(Monday, March 4):Â Time for the final leg of the trip to the new house!
We got ourselves up and moving early, ate breakfast, took the dogs for a walk, and shot some videos to make our own La Quinta advertisement (video in production at present).
Here’s “Flat Panda Bear†making sure we were checked out at the front desk.
10:20 am EST: Left the La Quinta Inn Indy East to begin our trip to Akron. Temperature was a balmy 35 degrees F. Most of the trip East out of Indiana was flat farm land.
11:33 am EST: We crossed into the great state of Ohio! At this point we were 428 miles into the trip from Columbia, Missouri.
12:06 pm EST: We pulled off at Englewood, Ohio, for a break to eat lunch and fill up the jeep. This was the same Exit where Sue and I stopped for dinner on the trip West five days before. Temperature now was 37 degrees F. We were 456.2 miles into the trip, having driven 97.2 miles so far today.
Here I am “Driving Miss Patty†…
We ate Lunch at a nearby Subway. The dogs and the cats all enjoyed a little lunch meat as a treat. Here’s Lady Bug waiting anxiously to get back on the road.
1:33 pm EST:Â Back on the road after adding petrol to the Jeep for the next leg of the trip.
2:18 pm EST: Within 45 minutes, we had pulled over at a highway rest stop for a bathroom break and to exercise the dogs. At this point, we were 498.9 miles into the trip, having driven 139.9 miles so far today. Temperature was 39 degrees F.
First, Patty took the dogs for a walk around the rest area.
Then I took over for a short bit.
2:44 pm EST: We pulled out of the rest area and continued our trip East towards Columbus.
3:10 pm EST: Exited I-70 East, to take I-270 North around the West side of Columbus.
The 20-minute trip around Columbus to I-71 North was uneventful, as was most of the 90-minute trip up I-71 towards Cleveland.
Our GPS (“Nigelâ€) was encouraging us to continue North on I-71 to Medina before heading East, but we opted for the faster route of I-76 East towards Akron.
After about 20 minutes of driving, we approached our desired exit at Fairlawn, Ohio, on I-77 North.
5:28 pm EST: We stopped at one of the Northern Akron hotels on Route 18 for a bathroom break and to freshen up after 2 hours and 45 minutes of driving since our last stop. At this point, we were only 10 minutes from the house, so Patty called their realtor, Lee, so he could meet us at the house to hand over the keys.
5:43 pm EST: We pulled away from the hotel and back onto Route 18 East, beginning the 10 minute drive to the house. From here on, it was a combination of twists and turns on sidestreets to our desired destination.
Turning onto Lisa Ann for the last few hundred yards to the house …
5:58 pm EST: Arrive 1188 Lisa Ann Drive! Only 650.9 miles from Arbor Court in Columbia, having driven 291.9 miles today in about 6-1/2 hours. (Remember, the speed limit for the Jeep & Trailer was 55 mph!) Temperature on arrival was 35 degrees F … the same as when we left Columbia.
Lee the realtor had pulled into the driveway just a minute before us, so everything was very well timed!
Patty was super-excited to get the keys to her new house!
Opening the front door for the first time as the new owner of the house!
Welcome, everyone, to our new house!
Time to get the dogs out so they could start exploring the neighborhood!
Sue unloaded Rainbow and Muse from the car, so they could get out and use a litterbox!
Rainbow was the first one out to start exploring!
The dogs in their new home, looking longingly out the front windows at their new kingdom.
We backed the trailer into position at the front door so it would be easier to unload on Tuesday, and removed all the items from the Jeep.
After getting the dogs situated with some food, we headed out to dinner for ourselves at a local Mexican restaurant.
The two most interesting people in the world … “Stay thirsty my friends!â€
We made a short trip to a local grocery store so Patty would have breakfast food for the next morning and a few other necessary items like hand soap, paper towels and toilet paper.
We checked in on the cats. They had made themselves at home in the shelves of the Master Bathroom Walk-in Closet. Rainbow is in the top shelf, while Muse huddles below.
The dogs had already taken up residence in the “Conversation Pit†in the Great Room of the house.
9:27 pm EST:Â Sue and I said our goodbyes to Patty and the animals and left for our home in Cleveland.
10:30 pm EST: After stopping for gas, we arrived at our home in Lyndhurst!  Our cats were very happy to see us and followed us around the house as we unpacked the car.
By 11:30 pm, we were fast asleep in our own home, rejuvenating our bodies for the trip back to see Patty on Tuesday to unpack the trailer and get her situated for the week.
Coming tomorrow … unpacking!
More pictures below! (Click on any photo to enlarge)
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