We departed from Colorado 3 April 2021, Saturday. I had just finished a week of work and celebrating my departure with friends and family. First stop in the long drive was Davenport, IA for the night. We tried for a Motel 6 that online said pet friendly, but got redirected to a Quality Inn. Accomodations were nice and we slept well, although anxiety and excitement woke me up early, and we got on the road, headed for stop #2.
It was Easter Sunday as we headed to the in-laws' house. I highly recommend traveling past or around Chicago on Easter Sunday. There were no backups. It was clear sailing through to the in-laws', allowing us to arrive by about noon. We unloaded our stuff, got hugs, had lunch, and settled in. I took the free time to play with the hammock sleep system I had bought a couple weeks prior. It works a lot better on trees than on the 4x4 boards at my house.
We had the pleasure of seeing the niece and nephew that we don't get to see very often. Wow! How they have grown and matured. Such amazing young adults. Even Grandma and an aunt were able to stop by, and we celebrated birthdays.
Despite being on a pull out, I slept well. The in-law's house is very conducive to sleeping, especially the basement. We woke up to our alarm, since we had crossed 2 time zones and needed to meet up with my father on the way to my mother's house. A quick breakfast was enjoyed and we said our goodbyes as we headed for lunch with my father.
At my father's, we enjoyed a bowl of chili and some conversation about his recent visit to Florida. He returned early basically because he was bored, people were not practicing social distancing, and for him it was too hot. It was a good visit, and I look forward to seeing him when I come through on foot in July. He lives only 5 miles off the trail, and it looks like I should be around his place for the 4th of July. Hopefully I won't be encroaching on his holiday plans.
From my father's house, we grabbed the highway and headed for my mother's place, the place we would rest our heads for the evening. We got to her place about 1400 and unloaded. I plan to rely on my mother heavily for this adventure as she is retired and was a big supporter during my Appalachian Trail adventure. As I went through my stuff and explained what I had and hoped for to my mom, my husband went for a run after taking the dog for a quick jog around the property. My mom has 10 acres out in the boondocks. We got things figured out and then had pizza for dinner with a couple of members from my stepdad's family. It was an early evening, but enjoyable. My stepdad loves to feed my dog table scraps, and my dog doesn't mind in the least. 
The last portion of driving was to the Inn at Long Trail, a place I had stayed at during my journey along the A.T. I had such fond memories with my aunts, who had picked Spice Rack and I up and taken us to get our packages from Killington, VT and then celebrated with us that evening in the pub. When we got to the Inn, there was a sign on the door that the place was closed for spring cleaning. I instantly scanned my emails to see whether I missed something, and I had. They had given me the offer to cancel my reservation, but that they would also still honor my reservation. The choice was up to me. So, we decided to keep our reservation even though the pub would not be open, and unpacked for the next 2 nights. Once unpacked, we decided to go explore. My husband went for a run to "do recon of the trail I would be hiking the next day," while Jasper and I hiked to Maine Junction, the point at which the NCT will join the A.T., and then up to the overlook and back to the hotel. It was beautiful and took me back 16 years to when I did the A.T. 
We reconvened at the hotel room after exploring and headed into Killington for dinner. After dinner of sandwiches made in our hotel room, I did my usual prep of shaving my legs and showering prior to my major adventure. With that completed, and my backpack ready to go for the next, I laid out my clothes, and headed to bed. Mentally, I was ready for this adventure to get started.
The next morning, we woke up somewhat early as we wanted to get on the road by 0900 to make it to New York for the night. Due to COVID restrictions, we were not able to take the short route through Canada, so we had to go south to go straight across, thus adding 2 hours or better on to our travels. We made pretty good time, and so decided to go a little further than Buffalo, NY to Rochester, NY. 
We stopped at a Super 8 hotel that was pretty busy, but were able to secure a room. It was NOT the best of accommodations. The bed cover was stained with what looked like blood, but my friend convinced me it was maybe red wine. The shear curtains on the window were shredded, and the property was lined with trash around the parking lot. We made the best of it, got some sleep, and were up early and on the road for the last portion of our drive.
We stopped at a Super 8 hotel that was pretty busy, but were able to secure a room. It was NOT the best of accommodations. The bed cover was stained with what looked like blood, but my friend convinced me it was maybe red wine. The shear curtains on the window were shredded, and the property was lined with trash around the parking lot. We made the best of it, got some sleep, and were up early and on the road for the last portion of our drive.
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