Natalie B National (road) Tour

A road trip of epic proportions. The plan, drive 5800 miles round trip to retrieve our newly acquired Alberg 30 sailboat. Due to side adventures including a wedding in the Florida panhandle, meeting family/friends in Tampa, and a few trips between Philadelphia PA (more family) & Oxford PA (location of the boat), we ended up logging ~6400 miles total. The first 4100 miles with an empty trailer in tow, the last 2300 miles with the Alberg 30 loaded trailer.

We traveled through 21 states, 17 of which I had never visited before.
We dodged tornadoes & flooding in Texas.

We got to spend a little time relaxing in Destin FL where we attended the wedding of a close family friend on the beach.

We surely overstayed our welcome in Oxford PA trying to get the boat on the trailer (thanks Howard & Ann and Bob's Crane Company). A video is forthcoming.

  

We were helped out with some spare lumber & screws by a nice family in Valley Fork, WV (Thanks Diana, Anthony, Emma & Lance). We were helped out by a biker on his way to a BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse) charity ride (Thanks Randell). We were rescued from certain trailer failure by a master welder in Charleston WV (Thanks Joe).

We drove through some beautiful, yet eerie Kentucky countryside.

We stayed at the fantastic French Quarter Inn in Maysville KY with a beautiful view overlooking the Ohio river.

We were several days past our original scheduled completion date, so we plowed through the remaining, long yet uneventful days.

Finally arriving home, four days late, but safe and sound.

Home at last.

So, thank you to our friends and family for their love and support through such a crazy adventure, especially my mom who kept us up-to-date with her weather and tornado watch along our route.

There will be more posts to follow, detailing the various aspects our trip, including info about the tow vehicle, the trailer (including its mishaps and many modifications), getting the boat onto the trailer, and the complications of obtaining oversize permits.