July 29, 2017 – Atlanta, GA – 0 miles
Today was a nice change of pace for the South team as we got to spend it relaxing in the city of Atlanta! The day started with a lot of rest as the team was allowed to sleep in till 10:00 AM. This was the latest wake up we’ve had on our journey by almost 2 hours and everyone appreciated the extra time in bed.
After getting ready for the day, the team made their way to a sponsored lunch at Cook Out. Alex Eplan of the Iota chapter (Georgia Tech) sponsored the meal and is a Pi Alpha who rode North Route in 2015. This was my first time at Cook Out and the food was delicious!
The rest of the day was ours to do with as we pleased till dinner so I spent the afternoon wandering downtown Atlanta. I was able to visit many historic sites and explore the city.
For dinner, we headed out of the city to a neighborhood pool where Lori Hart and Page Apinwall sponsored our dinner. They treated us like royalty, feeding us delicious steaks and some of the best mashed potatoes I’ve had in a long time. We spent the evening getting to know the sponsors and shooting hoops at the basketball court there.
At dinner I was fortunate enough to sit with Jacob Stark, the son of a Pi Kapp and a recent graduate of the Clemson Young Life Program. Jacob is differently abled but through his work at Clemson he has become very independent. It was inspiring to see how his abilities in life were emphasized far beyond the things that hold him back and it was great to meet a new friend.
Paul Glaza
Beta Iota (University of Toledo)