Bill and his mom needed to get some stuff around the house taken care of in quick fashion and I was able to help out. Least I could do after having such a great stay!
On the way out of Oxford, I tried, unsuccessfully, to snap a pic of John Grisham’s house. This is his land. Pathetic, I know, but driving was more important than photography. There’s a big yellow house on that lot. I promise!
Apparently, I-55 is allergic to signs at the Miss-Tenn border. There wasn’t a Tennessee sign on the northbound side, same as there wasn’t a Mississippi sign on the southbound side. RT was not pleased.
After several hours on the road, I made it to Jackson, Tenn., and the home of the AA West Tennessee Diamond Jacks. I mostly took this pic because Bill had specifically mentioned this park as I was getting my act together this morning. (hi, Bill! Thanks for the hospitality!)
RT and I were able to catch the welcome sign into Kentucky. I haven’t been in this state since I was here for men’s soccer with Akron, I think in 1997. Oh, and I competed at Kentucky Horse Park twice. That’s about it.
There were some rainstorms as I drove through the Commonwealth, and even a rainbow!
Since I grew up riding horses, there was some stuff that was extra interesting to me that normal people wouldn’t get excited about.
I couldn’t get a decent photo of the grandstand, but here was an entrance to Keenland Race Course. Nifty!
Once I got to Lexington, I had a very nice surprise … John had run into the one other UK employee that I know … a former weight coach at UCLA who know lords over all things strength and conditioning for the Wildcats. Johnnie and I went to dinner with Steph and her husband. Great fun.
My wonderful host gets bonus points … my first host who has HAND SOAP in the bathroom! (Jon and Bill, I love you guys, but it’s nice to be able to wash your hands after doing your business!)
So that’s about it. Tomorrow is a six-hour haul to Pittsburgh. Can’t believe I’ll be home by tomorrow night. Wow.
TODAY’S SOUNDTRACK
* The last two songs of Avenue Q that I didn’t finish on Monday
* Roaming Tigger, volumes 1, 2 and 3 (CDs that Bill made for me)
* Two episodes of Wait Wait
* Half the first act of Wicked
TRIP STATISTICS
Today: 3 states (Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky). 511 miles (on the nose!). 8 hours, 5 minutes
Trip: 8 states (CA, AZ, NM, TX, AK, TN, MS, KY … OK, so I accidentally skipped Arkansas on the recap from Day 3. Oops!). 2,506.5 miles.
Note: I’m a little bitter … the trip odometer on my car reset itself after 1,999.9 miles. Bummer.
LICENSE PLATES
Today (5 states): North Carolina, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, West Virginia
Total (37 states … anyone who took the OVER gets the win!): Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Fla., Ga., Hawaii, Idaho, Ill., Ind., Kan., Ken., La., Md., Mich., Miss., Mont., Mo., N.C., N.H., N.M., Neb., Nev., Ohio, Ore., Okla, Pa., S. Car., Tenn., Texas, Va., Wisc., W.Va., Wyo.
2 comments:
Yay! You're almost home!
To welcome you back, Western PA will be showering you with rain and possible T-storms upon your arrival. At least there's a nice weekend in the forecast!
Hi Amy - we were all talking about you at Sandy's last night. She wanted to call but we were very busy sewing and talking about your quilt. I miss you.
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