Summer Roadtrip- Mom & Son

[Kirby]

Well folks, we are leaving in about 30 minutes for the biggest roadtrip of our lives. After Little League closing ceremonies and a few errands on Long Island our first stop will be Langhorne, PA. My eight year old son and I are driving from NY to CA and back from June 21st to Sept 1st.

We're very excited and found much strength and inspiration from The Great American RoadTrip Forum-- THANK YOU EVERYONE!

I'll be posting photos & videos along the way- but will put all links in this thread.

Thanks,
Kirby
(btw- Kirby is my nickname- my real name is Christine- which you will see posted once in a while on different things).

[RoadDog]

This will be one trip your son will never forget.

Wow, a bit over two months. That is one great drive.

Make sure you get on the Lincoln Highway and/or Route 66 at some pont.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Well folks, we are leaving in about 30 minutes for the biggest roadtrip of our lives.

Christine (Kirby) -- lots of good thought and effort has gone into the planning -- Best wishes for a wonderful journey -- we look forward to more field reports from you!

Mark

[Kirby]

We started our journey in Langhorne, PA. Just hung out with my cousins, went to a local casino, spent a couple of hours in Philly.

Then we drove to Hampton Roads, VA. I lived here for 6 yrs in the 90's- so it's like my second home. First thing I noticed was the heat- about 90-100*. Second thing- horrible smoke. There are fires on the border of NC & VA. I didn't expect this here to say the least.

We're having a good time. Can't believe our second week is almost here. In a few days we head to Eastern TN. It's where my Grandfather is from.

Today I thought I went through a tornado in Downtown Norfolk. It was pretty scary. I guess I'm pretty whimpy- but it came out of no where! I was hoping that rain fell on the fires- but there was still smoke tonight- so I don't think so.

I came up with this system of packing what I need for three days and bringing that inside. The rest stays in the car. It worked well here. Guess because the neighborhood is so safe. I just left books, clothes, pillows, etc. in the car- nothing really valuable.

It's nice to stay with such good friends. The beginning of this huge trip just seems like a regular trip to PA or VA. I'm trying to think like that. I'm not on 1 HUGE trip, but 20 small ones in a row. It's helping me cope with everything.

I attached a few photos from the trip- so far. The bridge is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. It's about 22 miles long. They have a restaurant and fishing pier in the middle of the bridge- it's awesome!

-Kirby

[Mark Sedenquist]

Thanks for sharing the photos -- they look great!

Mark

[Kirby]

Last day in Virginia Beach. We went to church and then the Virginia Aquarium. I'm going to upload some photos. Glad to be getting away from the smoke tomorrow- we're heading off to TN.

[Kirby]

We just left Kingsport TN. I spent a couple of days visiting the area where my late grandfather is from. I had such a great time and did so many things for the first time. I also learned a lot.

I visited my grandfather's grave, saw the house he grew up in, learned what the word "ford" means, realized that I'm related to everyone in the county and found out that you need a gun in some areas because of the snakes.

Oh and I learned that my GPS is wrong sometimes. Like when I drove up a mountain and couldn't turn around. I was going to call 911, but no cell phone coverage. I had to turn around on a property that said "keep out". I was expecting to get shot, but thankfully they weren't home. I was truly stuck and that was my last resort. My only other option was swimming across the river with my 8 year old.

Anyway I have a bunch of photos to edit- but here are a quick few. Tomorrow we're going to Arkansas.

Btw- Robert Kilgore is a grandfather of mine.

[Kirby]

We arrived in OK City today. I just loved visiting the Memorial. It's so beautiful, especially the Survivor Tree.

I have more info on my blog if anyone is interested in reading about our trip.

Thanks!

[Kirby]

We're in Texas now. I find myself using a lot of information from this site. From Oklahoma City east I didn't have any problems finding food for my special needs son. But, now that we are in Texas- wow. There is some space between the exits. Thankfully I have a cooler full of stuff. Plus, I bought additional food. My GPS has been REALLY handy. I use it to find gas and bathrooms all the time. I like clicking "find a tourist attraction" and see what comes up.

One thing that was a pain- Texas doesn't have welcome centers with tourist information. They are the first state to do that. Why? who knows. But, I wanted to get some hotel coupons and what not. Not very friendly.

Here are some more pictures from the trip!

[Kirby]

I have a few more pictures of the OKC Memorial. I went there twice. I was drawn to it. I think I could have stayed there all day if I was alone.

Don't you all just love the story of the survivor tree?