As anyone with children will know it takes a massive amount of preparation for a family trip overnight. The amount of preparation and planning is multiplied exponentially by the number of days you will be gone and the number of children you have. for us that would be 10 days to the power of three kids "eek". That said, everyone was packed the car was gassed up and loaded by 11pm house was clean by 1 am, and I made an executive decision that instead of leaving at 5am we would leave when everyone got up. Unfortunately, a little boy was bouncing out of bed and excited for the trip at 5am anyway!! Not only that, he insisted on waking me and all of the kids up. Yes, my husband kicked us all loose around 6am.We stopped in Pennsylvania and had lunch at a sce
nic overlook in Shikellamy State Park in overlooking the Pennsylvania Susquehanna River. The view was spectacular, and the weather was pleasant with a decent breeze. Everything you could ask for . . . except restrooms (note to self, next time check department of parks websites for parks with facilities, duh).
nic overlook in Shikellamy State Park in overlooking the Pennsylvania Susquehanna River. The view was spectacular, and the weather was pleasant with a decent breeze. Everything you could ask for . . . except restrooms (note to self, next time check department of parks websites for parks with facilities, duh). Once we returned to the road and after a bathroom break, we entered the Maryland/DC area. And found the Friday/Holiday traffic "oh joy", then we discovered the HOV lane, we jumped into the High Occupancy Vehicle lane and were flying past the poor saps stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the other side of the wall. Unlinke the HOV lanes in some states, there is a cement wall separating the HOV lanefrom the other traffic. So once you get on, if you get off, there is no going back. It was right about then that I realized I was low on gas, and my car seconded the motion by popping on a yellow light in the shape of a gas pump "oh crap". As we approached the last chance to exit out of the HOV lane, my professional truck driver husband, assured me that we had plenty of gas to get to the end of the HOV lane and to a service station. Just as I passed that exit I was blinded by the blaze of brakelights as the traffic in front of me came to a screaming stop. (insert favorite obscenity here).
And so the countdown began ,my car has one of those handy dandy overhead displays with all sorts of useful information like your MPG, the temperature, and how many miles you have left until you reach
empty. 35 miles, 26 miles, 12 miles, 4 miles . . . we are out of the HOV lane hallelujah there is an exit in one mile. We are inching painfully closer, 2 miles to empty "does this exit have gas?" "Yes." Exit to Quantico, where's the gas station, left or right, there, there on the left. "WHAT? ONE PUMP THREE PEOPLE IN LINE!!!" Wait, there isn't anyone on the otherside, flip a louie, lady in a Benz racing for my space, "Lady don't you know my nickname was AJ Foyt in high school?" A brief game of chicken ensues and the silver minivan wins. HAH, eat my fumes lady!! Check-in at hotel, dinner, kids to bed, update blog (for the first time in two years). Tomorrow Kings Dominion amusement park, talk to you then.
empty. 35 miles, 26 miles, 12 miles, 4 miles . . . we are out of the HOV lane hallelujah there is an exit in one mile. We are inching painfully closer, 2 miles to empty "does this exit have gas?" "Yes." Exit to Quantico, where's the gas station, left or right, there, there on the left. "WHAT? ONE PUMP THREE PEOPLE IN LINE!!!" Wait, there isn't anyone on the otherside, flip a louie, lady in a Benz racing for my space, "Lady don't you know my nickname was AJ Foyt in high school?" A brief game of chicken ensues and the silver minivan wins. HAH, eat my fumes lady!! Check-in at hotel, dinner, kids to bed, update blog (for the first time in two years). Tomorrow Kings Dominion amusement park, talk to you then.
No comments:
Post a Comment