On the Road (USNERT14 Part 4)

Did I mention I did this road trip without Dan? Though it was J's birthday wish, it was only possible because (1)  our three kids are amazing on the road, (2) Dan is endlessly patient with my attempts at adventure and supported this plan in the middle of a busy time at work, and (3) my compulsion to keep in touch with people who have changed me. The last time I did close to this long of a drive with the kids was three and a half years ago. It was time to try the adventure again.

Highlights of time on the road included:

J's stellar attitude (driven by his determination to see Oak)

One Republic tunes with lyrics we like

Only one stop on the ten-hour drive at a rest stop in Connecticut.

An unexpected stop at the Martinez home on the way there

Clouds and sunsets

Calling my mom and saying "guess where I'm headed?"

(She always gets really excited for me. I love that.)

A book on tape about colonial America

Traffic coming through the Bronx on Tuesday

Moo Thru on the way home, our final hurrah

Unexpected lowlights

The cigarette lighter/charge port stopped working

Which meant I lost use of my GPS and DVD player

Every now and then I remembered to capture what I saw out the window. The sky was so beautiful in so many different ways, and the landscape varied from state to state. There was always something to note, whether it was the type of trees or their height or their leaf color or density.

Connecticut

The Bronx

I really enjoyed that we were stuck in a little bit of traffic here. For once I was happy to take notice of these buildings and imagine life in this part of New York City.

On Monday night the southern Massachusetts sunset went 

from this...

to this--

--to this. 
I couldn't imagine being in a more beautiful place at this moment.

We love it when the temple comes into view heading south from Maryland into Virginia.

Bridges became another fascination on this trip while I was on the road. After riding my bike over the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges this summer in NYC, I've become an observer of the unique constructions of suspension bridges. I would have snapped a photo of the Tappan Zee Bridge, but we came over too late. 

The George Washington Bridge in NYC, NY

The Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, PA

We didn't do everything on our itinerary. For future trips we're saving the Declaration House in Philly and all the historical sites there. We will go to the LDS temple site next time we are there, too. I would love to spend more time at Adams Historical Park in Quincy and tour all the spots on the Freedom Trail, too.