Raleigh to Concord, 181 miles
"Children's talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives."
~Maya Angelou
"Hold on there," the parking lot attendant approached. "You may not be able to park here."
"Huh?" Now why would a motorcycle with a pop top tent trailer be ineligible for parking in an open lot?
Oh. Insurance. Right.
After a few minutes the boss came and said we could park here. Nice.
That's our first impression of Raleigh and the Capitol tour. It didn't get much better. The NC Capitol wears the tiniest dome we've seen. We went through the X-ray with a very friendly cop and then entered the rotunda area where people worked feverishly...taking down the Christmas decorations! Another 'huh?' Apparently they need to remove it all before they take two weeks off for Christmas. Okaaay.
The Capitol looks smaller than most of the others, and sports no art, a few statues and appears austere. In its defense, this building was erected before the Civil War, so is a real relic. Yet no government business occurs here. It's merely a museum. Yet what history. In this building, the parties voted to secede from the Union. The library and geology rooms have been restored. Geology room? I don't know either.
It's still unsettling being a Northerner, seeing tributes to the Secessionists. Weird. Fighting for slavery.
North Carolina was also the twelfth state to ratify the constitution. Now there's some history you won't find in Nevada.
Outside stands a cool statue of Polk, Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson. Another monument is a tribute to the Confederate soldiers, and a statue commemorates the brave men that fought in Vietnam. Very well done.
After a short tour (without a tour guide) we headed out for Charlotte. And I don't get this weather here, either. In Las Vegas, black clouds appear and then rain falls. And in the Pacific Northwest, the Capitol of rain, clouds build, get low and black, and let loose. Yet here, light grey clouds, super high, drop rainfall, a real surprise. We pressed onward, and stopped near the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Yep, we're in North Carolina, so tomorrow is NASCAR Day, with a tour of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Later investigating the location of the HoF, I discovered it to be not at the track but in Charlotte, twenty-one miles away in town. D'oh!
Now, Burger Kinged and contented, Quilter girl!
Okay, I love Burger King's onion rings and have been craving them for the past week. There has never been one nearby when it was time to eat. Today there was no breakfast so we grabbed cheese and granola bars on our way to the capitol.
We were ready for lunch after our tour and found a Burger King in Cary, NC. We both enjoyed Whoppers (which is my favorite fast food hamburger) and I had my wonderful onion rings. Kevin even enjoyed it along with a very chocolaty milkshake. I went out of there smiling!
As for the capitol, the rooms were pretty, done in blues and grays with white trim and lots of columns. George Washington was decked out in a Roman toga, writing his farewell address in Italian. It was truly unique, I wonder what George would have thought of this costume!
QG
I took one for the team and rode to Subway in the driving rain, remembering why we don't ride at night. Besides the dark, the water droplets on my face shield and the windshield make a constellation of stars when a car approaches. While I enjoy constellations, I like them when looking at the sky, not trying to find the road. Short ride, however, and tasty subs.
See you tomorrow as we do the car race thing.
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