Epic Road Trip, PART 1!

Wow! This has been quite the trip and it's only day three of nine! Without further ado, here is the abbreviated highlights!

On Monday morning Mom flew to Atlanta and I picked her up (a 3 hour drive from my work). We drove back to Brasstown Bald, where we packed up the rest of my items and Mom got to see the place where I've lived and worked the past three months. I said my goodbyes to my supervisors and coworkers and we were on the road to Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina's high point! It is also the highest point east of the Mississippi river and it was Mom's first high point! We got there midafternoon and enjoyed a gorgeous day, though a bit chilly (55 degrees) and windy at the top. We got to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a beautiful stretch of road through the mountains, managed by the National Park Service. After the high point we drove on into the evening (and night) to Cary, NC, where we stayed the night with our friends, the Maas'.

On Tuesday we were up at sunrise and on the road by 7am, headed north for a full day of traveling. We reached the Washington DC area around 1pm, after driving all morning with just a quick pit stop for an oil change. We met up with our friend Sarah Novak, who now lives in DC. We grabbed a bit to eat at a wonderful Thai restaurant and had a great visit. After lunch we navigated our way in DC to a parking spot right along the National Mall! Mom and I did a personal 'speed tour' of the Mall, hitting up most of the major monuments (Capitol, Washington Monument, White House, etc.) Just before leaving we passed the White House and noticed a lot of commotion....it was the presidential helicopter on the front lawn! Though we were a half mile away, it was still pretty cool! 

After DC it was off to the Delaware high point, Ebright Azimuth. This high point was't much, but the lady who lives across the street from the monument was quite the stitch! She talked our ear off for a half hour! Very nice area and a nice lady who certainly cares about the Delaware high point. Afterward we stopped and got groceries so that we can live out of the car for the week and snack along the way. We made our way further north, ending the day at a campsite in New Jersey around 10:30pm. It was a long day, encompassing 6 states (NC, VA, MD, DE, PA, and NJ), Washington DC, and a LOT of construction and traffic. 

Wednesday brought on New York City, New York!! Mom and I woke early to drive about and hour to the New Jersey/New York border. We parked and then took the subway into NYC. As I have never been to NYC I wanted to see as much in the 6 hours we had as possible. We hoofed all over town seeing a TON of things! The list of things we saw included the 9/11 Memorial and Word Trade Center Site, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, Battery Park, Wall Street, Broadway, Times Square and 42nd Street, Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, Grand Central Station, and 5th Avenue. It was a tiring but fantastic 6 hours. 

Around 3pm we headed back to the car and got back in the endless traffic, headed north to Connecticut. We are currently blogging from the local coffee shop, not far from the campsite where we will be for the next three days. We will continue to blog soon! Know that we are having lots of fun and it has been everything I imagined and more!

Be sure to check out our photos!

PS - Sorry about the white background!