Day Four - Waverly, TN to Springfield, MO

Current Trip Statistics:

Total Milage: 1132.7 miles
Total Elapsed Time: 22 hours 45 mins
Total Construction Zones: 14
Most Random License Plate: Wisconsin

I have had a great couple of days in Tennessee. Monday (day two) was a comfortable, lazy day (I slept in until about 10:30) hanging out around my friend's house, and then at her grandparent's house. Dad and I had stopped at their house a year ago on our way to Florida. It was great to be able to give them a follow up description of camp, and an update on Mom and Dad.

Tuesday (day three) involved a bit more adventure when I ventured into Nashville to wander around the Opry Mills mall and the Opryland hotel atrium with Stuart, one of the other camp interns from the summer. I'm sad that my camera is having issues, and I wasn't able to take pictures of the atrium. It is fantastically beautiful, there's some really unusual and beautiful plants and some great waterfalls and waterways. It was easy to forget that I was inside a building (aside from NOT being in 100 degree heat) until I looked up to see a glass ceiling and hotel room balconies. Working at that hotel would be quite the experience. I think I'm going to add it to the list of places that would be fun to call "my job" at some point in my life. :-) We also went to see "The Nanny Diaries," which I give a so-so rating. It's not going on my list of movies to buy any time soon, but I didn't walk out disgusted either. All in all, a good afternoon!

Today was a nice, relatively short day of driving, although the view of the Ozarks was somewhat obscured by the rain that kept popping up in spots. I left Waverly around 7:30 am, and pulled into Springfield around 3:45 pm. Watching Sara dance in the parking lot as I pulled up is a milestone memory! We're both very excited to see one another and have a day and a half to reminisce over the summer, explore Springfield in the rain and enjoy life. :-D

Day One - Southwind, FL to Waverly, TN

Current Trip Statistics:

Elapsed Milage: 699.6 miles
Elapsed Time: 14 hours 30 mins
Construction Zones: 8
Most Random License Plate: Alaska

Had a great drive up today, after leaving Southwind around 7:30 am EDT. Atlanta was a surprisingly quick drive, without any slowdowns at all. I'd estimated that I'd end up spending an hour sitting in traffic, and didn't need to after all. Turned out that I needed that extra hour, when I got turned around just off of I-40, and spent some time doing some unplanned exploration of the Tennessee countryside, just west of Nashville. :-) What can I say - there's at least one unexpected adventure in every road trip... this trip promises to have more than one adventure!

Tomorrow is a relatively easy day, hanging out with an elementary school friend, and Tuesday I'm going to go explore Nashville with a friend from Young Life! It's going to be an exciting few days!