I made it to Atlanta and I will say that I was pretty unsure of how things were gonna go. I made plans to stay with a friend of mine who I have only met once .that time we got to know each other was when we were on blood mountain. I met two girls who I also became good friends with and I still talk to them every once in a while. This time though I got an offer to stay with the first person I met on the trail, who I will call Rod. Rod was a very nice person and we connected pretty well on the trail. So following my gut I said yes to staying at his place .

Let me just say that I have never really been hosted before. I got to the house and instantly I realized that I was in a real house, in a real neighborhood and was with someone who not only has manners but was also just a good person in general. Once he got off work he took me out to this cool little joint that serves burgers and specialty shakes. It wasnt anything I had really experienced before and I was pretty shocked when he went out of his way to pay. I know that usually you do those sort of things but, I still didn't see it coming. 

Most people I stay with let me do my own thing and don't bother to serve. I'm not really a guest, I'm someone they know well and they let me do my own thing. 

Once dinner was done and we got done chatting we came back to his place and I got the tour of this place. It's a two story that has plenty of bedrooms and open space . The washer is upstairs which was strange for me to see. Apparently it's normal for them to be upstairs in two story homes . Once upstairs your was done we decided to go downstairs and lounge on the couch and talk for a while. As background noise we decided to play this documentary on the emperor penguin. It was a great choice because Morgan Freeman is the one who is talking throughout the documentary and it made the whole thing that much more interesting. Of course Morgan Freeman does that with most things. 

We talked most of the night and before we knew it, it was midnight. Sadly Rod had to go to bed because he had work the next day. With much sadness I said goodnight to my friend and we parted ways. I wasn't expecting any of this and I am usually prepared for anything considering my other experiences when it comes to staying with people. You never know what can happen.