Dragon is gone

Okay, the consensus is that the dragon thing made people go, "Huh?" In setting up my profile, there was an opportunity for a random question to be given to me to answer. I thought I'd give it a try. But maybe it was a tad too random. So I've removed it.

Otherwise...the countdown is 30 days until official Unemployment. I'm experiencing occasional moments of panic. "WHAT HAVE I DONE? THIS IS INSANE!" I figure those are normal and will probably be fairly frequent companions on this journey. Mostly, though, I'm giddy with anticipation.

I've been doing some research on tent camping tips and places to go out west and "How to avoid being bear food" and such. Concerning the latter, one gentleman warns that one should not eat a cheeseburger before hiking in bear country. No amount of washing up and tooth brushing will fool a bear's highly tuned sense of smell; you are a walking burger. He says he had a close call. The best thing to do, though, is hike with groups of 3 or more. I will be seeking out hiking groups via meetup.com wherever I go. I PROMISE! I don't intend to be stupid on this journey.

More later!

Preparing to leave the Carolinas

A new adventure beckons. Cheryl...Cherrrryyylll...., GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF THE SOUTH FOR A WHILE!!! I've never been out of the U.S. South. Never. (Well, not counting a childhood trip to Mexico that I remember very little about.) No further north than Virginia (got pretty close to D.C.), no further west than Texas (and there only Dallas and Houston).

Well, y'all, that's fixin' to change.