Driving South

After the multiple delays, I thought it fitting (and appropriately tacky) to start my trip on Leap Day, February 29th. To celebrate the send-off, Ted McFarlin (friends since 4th grade) hosted a surprise party Friday night, a pretty significant departure from the quiet cigar night I was expecting. On Tuesday, a few members of the McBride clan swung by the house to wish me well, including Grandmom McBride, who is now deep into the blogosphere thanks to HarveysRun. While largely unplanned, it was the perfect way to say goodbye to Delaware and I very much appreciate everyone who came out (especially Ted and Moira for planning the party). To those who didn’t – you can say goodbye after I park my house in your driveway.

Raleigh, NC

After driving south for a little over seven hours, I arrived at Tim Brock’s house in Raleigh, NC. Tim and I ran against one another in high school, then together on the University of Delaware Men’s Cross-Country team. Now a graduate assistant coach at North Carolina State, Tim has far more knowledge of long-distance running than I ever will and I took full advantage of the opportunity to pick his brain. With two trail runs, tickets to the NCSU vs. Miami men’s basketball game, and homemade long-distance-runner sized dinner, Brock proved to be a phenomenal host.

We parted ways Thursday morning after a trail run around a lake near his house and a grits-filled breakfast at The Flying Biscuit. With no schedule and an entire college town to explore, I spent the day walking through the North Carolina State University campus. The environment was pretty calm, though there was a random street preacher proclaiming the benefits of, and Biblical justifications for banning inter-racial marriage, which sparked a heated debate. The walk also provided a chance to practice taking photos and hone my skills in the art of Finding a Restroom & Refilling Your Nalgene. With nothing to do, I quickly realized that there are pro’s and con’s to living without deadlines lists. Pro: There’s plenty of time – I set my own schedule and do exactly what I want to do. Con: There’s plenty of time – the mind can wander and I start worrying about all the potential mishaps of traveling the country by yourself. Overall, though, the familiar sense of being on campus went a long way in calming any initial travel jitters. After spending some time talking to the staff at an art gallery/co-op, I tuned in to BPM radio, bought a $2 bag of trail mix for lunch and headed east on I-40 to Wrightsville Beach.

Wilmington, NC: Sports on sports on sports

A Delaware reunion in Wilmington, NC never disappoints, though trying to keep up with Jason Nista on his home turf proves similar odds as jumping into the 400m free with Michael Phelps. The weekend started at 1:00 a.m. on Friday morning when I woke up to Billy and Dan trying to peer through the truck’s tinted windows. What courtesy, peeping into a man’s bedroom!

Minimalist truck camping aside, the schedule was packed and I could take up the better part of your work day writing about my time on Seagull Street. To summarize…

1. Spike Ball – The newest addition to the world of sports, all you need for Spike Ball is a hula hoop, some netting, a small inflatable rubber ball, and a lot patience. The rules are simple: If Jason Nista is on your team, you win. If Jason Nista is on the other team, you lose. You could (and should) spend hours on the Spike Ball court, unless you’re like me and your back gives out after one day of sports. Serves me right for taking a three-year hiatus from strength training.
2. The Fuzzy Peach – Two years ago, Jason founded The Fuzzy Peach frozen yogurt shop with two friends from UNC Wilmington. Now four stores deep, they’ve got quite a following in the Wilmington area. And delicious frozen yogurt.
3. Beer Fest – Thirty dollars can buy a lot of things, but a four-hour window of unlimited micro brew? Only at the Wilmington Beer Fest. Beginning at 2:00 p.m., it was a great start to the evening.
4. River-to-Sea – The plan was to run this 10.5-mile race from downtown Wilmington back to Wrightsville Beach at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. There’s no course marked out, just Start and End points. After sleeping off the Beer Fest hangover, I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to get ready. Thinking I’d be waking up before everyone else, I was surprised to see Dan and Jason on my front porch at 7:15, having stayed up (along with Billy) all night. With the PIZZA flag around Jason’s neck, Eamon drove us in the Fuzzy Peach van to the Start, only to find that the race was canceled. Pass the weak sauce, Wilmington. With no more morning activities, Jason, Dan, and Billy got some much deserved sleep – some in beds, some on top of Tupperware storage bins in the back of the van.

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Not pictured here: Street preacher on the NCSU campus ◊ Tim Brock carrying on leisurely conversation while we run up a two-mile hill and my lungs approach total failure ◊ Dan, Jason and Bill pulling an all-nighter ◊ Dinner in the Food Lion parking lot ◊ Constant BPM ◊ Ski ball trivia ◊ Slacklining on Wrightsville Beach ◊ Sleeping (for the first time) quite comfortably in the truck ◊ Red ◊ Life Course (running and strength exercises) through Wilmington ◊ Sallies v. Archmere Spike Ball ◊ Pete and Rocco’s feet-only Spike Ball point ◊ Morning Spike Ball ◊ Afternoon Spike Ball ◊ Throwing my back out during Spike Ball

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Just five days into the trip, I’m becoming much more comfortable with living out of my truck. The newest lessons: (1) The lower limit for comfortable sleeping temperatures is about 40 degrees. (2) Put some thought into what items you bring on a long-term cross-country adventure. (3) Buying food at restaurants is the easiest way to go over budget. (4) The more sports I play, the better I feel (with the exception of tweaking my back during Spike Ball). (5) There are fewer vegetarians below the Mason-Dixon line than above; it comes with the territory.

After another day of exploring greater Wilmington and taking advantage of the free kitchen and bathroom in Jason’s house, I’ll take my time driving to Atlanta, where I’ll meet up with Catherine and see a few friends from Delaware and Connecticut.

Finally, this piece of music came up multiple times this weekend and is the only one that can properly close out this post: