we have arrived
After over 13 long hours in the car, we arrived in Buffalo at almost 10:30 last night. West Virginia, I kind of hate you. You’re long and boring and it seems that the whole state is under construction.
We packed our cooler and made plans to eat at rest areas. Worked out nicely. Saved thousands of calories and lots of money. And I didn’t crash from a sugar/carb overload.
We talked to my dad and stepmom while we were in Pennsylvania and asked how long it would take from Erie, Pa. to get to Buffalo. Gail said about an hour and a half. Just for kicks, we decided to ask the girl at the gas station in Erie. The conversation went like this.
Me: About how long will it take to get to Buffalo from here?
Clueless: Umm…You’re 80 miles away, so it’ll take 45 minutes. An hour, at the most.
The husband and I looked at each other and before he could say anything (or start laughing), I told him to get out of the store and into the car. Once we were in the car, he figured out we would have to go almost 115 mph to get to Buffalo in 45 minutes. And, guess what? It took an hour and a half to arrive.
We managed to escape the rain until we hit I-90 about 45 minutes outside of Buffalo. I hate driving in the dark, but when you add drizzle to it, it’s really not fun. But we made it.
This morning we found the one running store in the city. We forgot a bunch of toiletries (ok, all of my husband’s toiletries) and that included several items for the race. Two girls at the store didn’t seem that amused by us until they asked for our zip code. Then they wanted to know why we were there and where we were from. The conversation was pretty humorous:
Husband: We’re from Asheville, NC.
Girl 1: Really?
Girl 2: I love Asheville. I visited there for a week last summer.
Me: It’s a pretty cool city.
Girl 2: I actually visited Waynesville, NC
Me: Oh, my husband used to teach in Waynesville.
Husband: Yeah, I taught at Waynesville Middle.
Girl 2: Really? Do you know Forrest?
Husband: Yeah, I know Forrest. What was his last name again?
Girl 2: I don’t remember, but we stayed with him.
Husband: He has really dark, curly hair.
Girl 2: Yes. That’s him.
Husband: This is totally weird.
What are the odds that we’d be 13 hours from home and would run into someone who has a friend in Waynesville, who we also know?
We head to Canada in two hours. Half marathon is in the morning, at 8 a.m. If I get the chance, I’ll post pictures from our hotel. Otherwise, look for them on Saturday!