WE SURVIVED DAY ONE OF OUR BIG JOURNEY!

Our journey begins! We pack up the van and headed toward Charleston, West Virginia. We stopped to see the New River Gorge Bridge on our way. It is an impressive structure. At the Visitors' Center, we got each of the kids a National Parks Passport which they can stamp at each National Park we visit. Fiona got a book on Owls and has kept us well informed on these interesting raptors for the past 24 hours (whether we want to be informed or not!). She also got a Junior Ranger hat which suits her since she likes the image of authority it gives her. The three teenagers are holding up well with all this family time in the car together. Pat is also holding up well with all the driving. The last 50 miles approaching Charleston we were pounded with thunderstorms which made for a taxing last hour of driving. Once we had to pull over it was raining so hard. Going through the mountains almost created a tunnel effect with the winds from the storm. As I type this we have just passed into the state of Kentucky on our way to Nashville.