This post was written and dated July 3. It was not published for public consumption until August 2, after we returned home from the trip, so as not to tip off the criminals about our house being empty for a month.
It’s the first day of our Great American Epic Road Trip Adventure! Bob did something to his back this week and was in some pain, but the doctor gave him two different kinds of pills, as well as a patch that goes on his back. And he seemed OK sitting in the car.
We had planned to leave our house by 10 a.m. So naturally, we were out around noon. The weather was ideal all day: clear sky, hot but lovely weather, and a little bit of breeze. Gas prices were high, around $4.80 a gallon for regular, but traffic was light. We stopped at a Subway for lunch. I was willing to share the driving, but Bob wouldn’t let me. I got very little sleep last night, and he said I was too tried; he didn’t trust me behind the wheel.
We took an ice cream break in the afternoon, and by the time we drew near to the Baymont Inn outside of Dayton, Ohio, we realized we’d be arriving quite late and did not feel like eating dinner. Instead, we stopped at a minimart and picked up something easy. For me, that was a cheese stick and a pack of those flat pretzel things that are kind of a cross between a pretzel and a cracker. I’d wanted actual crackers, but the store didn’t have any that weren’t cheese- or peanut-butter-filled. Bob went for the same basic idea, but chose a more processed version, a plastic tray with a little cup of slightly squashy grapes, some cheese, and some little two-to-a-bag crackers, the kinds restaurants give you with soup. And Jon Morgan chose two grilled cheese sandwiches that have to be heated in a microwave (which our room was equipped with).
The hotel is on the shabby side. We don’t much mind for tonight, but we’d planned to stay here again next month, on the last night of this trip. Now, I think I’ll cancel that reservation and find a different place.
These first few days will consist mostly of just driving eight or nine hours a day to get to California, so they will not be action-packed! Once we hit the west coast, we’ll be staying in various locations for several days at a time, and actually doing some sightseeing.
Day One distance traveled: 478 miles.
The Petrini Page 