Day Seven: The Atlantic Is Not Just A Fine Periodical

This morning, the dudes and I managed to depart DC right on schedule. An early wake-up got the boys and I out of Eileen's apartment bright and early (although my boys managed to disrupt her AM meditation practice with a spirited discussion of ballistics right outside her door) with approximately one ton of various luggage, the toting of which has crushed my stature by at least an inch. The weather was FINE when we went into the station at Gallery Place, but by the time our train emerged to cross the Potomac, the skies had torn open in a cataclysmic downpour of Biblical proportions. We got into the airport and onto the parking shuttle without getting wet, thanks to the covered pickup area. All got slightly drenched traversing the six feet from the shuttle bus to the shelter nearest our car, and I got soaked to the skin bolting to the car on my own. Gear stashed, parking paid, and sopping wet, we departed DC at 8AM on the nose. Which was my plan. Heh heh.

The drive to SC was uneventful except for the astounding traffic jam heading in the opposite direction: commuter traffic heading into DC, backed up for miles upon miles. About two hours from our hotel, our route diverged from the Interstate for the first time in our travels, and we spent the rest of the trip driving on two-lane through rural(ish) NC and SC: tobacco fields, ramshackle barns, and the music from "Deliverance" never far from my mental soundtrack. The first time we passed a picturesque roadside stand selling boiled peanuts with a hand-lettered sign, I said "Look, kids! A local delicacy!" The second time, I said, "Hey, kids! Let's stop and get some boiled peanuts!" I figured I'd have a few more kicks at the cat on the boiled-peanut front to wear them down, but there were NO MORE STANDS. A missed culinary opportunity.

So here we are at the fabulous Driftwood Lodge Hotel, a pick from a guidebook that was spot frickin' ON. Our room is $89 per night. It is directly on the ocean and has a little pool overlooking same. The parking is right outside. Our chambers are very spacious and clean and feature a microwave and generous fridge, which we are going to use to cheapskate the hell out of our meals. The ocean is warm. We spent the afternoon wave-jumping. Oscar has finally come to admit that he is enjoying the road trip more than he would have enjoyed staying home. Provisions have been laid in for the next day or so. Splurge: boogie boards. We have cable and wifi and air conditioning and DID I MENTION WE ARE ON THE BEACH? A worthy idyll on the way down to Florida, stumbled across through sheer dumb luck and the judicious use of a Frommer's from the public library. TOMORROW: We get salt and sand everyplace it is possible to get salt and sand on - and in - the human body.