For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only! (III)

[dvczerfs]

dvczerfs: Your latest countdown is rapidly approaching single digits.

All the best with your next record-extending drive!
[see post #1 on this thread for the all-time driving records]

yes it is bc!! thank you!!!
i took dw to philly wednesday for her check ups so i got some turnpike time with the new benz. im thinking i may be able to shave off some time on this next trip.

 

[dvczerfs]

yes it is bc!! thank you!!!
i took dw to philly wednesday for her check ups so i got some turnpike time with the new benz. im thinking i may be able to shave off some time on this next trip.

oh, i know alot of you have been here a long time and i mentioned on here about my wife tammy. about five years ago she started to lose her vision in her one eye. we live about an hour from philly and wills eye hospital. she lost her vision completely in her left eye and two years ago they discovered a tumor on her optic nerve. it grew from the inside out so by the time it showed up on mri's, it was to late.
they went in (dont ask) and took a sample of the tumor and it was non cancerous. after she recovered from the operation, about 4 months, they gave her a one shot dose of radiation and killed the tumor. it was the size of a quarter and now is half the size of a dime with holes in it.
about a year ago, they discovered a "mark" on her brain. it was basicly radiation burn. after many trip to jefferson univ. and wills eye, the tumor is dead, the spot on her brain is gone and we only have to go back to wills one time per year to her eye doctor.
i just wanted to add, wills eye hospital and jefferson univ. hospital saved her life. i spent most of my childhood in hospitals for my parents and i never seen bedside manor and people who realy care than i did at these two places. from the doctor who sat with tammy, holding her hand while she cried for 15 min. when she was told she will never see again in that eye and what they had to do, to the nurses, aides and even the guy who emptied the trash cans in her room. if anyone ever has an eye issue, i would recomend wills and jefferson. just incase anyone works there and reads this, thank you!

 

[pit303]

Heading out tonight for Jacksonville, FL by tomorrow night, then on to Port Canaveral, Saturday, for our 7 night Fantasy cruise. Hoping Isaac & the other unnamed storm stay out of our way.

I had talked about taking the AutoTrain home, but DH wants to drive home so we can stop at the fruit stands on the way. Can't do that on the train.

I have ex family also on that cruise if you run into Carol and Tom from Leesburg, FL tell them Maureen said "HI"!! Have a great cruise can't wait until the day we do our 1st Fantasy cruise!

 

[sharadoc]

sorry sharon!! he didnt text me back. (maybe out of the counrty)
i had to take tammy to philly this morning, all is well!!!
go around if your not sure, better than sitting in traffic.

No worries! We are home and we did fine!

I must say that this drive was the best in a couple of years. Here's our generic schedule:

Left home last Monday a 9:15, grabbed coffee and gas
Stopped for the night in Pooler/North Savannah GA
Got up next morning by 8, had breakfast and arrived at Fort Wilderness by 2:10 pm

Got grocery delivery from WeGoShop. Worked out GREAT!!

Left yesterday from the Fort at 11:15 and slept in Wilson, NC. We used 295 and loved it
Left this morning around 9:15, arrived home at 5:05. Stayed on 95 in DC and Baltimore, NO problems. Hit a little bit of traffic in Delaware/PA right before getting onto 476, accident. Forgot all about the MD toll that's only on the northbound side, had to get off the highway and find an ATM because we were 48 cents short!!! (I gave Lauren a dollar for the claw machine at dinner yesterday LOL)

So now we're sticking with the 2 day schedule. We were so much better rested and much less stressed. We have the time to do it in the summer but we have no idea how we'll do it if we go at different times of the year.

Speaking of which, we don't know when to go next. Lauren does summer performing arts camp and was also in the show - High School Musical Jr. LOL It's rehearsal every night all summer, then 4 shows in 3 days - this year Aug 10-12. We left the next day after her last show and I think we were all too worn out from the hectic schedule all summer. The rehearsals start the week after school lets out and so we can't go in June any more. She said she was too tired to really enjoy WDW this time and would prefer that we go at some other time.

We only want to do 5 days out from school now that she's in 6th grade, so that leaves us Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. So our next trip may not be until Thanksgiving 2013 That will also be our 26th wedding anniversary. Maybe we should plan a party while we're there!

We're sitting here eating Chinese take-out and decompressing.

 

[Disneyholic]

Fruit stands, eh?

From our experience, the best one (inventory, neatness, so-so bathroom) is located on I-95N at exit #298. Our second favorite is at exit #329. The rest that we have frequented during our many drives include those at exits #173, #284, #311, and #373.

Have a safe drive; hopefully, for your sake, Isaac will keep moving westward.

All the best.

We will probably be going hometown 81, but thanks for the info in case we change our minds. We are in a rest stop in Maryland for a nap since a little after midnight. I worked Thursday & DH did all the last minute stuff at home. After 2 1/2 hrs for me & 2 1/2 forbid we were wiped out.

I have ex family also on that cruise if you run into Carol and Tom from Leesburg, FL tell them Maureen said "HI"!! Have a great cruise can't wait until the day we do our 1st Fantasy cruise!

I will keep an eye out. Wouldn't it be funny if they were our tablemates. Wouldn't be the first time we had a coincidence like that on our trips.

 

[darrengs]

We arrived last night.

This was my first drive with my family, it was DW, DS(14),DD(9) and myself. We left at 3:45AM from Northern NJ and arrived at a hotel in Kissimee at 10:30PM. I took the inland route and would suggest this route to anyone as we hit zero traffic. We stopped for gas 3 times and food three times, breakfast and lunch was to go but dinner was a quick 30 minutes in subway in Georgia. I drove the speedlimit all of the way (much to my wifes dismay), the largest police presence was in North Carolina, and we saw serveral people pulled over. We did hit rain from Georgia into Florida, but not long after entering Florida it stopped. I was surprised by the amount of weaving and cutting off the trucks do, but it was not really a problem.

My original plan was to stop at a Comfort Inn Suites in Brunswick Georgia, but somehow on the way down my family became a democracy, and they voted 3 to 1 that we shouldd drive straight through. So my wife got on the phone and cancelled the reservation and made a new one for a Comfort Inn Suites on 192 in Kissimee. I am here now after a great nights sleep, and today we check in to the POFQ for our stay.

The kids and the ride went much better then I could have ever hoped for and would definitely do it again. The biggest downside with driving is the overpacking my wife did, boy are those bags heavy. As we were driving through Florida last night, my wife and I discussed that even with flying we still take a travel day and we really did not lose much by driving.

Now we must decide what to do with the extra full day that I did not plan for.

 

[BC1836]

No worries! We are home and we did fine!

Left home last Monday a 9:15, Left yesterday from the Fort at 11:15 and slept in Wilson, NC. We used 295 and loved it

Left this morning around 9:15, arrived home at 5:05.

sharadoc: Another successful drive and enjoyable WDW stay! Good for you!

It just seemed that you were about to depart for WDW. Alas, such is the case so many times for a WDW round-trip drive.

All the best.

 

[MinnieTink]

Hi drivers! Well we are on our way now. Left northern NJ at 2:40 am. 8 hours later right now and we are in NC. No issues at all. Gas prices seem to be consistent. $3.69 at home and 3.78 at the Oasis at Exit 168 in Halifax NC. (have you stopped at this place? There's a Dunkin and a convenience store...with a big stuffed hippo head coming out of the floor lol.)

Safe travels to all!!!

 

[BC1836]

Hi drivers! Well we are on our way now. Left northern NJ at 2:40 am. 8 hours later right now and we are in NC. No issues at all. Gas prices seem to be consistent. $3.69 at home and 3.78 at the Oasis at Exit 168 in Halifax NC. (have you stopped at this place? There's a Dunkin and a convenience store...with a big stuffed hippo head coming out of the floor lol.)

Safe travels to all!!!

Informative report! Thanks. An I-95 drive?

Please, if possible, provide driving times from state border to state border.

Safe travels!

All the best.

 

[MinnieTink]

Informative report! Thanks. An I-95 drive?

Please, if possible, provide driving times from state border to state border.

Safe travels!

All the best.

You got it. Made it to DE at 4:30 am. MD by 4:44 am. We crossed into VA at 6:15 am. And into NC at 8:49 am. It's 11:24 am and we are 17 miles from South of the Border, says Pedro.

 

[BC1836]

You got it. Made it to DE at 4:30 am. MD by 4:44 am. We crossed into VA at 6:15 am. And into NC at 8:49 am. It's 11:24 am and we are 17 miles from South of the Border, says Pedro.

Thanks so much!

Pedro, eh? See if there are more than ten cars (not counting the gas station) on the entire property.

All the best.

 

[nono]

at the Oasis at Exit 168 in Halifax NC. (have you stopped at this place?

Yes!! We always try to stop for gas there, and also at an unrelated Go Oasis at Exit 29 in GA.

 

[sharadoc]

Fruit stands, eh?

From our experience, the best one (inventory, neatness, so-so bathroom) is located on I-95N at exit #298. Our second favorite is at exit #329. The rest that we have frequented during our many drives include those at exits #173, #284, #311, and #373.

Have a safe drive; hopefully, for your sake, Isaac will keep moving westward.

All the best.

Are these all Florida? We want to stop but were unsure. Like tourist trap, ripoff, etc. We also want to buy boiled peanuts, we've heard they are awesome but don't know where to stop for them either. Any suggestions?

 

[sharadoc]

Thanks so much!

Pedro, eh? See if there are more than ten cars (not counting the gas station) on the entire property.

All the best.

I am completely convinced it's either money laundering, drugs or moonshiners! NEVER see more than 10 cars day or night.

 

[sharadoc]

yes it is bc!! thank you!!!
i took dw to philly wednesday for her check ups so i got some turnpike time with the new benz. im thinking i may be able to shave off some time on this next trip.

Oh boy

 

[sharadoc]

oh, i know alot of you have been here a long time and i mentioned on here about my wife tammy. about five years ago she started to lose her vision in her one eye. we live about an hour from philly and wills eye hospital. she lost her vision completely in her left eye and two years ago they discovered a tumor on her optic nerve. it grew from the inside out so by the time it showed up on mri's, it was to late.
they went in (dont ask) and took a sample of the tumor and it was non cancerous. after she recovered from the operation, about 4 months, they gave her a one shot dose of radiation and killed the tumor. it was the size of a quarter and now is half the size of a dime with holes in it.
about a year ago, they discovered a "mark" on her brain. it was basicly radiation burn. after many trip to jefferson univ. and wills eye, the tumor is dead, the spot on her brain is gone and we only have to go back to wills one time per year to her eye doctor.
i just wanted to add, wills eye hospital and jefferson univ. hospital saved her life. i spent most of my childhood in hospitals for my parents and i never seen bedside manor and people who realy care than i did at these two places. from the doctor who sat with tammy, holding her hand while she cried for 15 min. when she was told she will never see again in that eye and what they had to do, to the nurses, aides and even the guy who emptied the trash cans in her room. if anyone ever has an eye issue, i would recomend wills and jefferson. just incase anyone works there and reads this, thank you!

So so happy with the latest report. Please give Tammy a big hug from both of us, or two, one at a time from each of us

 

[BC1836]

Are these all Florida? We want to stop but were unsure. Like tourist trap, ripoff, etc. We also want to buy boiled peanuts, we've heard they are awesome but don't know where to stop for them either. Any suggestions?

Yup, all Florida: I-95N.

All the best.

 

[MinnieTink]

You got it. Made it to DE at 4:30 am. MD by 4:44 am. We crossed into VA at 6:15 am. And into NC at 8:49 am. It's 11:24 am and we are 17 miles from South of the Border, says Pedro.

Update: got into Ga at 3:40 pm. Florida at 4:21. Just pulled into POR at 7:20 pm.

Gas was 3.43 in SC. And went up to 3.79 in GA.

Going to have fun now!!!

 

[dvczerfs]

No worries! We are home and we did fine!

I must say that this drive was the best in a couple of years. Here's our generic schedule:

Left home last Monday a 9:15, grabbed coffee and gas
Stopped for the night in Pooler/North Savannah GA
Got up next morning by 8, had breakfast and arrived at Fort Wilderness by 2:10 pm

Got grocery delivery from WeGoShop. Worked out GREAT!!

Left yesterday from the Fort at 11:15 and slept in Wilson, NC. We used 295 and loved it
Left this morning around 9:15, arrived home at 5:05. Stayed on 95 in DC and Baltimore, NO problems. Hit a little bit of traffic in Delaware/PA right before getting onto 476, accident. Forgot all about the MD toll that's only on the northbound side, had to get off the highway and find an ATM because we were 48 cents short!!! (I gave Lauren a dollar for the claw machine at dinner yesterday LOL)

So now we're sticking with the 2 day schedule. We were so much better rested and much less stressed. We have the time to do it in the summer but we have no idea how we'll do it if we go at different times of the year.

Speaking of which, we don't know when to go next. Lauren does summer performing arts camp and was also in the show - High School Musical Jr. LOL It's rehearsal every night all summer, then 4 shows in 3 days - this year Aug 10-12. We left the next day after her last show and I think we were all too worn out from the hectic schedule all summer. The rehearsals start the week after school lets out and so we can't go in June any more. She said she was too tired to really enjoy WDW this time and would prefer that we go at some other time.

We only want to do 5 days out from school now that she's in 6th grade, so that leaves us Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. So our next trip may not be until Thanksgiving 2013 That will also be our 26th wedding anniversary. Maybe we should plan a party while we're there!

We're sitting here eating Chinese take-out and decompressing.

hi sharon!! glad you had a great trip. that is a busy line up in the summer.

So so happy with the latest report. Please give Tammy a big hug from both of us, or two, one at a time from each of us

will do and thank you!

 

[dvczerfs]

THANKS BC!!