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Well, Lo-Fi Adventures USA has finally come to an end. First and foremost I would like to sincerely thank all the people that have been kind enough to put us up along the way. Seriously, without you guys this trip wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting (or possible). I can also say that this has been one of the greatest trips of my lifetime and, truth be told, even after a few weeks it’s still all sort of hard to absorb. But, as my grandma told me, it’s something that no one can take away from me. Short of a lobotomy, that is entirely true and a very comforting thought.

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The penultimate chapter pertaining to Stamford and New York City has come to a close. We’ve touched the Pacific Ocean as well as the Atlantic Ocean with only one more stop to come full circle. One more stop to end our exploration and that was home.

Jack and I scrambled in the 4:37am darkness, looking for our scanty belongings. I removed my brothers’ house key and left it on his kitchen table. We were off on the road for the final time. With the Buick’s doors locked, the tank somewhat filled, and with a handful of Kroger lemon cookies, Jack punched the accelerator as we sliced through the obscure morning.

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that’s it for the US. looks like a motorboat

The last day in Stamford starts off with a great pancake breakfast. Actually, it’s more of a lunch. Brian, Kevin and I then head out to a bar. We kill some time by playing darts and enjoying the bar’s NFL Sunday Special (a pitcher of Bud and 10 sliders for $20, nice) then head out to see Stranger Than Fiction in downtown Stamford. It’s a really decent movie and I would recommend seeing it. This is an extremely strenuous day out so we head back for a delicious homemade fajitas dinner. After this Kevin and I start to pack up our stuff and get some sleep.

Ellen, Kevin, and I eat a rather late breakfast at a place called “Eat Here Now”. I think their name is pretty compelling although they don’t make a very good turkey sandwich. The fries make up for it though. There’s warm hugs and good byes on the subway after which Kevin and I continue onto Grand Central. We catch the next train to Stamford and leave New York City behind.

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The day begins like any other. I wake up in a strange apartment and slowly realize where I am. New York. Ok. Time to find some clean clothes, brush my teeth, take a quick shower and get out to explore. Ellen’s spending the day trying to find another job, so while she pretties up, Kevin and I learn about Malaysia on the Discovery Channel. I sort of feel like I’ve been living on the Discovery Channel for the past couple of months. Except without actually learning anything. So like the Discovery Channel on mute. And today, with the plan to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it will be no exception.

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Our New York excursion begins with leaving the Buick behind and taking a train from Stamford into the city. Miraculously the gray rainy weather has been replaced by warm temperatures and a beautifully blue sky. An hour later we emerge at Grand Central Station and get our first view of New York City on foot. We get to walk a lot.

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Hagerstown Maryland is left behind and we drive through horrible rain heading for Stamford, CN, the home of Kevin’s brother Brian. We get there around 5:30 pm, wait around for Brian to get out of work, then all grab a dinner at Tigin, an Irish Pub. The food is really great and the Guiness on draft is fantastic. Stamford is a pretty nice place (home to a bunch of investment bankers) but the weather continues to be pretty horrible. The three of us stop by a store and pick up some local beers, then head back to Brian’s and end up showing him the pictures from our roadtrip. This takes approximately three months.

It feels like we’re finally going home. The weather is atrocious. The highlight of the day is supposed to be a long drive along the Blue Ridge Drive, a scenic route through the Smoky Mountains. The Smoky Mountains are aptly named and blanketed in a thick layer of smoke like fog. This makes for some slow driving and scenic views composed mostly of white fluff. There are occasional breaks in the thick clouds and some views are truly spectacular. We occationally have to get out of the car and clear rocks off the road.

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After quickly packing up we escape the seedy West Memphis Motel 6 and are on our way to Nashville within minutes. It is only an hour or so later that, due to a bit of miscommunication, we find out our friend Melinda actually lives in a nice part of Memphis (as opposed to Chatanooga where her family resides). If I had called in advance I could have been spared from listening to the baby’s mama drama outside of the room last night. Then again, I don’t really see where I’ll get an experience like that any time soon.

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