Sadly, our time at the beach was coming to an end, and it was time to think about the long trip home.
Previously, the vast majority of our long drives have been done overnight. As the kids (and their parents!) get older, it’s gotten more and more difficult to pull off. Prior to each long stretch on the road, we weight the pros and cons, and determine the best option.
In this particular case, we thought we would attempt a day drive.
We had tried this once before– with pretty cooperative kids, even if the traffic was less so. Our plan of action earlier in the year was to leave around their nap time, drive until they got a little antsy, and then stop for dinner, and a family walk. After the walk, we got jammies on, and got back on the road. The kids did really well on the trip. We are extremely lucky.
As for the upcoming drive from NC back home, we had a hard time deciding (agreeing) on our exit strategy. Leaving Oma and Opa is never an easy task. Leaving the beach is never a happy day. Combine the two, and you have the definition of ‘necessary evil.’
TT Dad was really hoping to leave on Sunday night, and arrive on Monday, just in time for him to go to work.
I have come to terms with the fact that if we drive overnight, we need a buffer day. We need one day with absolutely zero commitments, so we can recover. It doesn’t usually take an entire day, but I would rather be safe than sorry, so my rule is one full day.
Unfortunately, this means that we no longer extend our vacation by a day when we drive overnight. We can actually extend the trip by a morning if we drive during the day.
Of course, just because I have come to terms with this doesn’t mean that everyone in our family has. It can be a difficult discussion, but we did eventually agree to day-drive.
TT Dad did the research on this one, and he planned our first pit stop, in Rocky Mount, NC. By leaving in the morning, we were able to get there, pick up some lunch from Smithfield’s, and have a picnic at Sunset Park. This park was pretty much built for our kids. I can not recommend this park enough. But maybe not for a quick pit stop, when you are looking to get back on the road quickly.
$5 entry fee per person includes unlimited rides on the carousel, the miniature train, another ride, and the splash pad.
We were able to ride the train a few times back to back, and we were the only people on the carousel. The kids had so much fun. We didn’t put bathing suits on them, luckily they were more interested in the train than the splash pad. Sunset Park was a wonderful little break from a day largely spent in the car. The only downside was that we spent way longer there than we had planned on- Hours longer.
By the time we were back in the car, and moving again, we were looking at a pretty late arrival. After such a fun adventure, the kids actually slept for a long time. They did wake up, but were happy to babble with each other, and read their books. We didn’t actually have to make any other long pit stops. We made it home in time for a late dinner for the kids, and we were shocked that they fell right asleep, even if it was a later night than typical – and a later night than we had planned. Bonus points because TT Dad and I were also able to get a good nights sleep in. It’s always a bummer to leave the beach, a bummer to leave Oma & Opa, and a bummer to spend a day in a car, but we were actually feeling like we’d found the best way to do this drive. As long as nothing changed, we would be doing the drive during the day, with planned fun pit stops!
You caught that, right? As long as nothing changed? Are you laughing at our naivety yet?