Day 1: The rain in Spain stays mainly in the...mountains?

Hey folks, Bonnie here with an update from the road! We packed up and set off at approximately 3 PM today with me driving the first leg. You should all be proud of me...I kept my road rage to a minimum in and around Boston (and all the way up through Concord, NH!). I think we were both relieved to be out of Boston traffic with the knowledge that hopefully (hopefully!) we've encountered the worst drivers on the trip. Bad traffic is to be expected, but maybe drivers elsewhere will be a teeny bit more courteous? 

We arrived safely in Shelburne, VT (just south of Burlington) around 7:30 PM to the welcome of Tim's cousin and family. The rain is less than optimal for the beginning of our trip, but our spirits will not be quelled (how's that for vocab, Mary?). I'm determined that we shall enjoy our trip, despite whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at us. Floods be damned, we're doing this! 

One final note for tonight: thought I would inform everyone that Tim and I decided to challenge ourselves a little bit on this trip. We're going low-tech and not using a GPS. We've got one just in case we're up a creek without a paddle, but we're going to try to use maps to get around. This picture shows what we're calling, "mission control." It's just a hard plastic clipboard with a pocket inside that holds our current maps (Northeastern States and Central States right now), our reservation confirmations, and other flotsam. We attached one of Tim's fancy rally pens, threw in a copy of our ambitious itinerary, and its now sitting in between the center console and the passenger seat!
Now, hopefully you can all imagine us scratching our heads, wondering where we are, consulting "mission control," and so lost that we don't even know how to begin to find our back (and if you can't, don't worry, I'll tell you all about it.). 

Love, Bonnie