The Other Salem

Our journey began with me picking Brad up at Dulles at 9:30 pm. We decided that since Birmingham was 12 hours away the best option would be to drive until we got tired then stop somewhere along the way.

I must say that when Brad and I are together it's like we instantly revert back to 12 year olds. We laugh at the stupidest stuff and we continually rag on each other. I am so grateful to have my Brother. Having siblings also teaches one very valuale lessons at very early ages. One, the world does not revolve around you and two, your actions have consequences on others, not just yourself. I am constantly reminded of this whenever I hang out around a certain family member of mine who just so happens to be an only child. (I have several friends who are only children and you would never know it (and then some you totally would ha ha)...so I do not think it always goes as stated before).

So we talked about what all was going on for awhile then we started to get sleepy. At about 1:30 am we decided it was time to look for somewhere to stop. At first we thought Roanoke would be good, but then my Brad spotted a sign for Salem.

"Hey, let's stay with the witches!!" he said. I laughed and agreed. For the next 45 minutes (driving to Salem, finding a hotel, and checking in) we continually joked about "the witches" and that "the witches were going to get us". We were tucked in bed and watching TV when Brad's girlfriend called from Cali. He told her, "Sam and I are in Salem with the witches". Then I heard, "What?!" and then, "NO!". His face got sad and he hung up the phone. Then he looked over at me and said, "Dammit, its Massachusettes!" Apparently, when Brad gave his answer about us being in Salem with the witches she replied, "Wow, you're in Massachusettes?"

So yeah, while I promise there are some top notch intellectual genes floating around the "Williams pool" they most definitely were not exhibited that night. My defense is that Brad started the whole "witches" thing and I just followed along.

So the journey continues and so will the stories....MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The Southern Assault

My Brother (the one who got the "cool" genes)  and I are embarking on a Christmas journey to be remembered. DC to Birmingham, AL to Chattanooga, TN to Aiken, SC back to DC where we will have more fun. 

I haven't gotten to hang out with my Brother this much since we were still living in the same house. 

Anytime my Brother is around there are going to be good stories to tell. Hopefully I'll provide my readers with some comical moments over this Christmas holiday!

Joshy Blake: He's Harder than You

As one of Joshy Blake's best friends, I generally give him a hard time, and it is equally given back in return. But just like my Brother and I growing up, if anyone else were to mess with him I would kill them. Sometimes I will even admit that he's actually one of the most awesome people of all time. In fact, ladies let me just say that's he's available, but if you want him you will need to be pre-screened through me. 

Joshy Blake and I have had great adventures together over the years. When we lived in the same town we would often disappear into the mountains with our backpacks for a few days. Sometimes this was in the dead of Winter so he was good in putting up with constant, "My hands are freezing" whining for days. I only got a sense of how tough he was in our adventures. 

Now, he lives in Colorado (I hate him for that, but when my cycling career ends my dream of moving to Alaska will come back alive, then he will be the one hating me). I get to hear of epic things he goes and does. Recently, one such adventure was climbing Mt. Rainier. 

I've visited some family of mine in Mt. Vernon, just North of Seattle a few times and I just love visiting that area. Rainier's presence cannot even be described. Especially since it shoots up to over 14,000 feet from nearly sea level. The only other mountain that looks that powerful to me is Denali (Mt. McKinley). 

I listened to Joshy tell his story of ascending this mountain and it was unbelievable. I am not going to whine about how cold I am at cross races or how much I hurt anymore. I also love the fact that he does not boast of "conquering" the mountain. It's simply more of an attitude of, "the mountain let me climb it". 

So here are a few pics that I enjoy looking at. I've been laying around, getting fat, watching  movies, and looking at these pictures. I am looking forward to when I can take pictures of my own scenic adventures, although they won't be nearly  manly as Joshy Blake's.