ORL to STL
6:15AM – on the road again. This time we housed Oxbear shotgun with a “ganola” bar as Puck calls them. That did the trick.
10:00AM – pause somewhere in Tifton, Georgia. Francis grabbed a burger at Wendy’s.
“Oh no,” Carrie-Bri groaned when she saw him carry out the sack with a side order of large soda. “He got the bladder buster.”
Francis seemed unmoved by this sentiment and returned to his seat in the back bench with Rose and Puck.
12:30PM – back once again in Atlanta, snarled in the same construction traffic of two months ago. Rich red Georgia soil.
1:45PM – about five or six McDonald’s north of Atlanta, we stopped for lunch. And for the first time in our entire history, Dad offered for us to stand around and eat instead of hitting the road. But we’re so used to the go-go-go routine, we opted to continue.
Back on the pavement, Mom began discussing plans for tomorrow.
“Can you dye my hair, Carrie?” Rose asked.
“I won’t have time tomorrow. Oxbear says he can do it for you.”
Meanwhile, Puck wasn’t short on various forms of entertainment.
“Can I have something to eat?”
“No more food, Puck,” Francis replied. “Do you want me to read to you about electrical transformers?”
“Sure.”
3:00PM – Chattanooga traffic. Rose and Jaya entrenched in novels.
“Grandma, can I have a dum-dum?”
“Sorry,” Joe replied for her. “I can’t go back there with you, Puck.”
“Anyone else want a dum-dum?” Mom asked.
“I’m not a cannibal,” Joe replied.
3:45PM – Pelham, Tennessee, and more traffic.
Joe decided to entertain the van. “Did I ever tell you the story about how I smelled my foot and it stunk? One fine day…”
“One fine day you made Linnea almost faint,” Puck finished for him.
“Joe, you and I should get out of the van and run down there and see what’s going on; then Dad can pick us up again,” Francis suggested.
“Dad, could I ride on the roof?” Joe asked.
I think Dad could sense the restlessness. We stopped for chocolate frosties about half an hour later, Wendy’s style, “thick and rich”. In all our growing up years, I don’t think Dad ever stopped for an ice cream break.
“Sure, wait until you get some in-laws and then you’re all indulgent,” Carrie smirked.
Topped that off with a few storms in Kentucky and Illinois. Nice trip.