Christmas Road Trip

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 12/17/2018 at 16:30 • Filed to: None

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Heading home to see my parents. My father is starting to develop Parkinson’s, and we don’t know how much longer they will be in the house I mostly grew up in. We haven’t been to VA since 2015 , and will first make a swing through Arlington National Cemetery to see my mother-in-law’s headstone. She was interred with her husband, a colonel in the Marine Corps, three years ago (to save space, spouses are interred one on top of the other) .

And we will also be making a pilgrimage to Captain George’s near NAS Oceana for all the crab legs we  can eat. I have yet to find a decent East Coast seafood restaurant in Texas. With this trip, our Odyssey will pass the 200k mile mark.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 16:33

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Let me know if you want to know of a few good places to eat in Fredericksburg.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 16:34

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I see Nashville! Are you passing through or planning on any stops?

Sorry about your father. It’s a hard thing to watch people go through, even from the outside .

ttyymmnn > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 12/17/2018 at 16:35

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I’m not sure if we’ll be stopping in F’burg. My current plan is to make a stop in RIC to see my brother-in-law and probably stay the night.  Then we’ll get an early start for DC in the morning, see the cemetery and maybe one quick museum, then drive to ORF that evening. But a couple of recommendations would be welcome. The itinerary isn’t quite set yet. 

ttyymmnn > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 12/17/2018 at 16:37

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I imagine we will be driving straight through. I have a very good friend who lives in Crossville, and I always try to spend a night there so he and I can have a few beers and catch up. I’ve still got to figure out how far we will go on our driving days. Those are usually all-day affairs just to get where we’re going. Driving across TN the long way is quite a haul. 

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 16:38

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Enjoy the trip! And I hope you get some quality time with your family.

I’m taking a road trip post-Christmas from Michigan down to Nashville (just for the hell of it). Looks like I’m intersecting your path, haha.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 16:40

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Wood fired pizza: Castiglias on the corner of Charles and Williams st.

Italian that doesn’t include anything like pizza: Orofinos on Caroline st.

Donuts: Paul’s Bakery on Lafeyette.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 16:45

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3000 some miles....... man i could probably do about 5 laps around my country with that

hope you have a great time with you parents :)

(my roundtrip this year will be about 50 miles... i’ll probably cycle it.. having christmas at me mums this year as she’s too sick to make it to the family do... dunno what she has yet tho... ill be cooking for her..... soo... that’ll probably finish her off)

ttyymmnn > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 12/17/2018 at 16:48

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Be sure to wave at the gold Odyssey with the Oppo sticker on the back! Safe travels. I’m hoping the weather cooperates. We’ve never made this drive in winter.

ttyymmnn > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 12/17/2018 at 16:49

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ttyymmnn > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 12/17/2018 at 16:49

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America is a big place, to be sure. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 16:54

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Not as big as Canada!

When I went to the border of Alaska this spring, it was like... a 2 hour flight and I am still in the same province!!

Cash Rewards > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 16:58

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There are plenty of oppos along the way! I’m only 25 minutes or so from Arlington cemetery. Where in VA are you staying?  I can recommend food in the area. Are you planning on stopping by Udvar-hazy while you're up here?

ttyymmnn > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 12/17/2018 at 16:59

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But more of it is habitable. You can drive for 12 hours and still be in Texas.

ttyymmnn > Cash Rewards 12/17/2018 at 17:02

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I think our Arlington visit will be one day, with no stay in the area. My plan (as it stands) is to make for Richmond and spend the night with my brother-in-law. Then we’ll head for DC early the next day, spend a few hours there (Arlington, maybe a museum; we have a lifetime pass that lets us drive into the cemetery. Might even park there and Metro into the city). T hen head down to Norfolk, where my parents live, that night . That way we can maximize our time with grandparents. Of course, all of the is contingent on the weather, which has been weird everywhere this year. 

Cash Rewards > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 17:07

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Check metro website for closures, they've been doing massive work projects recently, and be aware of horrid traffic heading back south on a weekday. Enjoy the trip!

vicali > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 17:09

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My Dad first noticed 15 years ago while driving, he would rest his left hand on the wheel and couldn’t stop his fingers shaking.. These days he has steady tremors- some days are worse than others, some days are foggy, sometimes he forgets things or doesn’t remember his pills.

We are very lucky and it is progressing quite slowly - they are still in the house I grew up in, he is keeping healthy and active, and still able to play with the grandkids, and do the other things he wants to. Most people wouldn’t even notice, and I’m sure many don’t, but it’s hard to watch it happening.

Give everyone hugs. and travel safe.

ttyymmnn > Cash Rewards 12/17/2018 at 17:30

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Yeah, I’ve seen some articles in WaPo about Metro issues. And trust me, I have done the I-95 parking lot thing. Thanks.

ttyymmnn > vicali 12/17/2018 at 17:32

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Thanks. He is still in the very early stages, but I am already noticing some cognitive issues. Interestingly, when I talk to him about music, he is sharp as a tack. But if it comes to remembering lists, or directions, he’s no good. He does stay very active, and I’m hoping it doesn’t get too bad too fast. They, too, plan to stay in their home as long as possible, but they are also already making plans for the next phase of their lives.

smobgirl > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 17:34

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Haven’t quite done that, but I drove from the east side of DFW to El Paso once. It was a blast.

ttyymmnn > smobgirl 12/17/2018 at 17:38

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Last summer we drove from Amarillo to Austin, 8 hours of actual drive time. It felt endless, mostly because it was the last leg of a two-week drive up to South Dakota. 

f86sabre > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 17:42

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Safe travels!

ttyymmnn > f86sabre 12/17/2018 at 17:45

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Thanks! Gonna be swinging through your neck of the woods again. Might try to spend some time at the aquarium. We visited about five years ago (or more, don’t remember). 

vicali > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 17:47

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If they can find a local support group it’s really helped in my parents case. Parkinson’s Foundation should have a list. My parents do drop in meetings, info sessions, exercise classes, etc.. I think the first few were hard to go to - there were people farther along and it was scary but it helped a lot to see how many people are dealing with it.

The meds are pretty powerful, My dad goes four hours between doses and the first and last half hours are worse. Your brain also gets used to the levodopa/dopamine replacements and then they don’t work anymore. They backed off his doses because he would get quiet, couldn’t concentrate or remember short term. When he’s running out his left arm shakes pretty good- like he has trouble eating with a fork before his next dose. .

ttyymmnn > vicali 12/17/2018 at 18:03

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I told my doctor about my dad’s diagnosis. The doctor said that he wouldn’t necessarily want to have Parkinson’s now, but in 20 years, when I might start getting it, it will be a whole new ballgame because the drugs are just getting better and better. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 18:17

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What’s the work on the evap code?

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 12/17/2018 at 18:21

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Don’t know yet. Took it in today, but my guy is out sick. Somebody else is handling the repair, and I haven’t heard anything yet. He said they were going to charge the evap system with smoke to see if it was leaking somewhere. Or something like that.

Matt Nichelson > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 19:54

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My uncle is buried at Arlington. I really want to get up there one day.

Are you taking the south route going there or coming back? 

ttyymmnn > Matt Nichelson 12/17/2018 at 20:43

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You should. It’s an extraordinary place. When my father-in-law died about 18 years ago, he had the full military honors: caisson, riderless horse, band, taps, the whole deal. It was an extremely powerful ceremony. I’ve seen and photographed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns a couple of times. Those guys are seriously squared away.

We haven’t decided yet, but we will likely be going clockwise, so taking the south route on the way home. With both my and my wife’s family living in VA, we’ve made that drive quite a few times. It never seems to get any shorter. But I’m a driver at heart, no matter what I’m driving, and I’m looking forward to it. I usually drive all of it. Not because I don’t trust my wife, but because I don’t like sitting in a car and doing nothing. I’d rather be behind the wheel. 

f86sabre > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 21:41

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It is worth the pause for sure. 

ttyymmnn > f86sabre 12/17/2018 at 21:43

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But that’s the problem--it needs more than just a pause. It needs about a day, or at least a whole afternoon.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 21:44

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hopefully it does! Safe travels to you too!

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 12/17/2018 at 22:48

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That happens in Texas, too. Flying anywhere East from El Paso usually means flying American Airlines via DFW. You take off from El Paso, fly for a couple of hours in an airliner and then land in the same state.

smobgirl > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 23:42

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Yeah, I did Denver to Williston ND once so I know how that feels :) a whole lotta nothing.

Absolutely NO radio up there, but all the cell coverage you could ever need, even in a town with Population: 23

GLiddy > ttyymmnn 12/17/2018 at 23:49

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Being in Texas you probably have your own ideas about BBQ (beef), but you are hitting some cities with my favorite pork BBQ joints and other restaurants . If I was on your route, I’d consider stops at:

Nicks BBQ & Catfish. Lonoke AR. (Actually the fish is the draw here, but the BBQ isn’t bad.)

Craig’s BBQ. De Valls Bluff, AR. A local favorite. A little off the beaten path on highway 70 (exit at Hazen, return to I40 at Biscoe) but its one of the last great hole-in-the-wall BBQ joints I know of. The sauce has a nice bite to it, and the pork is really good.

Central BBQ. Memphis. A local chain but I really found it good. Neely’s Interstate BBQ is also pretty good IMHO.

I wish I could recommend something in Auburn, AL, but so much has changed since I was there. If you do venture near the university, Momma Goldbergs Deli is worth a visit for a “Momma’s Love” sub and a beer.

Country’s BBQ. Montgomery AL. A dwindling chain, but I enjoyed it.

Bate’s House of Turkey. Greenville. AL. Yup. A turkey place. Smoked turkey sandwiches are fantastic. Its been there for 50+ years.

Mobile AL. If you are so inclined for oysters (not my thing) everyone seems to like Wintzell’s Oyster house.

Sorry, but when I think of road trips, I think of eating.  Many things make me think of eating.

Derpwagon > ttyymmnn 12/18/2018 at 01:01

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I guess I forgot you were in Austin. I flew out of there when I went to a week of training at Fort Gordon. I was in Texass for mobilization out of Fort indaHood. I’ll be back there mid-late summer. Not looking forward to the humidity.

Drive safe

ttyymmnn > Derpwagon 12/18/2018 at 01:06

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I’m not looking forward to the humidity either.

Thanks!