Driving to the end of the Earth

Today is the longest day of the year! Good day for lots of sunlight to drive. We've been driving forever, it seems. We drove from Bill & Beth's house to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

[caption id="attachment_1004" align="aligncenter" width="300"] So much hope![/caption]

We were going to get a hotel room for a night in Atlantic City but after driving the town, getting numbers, calling the hotels, finding rates and looking at our surroundings, we decided against it. First, the hotels we could afford were scuzzy and shady and they didn't accept pets, so Nana would have to sleep in Joon Van...uh, NO!

[caption id="attachment_1005" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Not in my worst nightmare[/caption]

Second, the hotels that had better parking and allowed pets started at $139.95+ tax + pet deposit a night, some even went up to $360...for ONE NIGHT! Plus the hotels that allowed pets don't want you leaving your pet 'unattended' (meaning leave it in a crate when you leave). Before making our final decision we thought we would walk the Boardwalk a bit to see if we would be missing out on anything really big. We parked at a meter, put in 4 hours of change and off we went. The weather was nice, we both had on jeans and long sleeved shirts...pretty windy, cold in the shade, nice in the sun. We walked a good 2-3 miles of the "Worlds Longest Boardwalk". I read in a' Fun Facts of New Jersey' Pamphlet, the Boardwalk is 4 1/2 miles long but then saw somewhere else that it was 6 miles...not sure which one is true but anyway ya slice it, it's long!

There is a ton of stuff going on; mini golf, bars on the beach, bars on the boardwalk, restaurants, shops, the beach itself, small and large casino's and even a little historical park.

[caption id="attachment_1007" align="aligncenter" width="300"] La Playa[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1008" align="aligncenter" width="225"] A 'little bit' of History[/caption]

We even saw some hookin' going down...with no pants on...maybe that's why she was hookin' to go get some pants! haha

[caption id="attachment_1010" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Help this poor girl, she lost her pants![/caption]

We popped in a few of the bigger Casino's, like Bally's and Trump Plaza, to look at some tables and ended up walking out with a Starbuck's instead. We enjoyed the walk and the sights and decided against the hotel this time around. That night we found a Flying J to sleep at, we Love them!

 Seems like since we left New Jersey, that next morning, we've just been driving...oh wait, that is all we've done!

**Sidenote: If you are traveling Northeast, especially up to, around and through New Jersey, be ready to pay some tolls. I took note of every toll we paid in a day and a half and it came out about .15 cents under $30.00. So be prepared!**

[caption id="attachment_1013" align="aligncenter" width="300"] World's Longest Double Suspension Bridge~ Delaware[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1014" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Needing sunglasses on Sidling Hill[/caption]

We stopped in Ohio and we were going to find some parks to hang at for a couple of days like we did in North Carolina, but when we got out of the van to get gas, the heat and humidity was so overwhelming we chose to catch some zzz's and get on with it the next day.

Yesterday morning, we stopped at a rest area and got on the internet and made a plan of going to Roswell, New Mexico for the UFO Festival that's happening June 29-July 1. We punched it into the GPS and started on our way. Hours later we stopped for some ice and to make something to eat and it was at this time, sitting in an uncovered parking lot in the van with fans on and windows open, we changed our minds about going to Roswell...the middle of the freakin' desert in the middle of summer! If it was this hot here (Indianapolis, Indiana), we were sure to be twice as hot there. We got the map back out along with our trusty computers to look at temperatures across the United States...now we're thinking with our noggins! After looking and talking we put a finger on Wyoming~ the temps right now are mid 60's during the day and can get down to the 30's at night. We would definitely be cooler, no doubt. We know it's hot everywhere right now, so we thought this would be a nice change. So...we are driving. We have gone through two time changes already and are just at 740 miles for the day. We've driven through: Peoria, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Des Moines, Iowa (where we stopped at the Worlds Largest Truckstop...don't be jealous), and Omaha, Nebraska.

[caption id="attachment_1018" align="aligncenter" width="300"] We have arrived, haha![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1016" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Got to sit in her...whoa nelly is she big![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1017" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Something out of King of the Hill[/caption]

Since it's the longest day of the year AND we are driving West AND we woke up not knowing of one time change and then hit another time change, it has definitely made this day never-ending. BUT we have gotten a large majority of our trip out of the way. J' is such a trooper, he's been driving 98% of the time, but I was able to give him a break today for a good solid three hours. I'm trying to help, I just get totally freaked out driving with these big trucks, high speeds and curvy roads that he usually can't stand to sit next to me "screaming" and going 10 miles slower than the speed limit...haha but I am still trying to help!

Until next time travelers...

PEACE