National Lampoon’s Ipe Family Vacation – Day 1 (Saturday)

We left Saturday between 11 AM and 12 PM, and surprisingly, the car was only mostly stuffed to the gills, and we only forgot Lily’s iPod charger. That was a victory in of itself. The mail was held, my Dad was coming every day to check on the cats, and thermostats were on ‘Vacation’ mode.

We had hoped for smooth sailing, but hit quite a bit of traffic in Delaware, Maryland, and northern Virginia around the Beltway and US 66. Even on a Saturday, people? Yes it slowed us down, but we pushed through it. We made our customary Waffle House stop in Northeast, Maryland. Not bad, but since we ate here last, Waffle House has added calorie count information to their menus. If you weren’t sure the food was healthy, now you can be sure. There aren’t a lot of options, so I made a mental note to cut down on my midnight glazed donut habit. 😉

A late lunch in Northeast, Maryland at the same Waffle House we always do. Please ignore the random Josh forehead attempting to photobomb us.

A late lunch in Northeast, Maryland at the same Waffle House we always do. Please ignore the random Josh forehead attempting to photobomb us.

We wanted to stop in Luray Caverns on this first day of the trip, but between the late start and all the traffic, there was no reasonable way and still make it to Roanoke by the evening. We pressed on. I drove most of the day, but I found it very enjoyable. Compared to the dullness of driving through Pennsylvania and Ohio, driving through the mountains in Virginia was a treat. Very scenic. Also, little-to-no police presence, so everyone was making good time.

We arrived in the Roanoke area around 9 pm. We considered checking into the hotel and getting dinner, or picking up dinner and taking it to the hotel. We ordered takeout dinner from a nice place called Cedars Lebanese restaurant while on the road, and had planned to bring it home. Once we parked in the nice downtown area, and walked into the restaurant, the fellow working there (a really nice south Indian guy named Matthew) convinced us to sit and eat and relax. Excellent decision. Matthew unpacked our food orders, got us plates and utensils, and let us relax while he closed down the restaurant. A really nice guy.

After a long day of driving, dinner at Cedars Lebanese restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia .

After a long day of driving, dinner at Cedars Lebanese restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia .

After we checked into our hotel, we relaxed for a bit before lights out. Halfway to Tennessee!

Relaxing in our room at the Holiday Inn Express, Roanoke, Virginia

Relaxing in our room at the Holiday Inn Express, Roanoke, Virginia

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