June was a much-anticipated month in this family. School got out, pool time, camps to prepare for....and...Joe and Ethel's wedding to go to. In Georgia. Because I can't travel in a straight path from one point to the next, and because I have a goal of taking all the kids to the lower 48 states...we tacked on a side va-cay first to Gulf Shores. I'd never been and had never seen the Gulf of Mexico. And, this added 2 more states to the list that we've been to.
In a moment of weakness, after seeing hotel and rental prices for the few days we needed, an executive decision was made to camp at Gulf State Park. By me. Camping in June. At the Gulf. No prob.
We headed off on our trip on Monday morning, after I got home from my third shift in a row of work.
Andy drove.
I like to think I was a tolerable co-pilot who took some mini-naps. Andy would probably have something to say about that.
We only stopped twice to use the bathroom before we left the state of Indiana. Surely some kind of record.
Finally, crosssed the Ohio River into Kentucky.
Another hour, and then we stopped for lunch. It was hot and steamy. And later than we had hoped. The kids got out, ate and we stretched our legs with a tiny bit of walking.
The littles found the oldest, rustiest toy to play on. Hidden under another playset, it was probably the coolest (temperature) place to play at the time.
Look how happy Marcus is! There is a river behind us. Whatever runs through Mumfordsville, KY. It was so hot, I would have loved a way to get down there and wade in the water to play.
Back in the car, another executive decision was made to get a hotel room in Montgomery, Alabama. Garmin was telling us that we would not get to the campgrounds until, like 11pm, and Andy vetoed setting up tents in the dark.
The first rest stop in Alabama. It's near Huntsville (incidentally, the first place I had thought about visiting for vacation before I set my eyes farther south to the Gulf).
The rest stop was a fun, little break. A spot to eat a picnic dinner and get some cool photo ops.
Ewan and Liam were super-stoked about the rocket the rest area has on site. Pretty cool for anyone, especially boys who like science and space.
Can you tell how much Ewan liked the rocket?
Onward to the hotel, which we got a killer deal for on Priceline. We got a little suite that had room for all of us. And, the boys got to watch the NBA game, which was a nice little perk.
I think the kids did a really good job travelling in the car that day. Expectations can't be too high when you are driving for a good 10 hours. We kept them fed and they had things to play with and watch. No lies, there was definitely arguing about some of the electronic devices. And, that got annoying. But, overall, a good first day for the trip.
Even Kinley was happy to reach the hotel room.
The next morning, we were back on the road to the Gulf!
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