03-27-11 And the road goes on forever

03-27-11
“And the road goes on forever, I got one more silver dollar,
But I ain’t gonna let ‘em stop me , no…”
[218.9 miles]
With my soggy camp loaded in the car we took off to head to the Durham - Chapel Hill area.
Having slept little the drive involved many stops. Many hours trying to find camping, gas & weather info at many McDonalds . Waking up at rest stops, walking Mischa…or was that vice versa. Like I said, lack of sleep.-
What seemed like an early advantage (Leaving South Carolina by 8:45 am) turned into a race against time. I got to Durham around 4:40 pm.
I saw a sign for Eno River State Park and followed the arcane route there. The people were very helpful and welcoming. I found out that the camping there would not fit my needs as it was all primitive hike in. I mentioned that I was camping in the area so I could do a radio interview on Wednesday. They asked , and I told them it was “The Story” and they seemed impressed with me. The woman asked , “Who are you” and my only response was “I’m nobody” which I immediately knew was wrong - a feeble attempt at self deprecation. We’re ALL somebody. I meant more “I’m nobody you’ve ever heard about” which would have been more honest and accurate. But at least my journey seemed to have merit on it’s own for them. And that’s really the thing. I’m just choosing to do this in the absence of anything else of meaning at this time. Like the Police sang “When the world is running down, you make the best of what’s still around.”
I got directions to Jordon Lake State Park and headed in the direction I was given. Pon reaching the outskirts of Chapel Hill along the route 15/501 I stopped at a McIntenet to access my options. Mischa had been acting odd all day, more dependent than usual. I chalked it up to the trauma of the last night’s deluge. I was feeling off kilter myself and extremely exhausted. I checked the weather - near freezing temps expected; checked the condition of my camping gear - all waterlogged still; checked my balances and made the decision - find a motel for tonight. Then spent the next hour and a half trying to find/get low prices. I “negotiated” a price of $31.00 for a place near the airport/research triangle and got it - for 44.00! The taxes and fees added on $13.00! This is one of the greatest consumer scams since razor blades (don’t get me started!) If taxes and fees are part of the room fee INCLUDE IT IN THE TOTAL PRICE !!! I bid on a price of $31 not $44!
I took it anyway. I needed to get out of the car, into shelter - so did Mischa. We got to the place about 9 pm (it felt like 1 am!) and got the room key and information from a wonderful person named Belinda who made the process of checking in and getting settled not just easy, but fun! She really seemed to enjoy what she was doing and had a since of Joy about what she was doing that is enviable. She “Owned” her job. Like what Tom Peters talked about in The Excellence Challenge, people having a since of ownership in the work they did. A place of self expression. It made the end of this day of driving so much easier to take. We go into the room, brought in a few things and then collapsed on the bed. In a twilight daze for a few hours, unable to move, it seemed, as if in a Merlin trance. Then I got the TV going and fell asleep to it’s mordant tones around midnight.