that is silly goose behavior. She also said she is not used to traffic unless she's passing a tractor and when I heard she was scheduled to drive through Boston traffic at 5:30pm on a Thursday night, I knew that was
silly goose behavior. So, we decided to drive her to and from the airport for her safety and sanity. The only downside was starting the day at 3:20am, but that was remedied by Jazmine's company and zero traffic into Boston. Abby came with me to give me company on the ride back from the airport (what a gem).
We got back to the house around 5am and I assumed the boys would still be sleeping but they were up and Adam (get it?) and packing the van. Then around 5:45am we said...well…should we just go? We said a sorrowful goodbye to Gus and headed out! We start everyday of the roadtrip with our designated roadtrip song. Abby picked the song for this trip and we all love it — Anywhere by Passenger. We stop by the gas station to fill up, grab some snacks and then we realize it is 6am and we can order some starbucks for me and Abby.
Abby did it. She not only got me to like Starbucks (previously hated) but like coffee. I recently had to stop drinking my only adored drink — unsweetened iced tea. It is messing with my anemia and blocking absorption of iron… wah wah. In my desperation to hold a cold cup with ice in it and drink out of a straw, I tried a pistachio latte and I was hooked. But the prices? What on EARTH! I also still struggle with having to order a large by using some other language (Italian? Spanish? Roman?).
We planned to get just as far as we could on the first day. Our first stop on the trip will be a national park — Congaree in South Carolina. And starting at 6am gives us an opportunity to get pretty far. I knew by mid-day I'd be needing a snoozing (remember the 3:20am wakeup) so I tell the backup drivers to get some sleep when they can so they are ready. Speaking of backup drivers &8230; I am now the proud owner of THREE backup drivers 😀. Gideon got his permit 2 days before we left for this trip and his permit is legally useable in most states (screw you Pennsylvania and South Carolina!).
We flew through MA and into CT by 6:55am, NY by 8:34, Jersey by 9:12, PA by 10:12 and stopped for an early lunch at 11:15! By this time it felt we had been driving for 3 days but to be fair we were awake for 8 hours by this point… We try to stop on the roadtrips at places we don't normally get to go to OR places that seem local and unique. We saw a sign for Red Robin and got some yummy onion rings! We also saw some claw machines on the way out.
<flashback montage>
When I was a kid and teenager, I was the MASTER of the claw machine. I have little talents in life, but this is one of them. My friends used to ask me to get them certain stuffed animals out of the machines and I would always succeed (no matter the money involved LOL). Not sure if you knew this about me, but I am a bit stubbon. Anyways, we see the machines and I am back in my glory days! I put in $5 and we get 6 tries. Only takes two tries to get back in the groove and show my kids what a claw master looks like. The machine had rubber ducks and cute little plastic bears. We targeted the bears. When we were out of tries, we were just looking at our winnings when I see the machine move on its own and grab us a duck! Apparently we were not out of tries and the machine AUTO grabbed a duck. (you see this is where I started to wonder if I really was the claw master? Or if the machine is a bit easy…)
On this trip, we pledged to doing one good deed a day. That can be a mixture of a lot of things but we wanted to always involve other humans and make someone's day. We are leaving the restaurant with our pile of winnings and we see a Jeep with ducks all over it. We decide our magical mystery duck will be gifted (or ducked) to the Jeep! Apparently this is called ducking in Jeep culture (look it up). We leave a duck on the door handle of the Jeep and move on with our drive!
In Maryland by 1:36, West Virginia by 1:46 (yes really), and we hit Virginia shortly after that as well. Once we entered Virginia a freak (first of many) rainstorm started with Florida-like lighting and torrential rain. The kind where you put the windshield wipers on as high as they'll go and you still can't see. And where you put on the flashers because you can't REALLY see the cars in front of you and you're hoping they can see you… It stopped quick enough but we had at least three more of these in the day. As soon as the storm started the GPS announced loudly throughout the van Welcome to Virginia
. Welcome indeed.
We stopped for a bathroom break and gas and the tiredness is hitting me. Abby decides to take over for the afternoon (phew!). I hop in the backseat with Gideon and we're off! Takes a little getting used to watching my little girl Abby drive us all. I remember looking back at her in the rear view and having to sit further up to see her in her car seat. I remember turning around and only seeing her feet against the seat wiggling. And, all the years we've been doing these drives, I have always been comforted by looking into the backseat, seeing the two of the kids sleeping and realizing how happy I am to have all of us together, traveling and adventuring. Everyone is together and safe…and realizing how short and fleeting these moments are. I get a bit caught up in it but am comforted by a few things:
1. Gideon decides to lean on me and hold my arm to take a nap (oh my heart)
2. Abby is playing HER music and yelling at drivers who are being dumb (oh my heart)
3. Abby occasionally looks in the rearview and I still get to see her, just now, it is a different direction. She is taking care of me, of all of us, and I'm so proud and thankful.
Ok too emotional. Let's move to the fun stuff! As Abby is driving we come to a screeeetching halt in horrific traffic. We are surrounded by cars and semis. This is when the fun starts for the McFarland family. Stuck in traffic? Might as well make the most of it. One of my favorite memories of the other road trips was talking to other travelers who are also stuck in traffic. So we grab the ritz crackers and the cheeseball (the traditional roadtrip snack — I know, I thought it was weird too but it's actually great — and YES we have a cooler in the van powered by the van ...not ice). I scoop up some cheeseball and I put my hand out the window and offer ritz and cheeseball to my fellow traffic buddies. Not surprisingly, no one took me up on the cracker. Lots of old men acted like I was trying to sell them car insurance…including one guy who just shooed me away with his hand. But we were stuck in traffic, so I was shooed nowhere. The truckers saved us though! The first one who passed by was a lady — she laughed out loud and said no thank you. Next, was an Asian man who giggled hysterically and said he couldn't reach it. We decided ok, maybe not cheeseball but something we can throw! So, I grabbed a bag of chips and tried to offer it to the next semi but he was really far behind us…it was time. My famous lassoing… I lean out the window, I swing an imaginary lasso and try to hook the semi. And then I PULL as the semi usually starts driving slow towards us as if the lasso is working. Only this semi doesn't move. I mean COMPLETELY STILL. He is looking right at me though and I'm wondering if he doesn't want to play or doesn't get it. He smiles and shakes his head a bit with a welp
shoulder movement. Now I understand…I missed his truck with my lasso! So, I try again and give it a bigger swing. I start PULLING and he starts moving and he even has the sense of humor to act like he is surprised he is moving! He gets all the way up to the van and I offer him chips or cheeseball and he says he is good but thanks us for the fun and a good laugh. Later we were able to let him merge into our lane and he gave us some honking as a goodbye! We'll miss you buddy!
Once we got through that traffic, we set an end goal for the night. We are going to stop near the border of North and South Carolina for the night at one of our favorite hotel chains not available on the east coast — Drury Inn. They are cozy, family atmosphere and it doesn't smell like hotel (important to the sensitive smellers in the fam — me and Gid). 6:32 PM we enter North Carolina — only 1.5 hours left to our stop for the night! And the end of a really long day — remember Abby and I have been going since 3am…
Before we stop we see there is a steak and shake on our route!!! This is another family favorite (especially Abby) and we don't often get to eat there. So, we stop, get our frisco melts and shakes and are on our way! Finally, Abby pulls into the Drury and we are all so relieved. There is a bus in the parking lot and it looks a bit busy, but there are plenty of hotels around so we'll be fine. I walk into the Drury and ask about 2 rooms. She smiles and says they are completely sold out. We try again with a nearby hotel who is also completely sold out. Oh well, no big deal, except it was. We had to go into South Carolina to get to a place that had availability (another hour drive). We ended the day at a Holiday Inn Express in Richburg South Carolina and we ALL slept great.
Sidenote — on these trips we try to capture all the license plates of the US. We made excellent progress on Day 1. Check out the license plate page to see how we're doing! PS — please send Montana and DC our way — historically difficult to get!
Good Deed for the Day: Ducking
Ended the Day: Holiday Inn Express in Richburg South Carolina