Column: The Road to Louisville
Yesterday leaders of Pacer Times and our sister organization, Broken Ink set out in great spirits on the open road to Louisville, Kentucky.
Our faculty adviser, Jeff hopped into the driver’s seat while Pacer Times editor-in-chief, Cecil Maddox took the front passenger spot for navigation. From our organization we had opinion editor Chandler Strama, sports editor Eric Sanders, and myself, Arts and Entertainment editor Shawn Williams. Joining us from Broken Ink were editor-in-chief Haley Dixon, online manager Bonnie Watson and layout editor Bailey Mullins.
As we hit the road everyone went straight to listening to music, reading, playing games or just having a casual conversation. About an hour into the drive people were dropping into sleep like flies. I fell asleep myself, while Cecil and Jeff kept up conversation about various topics and jammed out to music.
I woke up two hours later and everyone who was awake was in awe as we were surrounded by the vibrant fall colors of the beautiful mountains.
Our first stop was in Asheville, North Carolina to grab a bite to eat at Cracker Barrel. Some people ordered breakfast and some lunch, but no matter the meal it was a great time of fellowship. We all mingled and laughed around the table, enjoying each others company with ease.
Jeff commented on our silence when the food initially came, but the laughter and chatter resumed as the lunch continued.
Good ‘ole southern food filled our bellies and we were stuffed. Chandler sat back in his chair and said, “I’m about ready to go into a food coma.”
We entered more mountainous terrain as we got back onto the road and the scenery was just breathtaking. At the halfway point, people were either sleeping, jamming to music or snapping videos and pictures of the beautiful mountain roads. We gassed up in Knoxville and got back on the road.
We finally arrived in Kentucky, which is a beautiful state during the fall season. We couldn’t help but stop to get a picture in front of the welcome center sign before the daylight faded away.
The sun finally set and so did the warmth. We were almost to Louisville when we came to a great red light show on the horizon and spent a while teetering along behind the endless sea of interstate traffic. So much for making good time.
We made one last stop at Cookout to grab some dinner (and of course a milkshake) before heading to our final destination: the historic Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville.
As we finished our drive down the winding roads, the beautiful full moon seemed to get brighter though it was surrounded by a mysterious backdrop of misty clouds. It was fitting for a night so close to Halloween.
Columns written by editors and writers of Pacer Times do not necessarily reflect the opinion of staff members or leadership. Letters to the editor may be emailed to Editor-in-Chief, Cecilia Maddox at cmy@usca.edu, and will be published at the editorial staff’s discretion.
