Just got back from the longest road trip in Batterson family history. We spent 29 hours and 54 minutes in the van together.

Exactly 58 minutes and 58 seconds into the trip Josiah said, “It’s taking too long.”

A couple highlights.

We toured the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, NC. It was the largest private residence in the US when it was built in the 1890′s. And it sat on 125,000 acres. The back yard stretched for more than 19 miles. The house itself had 250 rooms including a bowling alley and indoor swimming pool.

Can you imagine a game of hide-and-seek at Biltmore? It could last for years!

By the way, I did what I always do at places like this. I hid a coin in a spot that is very difficult to reach so that I can see if it’s there if I ever come back. I hid a penny in my old Junior High. It stayed there untouched for more than a decade. I did the same thing with our vacation cabin in Alexandria, MN. The coin was there every year–evidence of how poorly they cleaned the cabins! And now there is a penny at the Biltmore Mansion. It’s one of my idiosyncracies.

We drove through the Smokey Mountains on our way to Nashville. When we got to the top we were literally driving through clouds. It was a-mazing. Josiah asked, “Is this the top of the world?” It sure felt like it.

In case you ever make the trip, there are 13 Cracker Barrels between Gatlinburg and Nashville. Tennessee truly is the Promised Land

I don’t know who invented the portable DVD player, but let me take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks.

All-in-all, a great trip with lots of family memories!