Ah, summer. Nothing but time and the open road ahead. After a successful busy fishing season, Steve graciously agreed to stay with Finley, catch up on projects and make the bacon in Florida, while the kids and I embarked on a 1,500 mile journey north. It helped to have company in our caravan: my friend Stacey and her two kids, who were headed to the twin cities area of Minnesota. Every mile brought us closer to our destination in greater Chicagoland. The enticement of family, friends, a cluster of fun activities and somewhat cooler (less humid!) weather lured us through the three days on the interstate. The kids are great travelers, though I did hear an uncountable number of "are we there yet?" pleas in the first 100 miles. Seriously, I was looking for the Candid Camera. They got tired of my "Yep, here we are," retort, and dropped that routine pretty quickly. Here's the silent version of the Islamorada, FL-to-Darien, IL journey. How lucky for you!
June 18: Bon Voyage!
Rest stop #1 of dozens.
One state down! Our first night was spent in Valdosta, GA...
...mainly at the outdoor pool...
...and jumping on beds...
...and eating pizza in bed while watching a movie before dozing off.
Day two brought a spontaneous diversion in Chattenooga, thanks to Stacey's willingness to actually SEE some of the landmarks I'd otherwise have cruised right by:
We saw Ruby Falls! (Gratifying, since I'd seen the beckoning "SEE RUBY FALLS" signs since my first family road trip to Florida, decades ago).
And what a sight it was. More than a thousand feet under the earth...
...and sweeping views from high above as well.
More pool time at our second stop, just short of Nashville, TN.
Day three took us through the rolling hills of KY, my favorite part of the drive (other than pulling into the driveway).
I could spend a full day with my hazard lights on, pulling over to photograph all the beautiful old barns that dot the countryside. Something about them just pulls my heartstrings.
And thank you Mickey D's for happy meal toy diversions.
Speaking of diversions, we had one last fun stop at the Indianapolis Childrens Museum. I think Sid had alternate ideas of her chosen mode of transportation for the last leg of the trip. No more stopping for state sign photo opps - we blazed a trail through the wide open farmlands of Indiana and into Illinois...
And finally, we arrived on June 20! Caught a good night's sleep, and the next morning enjoyed the neighborhood playground...
...and SPACE! Beautiful, grassy, wide open terra firma SPACE!!
That afternoon we bid our friends farewell as they pushed on to their final destination. For us, a day of settling in, and then the tour-de-(630) began. More on that in the next post.
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