I was up very late the night before departure, my usual method of operation. Because of several unplanned visits to the mechanic and other minor emergencies, I was behind with my “to do” list. I stayed up to clean the van and pack my bags.

I woke up early regardless, and began loading the van as soon as I was dressed. I hoped we could leave by 9:00 A.M. or even 10…but was happy enough we were out of the driveway around 11.

We decided to let the Garmin choose our route…a slight deviation from our normal path. I enjoyed the new scenery…lots and lots of trees. Skies were overcast most of the day but our moods were sunny.

I started watching forecasts for our travel route several days before we left. A line of strong storms would be crossing our path. I was hoping the nasty weather would stay ahead of us.

It was close to midnight when we caught up to the storms in southern Alabama. The light show was amazing and several lightning strikes gained well-deserved ooos and aahs from me and my passengers. It was really spectacular and I wished I weren’t driving so I could sit and photograph it.

Then we hit the rain. It was torrential and visibility became extremely poor. It was also very late, so we decided to stop for the night. Unable to find a hotel at our first stop, we waited a bit for the storm to move on and then cautiously followed behind.

We finally ended our night around 3:00 A.M. with an overnight stop in Dothan. The hotel was nothing fancy, but it was clean and served its purpose. We showered and slept there.

Next Day