Beyond the Horizon

The drive out of Raleigh was easy at first. Having traveled to smithfield a few times I felt familiar with that little stretch of highway seventy, past Super-K and The Package store, GI Joes, The crazy horse and finally to the big Wendys sign on the horizon, and Wal*Mart.
And then, suddenly, Smithfield. If I drive one more mile East, it'll be the closest from home I've been since Baggage Claim. Except it won't, It'll just be one mile closer to the Atlantic Ocean.

I've forsaken my desire to follow the setting sun into the West, and headed for the coast. Partly because I'll only have a few days on the road but oddly because the Mountains are beautiful in the Fall and its still only June. You just can't hurry nature.

The exact combination of Truck stops and Gas stations faded away like so many cornfields and tobacco plants. But I hit the highway and was king, or president, of the open road...