Last winter I began thinking about a road trip to Idaho to visit our son Drew and his family. Then when he told us they had decided to move back to Georgia, I knew time was running out to visit Idaho. So I volunteered to help with the move. That resulted in an epic road trip involving 1700 train miles, about 2600 truck miles, 1150 air miles, and 300 car miles for a grand total of about 5750 miles, through 14 states in 12 days. (For comparison purposes, NY to LA and back is 5600 miles.)
In the first post of this series, I detailed my cross country train ride. If you’re just coming in, that’s probably where you should start. The latest post covered the first half of the truck trip, from Idaho to Wisconsin, where we caught our breath for a few days. And then it was time to complete the journey.
Illinois River
The truck got an early start but within two hours, crossing the Illinois River, the windshield was already buggy.
Illinois corn
Driving north to south across Illinois in the middle of summer is like driving through one giant cornfield.
Effingham IL cross
Crossroads takes on a new meaning where I-70 and I-57 intersect in southern Illinois.
Ohio River crossing
It took almost 8 hours, but finally made it through Illinois.
Nashville Skyline
And made it to Nashville before dark
We’ll stop next time, promise
The next day we had two states to cover, Tennessee and Georgia. You can tell when you’re getting closer to Chattanooga.
Greenery
Lots of Kudzu along the road in Georgia
Rush Hour at Fort Stewart could mean Crunch Hour
Finally nearing our destination, the home of the Third Infantry Division
Hotel parking lot, Hinesville GA
Yep, made it.
Eden had some paperwork too, with crayons
Next day Drew & Candess are filling out the paperwork for their new apartment.
Last but certainly not least, furniturewise
Then it was time to unload the truck. Fortunately we had a crew of local volunteers to help.
Riding the bumper, part one
Final photos with the truck.
Riding the bumper, part two
One hitchhiker who expired enroute
“Let’s park this thing”
One final ride
Moon in the western sky
After a good night’s sleep, we were up early the next morning, heading south on I-95.
Awaiting the dawn
Driving across a lot of coastal wetlands
Ready for a high speed chase
The Jacksonville airport is very modern with all the latest amenities…police scooters…
The water just disappears
…and sinkless restrooms. Hmm, very interesting.
Somewhere above the eastern seaboard
After driving many miles, it was good to soar above the clouds and let someone else do the driving
The last tankful
Sam met me at the airport and, oh, there was one last stop before arriving home.
RADIOSCRIBE 