1500 miles in the new car

OK, so it is not the Dalmation Coast nor were we in a kayak but my big trip of the summer was our labor day trek to the family compound in Pennsylvania. We bought a Civic Hybrid a week before the trip (actually ordered it two months before) and although they tell you not to take long trips for the first couple thousand miles, we left for our journey on the first tank of gas.

I had always thought about a hybrid and this $3.00 gas thing drove us to do it. Bluish Gray Honda Civic hybrid. advertised mileage - 50. Expected real mileage - 40.

We left STL friday at about 1 in the afternoon expecting a 12 hour trip. J and I taking turns driving with hopefully little N doing as much sleeping as possible in his car seat in the back. Things went great - little N's new music CDs were fun for all of us and he did take a good 3 hour nap in mid afternoon. This trip coincided with the launch of the new Macy's and we were driving the entire region of our macy's. We went through middle illinois ( not much there ), straight through the middle of indiana (stilll not much there except some traffic in Indianapolis) and on into Ohio. We planned on dinner at Culver's outside of Columbus and luckily J's preplanning had us at a dinner place we all like right at 7 PM. (Culver's is a slightly better than fast food burger and custard place in the midwest - good food and clean bathrooms - our necessities when travelling with a 3 year old!!)

Then the rain started. It rained nonstop from Columbus all the way to the family compound (where we arrived at 3 AM - damn you Eastern Standard Time!@!!). There is nothing like driving a small unfamiliar car on windy roads at 2 AM in the pouring rain after downing 5 monster energies!!!!!!

We made it. We spent the next three days with my parents (now known as Grandma and Grandpa) and my grandma (Nana) who turned 90 while we were there. There really was nothing better than little n waking up before us and going and finding a grandma he has never met and treating her like he has know her all of his 3 year long life. It rained all day saturday but then was perfect on sunday and monday. We went to the firehouse where my dad is a volunteer and little n got to play on 5 fire trucks and two ambulances. We went up to the new house and checked it out and then went to the garden and picked pumpkins, cukes, and tomatoes!! Little n drove the tractor and then drove the really big tractor. We picked apples - another excuse for little n to drive the tractor. When we had to pick apples from the tall branches, my dad put me and little N in the bucket of the tractor and raised us up. We made apple cider from the fresh picked apples. We saw cows, horses, turtles, little lizards (which little n picked up!!), sheep, elk, and lots of hawks!!! We went to an incredible breakfast place owned by a maple syrup company. We went to an auction and bought all sorts of pies, and jellies, and other stuff...

It was finally time to go on tuesday morning and we headed our for another long drive. This one would be shorter as we were heading to Chicago to stay a night with her mom and stepdad. We planned on a 9 hour drive but realized we were making really good time and we had that time change working with us this time so we looked for a good stop. WE FOUND ONE> The New York Central railroad museum in Elkhart, Indiana. It is a big train graveyard next to a working train yard. You can go in lots of old trains, plus into a train museum, plus see lots of new working trains go by. ("useful engines" for anyone who has not read thomas the tank engine 1,538 times.). It was a great stop for all of us.

After that is was just a few hour drive to Chicago (well, 30 minutes north of chicago - or as I like to call it - WIsconsin!). We pulled in, quickly changed and went out to dinner. Came home, put little n to bed and then spent a few hours talking. Woke up the next morning, walked round the neighborhood and then went to lunch and got back on the road.

The drive back to STL was the only boring drive. I think we did not want the trip to be over. This trip could have been miserable with all the driving but it was so great, we are definitely doing it again next year. My first new tradition.

The stats

1500 miles.
45.4 miles per gallon.
8 species of animals seen.
3 grandmas.
2 grandpas.
more trains than you can count.
9 monster energies.
14 times listening to the song "jambo sana"
1 fabulous long weekend.