Day 5: Roanoke VA - Gettysburg PA

So today the panic set in. I could spend a week in any of the places which, several months ago, looked a sensible distance apart on the map. I could spend a fortnight in some of the places in between. The kids have adjusted to the new time zone (hence today's early start), but with three weeks left ahead of us, I fear resorting to early mornings, lunch in the car and post-bedtime arrivals is a dangerous road. I look at the map of Gettysburg and feel like weeping- we have a 5.5 hour journey to Cooperstown tomorrow, yet before we set off I have to nail the Civil War...

I blame Frommer - we're now into guidebook territory, and every page shouts worthy suggestions which won't be fulfilled. The journey is no longer the purpose - we're now pinpointing destinations. We're going through towns rather than round them; going out of our way to see and do Things rather than setting cruise control and Shuffle.

I try to be a glass-half-full sort of woman. And yet travel for me is often about opportunities missed rather than things seen. A beautiful morning at Jefferson's Monticello leaves a yearning to see James Madison's Montpelier, 30 miles up the road. An afternoon spent driving down the Skyline Drive leads to regret I haven't seen it in fall. An evening wandering the streets of Winchester leaves me sad that we drove past Abingdon.

A facebook friend tonight has photos of her "favourite place in the world". Every journey I’ve made seems to have been a taster trip before the real in-depth study. And yet I rarely retrace my steps (Gettysburg is a exception - I stare at the map trying to pinpoint exactly the mound I know I want to see - will I recognize it sixteen years on if we find it?). I could never have a favourite place, as the indulgence of returning might mean a lost chance to go elsewhere. Is this because I've lived on three continents, and am struggling to find that level of knowledge and comfort everywhere I go? Or is it a natural response to encountering something extraordinary by refusing to admit you won't see it again? Do I have a favourite place waiting in every port?

We have four days and three nights in Cooperstown. Maybe that'll help me feel a bit more grounded. We might even do some laundry.

Today’s statistics:

• Started driving: 8.03
• Finished driving: 21.36
• Miles: 312
• New States: 3
• New State license plates seen: 1
• Statues of Presidents seen: 4 (at least)
• Stuffed animals soaked and scrubbed in the Family Restroom on the Skyline Drive: 3
• Favourite placename: Funkstown, MD
• Breakfast: Super 8 motel, Roanoke
• Lunch: Monticello cafe, Charlottesville
• Dinner: Union Bar, Winchester

Today’s Discoveries:

• I would not have made a good Mrs Jefferson. Nothing to do with Sally Hemings, but I would have HIT THE ROOF about having to cut holes in the brand new floor so that his stupid clock would fit into the front room. Honestly.
• There's more than one Strasburg. The one with the fabled mini-golf is not the one just off the Skyline Drive.
• You can do four states in 30 minutes on the I-31 between Winchester and Greencastle.
• It's ok to go to British pubs abroad when you don't live in the UK anymore.