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We left Scranton at 9 a.m., headed for Knoxville, Tennessee – a manageable drive of less than 10 hours which somehow became 14+ hours. We need to get a handle on coordinating the bathroom, gas, and snack breaks, because it seems like someone is always in desperate need of stopping. One of the major delays was the hour spent at Cracker Barrel, but it was unavoidable because I’ve been promising Adlani for literally 3 months that we would go. Wally and I ate breakfast in the car, while the rest of the family ate inside.
The weather was great today and we didn’t run into any traffic or car trouble. The main problem – other than the too-frequent breaks – was the fact that I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. working and I was SO TIRED today. It felt like the trip was taking forever and for the last 4 or 5 hours I had to stop every hour or two to close my eyes for 15 minutes. It worked, though, and I eventually got a 3rd wind and we made it to Knoxville.
Several people have asked how I can possibly work on a road trip like this. My job is hard to walk away from because there’s nobody to watch the shop for me. So every summer we have been going somewhere for a month, where I work part-time and use a couple weeks of vacation time in small chunks. This summer has basically been the same except that when I wasn’t working I was dealing with the hoard instead of touring ancient kasbahs. I also worked extra-hard before I left to get ahead on some things, and I’ll spend a lot of time next week catching up. I think it’s a good compromise.
Last night’s Days Inn didn’t really work for us – at one point Aliya asked if it was ok to put her head on the pillow – so tonight we are at a La Quinta Inn. We usually stay in Marriotts but we needed a pet-friendly place and La Quinta allows up to 2 pets per room at no extra charge. For some hotels the pet fee can be as high as $150/night! It’s our first time in a La Quinta, and it’s nice! Wally is being a total trooper…spending very long days in his carrier and nights in the bathroom. He’s going to be so excited to get to SMA and hang out in the yard!
We’re hoping to make it to Texarcana tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
3 comments
I am keeping everything crossed for you guys.that is awesome that Wally is doing so well. Be Calm and Carry-on…..Safe travels Lori you are AMAZING! Love you guys Very much XOXO
We are riding shotgun! Thanks for the update. We feel as if we know every bend in the Insterstate. Once we took time to explore Texarcana. It was a bit sad. Not recommended. There seems to have been “urban renewal” with lots of taking down and no replacing, leaving lovely gingerbread Victorians standing alone, isolated on a demolished block. The trip from Dallas to Laredo was tough for me–hated the Texas Interstates. I’ll be thinking of you on that one. We always breathed a sigh of relief entering Mexico. I’m sure you know the San Pedro Parador–when you get there, you are half way between Nuevo Laredo and SMA. We found it quicker to come in via the Dolores Hidalgo route vs Rodriquez although entering SMA from Salida de Queretaro is beautiful–but at that point, beauty isn’t the issue. Happy Trails, Love to All, Carolyn and John
I think we’ll be so happy to get out of here that the Texas interstates won’t bother us too much. It will be a long day but then the next 2 should be better.