A Few Observations About North Carolina

So I’m in Raleigh-Durham for a week as part of training for my “real job”, and since I’ve been here a couple of days I’ve made a few observations about North Carolina.  Not all of them are hunting related, but they are all positive as far as I’m concerned.

1. Everything here (aside from breakfast) comes with a side of regular potato chips.  This is good.
2. They like BBQ here.  How much, you ask?  So much that in the Raleigh-Durham Airport they have a real BBQ pit.  None of this cafeteria food nonsense you find in other airports, I’m talking authentic, grilled meat.  When I got off the plane and into the airport, the first thing I could smell was ribs.  Need I say more?
3. They have a lot of deer here.  I’ve seen them and the locals have been telling me about them.
4. The above-mentioned deer will live anywhere.  There are four of them living (apparently) in a fifty yard wide, three hundred yard long strip of forest bordered on one side by a highway and on the other side by two hotels.  Safe from hunters, yes.  Safe from Windstars, who knows?
5. When the people here ask what you do for a hobby and you tell them hunting or fishing, it seems that you automatically become their good friends.  This is also very nice.  I have had three invites to come back in the fall for deer hunting, but I’m pretty sure I won’t make it back (although I’d really, really like to) and one guy give me the actual GPS coordinates for his camp if I ever want to do some turkey or deer hunting.  One word: awesome.
6. They really like college basketball here, and apparently there are some serious, serious rivalries.  Leafs vs. Canadiens is apparently a child’s tea-party compared to UNC vs. Duke.  Just saying.
7. It is bloody hot here.  And humid.  The A/C in my room was broken on Sunday night, and it was (no joke) 32 degrees Celsius in my room all night.  If there was ever a time I wished I could sleep while levitating over the sheets, this was it.  A/C is fixed now, so I’m comfy again…
8. In the same vein as #5, everyone here has been friendly, (almost too) accommodating, and really genuinely welcoming of this bewildered and lost Canadian.  For that, I thank you North Carolina.

So there you have it readers, my take on North Carolina.  Yes, I’ve only seen a very small fraction of the state, and yes, I’m sure it isn’t all sunshine and lollipops all the time, but I really like it here.  I’d stay forever and hunt here (if I could) but eventually I’ll have to ship out from the Tar Heel State.  But someday I’ll be back and I hope to have my turkey calls in tow.