Day 2: Endless Things

Sunday morning was educational. I rarely take time to look at what I have and if I really need it. Transferring all of our trip possessions from one van to the other made us consider what was really necessary, if not in life at least in a trip to Alabama. And really, we were overloaded. What do we really need in life? I think I can sum it up in Family, Friends, and a good pizza crust recipe (which we didn’t think to bring along).

 

I had transferred all of the bags from the old van and added to them the bags from the room, and was feeling pretty proud with the way I had arranged everything. I’m kind of proud of my ability to stack boxes and bags in a tight space to use up all of the available space. As I was comparing myself to Peruvian wall builders, other packages started arriving in containers that wouldn’t stack: blankets; bags; loose items, and it occurred to me that we weren’t even close to getting everything in.

You might remember the story of the last time we came to Alabama. We flew in to Atlanta with three bags per person (this was 5-6 years ago when you didn’t have to pay for each bag) and found ourselves at the rental car company with 7 people, 21 bags and a Dodge Caravan. After loading the largest bags behind the seats, kids in the back, bags on the kids, we realized that this was going to be a long, uncomfortable trip. So we asked if they had anything larger, hopefully in the GMC Safari size range. All they had was a Chrysler Town and Country, which is actually just the upscale version of the Caravan. They said it was larger, and we decided to try it out. The first thing I noticed is that it was missing a  seat. The second thing was that there is a large bin behind that back seat that just about doubles the cargo space. That was great, but the staff was puzzled about the missing seat. “I’ll check around back, where the van was. John, can you call around; see if the detailers took it out for some reason?” A few minutes later I unfolded it from the floor, which gave us even more space.

Unfortunately for this trip, there were no replacements and no hidden storage areas. Bummer. 9:00 we left Pine Bluffs and the van that fits our family, kids wedged in with books, blankets, game boys, and other, um, uh . . . junk. Mapquest doesn’t do as good a job at estimating times as TomTom. And neither does the job nearly as well as reality. Reality put us in St. Louis at midnight (the Arch is still impressive at midnight at 55 mph, with other cars buzzing around you and a GPS unit telling you to exit right and stay in the left lane; too bad I didn’t listen quickly enough). It was about that time that our plans changed to a short rest stop at a rest stop and mad dash to Hartselle. Judy and I switched driving, and the kids slept folded up through half of Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. So our day didn’t end in the traditional, pillow-aided way, but we’ve been resting some since.

Tomorrow, the reunion.

Alabama trip day 1: Notes from room 13

• Sometimes it is best to sleep through the final steps of preparation, especially if they tend to take the entire night.
• If you plan to leave the morning after high school graduation, don’t be surprised if the graduate is too tired to remember basic essentials, such as a cell phone.
• The bass line of rap music is not conducive to sleep.
• When the Check Engine Soon light comes on, it’s not good to assume that means “after the vacation is over and we have put an additional 4500 miles on the engine.”
• Pine Bluffs, Wyoming does indeed qualify as the middle of nowhere.
• If you break down somewhere other than the parking lot of the Days Inn where you booked your reservation, make sure you do it before 4:00 24 hours before your reservation unless you want to pay for the stupid room anyway.
• Car rental companies in Cheyenne close at 2:00 pm on the Saturday before Memorial Day and don’t open again until the following Tuesday.
• You can indeed buy a van on first sight, no research, without your wife present, without a penny in your pocket.
• A dead van is worth $50 dollars in Wyoming if you are only passing through.
• A Pontiac Montana hold half as much travel junk as a GMC Safari.
• The bass line of Mexican mariachi band at a Spanish wedding is not conducive to sleep.
• Is 13 really the only available room left at this motel?