Loved, loved, loved UNC! I was received by the phenomenal Juan Carlos Gonzalez-Espitia, who introduced me to everyone, showed me the campus, down to the very American neoclassic wood columns!, and gave me the low down on grad school applications, life in Chapel Hill (free public transportation!), and grad school life in general. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Great people, great campus, great bagels, great everything.

From there I rode to Raleigh to have Rocinante checked out. After a few hundred miles, she starts loosing oil from the air intake. Huge shout to Nick at Ray Price Harley-Davidson who answered all my questions. Ray Price was a Harley racer and he has the best dealership I’ve ever seen and a museum (with the meanest Sportster I’ve ever seen). I had a coffee outside waiting for the checkup, chatting with a bunch of Harley old timers. It was somewhat unsettling that these regular guys had guns, on their belts, like cowboys.

After the great experience at Ray Price’s it was back roads all the way for five hours. It was one of the most beautiful rides ever. Horse farms, crops, the sweet smell of cow manure, rolling hills, flat tobacco crops, beautiful churches. I finally got to the seashore by taking a random turn ending up on Oak Island, a beautiful strip of beach with a sea turtle repoblation program. I’m staying in the most kitch hotel ever, The Blue Water Point Motel, straight out of an Almodovar movie. Before a great fresh fish dinner at the Fish House Restaurant I managed a great run on the beach!