The Trip Home, or, What a Night(mare)
The boys and I headed back from Ohio to Louisiana on Saturday. We made a late start, because we went to Ada first to have lunch with my daughter and son-in-law (and their beautiful baby girl). It was 3:00 before we actually got on the road, taking I-75 South toward Nashville.
We didn't stop even one single time until we got to Nashville, where we went to Sam's Club and gassed up, and bought dinner. It was about 8:30 Central Time when we headed for Birmingham. We were planning on staying at a Motel 6 there, then heading home in the morning.
The Motel 6 in Birmingham is actually in Bessemer, about 30 miles west of Birmingham. From there, it's only about 35 more miles to Tuscaloosa. We got there about midnight, and decided to push on to Tuscaloosa (more miles behind us, and a Sam's Club for gassing up in the morning). We stopped at the Motel 6 there, and there was no room in the inn. I guess we should've stopped in Birmingham. After determining that something was Going On (perhaps Orientation at U of A), we headed for Meridian, Mississippi.
About 40 miles from the Mississippi border, at 1:00 a.m., we got a flat. At first, the cell phone wouldn't work. Then, when I got out of the car, it did. Neither my older son nor I knew how to change a flat tire. Fortunately, when we signed up for our new cell phone service, we got a free month of Mobile Assist. Like AAA, except it goes with the phone. About 2:00, a very large man showed up and changed our tire. He also advised us where we might be able to find a hotel room. DH worked the internet at home and found us a room in Livingston, Alabama, 17 miles from the Mississippi border. We got there about 2:45 Sunday a.m. It was $75. I was delighted to pay it.
We left the next morning about 10:30, taking U.S. Highway 11 to Meridian. We were driving on one of those stupid 50 mph donut spares, so it was slow going. Also, everything about the Wal-mart owned enterprises in Meridian in our road atlas was wrong. One of the locations was closed and replaced; the other did not have a tire & lube express. We found the Super Wal-mart (with the express tire & lube) at about 12:30. It took them until 3:00 to get our new tire on ("express" is a relative term, I guess). We finally got home about 6:30.
I don't remember the last time I have been away from home for so long. I was gone for over two weeks. It's really, really good to be back.
Today, DH and I took Little Boy to the Louisiana Children's Museum. It was a pretty fun place. I was kind of surprised at the number of broken things, but Little Boy was very excited to be there and had a wonderful time. An annual membership for the whole family would only be $60; especially if we relocate cityside, I think it would be a worthwhile investment.
We didn't stop even one single time until we got to Nashville, where we went to Sam's Club and gassed up, and bought dinner. It was about 8:30 Central Time when we headed for Birmingham. We were planning on staying at a Motel 6 there, then heading home in the morning.
The Motel 6 in Birmingham is actually in Bessemer, about 30 miles west of Birmingham. From there, it's only about 35 more miles to Tuscaloosa. We got there about midnight, and decided to push on to Tuscaloosa (more miles behind us, and a Sam's Club for gassing up in the morning). We stopped at the Motel 6 there, and there was no room in the inn. I guess we should've stopped in Birmingham. After determining that something was Going On (perhaps Orientation at U of A), we headed for Meridian, Mississippi.
About 40 miles from the Mississippi border, at 1:00 a.m., we got a flat. At first, the cell phone wouldn't work. Then, when I got out of the car, it did. Neither my older son nor I knew how to change a flat tire. Fortunately, when we signed up for our new cell phone service, we got a free month of Mobile Assist. Like AAA, except it goes with the phone. About 2:00, a very large man showed up and changed our tire. He also advised us where we might be able to find a hotel room. DH worked the internet at home and found us a room in Livingston, Alabama, 17 miles from the Mississippi border. We got there about 2:45 Sunday a.m. It was $75. I was delighted to pay it.
We left the next morning about 10:30, taking U.S. Highway 11 to Meridian. We were driving on one of those stupid 50 mph donut spares, so it was slow going. Also, everything about the Wal-mart owned enterprises in Meridian in our road atlas was wrong. One of the locations was closed and replaced; the other did not have a tire & lube express. We found the Super Wal-mart (with the express tire & lube) at about 12:30. It took them until 3:00 to get our new tire on ("express" is a relative term, I guess). We finally got home about 6:30.
I don't remember the last time I have been away from home for so long. I was gone for over two weeks. It's really, really good to be back.
Today, DH and I took Little Boy to the Louisiana Children's Museum. It was a pretty fun place. I was kind of surprised at the number of broken things, but Little Boy was very excited to be there and had a wonderful time. An annual membership for the whole family would only be $60; especially if we relocate cityside, I think it would be a worthwhile investment.
2 Comments:
Welcome home, Ann. A trip like that would just feed my slight case of agoraphobia. -- Brenda
What fun! A road trip without car problems just wouldn't seem right.
The Childrens' Museum has always been kind of hit or miss. T. loved going there just to watch the elevator go up and down. Both boys loved going there for the waterplay and the toddler room.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home