Directions

We’re leaving for Jen’s parents’ new house in Mississippi later this week, and we’ve decided to drive instead of fly. I have all this time off, and we haven’t really done a true family road trip since Brian was born, so I figured it’s time. We’ve got the van, all the adapters for our toys and the road “menu” all planned out (pop tarts for breakfast, granola bars, grapes, apples and carrots for snacks and then out for lunch and dinner). We even have our route (just so everyone knows in case we get lost in the backwoods somewhere). The part through western Virginia and eastern Tennessee is the same route Jen and I took when we moved out here from Tucson, and it’s a pretty drive through rolling farm land (if I remember correctly). I love directions. I love knowing where I’m going and about how long it’s going to take to get there. I like that thick red line telling me where to go.\
I know I’m probably stupid for thinking this is a good idea, but I’m actually looking forward to it. We took lots of road trips when I was a kid. We drove around Europe in our VW camper van with the Porsche engine in it. It went over the Alps to the Eagle’s Nest, to Spain, to Belgium – where it protected us from golf ball sized hail, and I remember sleeping head to foot in the hammock over the front seats with Tim. My other favorite memory is sitting in the very tall back seat and picking up stuff from the floor with my feet (I can still pick up all kinds of stuff with my toes… good talent to have when you’re lazy).\
This trip will be different. We’ll be staying in a hotel at the halfway point instead of a campground, and I’ll have my macbook and EVDO card so Jen could blog from the road if she wanted (but she gets carsick reading, so I’m not sure how she’ll handle the laptop), and Max could surf Noggin or watch a movie (or play with Line Rider.\
I’m sure we’ll let you know how it goes.