Day 1: Betty has a Boop Boop

Hi everyone! We are posting a little late which we’ll explain in a minute but the important thing is we have safely arrived in Starkville, Mississippi at Abby’s!

We started off at 6:15 this morning a little tired but ready to go! Kurt dropped Dana off and my brothers were up to do papers and say goodbye. Dad and David stood on the porch and waved while Mom wondered if our car would even move with all our stuff : ) We took turns driving so we could both get some naps and soon we were wide awake… and wondering what exactly we were doing! (Mainly through Virginia, which went on and on, yes we know Texas is going to be much bigger!). So far everything looks just like Pennsylvania but with bigger hills. We eventually hit Tennessee and were pretty excited because everything else was comparatively short after 81.

Then Dana nicely pointed out while she was driving that our rpms were no longer registering… then the speedometer stopped… and about two seconds later out cut the radio. With all our car wisdom we thought this might be a bit of a problem so we scooted into the next rest stop… literally, as our car shut off as we pulled into the lot! We popped the hood and peered in, ready to use our mechanical wisdom. Unfortunately, the oil, coolant, and washer fluid were all full… so we peered under the car and turned the key a few times to look cool as some people were starting to look at us curiously. We even checked the belts… well the one we could find (lessons from a past road trip).

So we did the next logical thing, we called Uncle Kirby. He was very very helpful and soon I was less inclined to break into hysterics, Dana already being in them, although hers sounded suspiciously more like laughter. Some friendly fellow rest-stoppers helped us jump the battery and soon we were on our way to a Wal-Mart Supercenter… where they very kindly informed us we’d be paying for a lot more than just a new battery – we needed a new alternator AND they could not help us. So down the road to a garage where Bill of Lyle’s Garage looked at us and laughed when we told him our problem.

Poor Betty was distraught, she’d been doing her best but soon with some TLC and a hefty wad of cash she was feeling like new! The garage was honestly very nice and very helpful, although they did wonder why in the world I would want to move to California and work with those ‘idiots’ : ) So while we lost 4 hours and didn’t arrive till closer to 12 AM Eastern Time, all in all it was about as pleasant as a new alternator experience could be!

Other notes from the day:
- We love our phone calls from friends and family!
- Apparently we lack creative naming in America, we’ve passed Cleveland, Philadelphia, Columbus, Dayton, Fairfield, Dublin, Glasgow, New England and so on…in the Southern United States… who knew?!
- Sometimes when you need a new alternator, pb&j just doesn’t cut it and you have to spring for some Wendy’s comfort food.
- Our favorite radio station so far was THE HOG from Knoxville. Go ahead, say it in a deep voice… see you love it too.
- Gas is always cheaper at the next station right after you fill up!
- Butts go numb after hour number 2-right thru 18… OUCH!
- Funny suddenly applies to many more things after about hour 10…

States so far : Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi

State License plates: 19