Getting ready

When I was in Orangeburg for Christmas, Mom suggested that we take a road trip out to the Midwest to visit her sister Jane in eastern Kansas and my father's sister Mary Lou in Missouri. When my sister and I were children, we would make this trip every other summer or so. Usually, our path would take us from South Carolina and through Asheville, Knoxville, Nashville, Paducah, St. Louis, and Kansas City with one night out.

But I've been given the responsibility of planning the trip, so I've stretched out the time and changed the route. Instead of traveling through the upper South, we are driving through the Deep South to visit states and sites both high (Vicksburg) and low (Graceland) that I've wanted to visit but never had. We'll take the traditional route coming back and stop in Nashville, a city I've traveled through many times but never toured. The trip will take a total of two weeks, and I'll be updating this blog every evening with a summary and pictures.

Armed with an itinerary, maps from an AAA office raid, and some boiled peanuts, we're on our way!