The Big Loopy Road Trip

Driving, driving, driving. That’s all that this post should be. We did 9 hours of music, reading and me winning at road trip bingo even though Dad and Harry thought I cheated. (I swear I didn’t. I just excel at everything) They also should be thanking me because of my wanting of a picture and needing to use the bathroom, we avoided a car crash that happened a few cars before us, that is if we continued on the highway. I saved the day by helping us not sit in traffic for hours. We are now in a hotel in St.Louis, Missouri. Tomorrow we will actually see the Arch up close but for now we only obtain pictures from a far. -Addie

It was a good day today. We went go to see an re-enactment of Patience Cooper’s colonial life at Sycamore Shoals, where the frontier started (the signing of the Transylvania Treaty, giving the US 3 million more acres). It was very fun 😁. Then we put some of moms ashes in Tennessee next to her dad and grandfather. We went and had lunch in a restaurant called “The Southern Restaurant”. The food was great, but if you ever go down south to eat get tea not sweet tea. It is way too sweet. We later went swimming in a salt pool. That was fun. After that we got to celebrate my moms life in my grandma’s church. It was sad but we know that she would be happy we did it. Tomorrow we are going back on the road and it is going to be a long trip, 9 hour car ride. Much hasn’t happened yet but it has still been a slow start to the trip. But I know as we go on the adventure will increase. -Harry

We spent Friday in Elizabethton, Tennessee, the town where Rachel grew up. It’s emotional to drive through this town without her. I feel like such an outsider, even though all her friends and family here could not be nicer. It was a dull day by any standards for the kids; I spent the morning in the bank (sorting our her mom’s financial situation) and then at the Social Security office in Johnson City to sort through her brother’s affairs. Then we went to Sheree’s house. She is the woman helping Libby with her daily affairs. I could not be doing any of this without her help. She has a great pool at her house and the kids finally got some play time. Tonight is the celebration for Rachel. I do not feel prepared.

We now return to our trip, day 2. We left off in a small town (Weston) in West Virginia. After a hardy hotel breakfast we set out to find a hiking trail, only to get a 3 minute walk up hill onto the Stonewall Jackson dam. Then we waited in the humid heat for half an hour for the opening of the Tran Aleghany Insane Asylum. The place opened in 1861 originally meant for civil war patients who were losing their marbles. There were rooms made for 250 people but they ended up carrying 2600 people. This is one of the reasons it shut down in 1994. Many of the patients died in housing there. Our tour guide also let us communicate with a ghost of the dead by knocking on a door and getting a response. Thus convincing us that it is definitely, without a doubt, haunted. Then we drove down through Virginia into Tennessee where we will spend the next 2 days. If we don’t all die from the southern heat that we Rochester common folk cant handle we will get back to you soon. -Addie ...

So far, so good. We left (mostly) on time (its never on time when Harry is involved) and drove to Weston, West Virginia. It only took 237 miles for Harry to ask “are we there yet?” (His exact words, without irony). Weston is pure Trump country. Small, nearly dead, tucked in to the hills. Very nice people. We ate Appalachian Soul Food’ at Giovanni’s. It is everything you think it should be. I will leave the writing to the kids as much as I can.

hey everyone. this is day ONE of a month long road trip for Brian, Harry and Addie. Its a chance for us to establish the new family dynamic, see parts of the country we wouldn't ordinarily see, and to find a beautiful spot on the Oregon coast to bury the ashes of Rachel, the true strength of the family. Follow us on the trip and leave comments so the kids are sooooo bored on the multi-day drive.