"Road Trippin'" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

The total trip from Louisiana to Fairbanks will take us somewhere between 5,300 to 5,967 miles.  The variation comes from Chad doing the calculation one way (claiming the ferry voucher lists the distance we cover on the water), and my calculation of what it would take to drive instead of taking the ferry.  Either way, our first stretch of drive to Lansing was 1,181 miles.  And depending on who you ask, that is 19.8%-25% of our total trip.
Here is a snap shot of what the first 22.4% of the trip looked like:

Friday 7:30am
2 miles on the highway, we hear a loud 'thwump'.
Me: did we hit something?
Chad: no, it was something with the hood. Is it unlatched???
Marvin: MEEERRROOOWWW
Caitlin: hack, hack, sneeze, gag, cough.

Lesson #1, make sure your car hood is fully latched before driving 1,000+ miles.

7:40am
We discover that TomTom is unresponsive, and the atlas is most likely on its way to Alaska without us...ugh that packing company...

8:20am
The atlas was where it was supposed to be. Right next to the pregnant lady...I swear it was incognito!

Lesson #2, verify your maps are in the car and your GPS unit is fully functional and up to date.

9:35am
TomTom decided to join us just north of Texarkana. He required some odd combination of unplugging and resetting...

10:30am
The pathetically sick kid in the backseat finally falls asleep. She continues to cough in her sleep and snore rather loudly. It breaks Mama's heart :(

2:00pm-ish
We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a grocery store parking lot just north of Memphis. Caitlin ate a cold hot dog (just about the only thing she has had more than 2 bites of in the last two days). Marvin still hates us, but is keeping his opinion, rather nicely, to himself.

5:00pm-ish 
Dinner (aka peanut butter sandwiches again) in a McDonald's parking lot.

10:45pm 
Marvin looses his cool.   And he's making it very known.

Lesson #3, don't forget to feed your cat!! He is not likely to forgive you even if you feed him 5 hours later. He will hold that grudge...

Saturday 4:45am 
Arrival at our destination at last. Sweet dreams world!