The Indy 580

Lesson One:

Do not begin your cross-country trek with 12 hours in the car--unless, UNLESS you are fortunate enough to have gracious, easygoing, generous hosts waiting for you at the other end.


The motorcade rolled out of Alexandria almost on time (new for us!) and we were off!  Traffic is not bad at 7am in the DC area on a Saturday...


Here is another travel tip for driving cross-country from DC: Plan as much of your route west through West Virginia as you can. Sen. Byrd's many decades of service in Congress has its physical manifestation in the infrastructure of the Mountaineer state...should be good for a couple decades more.



Another fun fact...the Wendy's in Cumberland, MD is open at 9am, but does not sell breakfast. They will sell you a granola bar of some kind-um, no thanks. Turned out to be a good thing: we got an early lunch at some WV Cracker Barrel, in all its Americana splendor.

A little time out of the car.

Ah... Cracker Barrel

Then back to the road! We're not sure what the kids clamored for more--the candy stash from Cracker Barrel, or "are we in Indianapolis yet?"

Rest areas are less for rest and more for running around!  A very nice gent from the Ohio Rest Stop asked us if we didn't want to explore the path through the woods.  It's probably lovely, but a game of tag was really what everyone needed to get the wiggles out!






But it was all worth it when we pulled into the Weber's driveway to a very warm welcome, and a very welcome glass from Paul's famous wine collection.

Maria and Isaac Weber

Off to the great state of Iowa...

Stuff

Well, this isn't all of the stuff piled in the living room, but it is most of it.  Without boring you with the detailed list--and there is a detailed list--imagine 5 each of many things, plus food, clothes, gifts, personal bags, etc.  A sure sign that we are making this trip in the 2010's:  "Box of cords:" All of the adapters, chargers, and other peripherals that we seem to need to function on a daily basis. I wonder if it will all fit?

Lessons from last time...

Hey, we've done this before, right? Now, what were those lessons from last time?

Not -that- song again!!

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what one thing would you take?  Ever played that game?  Sometimes we vary the "thing:" what food, what CD, what person, etc. Let me tell you from personal experience...that song/band you love? You get sick of it by the 3rd interstate.

But hey -- what would be your desert island disk/tune? Maybe we'll add it...

Less food, more underwear

As it turns out, clean skivvies (and everything else) really outweigh just about anything when you're on the road.  In the U.S., you will always find somewhere to eat.  There is ALWAYS something to look at, even if you have to really stretch the imagination.  But if you're on the move, laundry is not a guarantee. And when it is, do you really want to spend your vacation at the local Fluff 'n' Fold?

Empty threats...

"So help me, I'll turn this car around !" Yeah, that doesn't work so well when you are a time zone or two away from home. Threatening to drive another 4 hours before a break, however....

Funky smell

It is important to control what gets consumed in the back seat. The most innocuous snack can turn pretty nasty after about 800 miles. And, we are driving to bear country...

I'm sure we've forgotten more valuable lessons than we are remembering. That's why we do the trip again!

Pre Flight

Mats vacuumed: Check.
Cup holders emptied: Check.
All trash disposed of--Ew!  What is that?  How long has that been there?

The boys were troopers today and helped completely empty and (mostly) clean the van.  Then tomorrow it's to the dealer--(gulp! the Dealer?!) for a final once-over before we hit the road.

Road snacks procured. Still not one stitch of clothing packed.  I wonder how long we can hold out...

From Sea to Shining Sea

Technically, we were at the Chesapeake Bay, but since the entire "Sea ... Sea" thing is inaccurate anyway, I decided this would be close enough.

Daughter and I had a chance to get ourselves to Flag Ponds Nature Park in Lusby, Maryland.  A beautiful, natural beach full of treasures.  Only about an hour and ten minutes from Alexandria.  Park in the woods, follow a half-mile trail, and you're there!

















The waves are very gentle and
many very young children had a great frolic.

This beach is supposed to be a great place to find fossilized shark teeth.  I believe that.  A passer-by found 2 right in front of me.  Alas, all we found was a very Jurassic-looking stick.

Next time we put our feet in the briny "sea," it will be the Pacific Ocean!

Stress

I've been wanting to work on this blog for ages, so I set it up, posted that one item, and promptly forgot how to get back in!  Thank goodness I am not looking to bust into the tech world...

We leave in five days. We're almost ready to go.  Just need to wrap up 70 or 80 additional things...

Now that my fabulous man has linked this to his Facebook page, seems some of you are actually looking.  It will get better.

Really.

Welcome to the Motorcade. We depart in 17 days

One Van Motorcade

DC to the Pacific and Back in a Big Black Minivan

One Van Motorcade in Yosemite National Park, 2011

One family of five in a Hyundai minivan, driving coast-to-coast and back.  We've done this before, and all of our photos are stuck in a file somewhere and we don't remember who heard which stories.  So this time around, we'll try our best to capture the trip as we go.

We're driving west to visit family and friends, and to see what we find along the way.  What is there to do, to see, to climb on, to eat? 

We'll try to capture a bit of each place, plus keep a running tab of crucial facts.  The motorcade leaves on June 29.