It CAN't Be Over!

And just like that, my trip draws to a close.  For two days since leaving Atlanta (where I waited out a three-day downpour), I’ve been attempting to outrun the weather.  Successfully, too.   But just now, looking at the map, I see that if I drive tomorrow like I did today, I’ll be at Mom's by the end of the day.

Unless I dawdle.  And the only reason I’d really be doing that is because the little girl inside of me wants her fantasy trip to go on…and on…and on.  So I’m telling myself it’s just the end of my maiden voyage.

Fellow Americans, we live in a most beautiful country.  Truly majestic.  Tears came to my eyes on more than one occasion while I serenaded BC along our Highways and Biways.  I was mistaken with an earlier estimate of my mileage, but by the time I get to New Jersey, it will be over 4,000 miles.  Well worth the extra fuel costs.

But in order to cover some distance (and, quite frankly, the gasoline kitty is getting low), I’ve stuck to the Interstates through Tennessee and Virginia, mostly.  But I did follow lesser highways for short distances, such as 15 miles through the Shenandoah Valley, on Highway 11, which parallels the Interstate.  It’s great; you can jump off for a taste of history, then jump back on to make up time.  I took a quick turn down a single lane road to take a peek at a covered bridge.

It’s National Tourism Week.   Did you know there was such a thing?  I got free chocolate chip cookies at the Tennessee Welcome Center; good ones, too.  Had no idea; just dumb luck on my part.

 

I love free stuff, especially since I was on such a tight budget.  I used my Food Stamps to eat most of the time; slept in rest areas a couple of times; a Wal Mart parking lot once; a couple of dumps when I was tired and desperate; and Motel 6’s, which never gave me a hassle about BC (unlike other places, which wanted pet fees from $5 to $20, unrefundable).  And for a gal who used to enjoy throwing away her hard-earned on jewelry, crafts and other trinkets during vacations, I was extremely disciplined.  (It's pretty easy when you're broke.)

Gas prices were close to $4 a gallon when I left Oregon last month, but dropped continuously as I headed further South, down to $3.17 at one point, before rising again on the East Coast.  Go figure.  I'm not sure I want to figure out how much it cost, but I think the truck averaged about 15 mpg.

Absurdity: there must be thousands of varieties of license plates.  Boy, if only kids played “Spot the License Plates” game these days on family trips, but they’re too busy with their individual seat screens.  How in the world can anyone identify hit-and-runners?

Well, bedtime for Bonzo.  Plus, as I already mentioned, psychologically I’m not ready for the trip to end, so I’m not writing an ending now.  I’ll have plenty of time in ‘Jersey.