Montgomery, Alabama

TripPix.

Sunday was a better day. We woke up to sunny skies and rising temperatures. This would normally have been our “nightmare day” driving through Atlanta but, despite lots of traffic, getting through Birmingham was trouble free.
We saw only patches of snow in isolated, shady places and no ice in the rocks along the highway. I finally noticed a few spring flowers on the side of the road near Cadiz, Kentucky, but nothing in full bloom until we reached our hotel, another Drury Inn, in Montgomery, Alabama. Here, spring is old news, but the air is fresh and full of promise.

Infomercial for the weary traveler: the Drury Inn is great on a road trip because the rooms and amenities are cookie cutter: free one hour of domestic long distance, identical wifi connectivity, Keurig coffee maker, comfortable bed, same white linens, bathroom fixtures identical to the last hotel we were in.

The full hot breakfast is free and so is the happy hour food (salad, pasta entrée, baked potatoes, nachos, hot dogs) and three alcoholic drinks per person (beer wine, mixed drinks). Popcorn and soft drinks are free in the lobby from 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.). Nothing great, but very welcome after a day on the road. Staff are pleasant and well trained. This morning, I reported a broken hair dryer and a replacement was delivered within 5 minutes.

We were exhausted last night and fell asleep during the Oscars. I was awake well before 5 this morning, but feel ready for the day.

Spring on the Road to Mount Vernon

TripPix.

We left home just before 7:00 a.m. and the temperature was already well above freezing. I discarded the lining of my winter jacket before leaving the house and soon took off the outer shell. Early spring!

I woke up in a foul mood, feeling somewhat anxious about the long day on the road and still tired despite a fairly good night's sleep. I was angry with myself for not programming the GPS last night, because sure enough I had forgotten how to use it in the months it has been sitting in Bob's glove compartment. For some reason, unless I entered "Madison" as a coordinate on the trip planner app, I couldn't get the device to accept "Mount Vernon, IL" as a destination.

That decision added to confusion around Madison, because the GPS directed us through the city center, a definite costly "wrong" turn for us. I scrambled to read the paper map and kept us on a route that avoided the city. Bob was sure we were on the wrong route but turns out we were not. Anyway, we stopped for gas not far down the road and confirmed that we were going in the right direction. However, I was flustered and furious, and remained so throughout the day.

A good strong drink might have improved my mood but wait, I can't drink alcohol. Damn. For the first time I regretted the "no booze" restriction imposed by one of my medications (isoniazid - the precautionary drug for latent tuberculosis because of last December's positive TB test, due to childhood exposure to TB or perhaps to subsequent vaccine).

I wished I hadn't worn a warm sweatshirt today! The temperature rose to 58F sometime in the early afternoon. I drove a few miles toward the end of the day and we pulled into Mount Vernon shortly after 6. Our hotel, the Drury Inn, is quite comfortable. Free food and adult beverages from 5:30 to 7:00. We'd snacked on the trail mix Sonia packed for us and weren't particularly hungry, so I picked up a couple of hot dogs -- plenty of food for us.

Ready for Florida

TripPix.

Tomorrow the temperature will rise to 40F in St. Paul, but winter returns on Sunday. Time to get out of town.

We leave for Florida in the morning - a trip that was very iffy when I was so sick last fall. Two months ago I had been out of the hospital only five days and was barely able to navigate stairs. The short walk between the house and the garage was a challenge and I was weak from lack of sleep, probably because of the 40 mg daily dose of prednisone. Today I feel healthier and more energetic than I've been for several years. I am thinner (or, rather, less fat!), very lucky and so grateful.

My stamina is still lacking and I was a little afraid of a grueling road trip with crazy Bob Hennessey, who is always ready for the extra mile, or 100 miles. Fortunately, we've added an extra travel day and will spend Monday night with Bob's sister and her husband in Panama City Beach, a new part of Florida for us to discover. This is our route:

St Paul MN-Mount Vernon IL-Montgomery, AL-Panama City Beach FL-St Pete Beach FL