Ultimate Road Trip Day 1: Comin' atcha from Appalachia

We're on a road trip, did you know?  Chillin' like Dylan with my girlios in Kentucky tonight.  They're on spring break for like a month, and Ed's sister is getting married in Utah, so voila.  Road trip.  Only Ed can't get away until later so he will meet us in Denver in a couple of days.  In the meantime, it's me, the girls, the van, (some wicked good mix CDs), and the open road. 

Long drives are in my blood.  Ask anyone in my family.  And it's been a long time since I went on a good and proper cross-country one.  I had the thought today that I'm finally doing that trip I wanted to do when I was 18, in a VW van, with my hippie friends.  That one never materialized, but this is even better.  Only the details are changed.  I was surprised at the reactions I got from people when they found out I was doing this - awe, and not in a good way.  By YOURSELF?  Are you crazy?  Have you done this before? 

It's not a big deal.  The girls are awesome, I love to be with them, and I'm used to it.  Yeah, I'm tired after a long day, but that's the same as at home.  The only diff is I don't have as good a bed to sleep in. 

Ed and I detailed the car last weekend, inside and out, complete with RainX on the windshield.  I wrote up a daily schedule for the girls and put it in their backseat bin with a travel clock so they can check the time and not have to ask me what's next.  There's a snack bin, cases of water, and a daily surprise bag we open during our morning rest stop; each contains a DVD they've never seen, a special treat/snack, and an activity they've never done (and sometimes a toy or book for Poppy; you can find them in our Daily Report, below.)

This whole time I was planning on taking I-70 out, through Ohio and Indiana.  But we've been watching the weather, and with the snowstorm coming through the Midwest, we decided last night a more southerly route would be prudent.  So we took 66 west to 81 south to 64 west all the way into Kentucky.  I think it was the right choice.  We had some light rain throughout the day, becoming heavier in the afternoon, and only turning to snow the last 10 miles before we stopped for the night.  Tomorrow we'll hook back into 70 at St. Louis.

When visibility was at its worst, due to rain, road spray, and heavy dark cloud cover, I was thankful for two things.  One, the new glasses I got two weeks ago, that have a current prescription and actually help me see clearly.  Two, the RainX'd windshield.  What a difference, night and day. 

Daily Report
Miles: 597
DVD: Felicity - An American Girl Adventure
Activity: National Geographic Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas and License Plates Across the States
Poppy: Tasha's Tea Party
Special Snack: Raspberry Lemonade Fruit Rope Twists
High Point:  Driving through the mountains in West Virginia, and the bridges and rivers around Charleston - gorgeous in a wintery way.  Patches of snow on the ground, and shades of gray, white, gold and amber everywhere.  I was sorry at first to not be in Ohio; I love that drive.  But WV was really beautiful today.
Low Point:  Twenty miles from home, realizing what I'd forgotten - 1) my coat; 2) my allergy eyedrops; 3) the cooler.  No way I was going back, though.