Maisie drives 2024 spring break trip

 

Friday, March 22nd 2024

After working in the cold for 8 hours 

5pm drive towards Richmond Michigan

At Bay city the snow storm began

Three hours in slippery snow and darkness

10pm safe at moms

A glass of scotch and a three hour chat

Saturday, March 23rd 2024 

8am

Breakfast with my family

Hair cut

Shop for trip essentials at Target

Walk dogs for Karen

Drink rum with Alex

Enjoy baby Zander and family

Sunday, March 24th 2024

Out the door at 7:20am

15 year old daughter is driving

Breakfast at Mac Donalds

Drove straight through to Charleston, West Virginia

Talking the whole way

2:40pm

Find hotel in industrial area

Lots of hills, rivers, and bridges 

Walk about down town, and the state capital 

A craft beer for dad

Dinner at Jimmy Johns

Ice cream from the Piggly Wiggly

Then a surprise connection with Bill Eddins

Monday, March 25th 2024

7:30am

Waffles at the hotel

Coffee is not drinkable

Find the toll authority hiding between the hills rivers railroads and highways 

8am West Virginia Toll Authority

Then more hills, rivers, railroads, and highways to find coffee

15 year old daughter is driving

In the Appellation Mountains

It’s getting warmer

Trees are showing their flowers and life

Reality confronts us

When a truck and car collide side by side

There is chaos and an explosion of debris on the road 

“Break, break, break, over to the side” are my words 

The daughter did well

No one was hurt

In the tunnel we make Virginia

Later in the sunshine we make North Carolina

60 degrees

North Carolina goes on and on

The daughter DJ’s

We drive through wild fire smoke

We drive down traffic filled narrow country roads (thanks Apple Maps)

Then South Carolina, and Myrtle Beach

4:30pm

We find our hotel

A busy place

Lots of mini golf, stoplights and six lanes 

6:30pm

We find the restaurant on the pier

Photos and a meal

Then the ferris wheel as promised

Its dark before the ride is over

Then ice cream and bed

Tuesday, March 26th 2024

7am

We find the ocean at sunrise

Breakfast at the hotel

Coffee is better

Maisie has her nails done at a solon 

She pays $75 dollars

11am

On the road again

Myrtle Beach State park

$16 to get in

Walk the beach and collect shells

Heading south Dad is driving daughter is resting

Lots of pine forests

4pm at next hotel

Shrimp Creek

Looks like vacation

Lots of water boats and restaurants 

75 degrees and sunny

Walk the surroundings

Then drive to the French Quarter Charleston South Carolina

Over the big bridge

The town is crowded

Lots of cars and narrow streets

Walk about for 2 hours

There are lots of young women taking photos of one another

Visit smallest Target ever for essentials

Back to the Hotel

Out for dinner on Shem Creek

Across from the hotel

It was not so expensive, but it felt fancy

Wednesday, March 27th 2024

Up at 5:40am

On the water to go fishing with Ethan

It’s sort of warm

It’s sort of raining

Maisie catches the first fish

It rains more

Then there are bugs

Then it really rains

We race back to Shrimp creek

The weather improves

So do the bugs

But not the fishing

Daughter 1, Dad none, and Ethan none

Back at the hotel via the dock

Warm cloths

And lunch at Jimmy Johns

Then a thrift store and Nordstrom Rack

Nap time at the hotel

4pm left daughter to nap

Out to take photos of shrimp boats

More rain

After Maisie’s nap

We drove out to Sullivan’s Island

Dinner at Poe’s Tavern 

I had two beers 

Maisie said she would drive

And it was all very fun

After dinner we (illegally) hopped the fence at Battery Thompson 

I cut both arms on the chain link

However it to was fun

Then Macy drove us to Shem Creek

Thursday, March 28th 2024

We skipped the sad breakfast at the hotel

Macy dined on her bag of Funyuns in the car

In the rain we drove downtown in search of a UPS store

And the Charleston market

The market was not open until 9:30

We were a half hour early

However we found a print for Pamela

And then made our way for the nearest Waffle House

Interstate 26 through Columbia, Spartanburg, and Asheville was truly awful. 

Lots of cars and lots of trucks.

The daughter was driving very fast and tailgating

Dad had to remind her of her manners

And to not scare the passengers

She did great and he was proud

After that, the roads were in the mountains, very twisty, tourney, and lots of fun.

3:40pm Gatlinburg TN

Our motel old and rustic owned by Indian immigrants 

The road to a hiking trail very narrow and filled with parked cars

The waterfall trial hike 3 miles one way up hill was one mile too long

We didn’t make the destination

Back to town to find a magnet for Pamela

Gatlinburg is a cute mountain resort town

With loads of shops and restaurants

Crowds of people out walking around.

However, there are no cafes, boutiques, or art galleries

Everything and I mean everything is geared towards Redneck America

Let your imagination wander and then double it

Truly a spectacle to see

So many simple white folk in one area

Also, everyone we talked to was very friendly

Friday, March 29th 2024

7am we are on the road again

In the dark

On the winding road out of town

Through the tunnel and back into civilization

Behind the mountain valley a sprawling tourist complex

Six lanes of traffic surrounded by hotels and attractions

Yuck!

We passed through quickly 

Stopping only for a McDonalds

It was the first time Maisie had show enthusiasm for food

She had the pancake breakfast

I had the breakfast burritos and coffee

I drove the first two hours

Traffic in Cincinnati was horrible

But the sun was out

We made New Baltimore 4:30pm

Maisie’s new (used) car was there waiting for her

I left for Northport at 5pm

Found my own bed at 10:30pm

Brenda had gone to eight states and 2533.5 miles in 7 days

Our latest adventure was home safe