Friday, September 02, 2005

On the Road

Two weeks ago Lauren the kid an I drove from Orlando, FL to Philadelphia, PA for our vacation. Needless to say we were going against the usual vacation traffic that heads down this way. Here are some highlights from our 17 hour drive.

Thursday 8/18/05
5:42 pm- Pull out of driveway. I am driving.
5:46 pm-Witness the largest lightning bolt (bolt not flash) we have ever seen, strike about 100 yards ahead of us.
5:47 pm Witness the largest lightning bolt (bolt not flash) we have ever seen, strike about 50 yards ahead of us.
5:50 pm-Stuck in traffic
6:10 pm- Finally start moving at a decent speed.
8:25-Cross the Florida/Georgia border. Lauren starts to sing the James Brown song "Georgia-Lina"
8:30-pm Stop for gas (pay an arm) near Kingsland Georgia. Stop at Wendy's , change Max's diaper, get some grub (couple of burgers and chicken nuggets). Lauren takes over driving.
8:45 pm-Witness on the horizon in front of us, brilliant flashes of lightning. Maxfield falls asleep.
8:46pm- Lauren starts to sing the James Brown song "Georgia-Lina"
8:47pm-Lauren is driving and I am trying to arrange her food so she will not be distracted while driving. I say to her, "Would you like some of my nuggets on your lap?". We both giggle like 12 year olds.
9:01 pm-The flashes of lightning that were in front of us are now all around us. They are so fast and bright and there are so many that appears like a strobe effect. It feels like we are driving in slow motion.
9:15 pm-Witness the biggest lightning bolt (not flash) we have ever seen strike about 50 feet ahead of us. It hung in the air for about 20 seconds dancing on the ground. Amazing
9:16-pm I say "That was the biggest one I ever saw." Lauren giggles like a 12 year old.
9:30- pm Get through the storm. I try to sleep with one eye open.

Friday 8/19/05
1:30ish- AM- Stop to pee somewhere in South Carolina. Lauren starts to sing "Georgia-lina".I take over as driver. Lauren tries to sleep with one eye open.
2:35-am Stop near Dillon, South Carolina at South of the Border (tourist trap that is very creepy at this time of night) for gas. (pay a Leg).
2:45-am Enter North Carolina. There are only four cars on the road. A black pick-up, a maroon sedan, an 18 wheeler truck and myself. We are going between 85 and 90 mph. We each take turns being the lead car for about 10 minutes, before moving into the right lane and allowing someone else to take the lead. It was like a dance. We drive like this for an hour and a half.

The timeline gets a little hazy here because the trip was long. Somewhere in Virginia Max wakes up. Virginia is a deceptively long state.

7:15-am Stuck in traffic outside of D.C. (Hi to CAT, Susie and Mrtl's parents who I think all live in the D.C. / Maryland area)
7:30-am Upset that we do not see any signs for Cracker barrel, we stop at Bob Evans to eat breakfast in Columbia Maryland.
8:11 -am I use the bathroom at the Bob Evan's and I hear a man at the sink say "HOLY! Man, I had to wash my hands THREE times." The food I just ate turns in my stomach. He was not talking to anybody.
8:30-am Back on the road and we see a sign for Cracker barrel about 5 minutes up I-95 from the Bob Evans. Damn.
10:45-am. Arrive at my parents house for the start of our vacation of driving around the Philadelphia area to see friends and family. Knowing that in a week we will have to make the 17 hour journey back to Orlando.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

should have flown

Milliner's Dream, a woman of many "hats"... said...

One of those unforgettable phrases from my childhood, (which I considered using to name my blog, as you used "poop and boogies") was... "ARE WE THERE YET?"

Hannah
:)

Unknown said...

AREN'T ROAD TRIP FUN?!

*twitch twitch*

Lois Lane said...

Wait a tic... why didn't Max do any bad stuff along the way? Like poop right after being changed or throw his sippy cup at your head while you were trying to sleep with one eye open? That kid needs some lessons from the Lane children. LOL!
Have a great weekend!
Lois Lane

Mama Duck said...

That always happens to me. I settle for Wendy's and be damned if there isn't a Taco Bell up the road.

Nuggets...in her lap...tee hee...

Beyond farts, a good nut reference is always funny.

Nature Girl said...

Lucky! OMG I just LOVE road trips! I swear the biggest lightning bolts I've ever seen have been in Orlando area...they seem to grow everything big in FL! Stacie

eclectic said...

Aarugh -- road trip with toddler...you guys are a better man than I... or would that be better men... no, Lauren's not a guy... what I mean is, better you than me!! ;) Good luck, be safe and have fun!

Susie said...

OMG I'm in awe that Max was so low maintenance on a 17 hour drive. We took a 2.5 hr drive and Liam screamed for half of it on the way to but slept the whole way home. Go Max!

Unknown said...

I think I would have killed myself somewhere around Charlotte. I can't stand driving for that long, let alone at night and with a small child.

Susie said...

OK, all my clever comments went right outta my head! Because they were replaced by: BILL! You stopped at the Bob Evans where Blake tries to take care of me!!! (I think it was my July 4th post.) Next time you do a thing like that, call us, we'll pop over and fine dine with y'all!