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.
3 comments:
Sure glad you made it, even if things didn't go like you wanted them too. Good luck the rest of the trip.
Someone, somewhere at sometime will tell you that these are the experiences that you will look back on fondly as adventures. Of course right now if someone told you that they would be in danger of getting a knuckle sandwich. Sure glad I wasn't the one telling you.
I like your new ride. And Rob is right, you will have a great story to tell. I'm glad Rob told you that and not me.
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