... is actually many roads. And there are a few different routes you can travel when starting from the Southern Tier. You're probably going to start on I-81 South and from there you have a few choices. But before going too far, make sure you stop at my favorite trucker station - The Flying J - and fill up your tank on that cheaper out-of-state gas!
But I am getting ahead of myself. The day before moving, a Sunday, we were helped by some of our closest church friends, and we really appreciate the effort and time they gave to us. Among those people was Andrea's family, who graciously volunteered themselves in traveling and moving us into our new apartment the following day. Despite my fears that the moving truck (or apartment) would "shrink" as we loaded our possessions, it never did and everything fit with more than enough room.
The plan for moving required four drivers and four vehicles. I accepted the challenge of driving the moving truck and was accompanied by our cat, Mert. Andrea drove the family car (named Elaine) with her mother entertaining Evelyn. Adam, who accompanied me to Virginia in my previous post, drove my car (Serena) with his sister, Becca. And Andrea's father, D., drove down in the Charger so that everyone had a ride back to New York the next morning.
However, nothing ever goes according to plan. We started over an hour late and the Charger had oil slowly leaking from its reservoir. And when we were ready to leave, there was a loud and obnoxious wood-chipper in front of our house, which is a story for another time. So as we left, we split into three groups. Serena left first to get coffee and breakfast, Elaine traveled behind me, and the charger went to an auto parts store to buy some oil.
Before 30 miles had eclipsed, the cat had wet herself because of stupid wood-chipper and travel stresses, so I was happy when I finally got to the Flying J to meet up with Serena. (Elaine continued on her trek, and we wouldn't see them again until we got to Virginia.) In addition to getting fuel, I was able to clean-up Mert, who had pretty much given up on trying to convince me to let her out of the carrier.
With the exception of southern Pennsylvania, it was pretty smooth driving. Having Serena travel behind me was great to block off cars in the passing lane when I needed to pass, and our fuel tanks were emptying at nearly the same rate. We didn't have to stop again until we got to Maryland for refueling gas tanks and stomachs. Eventually, D. caught up with Elaine, and they traveled in tandem for the rest of the trip. Because our lunch stop was so long, D. and Elaine passed us as we ate and gave Mert clean-up.
From lunch we made it all the way to our new home, Breckenridge Apartments, and were meet by two of my new co-workers who volunteered themselves for physical labor. Not more than ten minutes later, the rest our party arrived, and the rest of the evening was spent going up-and-down stairs, tending to the needs of Mert and Evelyn, and crashing out on mattresses, couches, futons and cots.
Unfortunately, the trip wasn't without some collateral damage. By God's grace we all made it down without any problems, but when we attempted to start Serena at the apartment complex, the engine wouldn't turn. Over the course of the next two days, I worked on it when I had the time, but ultimately, we had to get it towed to the mechanic. In hindsight though, I'm just thankful it didn't stop working in Maryland, when we had lunch, because we would have had some serious complications. So everyone who prayed for safe travels, thank you, because God was merciful to us there.
And that's about it for the Road to Virginia. It's been fun to write about this transition in our lives, and we really appreciate all the support from friends and family that we've received. Seasons of change always make us uncomfortable, but it's a way for us to lean into God and depend on Him all the more. In our weakness and insecurity, there is strength and confidence in the One who is familiar with all our difficulties!
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