Road Trip: Charlotte, NC
Day 4: Thursday, April 18, 2024 - Belmont, NC, and Mind Games in Charlotte, NC
Day's statistics:
- Weather: upper 60s
- Steps: Steve 10,933; Linda 7,974
- Travel: 82 miles
We awoke at our normal time - 7:00.
After prepping for the day, we made our way to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.
Thoguh it was a full buffet, beverages were provided via table service. Since we were going to meet Marcio (my former co-worker)
for lunch, we didn't want to overdo it.
Father Dave, our local pastor, told Linda about the Belmont Abbey - he attended a retreat there - and suggested we pay
it a visit. According to the Google machine, it was less than 20 minutes from our hotel. It was early, so we went.
The basilica is on the grounds of Belmont Abbey College.
We parked the car and proceeded to the basilica. On the way we came across various flowers along the way.
We went inside before taking pictures of the outside because a maintenance worker was applying urethane to the frame. He asked
if we wanted him to move and we said "no". Then he said he'd be about ten minutes. I said "OK, and go."
In the entryway were a baptismal font, a fountain, and a couple stained glass windows.
Our visit inside was over, and we stepped back into the sunlight. The maintenance work was complete too.
We also took a selfie out in front too.
After our pictures of the front, we walked to the right (as looking at it) of the basilica.
Then we headed out to try to find the Our Lady of Lords grotto / shrine - which happens to be on the National Register of
Historic Places - that Father mentioned, and that was also on the pamphlet we got from inside the basilica.
This required heading back toward the parking lot on the other side of the basilica - from whence we came. On the way, we
came across a small prayer garden.
The directions mentioned to cross the driveway to the concrete steps, and the grotto was at the bottom of the staircase.
The grotto was there, as well as a gazebo, a garden, and the Stations of the Cross.
We weren't at the abbey for that long, so we headed to the next place on our list: Wing Haven Garden.
We drove back into the city and found the garden. It seemed to be more of a small lot in the middle of a neighborhood
rather than an actual park. So we went to the next place on our list: UNC Botanical Garden.
We drove the sixteen or so miles to get there, and it seemed that it was just two not-that-big greenhouses. Soooo we went
the the next place on our list: Freedom Park.
We essentially drove back to Wing Haven as Freedom Park less than two miles away. We found the park, but decided to get some coffee.
While we were looking for a Starbucks® on the way to the park, we didn't see one. After finding the park, we mapped a Starbucks®
and found that it was only 0.4 miles away. So we headed out. And found it - but it looked more like a house than a business. We
parked got our coffee, and headed back to the park.
The park was nice, fairly big, and a great place to spend some time relaxing. I am sure this place must be really busy in season, and
or on weekends with families. There was a very large playgound too.
While we drank our coffee on the bench overlooking the stream, we tried solving the Spelling Bee. I also spotted a samimander.
The stream cut through the park.
After our beverage, we headed further into the park, and walked to the lake.
We ggrabbed a selfie near the lake too.
Freedom Park is named such in honor of military veterans from various wars. There were commemorative markers throughout the park,
such as this one for the China-Burma-India War.
On the way back out, we found that the playground was busier now. Next to the playground was a gutted railroad engine.
Off in the distance a way, beyond the engine, was a skatepark.
We left the park and headed into town for our 1:30 lunch with Marcio (my former co-worker).
I made the mistake of programming just the street into the GPS and not the full address of the restaurant, Bisonte Pizza. So when we
got into town, we had to take the extra step. We already drove up the street once and felt that, since we couldn't find the restaurant
without, we plugged it in. Eventaully we got to it.
This wasn't a metered spot, but rather we had to download an app to pay.
We went into the restaurant and requested a table for four in case Marcio dragged along another former co-worker (as a surprise).
I texted Marcio and sent an e-mail to let him know we were a half hour early, and where we were sitting.
While we waited, I tried to pay for the parking - but the app indicated that it could not find our location, even though I had location
services turned on on the phone, and I entered the number on the sign next to where we parked. Oh well, at least I tried.
Marico arrived on time, we ordered and caught up on life over the last year and a half.
Linda and I shared a mall veggie lovers pizza.
I guess we were too distracted with the conversation because we neglected to get any pictures of the menu or the food.
It wasn't the first time that's happened, and certainly won't be the last.
At 2:55 Marcio told us he had to go because he had a 3:00 - he worked a couple doors down from the restaurant there was plenty of time.
But due to Marcio's rather suddenly having to go, we neglected to get a selfie with him too.
We got in the car and headed back to the hotel as Mind Games was scheduled to start soon.
We got to the hotel and parked in the same spot.
I wanted to check the main ballroom to see if gaming had started, and if not, when it might.
The room was packed - we eventually learned that gameplay started at 1:00.
I headed to the room to fetch my ID, clipboard, and paperwork, returned to the ballroom, and began playing.
I wound up sitting in a small room across from the main room for most of the playing. It was significantly quieter in that room.
I arrived at a with a game, and started playing. Before the night was through, there were seven of us in all that played a majority of
our games togethter: Janice from San Fran; Matthew and Anderson from Dallas; Natalie from Central NJ; and Shannon and her son Ryan from
Charlotte. Maria (didn't note where she was from) played a couple with us too.
It turns out that I was the only MG veteran of the group.
By the end of the night, which came about just after 10:00, I had played 11 of my required 30 games, and 1 of the additional games.
I also forgot to get a picture of the games table (though I did get pictures of all the games just before the giveaway on Sunday).
Linda had volunteered in hospitality - which was all the way up on the 19th floor - for a two hour shift too, so she wasn't a hotel widow
for the duration, just most of it.
At the end of the night, I returned to the room, talked to Linda about the games, relaxed a bit, washed up, and went to sleep.