road trip chronicles take 5

It's that time of year again - road tripping.

But this time is different in lots of ways, so the blogging might be too.

First of all, we started this trip without two of our family members. Punk and Kooka will be flying down to Orlando to meet us, which means Rico, Yoda and I will be a trio all the way from MN to FL.

Secondly, we will be gone for a full month - a MONTH I say.  After all, it takes that much time to drift through 21 states without getting a ticket.

Third, Yoda is actually old enough to appreciate the ride, the adventure, and biggest bonus of all - roll her own luggage into the hotel. There are no diapers, no deciphering cries from the backseat, just a lot of jabbering, goldfish crackers, sticker books and movies.

It also means that she is old enough to realize that we're still awake even when she's in bed. That's why she's still awake at 10:00.

Here's a quick rundown of our short short day.

* last day of physical therapy for me (at least for another four weeks)

* scrubbing our house cleaner than it's ever been when we lived in it, to make it live able for the house sitters.

* a quick stop in Wisconsin Dells for a visit with the troll, our favorite dragon at Wizard Quest, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, a taste of bacon caramel popcorn and a lollipop at the candy shop.

* dinner at Gus's Diner in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin - a great little 50's joint where Rico had "the best soup of my life"

* a swim in the pool at Quality Inn and a little Nickleodeon before bed

We'll see what tomorrow brings.