24 Hours at LeMans

Yesterday morning, we were at St. Ignoramus KOA in Northern Michigan.  We took a family vote on return options, with the winning side choosing to drive straight through to home from there over the option of staying at the KOA in Erie, PA.  We let out at 8 AM under blue skies with a visible crescent moon.  It was full when we left 12 days ago.
We crossed the Mackinac Bridge (Mac 'N Cheese bridge to Gabby) and headed south towards Saginaw.  That, of course, reminded me of driving with my parents as a child and teen, when they flipped the 8 track tape of the Classic Country Hits into the stereo system.  "I was born, in Saginaw, Michigan.  I grew up in house on Saginaw Bay."  Ah, the classics.
Then, I remembered Neil Diamond!  My dad had about ten 8 tracks he played over and over again in the car.  They included Neil Diamond's Touching You, Touching Me, Pat Boone's greatest hits, Roger Whitaker singing "Pour Mes Amis Quebecois," Lucille Starr, and some Johnny Cash.  My favorite was Maestro Diamond's album.  As it happened, I had the album loaded on my iPod and commenced to torturing the unwary, captive travelers with his dulcet tones.  This, I followed with some Harry Chapin, and half of the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Album.  If only I had found the Terry Jacks hit, Seasons in the Sun, it would have been a perfect recreation of the drive my family took to Hearst Castle in 1974.  It probably was a good thing I didn't find it, because Ray Steven's, The Streak was sure to follow, and I would have had to explain to my kids why people found it necessary to run around naked in public for a couple years in the early 70s.
By nightfall, we had entered New York.  I drove unit 2 AM, then took a 20 minute nap.  Feeling quite refreshed, I lasted until just before day brake when Amy took over for a couple hours.  We rolled into KOA in Albion, Maine at 8:30 this morning.  Today, I have that weird, post-call, buzzy feeling.  I'll sleep well tonight.  The sky box is off the van, and the cargo hold is empty.  The only things we lost were my Tilly Hat, and the case to my small Sony camera (which contained the small, second battery).
Overall, the trip was wonderful.  I learned some things about myself I hadn't appreciated before, and learned a lot about my wife and kids.  If I had it to do over again, I would find a way to drive less though.  At times, this trip of a lifetime felt like it lasted a lifetime.