Roadtrip Experiment: Day 1

Many people have said we are crazy to even try this.  They may be right but we are attempting a family road trip.  This is an experiment so we have no reservations, no plans and no expectations.  If it goes horribly, we'll abort and acknowledge that the rest of the world was right: we were crazy to even try it.

Day one has gone reasonably well.  We got up before dawn, had a hearty breakfast and got on our way.  (Having to stop at the library to drop off the books I'd meant to drop off the previous week notwithstanding.)

We arranged for 2-3 hour driving shifts to allow for frequent bathroom breaks and so that neither Dave nor I would get too exhausted.  I planned ahead, loading up both kids' iPads with their favourite movies and shows but also letting them know there would only be one half hour per shift in the car.  And that they would have to earn that shift by being cooperative for the previous shift.

We had snacks.  We had audiobooks (since Alex sometimes gets upset with music).  We had books and toys for the boys. 

We drove through four states: New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.

There was crankiness and whining, which was expected.  Alex failed to earn one of his screen times but accepted it reasonably well.  The worst part came at the end of the day as we were trying to figure out a suitable hotel and a suitable place to eat.  Note to self: tomorrow, confiscate snacks an hour before supper.  The boys were tired and cranky (and despite their protests to the contrary: hungry).

I took them swimming for an hour, giving Dave a bit of a respite.  And then I pulled out my computer to catch up on some work.

Tomorrow is the big test.  We've done long days in the car but we've never done long back-to-back days.  Will the kids be able to tolerate it?  Who knows.  But even if we are crazy, I'm glad we tried.