376 miles today. I do not intend to do days like this often. I kept passing places that sounded intriguing and wanting to stop: historical sites and parks, beaches and artisan stores. But I just kept driving by. It is NOT the point of my adventurous life to always be moving. Well, sort of it is, but not moving without stopping at the cool stuff along the way. Once I get to Pennsylvania and unload the things that are making life in Serenity a little too complicated — she’s not really sized for carrying Christmas ornaments, china, and a large-screen television — I’m going to be slowing way down. When I see something that sounds fun, I will stop.
Not, however, when it’s a restaurant. What is it about road trips that makes unhealthy food seem so appealing? I wanted waffles today. And pancakes. McDonald’s french fries. Fried chicken. BBQ. Every time I saw a sign for restaurant I’d never heard of, I wanted to stop and check it out, and every time I saw a sign for fast food that I once liked and haven’t eaten in years, I also wanted to stop. I wasn’t even hungry most of the time. For breakfast, I had gluten-free rice Chex with fresh blueberries and coconut milk. For lunch, I had prosciutto-wrapped dates and cherries. And for dinner, I had turkey slices rolled up with peach-honey mustard, avocado, and arugula inside, with sliced radishes as a side. How could McDonald’s compare? And yet…
One of the reasons that I drove so far today was that it is seriously hot. I thought about stopping earlier in the day, but with the van moving, both of the dogs were in the front seat area, AC blasting on them, as the back got hotter and hotter. I knew if we stopped in the heat of the day, the AC would be hard-pressed to keep up. It can drop the temp about 20 degrees, I think, less if she’s sitting in full sun. So with the temp breaking 100, stopping earlier would have meant sitting inside an 80 degree van, at best, or staying outside in the heat. I could have done it and Z probably would have been fine, but poor B does not love the heat.
I accidentally gave B a full Benadryl tonight. I don’t know what I was thinking — over-tired, I guess — but I stuck the whole pill in the peanut butter and handed it to him and only thought, “Oh, wait, I usually cut it in half,” when it was already in his mouth. Not like I could get it back at that point, but I was filled with maternal anxiety. Not about whether it would be bad for him — a double-dose of Benadryl’s not going to kill him — but about whether his reaction would be stoned dog or hyper dog. Either was possible. I am feeling exceedingly fortunate that his eyes are glazed and his head nodding. I’m not exactly in the mood to entertain a bouncy ball of enthusiasm although it would be sort of fun to see B have crazy energy. It’s not his usual style. I should probably drag him out for a last walk before he completely crashes, though.
And then maybe I’ll start planning tomorrow’s journey. The question will be: zoom through North Carolina and well into Virginia, or take it easy and stop early? Except VA, it turns out, is only 3 hours away, and that seems like a pretty short day. But maybe that’s what I’m ready for. Decisions, decisions!
From a personal standpoint, I’d say save some time for Virginia. It’s seriously beautiful, but may be very humid with summer heat. I have a step-sister who lives there and that’s also where my maternal family is from. Be safe, no matter where you go or where you stop.
I’m definitely going to spend more time in all these states on my way back. I’d really like to spend a lot of time in North Carolina — I’ve loved everywhere I’ve been there, but there’s still lots to see. But only after I unload some of what Serenity is carrying. I don’t feel simplified right now, I feel overstuffed!
I just joined a 52 Week Organized challenge that a friend is doing. http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/ I think this would be a good thing for me to do–don’t know what I’ll do about keeping on track when we go to AZ for the winter, but will deal with that when it arrives. 🙂 Your home on wheels will settle in — you have to give it time. Once you’ve lived in it for a while, you’ll know where you need to put your things. There’s always a rearranging thing going on in an RV. Dear Hubby (DH) says 2 years and we’ll have an RV! Whoo hoo! I know why the 2 years — we’ll be selling the place in AZ then. We’ll take THAT money and buy the RV. He still wants another 5th wheel trailer. I want a motorhome. 😕 we’ll work it out. I’m a firm believer in “If it is meant to be, it will happen.”
I wound up getting rid of more things, too, once I hit my brother’s house. I’d rather not have something than live in clutter and in a space this small, clutter is almost inevitable. But I’m clearing out room, a little at a time. I also read a wonderful book while I was here, called “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” . I should write about it because it was great!
p.s. I don’t know what it is about riding in a car and getting hungry or wanting to eat out. I’m that way too — I think it stems from my childhood when food was a precious commodity and for a treat, dad would take us all for a car ride and we’d get ice cream on the way back home. Car trip = eating… what can I say?
You do discover some of the best things on road trips. I had heard of the painted desert but I accidentally stumbled on to it on one of my road trips. Now, I can’t even remember where it was.
Yeah all those billboard signs can be tempting. But you are right, the meals you had were so much better than anything you would have gotten from a restaurant.