Great Atlantic Seaboard Bicycyle Tour: Durham, NC-Chapel Hill, NC 10/25 30 driving miles; 15.4 walking miles

We were drinking our cup of ambition by 7:30 AM this morning, which is early even by our standards. We needed an early start if we hoped to tour both the Duke Unuversity campus and the North Carolina University campus because both campuses are immense. They are both stately, prestigious, and ever so full of school pride. We walked around Duke in the morning, and I still can't get over how huge the campus is, especially considering there are only 15,000 students (Graduate and Undergraduate). The West campus, where the athletic facilities are located is done in Gothic architecture. Dark looming edifices built in strong gray stone, peaked with sharply pointed spires and linked with fortress like parapets line the ridge above the woods. The East campus, which sits atop the ridge opposite, is done in Georgian architecture, complete with the large lawn spaces centered around parades of buildings, each sporting its Roman triangle over columns. The two sides border a forested area (Naturally, the Duke Forest) which houses a nice green space and gardens. Even in the dim light of late fall, the place is impressive. No less impressive, Carolina, the oldest public college in America is simply crammed with daunting buildings. We walked almost 32,000 steps today, so that should give some hint to the vastness of the two institutions. Carolina's campus also has a gigantic medical facility in its heart, which is only right because Carolina, Duke, and NC State make up the three legs of the research triangle. Today's highlights included getting into Cameron Events Center, home of the Dukies. I'm no Duke fan, but as a basketball fan, I was duly impressed walking through Duke's hall of fame, even if I did have to read last year's painful Sweet Sixteen score: Duke 65, Gonzaga 52. At Carolina, we toured the library, the Ackland Museum, and witnessed opposing political rallies. On the one hand, Sons of the Confederacy were protesting the removal of historical symbology (Statues, Flags, etc.). On the other hand, students were protesting the continued promulgation of white supremacy and racism. I felt the Confederates were more civil, but people in both groups demonstrated unbridled passion. The police presence, which had cordoned off the statue, and had a human wall of officers separating the two protests, was a significant deterring presence. Maybe most impressive is that both groups had their say in peace. It speaks to America's greatness that opposing groups can speak freely. Finally, we met three "best" humans, but sadly I only took pictures of two. Henry, a 74 year young man who was moonlighting as a parking attendant, entertained us for quite a while, heckling Ed about Gonzaga basketball at one point. Ashley, one of the student protesters, agreed to be seen with us, but we didn't chat much. Maybe the most impressive human, a retired policeman who was working crowd control, took time to give us background on the protests. He was personable, conscientious, and mostly saddened that a police presence was needed at all. He said he could respect and understand those who came to voice their position, but too often, "hate groups" added themselves to the mix. He said, "That's why we're here spending the taxpayer's money." He presented himself in the best possible way. I hope there are more professionals like him out there. In all, it was a nice day and as usual I must say, "Life is good, especially today."

Like at Gonzaga, the students camp out to get first chance at tickets.