I left Minnesota for Houston for a less then 24 hr. turn around. Mom and Dad Norris, Theo the dog and I rented an Impala packed up and headed out on Tuesday morning for Pennsylvania. I love road trips, and I love driving, and this trip promised me both. We drove 505 miles day 1, about the same day 2. I'd booked rooms in advance that allowed pets so we knew where we were stopping. We all traveled well and saw beautiful countryside through middle Tennessee and Kentucky. Our time in Delmont/Pittsburgh was very full. I got to spent time with my daughters, and we all got to see and meet so many people, alot of them relatives we had never met! Wendy and Dave had a very successful party that closed with a bang, as in thunderstorm rolled in. It was good timing, as everyone was starting to drag. T, E and I did a little site seeing in downtown Pittsburgh on our way to the airport Sunday. Monday morning it was back on the road for the road crew. On leaving, we seemed to wander a bit, the map and Tom Tom not agreeing on a route for southern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia, but once we got rolling we made it to Sweetwater, Tennessee in the foot hills of the Smokies. Now this day was a scenic drive, and though a bit long, enjoyed by all. Day 2 took us to the Louisiana state line, where the lack of hotel rooms is still a reflection of Katrina's wrath. The in-laws were seeing a part of the country that was new to them, and my old stomping ground. We all returned home having had an enjoyable trip, which is saying something!