706 miles and 49 hours

We did it!  The Alspaugh kids and mom made a 706 mile roadtrip over 49 hours from Virginia to New Jersey to Deleware and back.  The six surviving children of Gracie and Loyd Alspaugh traveled and saw each other in the span of less than 12 hours.  While we weren't all in the same place at the same time, this was a close to a family reunion you could get.

Started the trip from Mom's apartment on Thursday morning.  Look how happy we were.  Six adults, all regular drivers and not regular passengers, in a seven passenger van.

We hit traffic and construction right off the get go but that is to be expected.  It took longer than we'd planned but we did make it to New Jersey to surprise John on his 55th birthday.

John was expecting me and Mom and was super suprized to see Carol, Betty, Spade (Loyd) and Bev pour through the door.

John's New Jersey family, Jennie and Charlie, had kept the secret and helped plan the surprise.  We all went out to dinner in Allentown.

Betty had the idea to take the Cape May ferry from New Jersey to Deleware for the roadtrip to see Lea.

We got an early start from New Jersey because we were afraid of running into more traffic or construction.  We didn't and made it to the ferry earlier than planned.

The ride across was great.  Time to relax, see dolphins, eat and not be in the car!

We met up with Lea and daughter Kathy at the Deleware State Fair Grounds in Harrington, DE.

Back in the car for another family dinner.  It was further than expected and nerves were getting frayed.

Being close to the ocean we went to a big seafood restaurant and had another big meal.

Saturday morning we headed back to Virginia. Everyone got up and ready and we headed out earlier than planned. With no construction or traffic, we made it back to Mom's by 11:00am.

It was truly a special occasion with stories that will last a lifetime.