Day 9

Sunday, March 9

Sunday was the first day we didn't have to wake up at 0'dark thirty to get ready and hit the road. It was sooooo nice to sleep in and then have a leisurely lunch at a local cafe. By early afternoon, we started the 2 hour drive to Philadelphia. 

Baltimore skyline. You can sort of see M&T Bank Stadium. GO RAVENS!!!

Then it was on to Delaware, where of course we had to hit Dunkin Donuts one last time! And yeeeeeeah, 95 North looks the same pretty much everywhere at this point. 

Then it was time for PA!

Woohoo!!! A short time later, we made it safely to our new home northwest of Philly :)

I still owe a full review of 50 Shades and of course some Henry updates! I'll get them posted as soon as I can :) 

Day 8

Saturday, March 8

Even though it was Saturday, we were still up bright and early for the next to last leg of our trip. By 8am we were on the road and heading for Maryland. Due to the ice storm the day before, there were tons of downed trees and we kept hearing about people that were still without power. Again, we felt very lucky that our hotel had power and that we didn't end up stranded!

We finally ended our journey on I-40 east and headed north on 85. I've done that particular drive before and sadly it's just a highway in the woods, like the pic below. But hey, finally heading north was exciting! And we crossed into my home state of Virginia. 

We passed through Richmond and then it was onto the DC area. Ugh, traffic is still horrible in the mixing bowl area. Yes, even on a Saturday. I've been gone for 7 years and didn't miss the congestion on 495 one bit!

But we finally crossed into Maryland and made it to my sister's house so we could see her, my brother in law, my niece, and my mom. Whew!!

We had dinner in historic Ellicott City, at a brewery/restaurant. Baby C had a great time!

Love the photobomb here, Mom!

The microbrews were really good but unfortunately I only got one pic of the food I had. You'll just have to trust me that everyone else's was delicious as well!

We had a great time visiting with everyone, plus Henry was finally able to meet Bowser :) 

Day 7

Friday, March 7

TGIF! We're coming to the end of our road trip - the time definitely has flown by. Today we left Nashville and headed further east on 40, with a planned stop in Asheville, NC. 

The highway took us through the mountains, where we crossed into North Carolina. 

Next up, Asheville!

It was a cold, gray day but that was fine with us since the rest of NC was getting hit with sleet and ice. More on that in a bit. We stopped at the Tupelo Honey Cafe, which serves Southern cooking with a fancy twist. While they're not dog friendly, there was a small park right across the street so we were able to get takeout and eat there. 

Because my family will ask (😃) here's what we had:

- Fried chicken BLT with smashed cauliflower and cheese

- House made biscuits with blueberry compote

-Fried green tomatoes with goat cheese grits and basil

And it was all amazing! Well worth the detour. 

Here's the park where we ate lunch

I really wish we could have gone to the Biltmore but $50 tickets were not in the budget on this trip. They do allow dogs on the grounds though! I definitely want to go back, so hopefully we can check out the mansion in the near future. 

Back on the road again, we headed for Winston Salem, NC. 

Before we left Nashville this morning, the Weather Channel alerted us that winter storm Ulysses was hitting NC, including the Triad area where we were headed. Freezing rain, ice, and snow. Oh and lots of power outages. When we arrived at our hotel, we could see the aftermath. Apparently they had only had power restored 2 hours before we got there. Plus the hotel was completely booked. So glad we booked a couple days ago!

Oh and just because its below freezing doesn't mean the pool should be closed! I guess the Polar Bear club must be staying here, haha. 

Tomorrow we're headed to Maryland to see my family!!!

Sleeping Beauty

This is too cute not to share - Henry is thoroughly pooped after his day in Nashville! I'm pretty sure he's dreaming about his buddies back in SF and meeting his fur cousins in Baltimore and Philly!

Day 6

Thursday, March 6

We originally planned to drive straight from OKC to Nashville in one day, but we realized that a 10 hour drive could quickly turn into a 12 hour day. So we decided to stay the night in Memphis and make the quick drive to Nashville on Thursday, then take some time to explore. 

Some extra cuddles for Henry. Doesn't he look so happy?

Had to checkout Graceland before we left Memphis. The whole stone gate is covered in graffiti. 

Back on good old I-40. So thrilled to be back in Dunkin Donuts country!! It's been too long 

It was only a matter of time before I found a Chic Fil A that was open and conveniently on our way. (Although after this trip, I may be giving up fast food for the rest of Lent!) 

Oh hey there in the front seat! It looks like he's keeping an eye on the speedometer. 

It was only a 3.5 hour drive to Nashville, so we got in around 3pm. 

We dropped off our stuff at the hotel and immediately set off to explore. Using the power of the internets I found a dog friendly brewery, 12 South Taproom and Grill, and we headed there. 

Local brews (mine was Country Boy Cougar Bait, you just can't make this stuff up!) plus chips and queso. Tired from his long day, even Henry indulged.

Next we wandered around the neighborhood, including visiting a local pet store for treats and a local park. Had it not been so chilly we'd have walked around some more. On the way back to the car, Colin hit The Filling Station for a few more local beers and then we headed back to our hotel to chill out for a bit. 

We're in the home stretch of our trip! Tomorrow we'll be in North Carolina :)

50 Shades of Cray

As a going away present, our awesome friends gifted us with 2 things: a road trip guide book for me (yay!!) and 50 Shades of Gray on CD for Colin. Hmmmm.....

The road trip book is great. I love finding hidden gems to visit on trips!

Now, for that other book....

It's 16 discs and 20 hours. We've gotten some *interesting* comments when we, ok Colin, share with people that we plan to listen to it. Can't wait to see if this lives up to the hype.

PS: can I say I've read the book if I only listened to it? 

Day 5

Wednesday, March 5

Luckily, Henry has adjusted to hotel life. Just call him Eloise!

We drove through the rest of Oklahoma, then hit 2 more states on Wednesday - Arkansas, and Tennessee. 

OKC skyline

Arkansas

Well, it had to happen - we hit our first traffic issue of the trip. It was a serious snafu...and y'all should all know what stands for! Just outside the Arkansas - Tennessee border we saw a highway alert and bailed onto a local highway that parallels I-40. Which of course was partially plowed and had lots of 18 wheeler trucks. Awesome! Luckily Colin is a really good driver and Minnie came out unscathed. Honestly, I had no idea it got so cold and icy in Arkansas! Below the bumper to bumper traffic (to the left) and one of the offending trucks in front of us. 

Tennessee

That was supposed to be the TN welcome sign. Sorry but you'll have to deal with my blurry photo. My nerves were shot from an hour of white knuckling. 

Crossing the Mississippi River

And the highlight of our day, authentic BBQ! Brisket, potato salad, baked beans, and fried peach pie. Yum!!

Plus, Bud Light!!

Tomorrow we're off to Nashville!