Winter Break Trip - Day 1

[we got up at around 0615 and finished packing - we ate breakfast (ClifBar) and got on the road by 0715 - gas fillup in Alexandria (0725) - we used I-495, I-95, I-695, I-83 and I-81 to head north - Mollie slept for almost four hours in the back seat of my little car (she said she loved "the coziness") - parts of the Government shut down, so we weren't able to enjoy a major part of our Daddy-Daughter vacations on the way to New England (visiting National Parks and getting NPS Passport Stamps) - Mollie was disappointed and it wasn't looking good for any park visits for the rest of the week - we stopped at a rest area on I-80 to assess our options and decided to head north (back roads) to I-84 - gas fillup in Montague, NJ (1225) - we ate lunch (snacks) in the car - we also played a game I called “Favorites of 2018” and talked about Spring Break and Summer Vacation plans - we detoured a few times off the Interstate in New York and Connecticut (for traffic) and eventually (north of Hartford) switched to I-384 and US-6 to get to Providence - after that, we drove on I-295, I-95 had I-93 to get to Braintree and MA-3 - we arrived at Katie's house at about 1630 - Uncle John made dinner (chicken parmigiana, salad) - after eating, I went for a walk - when I returned, we headed over to Ella’s school to watch her play basketball - we walked to and from the game (full moon, brisk) - back at the house, we enjoyed the company of family for several more hours before bed (2330)]