When I was a kid, my family would travel to Montreal just about every year. Those were good times. Even the ten hour drive from Baltimore seemed like an adventure, especially since we’d leave in the wee hours of the morning. It seemed so cool to us kids to be out on the highway at 2 in the morning, with hardly another soul on the road. After an hour or so of excitement, we would finally settle down and be lulled to sleep by the drone of the engine and the hypnotic passing of the highway’s bright white lines. I never gave much of a thought to the reason my parents chose to travel in the middle of the night. As I grew older, I came to understand that this tradition had more to do with my parents’ collective sanity than it did their sense of adventure. There were two reasons for starting our journey so early, first of all, there is a lot less traffic, so we were able to make better time (an all-important factor for Dad). The most critical reason, however, was that the kids – all 5 of us – would sleep for a large portion of the trip. Until recently, however, I had not developed a true appreciation for the brilliance of this plan.
Jim, the girls, and I just got back from a week in West Virginia. When Jim and I used to make the trip alone, it would take us anywhere from 5 to 6 hours. Yesterday, our trip home with the girls and the dog took over 9 hours !! It went something like this…
12:30 p.m. – We finally get everything together and begin our return trip. We were supposed to leave no later than 9 a.m. … yeah, right.
12:40 p.m. – Elise is fussing because she’s thirsty, so we finally cave and stop in a church parking lot to get her something to drink from the cooler.
1:00 p.m. – Stop for gas and to settle an issue that had developed with Elise regarding peanuts. The matter then expanded to include Emily.
1:30 p.m. – Stop at a rest area so that Elise can go to the bathroom, the dog can be walked, and we can all get a quick stretch break. The plan … stop for about 15 minutes, then get back on the road. After taking Elise to the rest room, Jim and I were discussing our strategy for the rest of the trip, when I happened to turn around, and to my horror, the girls were stooped down poking at a pile of dog poop with their fingers !! I freak out … Elise cries. All three of us go tromping back to the restroom to thoroughly sanitize their hands, all the while, Elise was pleading the case that it could not have been doggie doo-doo because it was orange.
Ready to get back in the car, right? … wrong. The girls convince their dad to go on an impromptu nature hike. I suppose I should have been thrilled that my children have such an interest in nature, however, the “agendawoman” within was going nuts. A half hour or so later, we were finally back on the road.
3:00 pm – We stop in Sabraton, WV. First, we go to the local McDonald’s to let the girls eat and run around in the play area. Even though we had only been on the road for a little more than a half hour since the last stop, the girls had been so whiney that we had to stop again to preserve our sanity. We figured that some food and fun would perk them up and make them better passengers. Ah yes, the best laid plans. Oh, it started out alright, in fact, it was kind of cute to watch Elise go up to the counter at McDonald’s and order, “A half a french fry, a half of a chicken nugget, and a vanilla shake,” but it didn’t take long for our house of cards to come tumbling down.
After they ate it was time to go to the play area, and they did so with gobs of enthusiasm. It lasted about 5 minutes. No sooner than they were immersed in the thrill of playtime, Elise’s band aid fell off her ankle, exposing the huge gash (a small scratch) she had gotten the day before, and triggering a river of tears and emotion. Since we were completely unprepared for such a “tragic” situation, we found ourselves hurrying over to the Kroger store to buy a box of band aids. While I went to the store, Jim and the girls went to the gas station to top off the tank.
Upon returning to the car, I found Jim frustrated and stressed. First, he had made several attempts to get the pump card reader to work, all of which had failed. Deciding to pay with cash, he discovered that he had either misplaced or lost his wallet. Finally, the wallet was located, the gas pumped, and we were back on the road.
5:00 p.m. – We FINALLY get to the Maryland line.
5:30 p.m. – Having eaten only a short time before, it was, of course, time to stop AGAIN for a “potty break”. Fortunately, this one was far less eventful than the previous one, but it too, took way longer than we had anticipated.
7:00 p.m. – Just west of Frederick, MD, we decide to stop to give the girls yet another stretch break. We pulled into a Burger King with a play area, figuring on staying for 20 minutes and then heading out. The girls were great, and I’m sure very thankful for another shot at some time in a play area, given how things played out the last time. Our time estimate, however, was grossly insufficient. An HOUR later, we were traveling again.
Just before 10 p.m., we pulled into our driveway. Nine and a half hours after leaving West Virginia !! Of course, the girls were tired and extremely grumpy … so were Jim and I. It was at this point that I came to a full appreciation of my parents’ wisdom. I’m not sure if we’ll find ourselves on the road at 2 o’clock in the morning the next time we go to West Virginia, but I do believe we will reconsider our travel plans and try to make some adjustments – to say the least !
Jim, the girls, and I just got back from a week in West Virginia. When Jim and I used to make the trip alone, it would take us anywhere from 5 to 6 hours. Yesterday, our trip home with the girls and the dog took over 9 hours !! It went something like this…
12:30 p.m. – We finally get everything together and begin our return trip. We were supposed to leave no later than 9 a.m. … yeah, right.
12:40 p.m. – Elise is fussing because she’s thirsty, so we finally cave and stop in a church parking lot to get her something to drink from the cooler.
1:00 p.m. – Stop for gas and to settle an issue that had developed with Elise regarding peanuts. The matter then expanded to include Emily.
1:30 p.m. – Stop at a rest area so that Elise can go to the bathroom, the dog can be walked, and we can all get a quick stretch break. The plan … stop for about 15 minutes, then get back on the road. After taking Elise to the rest room, Jim and I were discussing our strategy for the rest of the trip, when I happened to turn around, and to my horror, the girls were stooped down poking at a pile of dog poop with their fingers !! I freak out … Elise cries. All three of us go tromping back to the restroom to thoroughly sanitize their hands, all the while, Elise was pleading the case that it could not have been doggie doo-doo because it was orange.
Ready to get back in the car, right? … wrong. The girls convince their dad to go on an impromptu nature hike. I suppose I should have been thrilled that my children have such an interest in nature, however, the “agendawoman” within was going nuts. A half hour or so later, we were finally back on the road.
3:00 pm – We stop in Sabraton, WV. First, we go to the local McDonald’s to let the girls eat and run around in the play area. Even though we had only been on the road for a little more than a half hour since the last stop, the girls had been so whiney that we had to stop again to preserve our sanity. We figured that some food and fun would perk them up and make them better passengers. Ah yes, the best laid plans. Oh, it started out alright, in fact, it was kind of cute to watch Elise go up to the counter at McDonald’s and order, “A half a french fry, a half of a chicken nugget, and a vanilla shake,” but it didn’t take long for our house of cards to come tumbling down.
After they ate it was time to go to the play area, and they did so with gobs of enthusiasm. It lasted about 5 minutes. No sooner than they were immersed in the thrill of playtime, Elise’s band aid fell off her ankle, exposing the huge gash (a small scratch) she had gotten the day before, and triggering a river of tears and emotion. Since we were completely unprepared for such a “tragic” situation, we found ourselves hurrying over to the Kroger store to buy a box of band aids. While I went to the store, Jim and the girls went to the gas station to top off the tank.
Upon returning to the car, I found Jim frustrated and stressed. First, he had made several attempts to get the pump card reader to work, all of which had failed. Deciding to pay with cash, he discovered that he had either misplaced or lost his wallet. Finally, the wallet was located, the gas pumped, and we were back on the road.
5:00 p.m. – We FINALLY get to the Maryland line.
5:30 p.m. – Having eaten only a short time before, it was, of course, time to stop AGAIN for a “potty break”. Fortunately, this one was far less eventful than the previous one, but it too, took way longer than we had anticipated.
7:00 p.m. – Just west of Frederick, MD, we decide to stop to give the girls yet another stretch break. We pulled into a Burger King with a play area, figuring on staying for 20 minutes and then heading out. The girls were great, and I’m sure very thankful for another shot at some time in a play area, given how things played out the last time. Our time estimate, however, was grossly insufficient. An HOUR later, we were traveling again.
Just before 10 p.m., we pulled into our driveway. Nine and a half hours after leaving West Virginia !! Of course, the girls were tired and extremely grumpy … so were Jim and I. It was at this point that I came to a full appreciation of my parents’ wisdom. I’m not sure if we’ll find ourselves on the road at 2 o’clock in the morning the next time we go to West Virginia, but I do believe we will reconsider our travel plans and try to make some adjustments – to say the least !
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