Day 32 - March 14, 2022

The night ends at 3:00 am. My flight from San Diego to Atlanta leaves at 6:20 am. Tom is incredibly helpful and actually takes me to the airport at this time. It's really nice to have one last conversation, and especially to know that we will see each other again in ten weeks. His brother is getting married in Ireland and he will be there with his wife and son. This is the first time since I've been here that there's really no traffic on the highway. And that's a good thing. I'm dropped off right in front of the terminal, I quickly get rid of my suitcase, and then I wait and hope for an on-time departure.

The plane is fully booked, and we actually roll onto the runway at 6:20 am and the plane takes off almost on time at 6:38 am. Thanks to tailwind reaching speeds of over 200 km/h at times, the flight only takes 3 hours and 30 minutes. It felt like almost 5. At the huge airport in Atlanta, which already scares me, I quickly find my way without carry-on luggage. I didn't take my small suitcase into the cabin as there was not enough space and I don't need it. Actually a good idea. Next time I'll do the same. I have to get the other suitcase anyway.

The journey from the arrival gate to the baggage claim is adventurous. I have to take the Sky Train and there are eight stations to baggage claim. During the ride, I wonder how my suitcases get there, and when I arrive after 10 minutes, they are already there. So I quickly make my way to the Uber pick-up area and a driver approaches me. He wants to take me to the car rental, which is on the other side of Atlanta. The car was 300 € cheaper there than at the airport. I ask him how much it costs and he says 60 $. I politely decline, somehow I don't have a good feeling about it.

When I arrive at the pick-up area, I start my app and the price shows 69 $. I'm already annoyed that I didn't accept the offer, but I remember that prices sometimes fluctuate. So I wait for 5 minutes. I enter the destination once again, and it costs 35 $. That's strange. My driver Margret is from Kenya. The ride is very entertaining and she is very kind. I couldn't have asked for better. She drops me off right in front of the car rental and I give her a generous tip - that's what you do through the app.

The Sixt employee is incredibly friendly too and after a short wait, I get a white Volvo SUV with white leather seats (or at least they look like it) as an upgrade. This much luck is already outrageous. Even a navigation system is included. But I'm so used to Google Maps that I don't need it. The holder for my phone is quickly installed and then it's time to get away from this way too busy place. There's traffic everywhere and it takes over half an hour until I finally leave the city behind.

My destination is Cherokee, named after the Native Americans who have their reservation here. The state is North Carolina, and the distance is about 250 km. As time goes by, the traffic decreases more and more and it also becomes noticeably hilly. Not huge mountains with snow, but endless forests appear on the horizon and then in plain view. That's when I notice the blue light emanating from the trees. The time difference to California is 3 hours, so it's already 7:00 pm when I arrive. I'm also pretty tired and glad to finally be here. It's quiet here and the tourist season hasn't started yet. Or rather, the skiers are already gone and the spring vacationers aren't here yet. My room is absolutely fantastic and is located peacefully far from the road. I'm really excited for the next few days. A bonus that you rarely have. You usually prepare for the end of the vacation and somehow close it off. But for me, it's going to continue for a while. Despite the situation in the world, this makes me happy.