Webcam is live! Trip Log for Dec. 5th

1:13 am

We're off! John didn't even have to wake us up! Cathi was up for a little while and I heard everyone moving around - plus Elphie jumping around. Nobody is stirring in the world but us. The bad wind from the day before is gone so we have cold, but smooth sailing weather.

It's funny how many people leave their holiday lights on all night. I said this out loud and my sister Cathi said, "They're probably like Martin (her son, my nephew) who forgot to turn them off even though you told him 4 times!"

2:30 am

Maryland! Listening to new comedy CD. Everybody's awake and excited -- except Casey who didn't care and laid down, until we opened a box of breakfast bars.

3:23 am

First stop, about 25 miles outside of DC. My fault really; since I didn't go back to sleep, I drank a bottle of water and required the stop. That'll teach me to stay awake. LOL!

Cathi has the grace of a gazel: she's tripped twice on the curb at the rest area! She lays down on the bed in the back and Casey snuggles with her.

John took the keys with him when he went to the rest room. Is that some guy thing? He does it a lot. So we're waiting for heat.

The trucks are backed up to the highway because the parking lot is full. John figures they're resting while they wait for the businesses to open so they can make their deliveries.

5:07 am

Stop for gas at marina station (Shell station at Exit 160, it has a boat marina next door, very pretty) but Cathi & I are sleeping... until John opens door & lets in light and cold! Back on road at 5:15.

8:00 am

Welcome to North Carolina! Cathi & I finally woke up after our nap. We walk the dogs and joke about them leaving messages for others. We switch seats so she's up front, and John says we'll stop soon for more of a real breakfast and gas.

Mile marker 159

First South of the Border sign!

Truck pulls in front of us with a ton of snow on his roof. It hits us like a storm! The road is so bumpy here; you have to wear a sports bra to ride in NC!

Casey made a nest out of a throw rug; Morgan & Elphie took over the bed. I'm sitting in the chair John put in the back. It's like a Capt Kirk chair and I tell John, "Ahead warp factor 1, Mr. Sulu."

With the daylight and having slept, I feel like we left yesterday.

9:12 am

Mile marker 121. Stopped for breakfast and gasoline. Back on road at 9:42. Whoa, the gas is expensive here. $3.15/gal

10:54 am

Lots of Porsches going by on trailers, must be a show nearby.

11:26 am

John's tired, so I'm going to take over driving at So. of the Border. I haven't pulled this camper before, so I joke that we all had to agree that wherever we crashed is where we stay for the night.

11:40 am

South of the Border! Doing great time!

A sign says the town of Lumberton; I thought I left work. I am so going to get in trouble for violating the dress code with what I'm wearing!

A fighter jet ROARED overhead, flames from the engines showing. WOW!

John jokes that he's putting his sunglasses on to bring out the sun.

1:05 pm

Stop for gas. The pleasant service that I receive in the mini-mart makes up for $3.09/gal. NOT! What a crank!

Munching on jalepeno Doritos. Yum!

3:13 pm

I just took a good nap! We're only 13 miles from Georgia. I tease that it's a good thing I got up because the dogs needed water.

John's sunglasses worked! It's sunny and warm!

3:26 pm

Georgia! Stopping at the Welcome Center.

I love the limbo section that you go through; you pass a sign saying you left SC and it's half a mile before the sign for Ga.

We end up staying longer than we wanted at the Welcome Center. For the second year in a row, we overpacked so much that we broke the brackets for the curtain rod in the closet! John had disappeared in the camper for so long, that I went to see what was going on. He fixed it though with a spare bracket and, of course, duct tape.

On the plus side, they had fresh baked cookies in the Welcome Center. Yum again!

Finally back on road at 4:09, so behind schedule now. Cathi says she's going to take a nap.

We pull off immediately at exit 109 for gas and lunch. I asked Cathi how she enjoyed her nap. ;)

I was so NOT popular at Subway. First, because I ordered more than 1 sandwich, and then because instead of doing all 3 at one station at a time, they kept sliding each one down, forcing me to have to answer and dart back & forth to all the stations. Then they wrapped up John's w/o asking me about dressing and I requested they unwrap it to finish it the way I wanted. You know they griped about me after I left. LOL!

We're at a Pilot gas station with much better price: $2.83/gal. But it and the last one cut you off on how much you can spend. For example, we're cut off at $50 here.

We plan to stop at exit 29 at a truck wash for the camper.

6:26 pm

Country Oaks! Our stop for tonight! Weather is beautiful! High 50s and clear. We were at least an hour behind schedule, but no problems. The Truck Wash had a very long line, so we skipped it.

Cathi got a text message from a co-worker saying: I hate you! It's snowing! We each call home; my mom said it started at 11:30 and was still snowing, already a couple of inches despite weather man calling for light snow. My nephew, Martin, said it's snowing like the dickens.

What a shame.... for them. We, on the other hand, are so thrilled we were way ahead of the storm and didn't get one bit of it.

Now for a quiet night of movie watching and hanging out.