Just got back last night. Went with my sister and our parents to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. Also dontt go on a bus trip with people in the 70s and 80s if you're not. The temperature in the bus will be their age and they will be cold.

Left Lincoln last Tuesday there was a little snow on the ground. Roads were slippery. Took 2 hours to get to Omaha (normally about 45 minutes)

At Omaha the interstate was closed due to ice causing multiple accidents. Bus driver who was from Omaha took an alternate route to Council Bluffs where we picked up more passengers and a different driver.

Everyplace we stopped for bathroom breaks and meals until we got to South Carolina it was snowing. Weather put us behind schedule and because of federal laws requiring the driver to be off duty for 8 hours we never got back on schedule.

We were an hour and half late in leaving the first hotel. We had to shorten breaks and 2 hour tour of a disierlly was reduced to 15 minutes because we had a show we couldn't be late to. It was clean, family friendly show. Which was my favorite of the three.

Bus driver took a scenic route to let us see some of the Smokey Mountains. She consuleted several maps all of which showed the route would take us were we neeed to go just slower. But the paved road in fact turned into mud and she had to back the bus back down until she could turn the bus around. That cost us over an hour.

At one of our stops I bought a bag of Ketchup flavored potato chips just to try them. They were great. However Icould not find them anywhere else and the return trip didn't go the same route.

At 7:30 in the morning when I walked on the beach it was 32F. Now with the sun and less wind it felt more like a Nebraska 52 degree day. But still not the 65 degree weather Myrtle Beach had the day before we arrived and the day after we left.

The Ark is fascinating but they need to work on their communications skills. They don't open until noon on Sunday but their office told our tour company they would open for us at 10. At 10 a scurity guard turns us away. I didn't hear him but another passenger on the bus said he apologized later for the communications failure he didnt get the notification until after we had already left to kill 2 hours at Walmart.

Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. I know exactly what you went through. Chalk it up to 'never again' but a great thing to talk about.

Wow !! What a trip !! Phew

sorry, but I laughed out loud at this. It reminds me of my sister in law who took a trip to Italy with her elderly father. she said it was the worst trip of her life. pushing his wheelchair over all the cobblestone streets and him having to go to the bathroom all the time. I laughed at that too, but, it was not a fun trip in her opinion. well, at least you finally got there!

Sounds like an unforgettable experience!

I went because it may be last trip with my parents. They're 80 and having health issues.

An experience you won't forget in a hurry. Well done!