Day 25, thursday, 10/11/12, KOA camp in south bend, indiana, 719 miles from DC, 3000 miles into trip

Terrible day today. Got an early enough start on the road, but once we hit madison, wisconsin, i experienced traffic like i have not seen in a month. That takes away a lot of the value of a trip like this. What are we doing to ourselves with such stress?

I violated one of my rules (to let the dogs out for a walk at least every three to four hours) and paid the penalty. But it was good practice for another rule, make sure leben knows he can do nothing wrong and that everything he does deserves a "good dog," if not a treat, or both.

Drove 450 miles today to indiana. If all goes well we'll be back in DC saturday night. Pulled into 0this KOA at 8pm, after dark, which i hate doing. Unloading the defender and setting up a camp in the dark with a headlight is disorienting. But i had to do it to make time to get home. We have an east day tomorrow, 274 miles, to a KOA we stayed in last year, and then the final stretch Saturday, 343 miles. Then leben's new life begins, and mine too. I intend to make it as successful for the three of us as i can

Ed

Photo is of the dogs in their new home in south bend, ind.