Off to the races!!! Departure time 7:00 AM, Boxing Day 2013, from Summerside, PEI. Temperature -23 Celsius... Roads clear. We made great time through to Moncton, then clear sailing to Fredericton. Roads gave way to snow and we rolled into Houlton with wipers swiping away thin flakes and minus 18 frostiness!

We had a non eventful crossing at the US border. However, flurries thickened to full fledged snow down the I-95 with a short reprieve in the Bangor area. It slowed us down considerably but was never a situation where we couldn't keep our tires on some bare road. In the end, we were driving in rain outside of Boston and pulled into Marlborough at about 6:30 PM to settle for the evening. Monica and I caught a swim in the whirlpool while Janie and Peter headed for Hannaford's for the next day's sustenance.

The next morning we were in the car by 6:30 AM leaving Marlborough... another day almost exclusively set aside for travel. We took our normal route, across on the I-90, then South on the I-84 through to Hartford, then the Merritt Parkway to White Plains and the Tappan Zee Bridge. That puts us around NYC and a lot of that clutter. We found the highways surprisingly busy... But perhaps that's the way things are done in 'Murica over Christmas holidays.

We made great time and drove steadily through New Jersey and Pennsylvania to our only stop for the day, Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, MD. The Battle of Antietam was pivotal as it was a turning point used by President Lincoln to begin the process of emancipation. Further, it is described as the bloodiest day in American history. We took the time to view an introductory video, as well as navigate the exhibits, visit the observation area, and tour several key parts of the battlefield. Of note, we stopped by the Sunken Road and Burnside's Bridge. Both these sites hosted some of the battles most vicious exchanges. The park itself seems well preserved and the exhibits/video were well done.

Then we reconnected with the I-81 South through West Virginia into Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Stayed the night in Roanoke after a solid trip through the pass. Two big days with approximately 24 hrs of driving time in. The kids were awesome as they listened to music, fooled with the iPods, played games or flat out slept... Great travelers with no more demand than the occasional stop for biology breaks.