Road Trip

For years Cathy and I have discussed driving to FL. We debated the list of very obvious pros and cons of such a long road trip. Together we have never traveled such a great distance in a car. Cathy did the FL drive when she was a child with her family and when I graduated college I drove to CA with some college buddies. These were totally different circumstances in both scenarios. When we drive anywhere, I like to get there in the left lane with the cruise control and Cathy likes the scenic route from the right lane. We decided to drive but I was certain we were doomed for catastrophe and we would be divorced by the time we got to South of the Border.

Cathy had an idea from her sister about getting books on tape to help pass the time in the car. This was a marriage saver for sure (only kidding). The concept was so simple but worked so well. We were both thoroughly entertained by the murder mystery book Cathy borrowed from the town library. We would discuss the characters and plot of the book when not in the car at our various stops along the way. We did break up the trip over 5 days so that helped as well but more about that later.

Our longest leg of the trip was from North Haven, CT to Florence, SC which took about 13 hours. It was getting dark and dinner and a hotel were definitely distractions from the long drive. After a good night’s sleep in the hotel complete with complimentary breakfast buffet we were on the road again bright and early. As soon as we hit route 95, in went the tape.

Our next stop was Charleston which was about 3 hours further south. We spent two nights there and were sent back in time to the “Gone With The Wind” era with the large plantation homes, massive front porches and quaint feel in the small city. The people were friendly and it was a great walking city. We took one of those tour buses so we learned about the history and culture which was very informative and interesting. After two nights of rich food and pralines we were on the road again........put in the tape.

Another 3 hours of driving we stopped in Savannah for a night. Savannah was once the cotton capital of the world and the river front leading to the Atlantic Ocean was one of the busiest ports in the country at one time. There was no shortage of fun things to do and see and plenty of rich southern food. Everything seemed to be dipped in buttermilk and deep fried. We took a bus tour here as well and were impressed by the beautiful parks throughout the city that they call Squares. Another hearty complimentary breakfast and we were on the road again......put in the tape.

St. Augustine was our next stop and once again we were impressed with how much this very old city had to offer. Quaint shops, cobble stone streets, beautiful waterfront area and nearby beaches and plenty of great restaurants. After 4 days on the road, all we wanted to do that night was sit in the hot tub, have a glass of wine and order take out. It was fabulous.

The next morning after a gas stop and Dunkin Donuts we were on the road again.....put in the tape. The last leg of our drive was cutting directly across the state of FL on route 4. We arrived at our destination safe, still married with some great memories of our road trip. We did not finish the tape and luckily we had a portable CD player. Once we got settled in the condo and unpacked, we sat down and had two chapters left so we......put in the tape. I hope you enjoyed the road trip story because we sure did.

Until the Next Tom's Take.........