The Long Journey Home

Days 30 - 32 

June 26 – June 28, 2014
Binghamton, NY/Tysons Corner, VA/Raleigh, NC/Columbia, SC /Home

First off, my apologies for dropping the ball on the final entries of my road trip blog.  The last days of the road trip were LONG ones and I was wiped out.  I hit four major traffic jams and it wasn’t fun.

On Friday the 26^th, we left Binghamton, New York at a reasonable hour, only to get stuck in central Pennsylvania, somewhere around Hazelton, for an hour and a half.  Consequently, we didn’t roll into the DC area until almost 4 p.m.  Once I got out of the car I was enveloped into the heat and humidity of the Mid-Atlantic region.  Hello summer!  Honestly, it was kind of nice, especially considering I’d been freezing for the previous two weeks.

After I took the kids swimming, we met one of my blogger friends for dinner at PF Changs.  Kristi Campbell (A.K.A. Finding Ninee), is a friend I met on line and we really connected.  Kristi’s been very supportive and we have a lot in common, so when I told her I’d be passing through the area, we decided to meet “for real.”  She brought her five year old son Tucker.  I must say they are both good sports, because you never know what you’re going to get with our crew!  The good news is that my kids were exceptionally well behaved (granted, with the help of technologyJ) and they loved hanging out with Tucker.  Kristi and I got to know each a little better and talk shop, which I loved!  I just wish we’d had more time!  Hopefully our paths with cross again soon at a blogging conference.

Kristi & I

The next day I was not in a rush to leave, knowing that DC rush hour traffic is a nightmare.  We departed about 9:30 for Raleigh.  I was hoping to get in at a decent hour so we could tour the capitol and I had there was a book signing I wanted to attend.  It should have been a four hour drive, but no such luck.  South of DC, we were at a standstill for almost an hour!  Then, after we crossed the North Carolina border, I saw signs warning drivers of congested traffic ahead, with a suggested alternate route.  Thank you, North Carolina – for sending me on a detour into a road construction hornets’ nest that cost me yet another hour.  Grrrr.

 

We arrived so late that I had to scratch the book event I had planned to attend.  In the end, this turned out to be a blessing, because we got to spend more time visiting the Kaufman family.  Deb was my best friend at CNN when I worked there – a life time ago.  She and her husband Marc moved to Raleigh around the time Rich I moved to DC.  We visited Raleigh on our first road trip, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen them.  Fortunately, whenever we do get together, it’s as if no time has passed.  Don’t you love friends like that?  An added bonus – our kids love hanging out, too!

 

Deb & I

We woke up on Saturday, ready for our last journey.  I was ready to go home, but honesty, I always have a heavy heart on our last day.  It’s similar to that feeling you get on December 26^th.  I don’t do endings well.

The capitol building in Raleigh.

 

We drove home through Columbia South Carolina, so we could see the capitol – our 36th capital city and capitol building!  Yes, we are kind of dorky about this.  Don’t ask me why – because I do not know.  After that, we were westbound and down on I 20, heading to Atlanta.  But the traffic Gods were not done with me yet!  We ran into a wall about 30 east of the city.  I am not kidding.

 

The capitol building in Columbia.

 

But eventually, we did make it home! 

Our many bags of dirty laundry!

 

On our first day back, I did seventeen loads of laundry!  I think that’s a record.  On Monday, the Lewis Family arrived from Florida for a visit and then, suddenly, it was the Fourth of July.  Time is flying.  The summer is more than half over and in two days we leave for Michigan.  I won’t document that trip daily, but I will pop by with a summary, as we do plan to explore some more of the Wolverine State.  I’ll also do my annual summer travel stats and favorites as a wrap upJ!