Day 1: Getting there is not half the fun

Wow, 2 months since my last post. I guess I could think up an excuse, like I've been in a coma or I have amnesia. I can't even say I've been terribly busy. Maybe the problem is I used to be in class and could write instead of paying attention. Now I'm at home every night and have three "distractions."
We set out on a Friday morning with a facing a 10-hour drive and dreaming of sun and sand on a 5-day cruise. The roll call for this trip was the wife and I, our 3 kids and Gimpy (my mother-in-law). Despite getting both knees replaced in the last couple years, she’ll always be Gimpy to me. At least when I’m writing about her and am trying to preserve her anonymity. We didn’t get off to a great start as getting 6 people plus luggage in a minivan can be a tight squeeze. Plus, my wife and her mother insist on traveling with their own pillows. Must be something genetic. Anyway, after wrestling Gimpy into her support hose and cramming everyone in, we set sail.

I have to say, we made good time. With 3 kids and a grandmother on board, I was expecting a lot of stops. We drove 2.5 hrs and stopped for lunch in Hannibal, MO (Long John Silvers, which is quite possibly the greatest seafood on earth) and stopped in Sikeston, MO for gas. It was one of the filthiest gas stations I’ve been to. The bathroom had a half dozen flies buzzing around (and it was a bathroom with a single, barely functioning toilet) and some old geezer was walking around with a cigarette that had 2 inches of ash ready to fall off. One of the best things my great state of Iowa has ever done was outlaw smoking in everywhere except casinos.
We went from Sikeston to Tupuelo, MS and spent the night there. The wife insisted that we stop at Walmart because she had forgotten shampoo. I mentioned there will be shampoo on the boat, and it’ll probably be complimentary. She claimed there wouldn’t be, and once again I was proven right. Sometimes it’s hard being me.
The standard chain restaurants (Applebees, Olive Garden, etc) were all packed so I got to eat at one of my absolute favorites, Steak Escape. They have a dish called the Smashed Potato and it is phenomenal. It’s a baked potato chopped up and grilled, then topped with steak, cheese, onion, green peppers and mushroom. Plus, I think it’s fat free, but I can’t back that up.