Four Days On the Road
Mar. 16th, 2012 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jo_anne_stormMakes for tired and cranky kids, adults, and pets. How did my parents do this? We went on road trips all the time when I was little.
Of course, it might explain why they loved the motor home so much when we got it...
So, we left Monday at about noon. Which was a good two hours after we had planned on leaving. But these things happen. Having #3 discombobulated by being in a hotel room and spending the days cleaning meant that we did not get everything done when we needed it done. Made for very stressed adults.
Anyway, the plan had been to go to Biloxi, Miss and fly kites on the beach. It's one of DH's treasured memories from childhood. But since we got there late, and it was rainy, that plan was scrapped. We did go to the Jeff Davis home, though. That was fun.
Day 2 was travel to just east of Houston, TX (which turned out to be too close to Houston proper). Seriously, Texans are insane drivers. And the roads are confusing. We didn't get to the hotel until 8 and decided that the Denny's that shared the parking lot was a fine answer to dinner. Eldest started looking really tired and pitiful half-way through eating, and we thought that he was just that tired and told him that he had to finish half his BLT.
Which led to him vomiting up his half a BLT. Yay. Fun. Luckily the rest of us were done eating. So, back to the hotel and into bed for him. He woke up again at around midnight and emptied his stomach again. On the floor. Fun. Not.
Luckily he was all better the morning of the third day. Which was also the longest driving day. And was... Stressful. We made it through Houston (much easier in the daylight) and toodled along towards San Antonio. Decided to circle around the city on HWY 46, which I think was much more pleasant.
So, about 45 minutes from the hotel, #3 is screaming because he's hungry and needs a new diaper. And there's no where to pull over to change and feed him. I'm intent on getting to the next actual exit, not a farm maintenance road, and do not pay attention to how fast I'm going as I pass an eighteen wheeler going up a hill.
Red lights in my rear-view mirror.
Fuck.
Clocked doing 90 in the 80 zone. I don't argue, don't explain that the baby was screaming (he could hear the munchkin, so if he was going to cut me some slack, he would have already done so). I had to ask him to repeat himself when he explained how to pay it, because #3 was so loud that I could not hear the cop.
Find the next exit, change the baby, try to feed him. But at this point I'm so upset that I just can't. He refused to eat. Drive again, him screaming again, until a rest area, where I try again.
At this point I'm in tears. Because I'm just that upset.
Pull into the hotel, unload the kids, and meet DH at the door. He takes one look at me and asks "That bad?"
"I got a ticket." *sulk, sniffle*
"That's OK, I did too."
Which led to me bursting into laughter, which was better than the tears.
Turns out that he got caught in the exact same speed trap ten minutes before I did. He was going 89. I have to call my sister to tell her, because I had to tell someone. She did not actually drop the phone while laughing. But it was close.
Day four meant arriving in El Paso. Checked into the hotel and we all gave a huge sigh of relief. The on base hotel is obviously converted quarters. Two rooms connected by a bathroom. Which means that we're not in each other's back pockets. #3 has had room to move! He was so relieved.
The house we're renting is good. Well, DH's truck will not fit into the garage. But that's OK. We'll park in the driveway and use the garage as storage/project space.
So, as I mentioned before, Texans are insane drivers. And the laws seem to be a little different. Everywhere else I've been, the speed limit is the speed you start out at. It's normal to drive in the left lane and do 5 miles over. In TX, drivers seem to drive whatever speed they want, as long as it's not faster than the limit.
The other difference is on ramps. People coming onto the interstate to not yield here! They assume that the interstate traffic will yield. We were following the realtor yesterday and she pulled out right in front of an 18 wheeler. I have no idea how she did not die.
Also, dually trucks should not be driven like sports cars!!! YIKES!!!!
Of course, it might explain why they loved the motor home so much when we got it...
So, we left Monday at about noon. Which was a good two hours after we had planned on leaving. But these things happen. Having #3 discombobulated by being in a hotel room and spending the days cleaning meant that we did not get everything done when we needed it done. Made for very stressed adults.
Anyway, the plan had been to go to Biloxi, Miss and fly kites on the beach. It's one of DH's treasured memories from childhood. But since we got there late, and it was rainy, that plan was scrapped. We did go to the Jeff Davis home, though. That was fun.
Day 2 was travel to just east of Houston, TX (which turned out to be too close to Houston proper). Seriously, Texans are insane drivers. And the roads are confusing. We didn't get to the hotel until 8 and decided that the Denny's that shared the parking lot was a fine answer to dinner. Eldest started looking really tired and pitiful half-way through eating, and we thought that he was just that tired and told him that he had to finish half his BLT.
Which led to him vomiting up his half a BLT. Yay. Fun. Luckily the rest of us were done eating. So, back to the hotel and into bed for him. He woke up again at around midnight and emptied his stomach again. On the floor. Fun. Not.
Luckily he was all better the morning of the third day. Which was also the longest driving day. And was... Stressful. We made it through Houston (much easier in the daylight) and toodled along towards San Antonio. Decided to circle around the city on HWY 46, which I think was much more pleasant.
So, about 45 minutes from the hotel, #3 is screaming because he's hungry and needs a new diaper. And there's no where to pull over to change and feed him. I'm intent on getting to the next actual exit, not a farm maintenance road, and do not pay attention to how fast I'm going as I pass an eighteen wheeler going up a hill.
Red lights in my rear-view mirror.
Fuck.
Clocked doing 90 in the 80 zone. I don't argue, don't explain that the baby was screaming (he could hear the munchkin, so if he was going to cut me some slack, he would have already done so). I had to ask him to repeat himself when he explained how to pay it, because #3 was so loud that I could not hear the cop.
Find the next exit, change the baby, try to feed him. But at this point I'm so upset that I just can't. He refused to eat. Drive again, him screaming again, until a rest area, where I try again.
At this point I'm in tears. Because I'm just that upset.
Pull into the hotel, unload the kids, and meet DH at the door. He takes one look at me and asks "That bad?"
"I got a ticket." *sulk, sniffle*
"That's OK, I did too."
Which led to me bursting into laughter, which was better than the tears.
Turns out that he got caught in the exact same speed trap ten minutes before I did. He was going 89. I have to call my sister to tell her, because I had to tell someone. She did not actually drop the phone while laughing. But it was close.
Day four meant arriving in El Paso. Checked into the hotel and we all gave a huge sigh of relief. The on base hotel is obviously converted quarters. Two rooms connected by a bathroom. Which means that we're not in each other's back pockets. #3 has had room to move! He was so relieved.
The house we're renting is good. Well, DH's truck will not fit into the garage. But that's OK. We'll park in the driveway and use the garage as storage/project space.
So, as I mentioned before, Texans are insane drivers. And the laws seem to be a little different. Everywhere else I've been, the speed limit is the speed you start out at. It's normal to drive in the left lane and do 5 miles over. In TX, drivers seem to drive whatever speed they want, as long as it's not faster than the limit.
The other difference is on ramps. People coming onto the interstate to not yield here! They assume that the interstate traffic will yield. We were following the realtor yesterday and she pulled out right in front of an 18 wheeler. I have no idea how she did not die.
Also, dually trucks should not be driven like sports cars!!! YIKES!!!!
