Thursday, June 12, 2008

Day 1: And So It Begins

Saturday, June 7

This morning we got up at o'dark o'clock, threw some things in the car, grabbed the kids, jumped in and hit the open road.

Okay, it was slightly more planned than that.

Something we've always wanted to do is to see the Grand Canyon. So Husband & I have been planning for months as to how this could work out. With gas prices being as stinky as they are, we had to figure out how to make the whole thing more cost effective since we are driving out there.

Therefore, we decided we will camp along the way. I've stocked up on food whenever it went on sale, we've practiced setting up the tent in the backyard, and we're ready to go!!

So, this is how the day really went.

Five AM really is O'Dark O'Clock. We pack the final things in the car (SUV, not sedan), shut off the water & most of the power. We pack the kids in the final space in the car (they slept in their clothes), and are on the road around 6am.

6:20 - the bungee cords on the roof snap, sending our sleeping bags rolling down the highway. Oops. Thankfully, since it's ridiculously early, Husband only had to dodge a few cars to get them off the road.

6:40 - find WalMart, buy a roof bag

7:00 - rearrange contents of car because some of the things that were on the roof won't fit in the bag. Husband tackles the roof contents while I work on the trunk.

7:30 - on the road for REAL.

Today was the farthest we will travel in a single day, simply because since we drove directly to my in-laws' house and didn't have to worry about setting up the tent today. Thankfully, the rest of the trip was uneventful. We did make a side trip to buy some cherry cider (never tried it before, and those billboards were intriguing! Turns out it's pretty tasty.)

Fast Facts
Start: Florida
End: Tennessee
Mileage Today/Total Mileage: 642.6 miles (1034 kilometers)/642.6 mi (1034 km)

1 comment:

RachelC said...

THAT is a long car ride! Sorry about the sleeping bags flying off the roof - gave me a giggle this morning. Can't wait to here more!