. It only said the word “muscle.” Not very helpful. He then asked me if I took a photo of him. I told him I had because I was sending it to my friend to show her the shirt. I apologized and tried to reassure him that the photo was gone forever. I am an awkward human sometimes, but it makes me laugh when I have to call my friend to tell them that I was caught taking a photo of a stranger to show them a photo of a shirt that looked similar to one they used to own. 

Day Four - March 29, 2022

This morning I woke up around 8. I had a bizarre dream, so I was ready to wake up to search for the meaning of my dream. I also texted two of my friends about it because I thought they would find it funny. I got ready fairly quickly this morning, so I decided to go and get coffee at a local establishment that I saw was a Black-owned business. I ordered a latte and a chocolate croissant, and the croissant was the best croissant I think I have ever had. When I was done in Asheville, I ventured to Chimney Rock State Park to go on a morning hike. It was such a high altitude and there were so many stairs to get to the top that I was extremely winded. I feel like stairs are something that make you feel out of shape, even when you are not. Overall, the view was really gorgeous. There were a few places that you were able to look out, so I did all the little detours before heading back to my car. 

Once I was done, I headed to Charlotte for the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. There were three exhibits that they had with art created by Black artists. My favorite piece was this table that had hand-made roses made from what looked like newspaper that had white picket fence posts holding it up. It’s really hard to explain, and I didn’t take a photo of it, but it was incredible. Clearly a lot of time was put into its creation. Once I was done, I decided to wander around for a little while because I couldn’t go to my Airbnb until 3. I was extremely tired from my hike this morning, so I got some Starbucks, and I went into this park for a little bit. They had these egg statue things that were decorated in different designs. I am not sure if there is a story behind them or not. I didn’t see a plaque that explained anything about them, so I didn’t get to know more about them. While I was in the park, Krystyn called me, and we chatted for a little while. I don’t know if you can tell, but Krystyn and I talk pretty much every single day. 

After the call, I went back to my car and made my way to my Airbnb. I sat on the bed and scrolled through videos that I could stream for a little bit, while I attempted to stay awake. Once it was 5, I decided to go and get food at a restaurant called Hawthorne’s NY Pizza. I figured that if I ordered food, I could come back and shower, watch the movie and go to bed. I am completely wiped out today. I will probably go to bed decently early. 

Day Five - March 30, 2022

This morning I woke up and got ready by about 9. I decided to get coffee before I left, so I went to this place called Julia’s Cafe & Books. It was a part of Habitat for Humanity, so I bought a coffee and browsed through the books. I ended up purchasing two that I have read, but I know that some of my students would enjoy and another book that I had owned but I leant it to someone who is no longer my student. I also purchased a book shirt. I am a sucker for a good cause and a good book shirt.

Once I left, I made my way for Wilmington. It was about a three hour drive. As soon as I went to turn on my OTH playlist, Gavin Degraw belted out “I don’t wanna be!” and I knew that it was meant to be a great adventure. I arrived around 1:15, and I decided to do a drive-by of all the places that exist in Tree Hill. I began with Dan and Deb’s house, which is in a country club… super fitting. Then, I went to Karen and Lucas’ house. Next, I went to Haley and Peyton’s houses, which are right next to each other. Afterwards, I went to Brooke’s house and Nathan and Haley’s apartment. Following that, I went to Tric, the River Court, and the bridge from the opening credits. I also drove by Tree Hill High (aka Cape Fear Community College), Keith Scott’s Body Shop, and Dan Scott Motors. I know that I didn’t organize these houses and places very well, but I had some time before I was able to go to my Airbnb. I ended up taking about two hours just zig-zagging to the different places. 

When I got to my Airbnb, I felt like I was going on a scavenger hunt because the directions to get the key and into the complex were very intense. I had to find a lock box and put in a code before I could get the key. It was the first time I have been successful at completing an escape room. Once I got to my room, I unpacked and repacked some of my belongings. I also sat down and read through all the places that I wanted to look at to determine what I completed and what still needed to be done before I left. I also read through the book that came with the apartment from other guests. A lot of people come here for various reasons, and it was cool to see how they enjoyed their time and what they ended up doing. I was also messaging my friend who asked if Tree Hill was everything I wanted it to be, and I realized that Tree Hill comes into my life when I am at crossroads and endings. The first time I watched the show through to the end was when I was finishing up my final semester of college. This trip is coming at a time when I need to make decisions about my future. I feel like it might be silly but Tree Hill is like a warm blanket that comforts me. I grew up watching the development of these various characters, and I feel like it’s shaped me at the same time. It’s insane how a form of art can develop the people we are. I also realize that I am no longer allowed to say that I’m not a cryer because this trip is getting me in all my feels. 

Anyways, I decided to get ready because the weather was in the high 60s, low 70s. I put on a cute romper outfit and headed to get sushi at a restaurant near the place I am staying. On my way to the restaurant, I saw the steps where Lucas comes to save Brooke and Peyton after Peyton is drugged at a college party. I also walked past The Black Cat Shoppe, which in the show was the record store where Chris Keller worked, but it is now a souvenir shop. I will definitely be back tomorrow to purchase some items for all of my Tree Hill loving friends. After coming back from the restaurant, I stopped to get some ice cream from Kilwins Chocolates. Ice cream in a waffle cone can help make every day better and can serve as a perfect topping to an already great one. It was such amazing ice cream! 

Once I was done with that, I wandered around the city again to see if I could see some items up close. I walked through the community college campus to see if I could find specific buildings that served as the backdrop for Tree Hill High. I also walked a few blocks to get a distant shot of the opening credit bridge again. I went back to the apartment to use the bathroom and write this excerpt, but I was planning on heading out to the Blue Post, which is a bar that’s used a handful of times in the show. It’s right around the corner from my place, so I am going to check it out. [Update: the Blue Post requires a membership to be able to go inside, so now I am a member of a random club that I will never be returning to. I have a card and everything! I sat and watched as people played pool for a little while before returning back to my room.]

Day Six - March 31, 2022

I woke up this morning, and since I knew it was going to rain today, I got started immediately with my adventure. I decided to start on the Riverwalk, and I ended up going all the way to the end, and then I realized that the park bench that Haley and Nathan studied and ate Cracker Jacks at was really close to where I started, but the other direction. I really enjoy Riverwalks, so I definitely would have walked the entirety of it regardless of the bench. Once I was done with the Riverwalk, I ended up strolling down a few of the streets. I walked past Karen’s Cafe, and then I headed to get some coffee and breakfast. The place I ordered from was called Java Dog Coffee House, and they put little basketball stickers over the opening on the lid. It felt very fitting for an OTH trip to have a little basketball with my coffee. I came back to my balcony to eat my cinnamon roll and drink my coffee before deciding what to do next. 

After breakfast, I decided to drive to the place where Lucas gets Peyton because her car broke down in the pilot episode. I sent the spot with the caption “First of all, you don’t know me. Second of all, you don’t know me.” to Krystyn and she did not get the reference. My heart is saddened at the loss of a close friend at this moment because how does someone NOT understand the reference… Just rude… [Just kidding, Krystyn. We can still be besties, but just know this is your first warning…] The loop where it was filmed was really gorgeous, there were a bunch of azalea flowers (trees?) all over the area. There were also signs that warned about alligators. No worries, I did not spot any alligators and I was able to make it safely to and from my car without incident. 

After that, I decided to go to the crash scene bridge, which was about a thirty minute drive. On my drive over, I was listening to Sirius Satellite because the gods gifted me with a random three months, and as I pulled up to the bridge, Fall Out Boy was on the radio. It felt very fitting. I parked my car (off the road for the record), since the bridge is basically in the middle of nowhere, and I walked around by the river for a minute. They obviously have updated the bridge since the show was filmed, but it was cool to see where every character of the show has had a near death experience throughout the course of the series. 

On my way back to my apartment, I drove past the church where everyone almost gets married in the show. (I say this because there’s supposed to be three weddings at the venue and only one of them happens… One Tree Hill is a very dramatic show!) It is ridiculously large and very pretty! After, I parked my car at the complex, and I walked to a few stores. I purchased a Keith Scott Body Shop hoodie, and I am ridiculously excited about it! I also bought a shirt because I don’t always wear hoodies, and I will definitely be wearing it this upcoming week when I come back! I also bought a few items for my friends and this headband because my hat kept flying off in the wind, and the man gave me free postcards because I spent so much. 

Once I was done with my shopping spree, I ordered food at Fork ‘N’ Cork, which has apparently been on Food Network. It was pretty good, but I was so full after eating half of a sandwich. After lunch, I came back to my room, and I took a nap because I had a baby headache. I slept for around an hour and a half. When I woke up, I was going to watch tv, but you have to log in to all the streaming apps, and I really don’t enjoy doing that on strange devices, so I chose not to. I decided to listen to my Drama Queens podcast instead because I was two episodes behind. I seriously love listening to the podcast because they talk through episodes and what was happening in their lives when they were filming and the choices they made when acting. I love learning behind the scenes things from shows and movies I love. Whenever I watch a tv show, I go through imdb for every single episode to learn the random facts. It’s just who I am. I commit to the things that I love and enjoy. 

It finally started raining around six, even though it was supposed to rain much earlier and the wind has been crazy today, so you could tell it was coming. I have just been sitting on the balcony and listening and writing for the last few hours. I love watching water and rain, and I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it: Dear Future Husband, WE MUST HAVE A SPOT THAT IS NEAR WATER, SO I CAN SIT AND ENJOY THE VIEWS WHILE I DO SILLY THINGS LIKE READ OR LISTEN TO PODCASTS. IT IS A NON-NEGOTIABLE! Thanks!

Day Seven - April 1, 2022

Holy crap… It’s insane that I left a week ago. This week has flown by and has felt like a long time simultaneously. Today, I woke up around 6:30, and I kind of just layed in bed for a little while thinking. Around 7, I decided to get up and began packing and organizing my items. I decided to make a bag for the beach, a bag for everything I would need for my last night, a bag of dirty clothes, and everything else that hadn’t been used or that can be worn again went back into my luggage. I went to get coffee at Port City Java because one of their original locations was used as the front for Karen’s Cafe in the pilot episode, and I have heard good things about their items. I brought my iced coffee back to my apartment, and I kind of just sat and didn’t do a whole lot other than look out the balcony at the view. I tried to meditate for a little while because it’s something that I feel like I should do, but I always end up just saying a quiet prayer about whatever is on my mind. This morning was no different. I have two things that I am trying to piece together, so I thought about them and asked God, the Universe, Fate, my guardians, my ancestors, whomever it may concern to hear me out and give me guidance. (I realize that I am sharing a lot about myself and my turmoil on this trip’s log, but I think anyone who knows me or who has talked to me at all during this year can tell that something is off. I am looking for something, but I genuinely do not know what is missing or what will make things less mediocre and boring and miserable. I know that things are shifting, and I can sense the good that is to come, but I am in an in-between…) 

Anyways, I decided that I wanted to go to the beach because it was a much nicer day than it has been for the entirety of my trip. I also realized that hanging rock had like five miles worth of things that I wanted to look at, so I knew that it would only take me about two hours to really get through everything, so I decided to take some time before leaving Wilmington. I drove about thirty minutes to the beach and this place called Fort Fisher State  Recreation Area. It had dunes and a huge sandy beach. The waves were pretty big, and I arrived around 10:45, so it was basically empty. I put on my bathing suit, hoping that it would be warm and enjoyable, but it was extremely windy and much too cold to not be wearing actual clothes. I kept my clothes on and sat on my towel, reading Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. (If you have never read it, it’s adorable. I found it when looking for characters going through a quarter-life crisis, and I realize that I am Lincoln. I also adore Beth and Jennifer’s friendship. There’s aspects of it that remind me of my close friends.) 

I decided that I should leave around 11:30 in order to make it to Hanging Rock before it was too late to do the things I wanted to do. My drive was pretty boring. (Side note: BASICALLY ALL OF THE ROADS HAVE LIKE A 55 SPEED LIMIT, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD BE 70! IT WAS INFURIATING BECAUSE I DROVE THE SPEED LIMIT BECAUSE I SAW SOOOOOOO MANY COPS OVER THE COURSE OF THIS TRIP, AND BEING OUT OF STATE, I DO NOT WANT TO BE AN EASY TARGET FOR THEM TO PULL ME OVER! SEMI-TRUCKS PASSED ME FOR THE RECORD; IT WAS EMBARRASSING!) I decided to stop to get gas and food, and a lotto ticket. I saw some billboards that had $222 million dollars for the powerball lottery, so I decided that it felt like a positive sign to purchase a ticket. (If I win, none of you will get any money from me. Don’t even try asking, unless you invented an amazing idea, and then I will definitely support you with it. Psst Keiryn, I will front you the money to open that bookstore you talked about!) On my drive, my dad also called me to check in because both of my parents thought I was coming home today, even though I gave them a detailed itinerary of where I would be on which days. He gave me a hard time once I pointed that out because he said that according to the itinerary, I should be in Hanging Rock, but I obviously wasn’t. He won the argument. 

Once I arrived at Hanging Rock, I went to the Lower Cascade first because it was the first thing that I came across in my drive. It was a .8 mile hike to see this waterfall, and on the way, there was this father with his two young children. The daughter loudly goes, “THERE’S A PUDDLE!” Imagine the one girl from Despicable Me when she sees the unicorn. That type of volume and enthusiasm. The father goes, “Now, remember, part of being in nature is listening to the sounds, so we have to be quiet.” It was the most adorable encounter I have seen in a little while. I love a dad with his children. It warms my heart! 

Once I left the Lower Cascade, I drove to the Visitor Center, which is where Hanging Rock is, but also the Upper Cascade. I decided to do the Hanging Rock hike because it was a 1.3 mile hike and it was around 5, so I figured that I could do the other one tomorrow if I ran out of time. On my way there, I walked past this couple who probably started like ten minutes before I did. On my way back, they were still heading towards the rock portion. The guy quietly asked his girlfriend if I was the person who passed them on the way, and then he was like “You already climbed up and now you’re on your way back?” Someone the other day told me that I was clearly a walker. I didn’t really understand what he meant, but I guess I do now. I walk with a purpose, but also I enjoy walking, so it is my form of enjoyable cardio. I like how I take care of my body, and I like that going on strenuous walks aren’t super difficult for me - I mean, they can be difficult and I can definitely get winded, but I also don’t S T R U G G L E… Ya know? Anyways, the climb was incredible, and it overlooked this beautiful valley. There was a couple getting their engagement photos done, and I feel like it was a gorgeous place to do it at. 

Once I made my way back to the start of the trail, I walked over to the Upper Cascade. It was a .4 mile hike that was super easy. I was able to walk down to the waterfall because there were steps with an opening that made it seem like it was acceptable behavior, so I kind of watched the water for a little bit before turning around and heading back to my car. By this time, I was super hungry. It was around 6:30, so I headed into town, and I ate at this cute little diner. The waitress was adorable and kept chatting with me about a bunch of different things. She asked me what I did for a job, and I told her that I taught English 11, and she was like “please don’t judge me when I talk!” She also told me that she gets peeved when people say “seen” instead of “saw,” which I TOTALLY GET because it peeves me too! She also said that her boyfriend says “Asst” instead of “asked” and she said that she told him that that was why people think southerners are dumb, so he needed to change the way he said that. I adored this woman! She had the cutest accent and made my whole day! 

After dinner, I headed to my campsite, which I literally drove up and took a tag that had my last name on it… I feel like it should have been more formal, but I digress. I ended up organizing my sleeping arrangements, and I went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. The bathrooms smell bad (maybe like a urinal) and are super sketchy. Like there’s one light that feels like its dull and it doesn’t really reach all of the places in the bathroom. I really regret my camping portions of this trip because they have not been up to my standards. I am finishing this update at around 9, and I will go to the sketchy bathroom and then read my book for a little while before passing out. Tomorrow, I will be heading to the Lost World Caverns in West Virginia, and then I will be home around 10 or so. It should be a decently dull day.

Day Eight - April 2, 2022

This morning I woke up around 7:30 or so, and I got out of bed around 8. The temperature was much more bearable to sleep in than the previous camping excursion. I texted my friend to ask why I thought camping was a brilliant idea, and they just laughed at me. In the future, I might wait until the temperature is more favorable though to decide that camping is fun. When I was getting ready in the bathroom, there was a group of three girls, who were also getting ready. They voiced the same thoughts that I had had last night about the sketchy bathroom and the lack of lighting. I silently chuckled to myself that I was not the only one completely and utterly concerned about how this bathroom looked. Once I was done getting ready, I packed up my things and headed out of North Carolina. 

My plan for the day was to head to West Virginia to stop at this place called the Lost World Caverns. It was a little bit out of the way, but I figured that I should do something instead of driving all day. On my way, I tried to add a stop for coffee, but my GPS wasn’t allowing me to. It kept twirling like it was trying to search, but then it would come up empty. I decided to turn off my GPS and close it out, and then try again, which worked. It allowed me to add another stop on the way. I randomly added a place in Virginia called The Village Coffee Shoppe. It was super difficult to find because my GPS told me it was on one street, and then it would reroute me even though I wasn’t supposed to be to the location. On my second loop around, it began to reroute me again, so I turned around, and it figured out how to get me to the correct location. This place was a restaurant, which I wasn’t really expecting and then at the back of it, there was what appeared to be a coffee stand. I ordered my coffee and looked around because it was also like a novelty store. It was a super weird place, and it was the only stop besides a gas station that I made in Virginia for this trip… I definitely do not see a real difference between West Virginia and the Original. Sorry if I am offending any people from either state. 

Once I left the coffee shop, I made my drive to the cavern. It was $12 to go into this underground tunnel and look at all of these formations that existed. They also had little plaques that told what you were looking at and how they were created. This whole place had these crystals that form from water dripping down from the ground. Some of the formations were extremely old - like 500,000 years old old. It’s crazy that this whole world exists below the earth. What else is under the dirt and ground below us!?! Also, how do these random cave things not cave in from the weight of the ground and buildings on top of them!?! I do not understand geology and the earth whatsoever! 

After this self-guided tour, before I left West Virginia, I purchased another lotto ticket, and then I drove to Ohio. I realized that I had three photos left from my disposable camera, so I added a random attraction onto my drive. I saw something that said Mirror Lake, so I felt like it was going to be a state park lake. Something like the Mirror Lake that is in the Upper Peninsula that Megan and I saw over our summer road trip. When I arrived, it was in Columbus, and I was at THE Ohio State… This “Lake” was a small pond with a random fountain in the middle. It was severely disappointing. When I parked my car to get close to the “Lake,” I realized that I had been wearing my Michigan State Alumni shirt, so I sent a video to Krystyn to tell her that I was doing our favorite thing, even though it was unintentional. (Krystyn and I will dress up in MSU gear and go to Ann Arbor to hang out and intentionally stomp through U of M’s campus and be completely obnoxious. When I realized I was doing this at THE Ohio State University, it made me chuckle because it’s on point with me as an antagonistic person!) For the record, this stop was completely ridiculous and was a waste of my time. I spent $2.50 for this attraction (through the parking garage), and I would legitimately never recommend this pond to anyone else looking for a random scenic stop on their drive through Ohio. 

I really just drove the rest of the way home with only one stop for food at Panda Express, where my fortune cookie told me: “YOUR PLACE IN LIFE IS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT - BUCKLE UP.” I don’t know how fortunate and informative it was, but I guess it was fitting for the remainder of my trip, and I guess if I am lost in life, it can be a metaphor that I can choose the direction that I go in. If I am in the driver’s seat, I think I am about to go on some unknown roads and detour a little bit in the upcoming months, and I am excited about some of the choices I am going to make in the very near future. When I got to the gas station near my house, I decided to stop for another lotto ticket. I really don’t know why I was drawn to them, but I ended up winning $4 on the one I purchased near my house… maybe this is like the ending in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. (If you know the reference, you know the reference, but if I say what I mean, then it takes away from the entire meaning behind the message in the story, and I will not ruin one of my favorites in case any of you are interested in reading it.)

Random miscellaneous fact that doesn’t really fit anywhere in this adventure: every single day of my trip, I saw at least one cardinal. If you know the folklore of cardinals, they are said to represent that a loved one is with you. Upon looking them up when writing this, I can also see that they are symbols of good luck and encouragement in working towards your goals. I think that a change is on my horizon soon, and I hope that when I figure out what that looks like, I will be able to share it with everyone in my life. Stay posted for what that means!