Well…Now We Know

Day 5 of our journey and here’s a short list of stuff we know now that we didn’t necessarily before:

*It takes longer to go anywhere or do anything in an RV. A lot longer. Most of our travel legs are slated to be around 6-7 hours long (according to Google maps); it remains to be seen whether this will be more like 10-12 hours, and whether or not that pace will be sustainable.

*As we embark on our third driving leg of the trip so far (we’re en route to Lake of the Ozarks, MO), it appears that things also get easier and more streamlined. I’ve discovered how to use the mobile WordPress app, for instance, and I’m rather enjoying tapping this out on my phone whilst cruising across Illinois.

*We all sleep really well on the road, including The Toddler, whose bedtime has averaged about 3 hours later than usual (thankfully, she’s also sleeping later).

*In a weird, Stockholm Syndrome-esque altered reality, McDonald’s coffee is actually pretty decent.

*L and I are pretty pleased to report that our morning ritual is now streamlined enough not to necessitate morning trips through the Mickey D’s drive-thru.

*Everything tastes gourmet when it is cooked over a campfire.

*None of us are particularly fond of bugs, especially giant alien-looking creatures that explode goo all over everything when you swat them with, say, an oven mitt. Some of us, who are supposed to be the adults around here, are having to pretend otherwise.

*We produce a lot, and I mean a LOT, of laundry. There doesn’t seem to be much to do about that, other than vacation exclusively at naturist resorts, which the Tween and the Teen have vehemently vetoed.

Cadiz, KY: A Photo Diary

Day 1

Our cross-country adventures have begun! After months of planning, weeks and weeks of shopping, packing, editing, packing some more, and loading our RV with more stuff than we thought we could ever need, we took off for Deep Creek Lake, MD yesterday, late-afternoon. An easy 2.5-3 hour drive became a 6-hour endeavor with several significant hiccups, but we arrived in one piece, and even managed to lie down before passing out.

The impetus for this particular stop on our journey was the 40th birthday celebration of a dear friend, whose fete was taking place at a campground just thirty minutes from ours. As such, much of today was spent visiting with friends, old and new, doing yoga and hula-hooping in the sunshine, and hiking to nearby waterfalls. Between the delicious, fresh air, temperatures 25 degrees lower than they are at home, the beautiful scenery, and the somewhat unfamiliar fawna (we almost ran smack into a giant snapping turtle in the middle of the path!), we all agreed that things felt very exotic, but in actuality, we are still in our home state.

Tonight will bring a dinner cooked over the campfire and (with luck) and early bedtime, as tomorrow holds the longest leg of our journey. Destination: Paducah, Kentucky!