JSIFS Road Trip 2008: Days 6 and 7

Day Five: Mebane, NC to Norfolk, VA.
Miles Covered: 210 miles. Four hours.
Weather Outside of Van: Blazing in the triple digits.
Weather Inside of Van: Cool and collected ... with only three occupants, everyone has their own row.

"Post two days together," DMR suggested helpfully.

"Uh-uh." I was adamant. No shortcuts, not on the road and certainly not in Cyberspace.

"Oh, c'mon. No one will care," she wheedled.

"Oh... kay." After all, we were stationary (for the most part) yesterday, and after our excursions of the past week, a three-hour car trip hardly seems worth mentioning.

So today, I'm going to share a few pointers for those of you who are seriously contemplating a similar roadtrip with four children (including one infant) and no husbands.

* Dollar Tree is your friend. Squirrel away several bags of treats, to be doled out hourly or so, depending on weather changes on the interior of the van.

* Don't believe "Gertrude" (the GPS device), who doesn't allow for unsynchronized potty breaks or periodic meltdowns. Sarah says there must be an equation to figure out the actual arrival time, based on the GPS estimate. By the end of the trip, we simply ignored the lower left corner of the screen and told people we would get there when we got there. People were incredibly understanding.

* Don't plan to travel more than 5-6 hours a day, unless you can guarantee the following...

-- Indoor pool for children
-- Freely flowing libations for the adults
-- At least a day of minimal car time the following day
-- Tranquilizer darts and/or round-the-clock videos for all occupants for the duration of the car ride. (Yes, we know there was a time when children entertained themselves by staring out the window for hours on end. This isn't like that.)

Happy riding!