Hello, I am back. While I was away, I missed my 20th Online Journalversary, avoided getting COVID despite sharing a vacation condo with someone who had it, then got COVID myself when I was just a few days from getting home. Thanks to vaccines and boosters, it was a mild case. Now I’m just going to start catching up with my photos of the day from where I left off.

April 25: I woke up early. It was nice to have some quiet time at home before loading up the car and heading out for a six-week road trip (five of that with Mr. Karen).

 

April 26: The timing worked out for us to stop our first night at the hotel that has the best included breakfast along our usual route east. My eyes were bigger than my stomach on this day, so the burrito got put in the cooler to eat at a later stop.

 
April 27: Drove from Butte, Montana to Murdo, South Dakota, spotting this coffee pot shaped water tower along the way. I feel like I should have seen this before since it wasn’t the first time we’d taken this particular route, but maybe it was dark when we passed before, or my focus was elsewhere.

 
April 28: After overnighting in Columbia, Missouri, we stopped at Ozarkland, which I don’t think will become a road trip tradition for us. It’s pretty much just a big gift shop.

 
April 29: Took a long break from driving to see Rock City. It was a charming old school roadside attraction (well, okay not roadside exactly but close enough) that had been updated well.

 
April 30: Made it to Orlando. Mr. Karen got his pre-cruise COVID test and was negative. We found a storefront Indian restaurant in a part of Orlando we’d never been in, and it was very good. We arrived early in the dinner hour and the place filled up as we had our meal, with lots of multi-generational family groups. I worried we’d taken someone’s regular table it seemed so homey. After dinner, we picked our friend from Michigan up at the airport.

 
May 1: Moved to a hotel farther from the airport and closer to the port. Found a restaurant on the water and had a relaxed meal with our friend followed by a short stroll on the beach.

 

*****
On this date in 2009 to 2021: No entries
2008: Way Out West
2007: Three Makes a Pair
2004 to 2006: No entries
2003: Trip Report
2002: Body Hair