These posts were written from the road...
DAY 1: TEXAS to SOUTH CAROLINA
After the ridiculousness of finally getting the rental car we needed, filling it with the last of my belongings in Texas & painfully having to leave behind a rocking chair that just wouldn’t fit, we departed this morning on a projected 18 hour trip from Arlington, TX to Charleston, SC.
As I mentioned before, 8:00 a.m. faded to 8:45 a.m. and even that I’m not entirely sure if we were on the road at that point! I had to keep reminding myself we were heading East. I nearly went West out of habit b/c EVERYTHING I’ve ever driven to has been to the West. Plus, I’m a little directionally challenged. My iphone covers for me most of the time, especially in NY, but my family will attest to my track record with getting lost!
Just outside of Grand Prairie (i.e. 30 minutes into the trip) it begins to sprinkle, which turns into a legitimate rain then downpour. This continues for the next 3 hours! Such a pleasant, relaxing way to begin the trip! Hard to enjoy the piney woods of East Texas when the windshield wipers are flailing with aggression and I can still barely see 20 feet in front of me! If you drive a silver, gray, white car, TURN ON YOUR LIGHTS IN THE RAIN!!! The car is packed to the top so all I’ve got are side mirrors and a million blind spots!
We do manage to out run the rain and a potential tornado (hey, we were under a watch for most of the day—unbeknownst to us) and make it across to Shreveport. Oh, we also tried to stop at a winery and pick up some local wine, but like all good, small Southern towns, they’re closed on a Sunday. In an attempt to honor the state we’ve just entered, we stop for lunch at Popeyes. Almost immediately regretting this decision, we stick with it. Slow would be generous in describing the service and it could’ve been longer had my brothers decided to wait for the mild chicken wings they ordered cause the spicy ones were finished first. Big theme down here: SPICE. Spicy chicken, spicy sauce, spicy personalities.
I mention the time it took cause the rain caught us! Ugh! Luckily, I’m a stellar getaway driver and by the time we were half way thru the state, we were ahead of the storm again! Lots of casinos in LA, as well as billboards advertising counseling for a gambling addiction. In addition, we spotted more than one billboard referencing absent dads or encouraging signs to spend time with the kids. You think the two might be related?
A quandary popped into my head, “what is the poorest state in the nation”. You’ll be happy to know this particular road trip will today be traveling thru 4 of the top 10 poorest states: LA, AL, SC and #1 MS. Woohoo! Our second failed detour of the day took place outside Jackson when we tried to check out a State park. It cost money, of course it does! U-turn!
At the Alabama state line it was time for me to pass the keys to Adam! This became my favorite stop of the trip so far J Somehow, this state lasted forever. Failed detour #3, trying to find Starbucks justified by needing gas. Naturally, we did NOT find an accessible Starbucks (only to come upon 30 min down the highway) but on the positive side we did get to do a bit of sightseeing in Birmingham. Lovely city! 
Apart from a bathroom stop in creepsville in Georgia, not much to mention. I should praise my brothers, who have been very indulgent of my need to play any and all musicals on a road trip and sing at the top of my lungs! I can’t do this in NY without disrupting anyone that shares a wall with me and possibly some passersby on the street. This is why I miss my car!
Moments before passing from Georgia into South Carolina the clouds finally broke! Moonlight fell across the hood of our car as we made our way into the last state of phase 1 for ROAD TRIP 2012 (must be written in all caps).
Just 30 minutes from our destination, we all got a bit of a wake-up call. Let’s just say 18 hours is a lot for one day! We locate our dear brother’s apt and Adam wakes him with a phone call. It only takes one try to get him at 4:45 a.m. Now, one might think we’d go straight to bed… wrong! ZB recently returned from his deployment plus he had to show-and-tell his home. Clearly excited and we were a willing audience “oooo-ing” and “aaaah-ing” on cue, but genuinely. We finally all found our beds at 5:15 a.m.
DAY 2: CHARLESTON to CINCINNATI
Dragging myself from my bed for the night (aka one of the many sofas Zac has in his home) around 11:30 a.m., I wander into the living room where I find my brothers. Adam & Joey still out, but Zac bright-eyed with Starbucks in hand already being up for a couple hours. We stir the other two and sloooooowly prepare to face the day.
A little rearranging of bags and minus two boxes, we create another spot for a 4th passenger! Now, keep in mind Zac has been deployed for the past 4 months and his first meal in Charleston, a city known for its incredible restaurants, where does he want to eat? IHOP! If you know him at all, this will not surprise you in the least. His quote, “I’ve spent the last 4 months defending you, and I want to eat at IHOP!” Who can argue with this?
Delightfully stuffed with a nutritious (uuhhh…?) breakfast, we take a quick driving tour of downtown Charleston. Such a charming city teaming with tourists! We all decide it is our favorite place on the trip and Zac is the most grown-up of all the Nelson children. He has a mortgage, lives in a beautiful city, and an IRA! 
Pandora helped move us down the road! Just outside Columbia, I glanced in my side mirror (remember, no rear view) and I saw a small green car drift onto the shoulder then completely off the road. He pulled back into his lane quickly trying to correct himself, but over did it and crossed into the next lane. Cutting back quickly to stay in his lane sent his car into a spin and helplessly I watched in my side mirror as two cars swerved off the road into the median to avoid hitting him. A truck veered off to the right but the car was perpendicular to traffic and before it disappeared in my side mirror, I saw it get hit by a car that could not stop. This wreck happened about 6 cars behind us on a very busy highway. We immediately called 911 and reported the wreck. The police I’m sure were dispatched and I guarantee we are not the only folks who called that in. We decided not to turn back, because it would’ve taken us behind the wreck and we wouldn’t have been able to get to the authorities anyway. I prayed a prayer for all involved and kept the hands at 10 and 2 the rest of my drive. Hard not to think what might’ve happened if we’d been 6 cars back.
In Asheville we paused for a healthy dinner at Five Guys Burger. At this point it had started raining AGAIN! Zac took over the pilot seat and we ventured our way into the Appalachian Mountains! Earlier we tried to stop at Abbott Farm Store to buy some pecans, but today was a funeral for Mr. Abbott so they were closed. Of course! Joey is required to do a bit of reading over the break so collectively we listen to an abridged version of “A Tale of Two Cities”, which I think Zac and I are more interested in than Joey, and definitely Adam. Such a great ending! Good one Charles!
Due to our late start and food breaks, we are due to arrive in Cincinnati around 2 a.m. Zac finished out the day driving the 6 hours from Asheville, NC to Cincinnati. Adam license to drive past 11 p.m. has been temporarily suspended. Oh, we had another failed detour to Starbucks outside Knoxville, because it’s just the way things have gone on this trip. We did find a Starbucks on the north side of Knoxville and beat them closing by 10 minutes! YES!!! Two older women warmly but quickly greeted us and encouraged us to order. Hehe! They were still very kind and wished us safe travels on our journey! I like Kentucky!
We rolled into Cinci a little after 2 a.m.
DAY 3: CINCINNATI to OSWEGO, NY
The lights flip on and the sound of an airplane safety announcement begins courtesy of Zac. I’m so glad he’s home from his deployment. 8:45 a.m. says my phone. My alarm is set for 9:00 a.m. but when Zac is hungry, this becomes the priority for the group. Luckily, Hunter is already awake and the boys are compliant so we pile into Hunter’s very green, environmentally friendly Prius to go downtown for breakfast at a Belgium waffle place. Adam put it best, Cincinnati is a place “that once was”. Meaning there are many buildings that probably looked great when they were first built but have been boarded up and abandoned. We drove thru Hunter’s campus and saw all there was to see before hugging our cousin goodbye and heading to the Falls.
Zac had a tip on a great German deli in Columbus, which marked our first successful detour! Quick, off the highway stop in a cute little spot. Not a ton to report from the road after that apart from another failed winery stop. Many farms exist in Ohio. We contemplated visiting some Amish, but our goal was to make it to Niagara Falls for sunset so we had to stay the course!
Pennsylvania lasted all of an hour or so. Not much to report at all there! Then as soon as we rolled into New York, we were greeted with a toll booth. Ah, good to be back!
After a few wrong turns, we make it to Niagara Falls at the perfect moment. Sun just about to start changing the color of the clouds as it disappears behind Toronto. Stunning! The Falls go on forever! So beautiful and powerful. Not as deep as I thought, but expansive! The boys did not quite dress for the weather. They’re still dressing for Charleston with shorts and flip-flops, so they were a little whiney! Lots of beautiful pics!
Back in the car for the final leg of the trip. Only 3 more hours to Oswego, NY. We are crashing with a mom of a friend of Adam’s that he met thru DCI two summers ago. Yep, it’s a bit of a stretch, but my brother is the type of guy that genuinely connects with people, so its no surprise the four of us are more than welcome in her home. We roll in about 11 p.m. under a thick blanket of stars! I love being out here!
DAY 4: OSWEGO TO NYC
We entered into a realm I’ve been only once before… Drum Corp International. If you’re reading this with no clue as to what this organization is- take heart, you are not alone. I respect passion, whatever the expression, and there is no doubt in my mind that spending a summer riding buses all over the country, sleeping on gym floors, rehearsing 10+ hours a day in the summer sun and paying to do all of this, requires passion.
The house we slept in was provided by a friend whom Adam met a couple summers ago bussing around the country! Through conversation both last night and this morning, I learn the entire family is totally down with this world. Mom even volunteered with the corp. and traveled around herself. Respect. And the dear woman brought us bagels for breakfast and made us coffee as she and Adam and her son shared stories.
Due to our deadline to have the car returned by 6pm, we had to bid farewell. Such a fun, random stop in a town I didn’t know existed! Reluctantly we piled back into the car and began the final leg of our journey. I’m probably the only feeling reluctant about getting back to the City. For Zac, Joey, & Adam, it’s the second half of this adventure, the destination, but for me, it’s back to work and the conclusion of my 
break. I’d be lying if I said I drove a little slower, and was more than happy to stop for lunch, and take our time getting back. It’s a good thing we were aiming to be back in the City by 4pm cause the traffic was as expected, but we did make it to Astoria, unloaded the car and returned the rental all before 6pm. Not before having one last near death moment as we were turning into the car rental return, but we escaped unscathed!
It was a wonderful adventure that could’ve easily stretched over a couple weeks, but I’m pretty proud we covered over 2800 miles through 13 states in 3 ½ days!
