day 5: we are here!

After 1783 miles, we catch our first sight of the Great City:

other first glimpses:

as I reflect on the days on the road, here are some lessons learned:

- if you have no A/C, good substitutes for those fresh fruits that would have otherwise quickly gone bad in the heat are banana chips, dried pineapple rings, applesauce cups, dried apricots, all-fruit "leather," dried mango slices, dates.
- other non-perishable snacks: nuts, cheerios, granola and/or cereal bars
- "color wonder" and "color wow" (the ones where you paint with water and are reusable) pads are AMAZING

- when there is no A/C and the windows have to stay down, it is LOUD in the car. This is when Mom and Dad really enjoy the "rear fade" option of the car's stereo system (so we can't hear their music, woohoo!)

- stickers and temporary tattoos help to kill time and are not difficult to manage on their own
- water guns: not so good (hard to refill)
- regret: i should have made a music mix CD of the kids' favorites

- Kit told me that her mom used to pack each of her siblings a little "box" with new surprises for each day on the road. I adopted that idea and filled their backpacks with new things to discover every day. and then I made them wait to open each pocket on their backpack so they wouldn't spoil the fun within the first 30 minutes of the day. It worked great!
- traditional coloring pads: also not so good
- books and stories on CD: excellent. trying to read aloud above the roar of engine and wind: not so good, and extremely exhausting.
- plan to stop and take a break every 2 hours. but if everyone is happy and you have enough gas in the car: keep driving!!

I hope to remember many of these tips for our flight to India and all the train and bus rides while over there. This time around, I was thankful every. single. time. for the potable water and western toilets at rest stops across the US of A!

oh, one more note to self: when you're in the car for 5 days after packing and moving, sooner or later, they will fall asleep in the car. But maybe not until the fifth day.

So yes, we made it, and the kids even enjoyed portions of it.

But perhaps most impressive of all, our little '96 Jetta made it and didn't give us any trouble at all. Not even a single flat tire. Now that's amazing.