Day 2

The day began very inauspiciously with a leaden sky and damp,chilly air.  As we left McDonough and headed for Atlanta, the sky opened to shed its rain for the next several hours, even as we passed into Alabama.  The only saving grace was the growing spectrum of fall color (above).  By the time we passed beyond the steady rain in Alabama, the scenery was fall-perfect, with nearly all the trees resplendent in gold and red. Taking decent photos from a moving car, however, was nearly impossible.  The one above was the best. 

The cooler air has been wonderful, and now that we are close to Little Rock, the combination of sun and coolness is a welcome relief.

It was also a relief to find a motel with WiFi capability so that I could update this blog.  No more budget motels for us. 

We passed 1,000 miles today -- far beyond my 450 miles-per-day requirement.  Maybe there will be an opportunity to linger a little longer somewhere in Arizona.

That's it for now.  More to come tomorrow.

We’re off

Under an inauspicious cloud-filled sky, we left home on time. Rain followed us, with pockets of sunshine offering false promises. There were episodes of drier miles, one of which afforded an inadvertent adventure. We left I-75 in Sharpes, Ga., to get gas at a humble station just off the road. We didn’t realize until too late that the return exit was under construction and we would have to detour. The route back to the interstate took us through part of what looked like a very old town. Much to my surprise, fields of cotton ready for picking decorated the road, so close I could imagine just reaching out to grab a handful. How did I know the cotton was ripe? Some of the bolls had already tossed their cargo to like on the roadside grass! I had never seen such a sight, and would have missed it save for the unusual circumstances. We passed many other fields of cotton in various stages of readiness, but all were fairly distant from the highway.



Having driven more than 480 miles today, we stopped in McDonough, Ga. , for a room and dinner. Unfortunately, it is still raining…. And the temperature has dropped 20 degrees from when we started. Time to change to warmer clothes. Also, the motel doesn’t have WiFi, so this post is delayed for at least a day.


More tomorrow.

18 hours and counting

The bags are actually packed except for the last-minute items that get stored in the morning.  The cooler is ready for the medicines and drinks, plus lunch items.  The electronics are collected, charged, and ready to go.  Now it's time to relax, call the children and let them know our anticipated itinerary.  I'm excited and anxious at the same time.... but looking forward to a great adventure.

Keep tuned to follow our journey and musings on the trip.

Last minute details

Suitcases are being filled and attention now is moving toward preparing the house for a 3-week absence.  I like leaving a clean house, so I had my cleaning woman lend a hand today while I was busy with other things.  I'm also planning meals that don't have leftovers to be stored.  Making lists of things to do is great, but I'm always thinking I've omitted something.  And written lists tend to make me feel too secure.  I'm happy the Ares I-X rocket actually did get launched today so I wouldn't regret having missed that.  I wonder how the sound of the launch compared with a shuttle launch.   Did the ground shake?  Maybe someone who was there will let me know.  I'm starting my own countdown: 44 hours to go.

The journey nears

The trip gets more real every day now.  No more thinking about the drive or what clothes to bring.  My husband has marked the routes and we know where we're going.  The laundry marathon has begun and the clean clothes are piling up.  What will make the final cut?  Alot depends on the weather forecasts for the states we'll be traveling through.  My car has been checked stem to stern, with some critical parts replaced, and announced fit to make a 5,000-mile trip.  I've arranged to have the mail held for 3 weeks and the newspapers stopped.  I hope I haven't forgotten anything.... but I have 4 more days to figure that out.  Keep tuned.

New route

We have a new travel plan to get to Las Vegas.  I found another route that takes us out of Florida and to Atlanta first.  From there we head west, through Alabama, Mississippi, barely touching Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, north Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and into Nevada.  Wow... looking at the map, that is one l-o-o-o-n-g trip!  But I can't wait.

Counting Down

It's time to get serious about planning our road trip to Las Vegas........ only 2-1/2 weeks to go!  Planning the wardrobe is hard because of the transitional time of year and going from Florida through Texas, Arizona and New Mexico.  Since we'll be out every night in Las Vegas, I need to be dressed for the cold temperatures then, but daytime should be comfortably warm. 

Planning the driving route is also hard.  I've used MapQuest and also heard from friends who have driven that way.  Does anyone else want to throw in their recommendations?  The only caveat is that we have 6 days to get there, leaving Central Florida on Oct. 30 and arriving in LV on Nov. 4. 

Let me know what you think.

Let's see... where was I?  Oh, yes, in Las Vegas with tickets to the PBR World Finals.  But is that all there is?  No, the events are in the evening, leaving most of each day open for other things.  There are nongambling venues in the city and the area around Las Vegas should not be ignored.  Through the Internet, I've picked out these sites:  Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix, Old las Vegas Mormon State Historic Park, and of course, the Grand Canyon.  We've already planned a bus tour to the Grand Canyon the day after the finals end.  Whether we will get to all of these places is unknown but we will try.