2013 Vacation... Day 1

Day one really kinda sorta spanned two days, since we packed up and headed out on Friday evening.  But...  I'm going to lump that all in to one day, since the time all ran together, anyway, during the marathon car ride.

 

Sarah took the first shift as vacation driver, with me riding shotgun as her "co-pilot".  She literally kicked off vacation, and got us well along the way.   Just before we left Illinois, we stopped for gas, and she and Kathryn switched.  The H.H. and I also switched "co-pilot" spots, and I moved to the back to try to nap for a while.   "Try" is the key word there.  I slept for about 15-20 minutes at a time.   I just couldn't get comfortable sleeping in a seated position!   Although, I did manage to sleep through our climb over and through the mountains.  Either that, or I intentionally tuned it out.  I hate, hate, hate that part of the drive to Florida!  Kathryn drove the entire way through the mountains, and I am SO proud of her.  I'm a grown woman who's driven the road several times, and it makes me nervous.  She's never driven it, and did great!

I took my shift as driver during the early morning.  I took us from somewhere south of Chattanooga, TN to a bit south of Macon, GA.  It was an easy drive, and I could have maybe continued, if I'd been able to have an espresso.  But every time I thought about stopping at Starbuck's, I also thought about how it would wake everyone, so I didn't stop.

In Tifton, GA, we got off the highway for breakfast, and hit up Cracker Barrel.  Jack was a little wary of the choice, after his last Cracker Barrel experience filled with way too much bland oatmeal, but....  we went, anyway.

 

I don't know if it was simply because I hadn't had any coffee in 24 hours, or because I was crazy-tired, but I truly believe the coffee served to me at Cracker Barrel was THE BEST restaurant coffee EVER.   Our waiter was pretty amazing, as well.   5 tired, hungry, and no-longer-looking-quite-so-fresh travelers got exactly what they wanted for breakfast, and left happy.

After breakfast, we made a stop at Starbuck's to feed my caffeine and espresso addictions, and we got stuck behind what I believe had to be a clown car in the drive through.  It was a small-ish car, but at the window, it seemed like they just kept handing them order and order, after order, after order.  It took FOREVER.  But, once we had our coffee, and made another quick stop for gas, we were good to go, and ready to head back to the highway.  Charlie was wide awake after his initial cup of Cracker Barrel coffee.  I think the girls, though, were just ready for a nap.

Most of the rest of the day was just filled with driving.  We were a little ahead of schedule, and so we detoured a bit, and drove along the Florida coast towards Daytona.  I was a little dissappointed that we couldn't see the water better, but I was also very impressed by the homes that were blocking our view.  The series of what must be multi-million dollar homes stretching from St. Augustine on towards Daytona is awesome! 

Getting from the coast to Orlando was uneventful.  There was expected traffic coming from the theme parks that made the trip take longer than we'd like, and it rained for a bit.  But that was the sum of the excitement.  We were pretty "done" with traveling, until we finally got to the resort.  After 18-ish hours in the car, we were sooooooo happy to see that Marriott sign!

The rest of the day and evening was spent getting settled in.  We got groceries, had dinner, everyone showered, and Jack and Charlie even wandered out for a little pool time before bed.  All-in-all, a really good vacation day 1.  

And now, on day 2, it's 10:30, and everyone but me is still asleep.  So, I'd say we've got a good start to a relaxing and good day 2!