“Setbacks are bumps in the road. They are not the end of the road.”
Bob Greene, author
My husband Walter and I have undertaken a yearly 1,700-mile trip from Florida to Maine every June since 2019, and we make the return drive in September. It’s a lot of hours on the road, but it’s worth it to exchange Florida’s oppressive summer heat and some of the hurricane season for clear mountain air and a panoramic view of a large lake.
Before we leave Florida, there’s a lot to do. We have to arrange for the restoration of services in Maine for phone, Internet, and TV, have the plumber check the pipes and turn the water back on, and connect with our friend who watches the house and mows the lawn.
In Florida, mail forwarding has to be arranged, and newspaper delivery canceled. Hurricane protection steps need to be taken: outdoor items are stored inside, plants are secured, water is turned off, and the steel brace for the garage doors is put in place. We leave no perishables in the fridge in case of a power outage. Fortunately, we have hurricane-impact windows, so we don’t have to install shutters.
One surprise this year was a notice received from our HOA two weeks before departure. They upped the home insurance requirements, so we had to contact our agency and update our policy.
A big part of the preparation for leaving is giving the Florida house a thorough cleaning so it will be pleasant to return to. I spent about two weeks taking it room by room. The hardest part of the job is cleaning the windows and blinds. It’s a lot of going up and down a stepladder, and this year, I made the mistake of wearing backless sandals and spraining my ankle. I iced it, took Ibuprofen, and bought a stretch ankle stabilizer. However, I still had a lot to do, so it didn’t get much rest until I got to Maine.
On the first day of our trip, we left just before 7:00 am on a hot, sunny morning. We made two rest stops and two gas stops and arrived at our hotel in Selma, North Carolina, at 6:20 pm. We were fortunate to have beautiful weather and few traffic delays. My husband drove the whole eleven-plus hours. It was tiring. As we headed into the hotel, a bottle he was carrying slipped out and broke in the parking lot, leaving a big red wine stain on the pavement. After relaxing and having a snack in the hotel room, we decided we were too tired to go out to dinner and fell asleep by nine.
Day two started at 7:00 am, and Walter insisted on driving. Once again, the weather cooperated. The traffic was okay, and we made a rest stop and got gas in Virginia. As we got close to D.C., the traffic delays started. During the slowdowns, I noticed that trucks and even RVs have embraced a new trend of painted art. Some were on a back or side panel, but some were wrap-around. Driving through the congested D.C. area was a slog, and the delays continued in Maryland as we headed for Baltimore. We had another rest stop, got more gas in Aberdeen, and hit more delays as we headed for the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Our projected ETA of 4:00 pm at my sister’s house in New York, turned into a 6:30 arrival. It was another day of eleven-plus hours for my husband, and we soon learned that it had taken a toll. As we sat down to dinner, he looked exhausted. Moments later, he slumped over and became unresponsive but breathing. It was a syncope episode, similar to ones he has had in years past. We called the EMTs, and they treated him right in my sister’s living room with a bag of saline for dehydration and some bloodwork. They monitored his vitals. When they were satisfied that his blood pressure was normal, they had him talk to a doctor who agreed he didn’t need to be transported to the ED. The EMTs left, but not before telling him to drink more water and that two eleven-hour days of driving was too much.
Day three had a more leisurely start. After breakfast, Walter watched Iga Swiatek win the women’s French Open on TV, and then we all watched a crew using a bucket and a shredder take down a massive tree across the street from my sister’s house. We left (with me driving) to keep heading north a little after noon. The New York and Connecticut areas were very busy, and our GPS kept changing the routes. Despite that, we encountered many delays. We finally reached Salem, Massachusetts, at 6:00 pm and had a relaxing overnight visit with an old friend.
On day four, we left Salem at 9:10 am, and Walter insisted on driving part way. Once we crossed the New Hampshire line, the rain started and continued until we stopped in Scarborough at the new, first-in-Maine Costco, where we stocked up with food for our Maine house. It was still raining when we headed north again with me at the wheel. We had a rest stop in Auburn and a gas stop in Farmington. It rained all the way through the last pass into Rangeley, but the sun came out as we headed up the hill and entered our driveway just after 3:30 pm. Hopefully, it’s an omen that it will be a good summer.