Charlotte, NC

The third part of the trip was started early, as we left Supply around 9 am to arrive in my old stomping grounds of Charlotte, North Carolina by noon. Our first stop was my uncle and aunt's house, where we would be staying that night. It was amazing to see them and their daughter, Sasha. They were kind enough to host us on our journey ... and actually were our tour guides for the day.

Our first stop was at an amazing sushi place (always my favorite) before we hurried downtown, an area which even I had never been to in all my summers spent up there. It was an awesome site to see. Imagine a smaller version of New York City (and a whole lot cleaner). We walked around the perfectly clean streets like we were the only ones in the city ... it was a Sunday after all. Still, it was so refreshing to see a city where you could walk around wherever you wanted without a care in the world. The city was amazing, with pristine buildings, cute little local places, and hot spots alike. I could definitely have seen myself living there! It is the second largest banking city in the country, after all. There was a Tim McGraw concert going on that night as well, so we got plenty of sightings of Charlotte's country side.

After that, we toured the rest of suburban Charlotte. It was quite surreal as I hadn't seen these places in over five years. I saw all my old hangout spots, and a few new ones I took interest in. We took a quick sentimental detour to look at my grandma's house; I hadn't been there since she passed away. It was near exactly as I remembered it, just like the place I spent a vast amount of my childhood. My favorite part of the trip by far.

We made our way back to the house after that, where we took a load off ... it was our first break since this morning after all. My uncle, the chef that he is, made some amazing vegetarian enchiladas; which was a really nice gesture. Trust me though, they were still the best enchiladas I've ever eaten. Maybe a little too hot for my liking (he realized later that he put the wrong sauce on them), but great nonetheless.

After some bird watching (they live in an amazingly scenic area ... as is most of Charlotte), we talked the night away about nothing in particular. It was good to be with family. We quickly made our way to bed, after such a long and filled day, and no sooner were the lights off that I was off to my dreams. Our visit had been wonderful, but I really could not wait to see Tennessee for the first time.

Next stop: Maryville, Tennessee.