Tuesday, May 21, 2019

From the travel journal - Sapphire - last day

Darcy: "I'm done with waterfalls like I was done with churches in Italy. You see one waterfall and church, you've seen them all."



Okay. We spent the last day at the resort. Darcy worked out at the gym. I worked out by hiking the River Walk on property. It began at the track and children's playground, wound around by the pool, and then followed the river. About three minutes into the forest, I suddenly wondered what I'd do if I encountered wildlife. Bears are prevalent in the area. Suppose hiking alone is like swimming alone. A no-no? I survived, and then Darcy and I walked it again.





Everything is so green here. In Florida, we have green, but we have more brown. North Carolina must get lots of rain. We came at the right week. By next week the area will start filling with tourists. Supposedly, the temperatures stay in the 70's throughout summer, but since we experienced one day of 82 degrees, I'm not sure how much I believe that. I'm not looking forward to going back into the Florida heat. I think if I ever start selling books, I'll buy a property where I can escape for the summer. That's how it is done in Florida. While the rest of the world wants to escape winter and come to Florida, Floridians want to avoid the summer and head north.




The rest of our day was peaceful with reading and conversation. Madison and Darcy had an episode with a spider in the evening, which resulted in me sharing my bed with Darcy, who made sure to get a good night's sleep. She was very insistent that she would get us home in one day of driving. She's more than homesick now.


We rose early, loaded the van, and headed up the mountain ahead of schedule. Not Darcy's agenda, but mine. The GPS had us going up the mountain in the opposite direction of where we entered and holy, winding roads. By the time I was out of there, a good hour and a half later, my knuckles were sore from gripping the steering wheel. Even the girls were a bit queasy.

Note to self: Don't buy a property where the roads leading in and out are winding up a mountain.

The trip home was very familiar as the route took me on the very roads we drive to and from Indiana to and from Florida. I drove the first leg, and Darcy took over the last leg. We got into Tampa after about 10 hours driving, and we stopped to have dinner with Darcy's boy-man. They'd been apart since she left for New York via Italy, so I suggested the detour. By the time we got home, it was after eleven. Maddy and I weren't as excited as Darcy to be home and back to reality, but we've agreed to take the week to settle back in. Darcy starts work right away, so there is no rest for her.

My house is full again! I'm back on the job. Here's to a great summer with the family!

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