Partially packed, but ready to go.
This month my family and I returned from our LONGEST ROAD TRIP EVER. Longest in duration (one month), if not in miles (3,033).
We started from our home base in Rockford, IL and drove through eight states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, stopping in various towns along the way. What were some of the biggest differences between all these states? Well the gas price for one thing: varying by 60 cents, and the temperature: a high of 104 ° F in Georgia and a low 48 ° F in Illinois. Our journey looked like this:
The long and winding road.
Did I mention there are five of us? By the time we were done, as you can imagine, we pretty much had had enough “family time”. There is a phenomenon known as too much vacation. When we finally got home we didn’t even unpack. Instead we separated to our individual rooms.
Although we were glad our trip was over, we did accumulate some great memories along the way. Like when we went to the Driftwood Beach at Jekyl Island. Very hot day, very cool views.
Driftwood Beach, Jekyl Island, GA
And walking the beach while the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico. Phenomenal. I’d honestly never seen sand turn pink before.
Sunset at the beach, St. Petersburg, FL
And of course a trip to Florida is never complete without a jump over to Orlando. For . . . you know . . . Harry.
Hogwarts castle, World of Harry Potter, Universal Studios, Orlando, FL
My enthusiasm at World of Harry Potter easily trumped my kids’. One of my favorite memories was having a woman’s portrait in the Hall of Portraits blink when I took her photograph using my flash.
Hall of Portraits, Hogwarts Castle, World of Harry Potter, Universal Studios, Orlando, FL
On the other hand, one of my youngest daughter’s favorite recollections wasn’t eating at great local restaurants, swimming in dozens of different swimming pools, or exploring southern architecture. Nope. It was rescuing someone’s Barbie from a perilous fate.
Tortured Barbie left at the beach, owner unknown
She (Barbie) is currently in quarantine.
Mad cat photo © Nikolai Nikonov, text added; all other photos © Karin Blaski; route map © mapquest