The title is perhaps an overstatement for a two day adventure that takes us from Florida to North Carolina. But nonetheless, as J and I were accompanied by my parents, E and M, who are in their 90s, it seems worthy of something grander than “two day car trip.”

And as I write this on July 4th, 2026, the 250th sesquicentennial, a little American road trip story is in order. I was 15 in 1976, and I do have to say that “bicentennial” had more of a ring to it.

The goal of the trip was to deliver my parents back to N.C. for a few weeks so they could take care of various appointments, J and I could see to matters at Five Oaks (our farmhouse in NC that now should be called Phantom Oaks because all the big oak trees came down in various storms), and also spend time up in New Bedford, MA with daughter A, her husband N, and grandson L. However, this seemingly uncomplicated plan involved the packing, repacking, assembling, and sorting of a multitude of items, ranging from my parents’ spring wardrobe, kitchen and other equipment J and I were bringing to Five Oaks, and camping gear for the two nights J and I were planning to spend in the Roofnest on the way to and from NC. Not to mention my father’s walker. The night stand I found on the side of the road for Five Oaks didn’t make the cut.

In any event, we finally managed to take off, leaving our cat Boudin (as a member of a different species, he gets to be known by his full name), in the careful (but wary) hands of our house sitters. One day he will make the trip also….

My mother and I were esconced in the middle seat of the Ford Explorer. Seat belts seemed unnecessary since we were both firmly wedged in between the handles of the walker hanging over the back of the seat, boxes of personal belongings placed in the center of the seat, and, of course, J’s collection of potato chips that he needed for a two day car trip.

Day 1 went fairly smoothly. We congratulated ourselves journeying north, as the traffic heading south was immense. And the beltway around Jacksonville really helps. There are two spectacular bridges – one in Jacksonville and another after we veered off of I95 onto 17 North near Brunswick, Georgia. The one on 295 in Jacksonville is the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge, also known as the Dames Point Bridge and is two miles long. The one in Georgia is called the Sidney Lanier Bridge, and a little research for this post informed me that it’s named after Georgia-born poet Sidney Lanier. No, despite being an English major, I haven’t heard of him either. At the time it opened in 2003 it was the third longest span of any “cable stayed” bridge in the U.S. and Canada. (By the way, I just discovered Lanier was a 19th century poet, known for “lyrical verses” and hailed as the “poet of the Confederacy,” according to Wikipedia. He ended up as a professor at Johns Hopkins and a lot of landmarks are named after him. Hmmm.)

Although I am slightly terrified of bridges and insist on driving in the lane closest to the middle, even I appreciate the feeling of flying that these sailboat like structures provide.

17 North is by far more beautiful than I95. We got onto it just north of Jacksonville, and soon found a place for lunch near Yulee, Florida. While it was tempting to believe it was a one of a kind, purely local place, a little research soon showed that it was one of a chain that had started with a couple of old barbecue restaurants in Jacksonville and has since expanded to multiple locations. It’s named after Willie Jewell, a cook from Jacksonville who taught the barbecue business to the family who owned the restaurants. While my mother and J had traditional BBQ meals, I had three sides (including collards) and my father for some reason thought peach cobbler was an appropriate lunch.

Part of the reason for going up 17 was to stop in Darien, Georgia. J and I had lunch there once before and were captivated by the small little town’s old buildings and proximity to the water, the Altamaha River. It was founded in 1736 by Scottish Highlanders to protect the Georgia Colony from the Spanish. This time didn’t disappoint either. We found a wonderful and reasonably priced antique store – it was chockfull of things I would have liked for Five Oaks, but the transportation issues were insurmountable. J did manage to buy a cocktail shaker. I saw an ad for a walking tour of Darien, and perhaps someday there will be time to do that….

We made it to our planned stopping point in Ridgeland, SC in late afternoon. My parents, declining any offer of sleeping in the Roofnest, stayed at a hotel at the edge of the very small town, and next to a fabulous Mexican restaurant that we had heard about last time we were there. The portions were absolutely gigantic, including a tilapia florentine (not sure how Mexican that dish was) that could have fed the entire group.

Leaving my parents at the hotel, J and I ventured off to our Hipcamp at Whipperwill Farm. The place we had stayed on some many other occasions (with the best outdoor shower I’ve ever experienced) seems to be unavailable at the moment, so this was a new site for us.

It was fine – we got there late so we didn’t have anytime to explore the trails on the property – but we’ve become fairly proficient over the years at erecting the Roofnest, so were able to situate ourselves quickly. Yes, it was hot and buggy – but cooled off so much during the night that we both woke up quite chilly. Plus, we had forgotten to bring pillows (and there wasn’t room for them anyway), and using the sleeping bag stuff bags filled with clothes isn’t the greatest substitute.

The next morning we packed and met up with my parents after breakfast at PJ’s. Yes, for some reason the little town of Ridgeland is home to a PJ’s coffee shop – as in the one from New Orleans. No idea where that connection came from.

We were all ready to get on up to Durham on Day 2, so I95 it was. We did have a lovely stop at the brand new NC welcome center, and now possess a collection of brochures that cover just about anything you could want to do anywhere in NC.

Arrived in Durham about 2:30 or so, and began the process of reverse engineering our way and the way of all of our things out of the car. Despite a few cramped muscles we all had survived in good form – showing the great American road trip can be accomplished during any decade of life!