1,538 miles with a stop or two between

I almost opted to just sleep in when midnight rolled around, and my oldest son got home from work. We had decided to leave at night, rather than early in the morning, to avoid as much traffic as possible. Tough as it was, I'd do it all over again.

Brayden took the first shift, Riley got comfortable in the backseat, and I tried to nod off so I'd be rested for my shift at the wheel. The best laid plans...never seem to work out just as we'd hoped. I didn't sleep; worried about navigating, not to mention Brayden getting too tired to drive safely.

Once we got out of New England, my turn to drive came, and it became clear that the excitement of the trip, the odd hours we were functioning in instead of sleeping, and the sights were preventing all three of us from getting any shut eye. We stopped at a rest area in New Jersey to fuel up, hit the loo and grab coffee and came upon a Mustang rally. These cars merged back on to 95 in waves of over thirty cars at a time. It was actually pretty impressive to see the different models and years.

The drive through Jersey was relatively boring after the Mustangs moved on. The kids were blown away by the tolls. Delaware and Maryland seemed to fly by, but last three and a half hours to Virginia was tough. We made it, got to visit with family we hadn't seen in a few years, and I got to show the boys where I had lived when I first moved to Virginia in 1991.

I have never gotten into any detail with the boys about my time in Virginia; especially not about the rape. They've known about it, but never asked questions, and I never volunteered any details. I knew I wanted to go back to the place I was taken, and the place I was let go to take photos of the areas, I just hadn't factored in the boys being with me.

I drove to the high school's back parking lot first, explaining that this is where they left me after - parking just spots away from where my car had been that night. As we drove back toward the road, I explained to them how I figured out where I was, pointing out the fence and carports that surrounded the complex I lived in. We turned into the complex, drove up to the building my apartment was in, and I explained how I had to park in the overflow lot toward the entrance. The streetlamp that I parked in front of that night was still there. Everything looked essentially the same; though having my sons see it all for the first time made me realize just how much has changed.

After dinner, we got back on the road to North Carolina. I think one of the best things about being stuck in a car for hours with each other is that we've talked about things we have never talked about with each other. I am seeing sides of my sons that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. All the argument in the world that a road trip is a life essential.

Wanting to cut down on the driving for Sunday, we pushed through to Fayetteville. It was another five hour drive from Fairfax, and as much as I loathe energy drinks, I was never more glad of their existence. Red Bull, a/c cranked and angled toward me, and loud, metal music got me through the last two hours before we arrived at the hotel we booked for the night. I think all three of us could have slept in, but we hit the road early.


Just 9 hours until West Palm Beach!