Vacation Part 2: Heading South

Dinosaur Exhibit at the Hands On Museum in Tennessee

The conference really came to an end Wednesday night (Thursday morning was breakfast and check-out) and when Tornado returned to our room late Wednesday evening, we sensed that something wasn't quite right.

Fever.

102.7 kind of fever.

The rock wall... sick Tornado in comfy clothes.

Thursday morning it was still high.  We carted him to breakfast, but he didn't eat much.  We had a decision to make.  Go home for two days (north) to give him time to get bettter?  Or stick to the original plan (driving south).  We decided he'd get just as much sleep in the car and decided to proceed.  By 2 we'd eaten again, made a stop at the store and were on our way.

The real vacation.

Tornado slept all day.

Finding "fossils"

We planned to camp that night, somewhere along the way.  Lexington, VA is where we'd be stopping so we made some calls and found a place.  By the time we got there it was after nine and raining.  The "campground" was simply a few places to put a tent at a truck stop.

We decided to check out the Howard Johnson just off the freeway.  When you figure in that we were going to spend $15 on the camp site anyway, and that breakfast would be free at the hotel, really we only spent an extra $15 or $20 on convenience.

Playing the "Slap Organ"

Worth it!

Especially when Tornado started throwing up the next morning.

The rest of us ate waffles in the lobby while Tornado slept (we took turns).  Again we had a decision to make... stick around at the hotel one more night or press on.  By check out time, it had been several hours since Tornado had been sick, so we decided to chance it. 

With his hotel cup in hand (just in case), we loaded the car and were on our way again. 

Little Man found the train table.

By afternoon we were in Tennessee and Tornado had missed another meal (just in case).  He was hungry though, and starting to feel better.  Enough so that when we saw a sign off the highway for the Hands On Museum in Johnson City, we decided to stop and let the kids play. 

They had so much fun!

Hop Scotch outside the museum. 

That night we did camp at a little place not far from where we'd be checking in the next day.  Tornado was the only one of us to sleep great all night through.

Early next morning Sweet Pea was throwing up.  With a fever.

We packed up once there was enough light to do so, with Sweet Pea sleeping in the car already.  As soon as we could, we headed down for the pancake breakfast they had there... all of us except Sweet Pea that is.  Poor thing!  She stayed in the car with her Howard Johnson cup right by where we ate. 

Tornado could do it all on his own.

We arrived at our cabin and got checked in around 1 that afternoon and the first order of business was settling Sweet Pea on the couch.

I'd noticed through the morning that my "heavy chest" was turning into something.  That, and the lack of night time sleep, finally got me and I sat down to rest.

So tired.

My Beloved brought me some lunch and eventually the thermometer.

And Little Man really couldn't do it at all... but he thought it was great being "big".

103.8

I was sick too.