And we're off...

Big Trip 2.... Day 1... June 29, 2007

1:31 p.m. Leave home. Not bad- we were aiming for a 1 p.m. departure. I was teaching Bible School all week so didn't even get back until 12:20. Unloaded VBS stuff from the red car while Ron was loading vacation stuff into the van. Melissa came down at 12:45 and Grandma D. was here to say goodbye as well. A good send-off.

1:43 p.m. McD's and gas... we're all starving after a busy morning at work and packing. Besides, every trip starts with food. Last year it was Starbucks.

1:54 p.m. On the road. Ron brought his laptop with a GPS program so we will maybe get lost fewer times this year. Plus, it's Ron. So there has to be something technologically oriented to keep him busy. The computer says we have 8:29:08 to our destination.

2:42 p.m. First dropped call/no service incident of the trip. Checked in with D'Arcy with our current status/plan. The pool rumor is confirmed. The kids will be so excited when they see that! Tentative plans made for our activities in Memphis. Ryan is already asking for a movie. I have invoked the "No Movies in the First Hour" rule.

2:43 p.m. Raining.

2:47 p.m. Cool big tree in the corner of a field. What is it about the lone tree that I like, that speaks to me? I think it is that you can really see the beauty of the tree when it is alone and not blending in with all the other trees.

2:49 p.m. Was that a tic-tac-toe piece? I saw a black circle with a white X on it in the driveway when we were loading. I wondered about it, about what it could be but then got busy packing and didn't give it another thought. Until now. And now I think it was probably a game piece from the magnetic tic-tac-toe game that the kids keep in the car. Oh well. Hope they still have enough pieces.

2:50 p.m. Sleep check... Middle row yes. Back row not yet. Front seat getting sleepy!

3:00 p.m. It is ALWAYS raining when I am driving through the Shenandoah area on 66 and 81. Is our rooftop box waterproof? Guess we'll find out!

3:06 p.m. Ryan is sleeping now too. Bella is listening to her CD player. It is raining Hard. Toby Keith (my new favorite) is playing on the radio. Maybe I should take a nap too.

3:11 p.m. I-81 South

3:12 p.m. I should've brought a blanket for myself. My legs get sore from pressing up against the door of the car.

Brake lights - yikes! That's an accident just waiting to happen. Rain and people stopping at the exit ramp.

3:17 p.m. Low Battery on the laptop. Seems like it's just one "emergency" after another around here.

3:20 p.m. Snack inventory for Ron. I pass inspection.

3:21 p.m. An unfortunate observation... My big toes are hairy. :(

3:28 p.m. Clear skies.

3:54 p.m. Awake from my nap. It sure is nice to be able to nap in the car this year. I am wiped out from a week of bible school and vacation preps. Everyone else is still asleep. Well, except Ron of course!

3:58 p.m. Cows! (first of many to come)

4:30 p.m. Bella and Felisa are awake. Bella - "Are we in Texas yet?" Felisa - "I'm scared to go on the airplane." No - not even close to TX. And, aren't you lucky - we get to drive for days instead of fly on a plane!

4:33 p.m. Find a map to show Bella where we are and how far we have to go. I love to study the atlas when I'm on a road trip. (That's what I've been doing for the last half-hour since I woke up from my nap.) I like to see all the places we could go, all the things that are out there. Turns out we're going to miss the Davy Crockett museum (it's on the wrong side of Knoxville for our current plan) and there is NOTHING noteworthy about Arkansas.

4:35 p.m. No good radio stations. Maybe our upgrade for next year will be XM radio?!? This year's upgrade was the GPS.

4:36 p.m. Felisa- "Look! Cows!"

4:37 p.m. "I see some more!" I don't know what makes cow-spotting so entertaining but I must admit, I enjoy it myself.

4:38 p.m. Need a CD. Break my nail digging the bag out. Ron has nail clippers in his pocket. Wow! I never have any but I always seem to notice that I need one when I'm in the car.

4:40 p.m. Alan Jackson "Drive" CD. Ron always picks this one. He says it's good driving music. What a coincidence. Drive CD, driving music.

4:44 p.m. Raining again. Cows are under the tree, trying to stay dry. Why? Because there are no umbrellas for them. Felisa thinks this is funny.

4:46 p.m. Ryan is awake and has joined the cow-spotting party.

4:49 p.m. Sign for Lexington (VA) makes me think of Kentucky. Let's live in an RV, homeschool the kids, and spend a few years seeing the country. Ron could telecommute and fly in and out for meetings, etc. Maybe we'll have to buy a plane too.

4:58 p.m. Crack open the snack box!

5:05 p.m. Computer says we still have 5:13:39 remaining to our stop in Knoxville.

5:30 p.m. Friday afternoon rush hour in Roanoke.

5:52 p.m Going nowhere fast.

5:57 p.m. Passed the accident site. Crunch! That's 20 minutes we won't get back.

6:11 p.m. Bella wants a cave.

6:12 p.m. Raining. Again.

6:16 p.m. Rainbow!

6:22 p.m. Entertainment by GPS, cows, and mileage markers.

6:33 p.m. A few more raindrops. Bella - "How many times does it have to rain?"

6:41 p.m. And now... Here comes the rain again...

6:42 p.m. and then it's gone again.

7:16 p.m. To stop or not to stop... that is the question. Coincidentally, we pass a sign for the Hungry Mother State Park.

7:39 p.m. Almost dinner time - yea! Let's contemplate the term "scattered showers". If we're moving - are the storms scattered or are we?

7:40 p.m Pouring down rain. We may have to get wet in our quest for food.

8:34 p.m. A little miscommunication about how many cheesesticks we actually wanted but in the end we enjoyed a yummy pizza and cheesesticks and we're back on the road with only 12 miles to the TN border. First movie of the trip is Open Season. Gas was $2.79/gallon. Our approximate MPG was 22 for the first leg.

8:40 p.m. Can you guess? That's right... it's raining AGAIN!

8:43 p.m. 4 miles to the border. This is the longest it has ever taken me to get out of VA on a trip.

8:46 p.m. Welcome to Tennessee! A field of cows and a giant guitar building are here to welcome us.

10:45 p.m. Knoxville, TN

11:13 p.m. Sleep, glorious, sleep!