The Wizard of Oz is the ultimate road trip. My husband and I took a road trip this past week to see our daughter in Southwest Virginia, traveling five hours by car. She’s working at The Barter Theatre this summer in the marketing department and taking summer classes at Emory & Henry College.

THE FIRST PIT STOP:

On any road trip, potty breaks are the most interesting. My husband says I have the bladder of a four-year-old. We stopped at Goose Creek Market. They are located off Interstate 64 in Fishersville, Virginia. They have donuts made fresh daily:

THE SECOND PIT STOP:

After stopping in Fishersville, we soon entered one of the worst interstates in America for traveling because of the concentration of trucks and very few three-lane stretches. It is like avoiding Flying Monkeys. Our second stop was off Interstate 81 in Pulaski at the Exxon gas station. I did goof off some:

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME:

We arrived in Abingdon, Virginia, safely, and around 5:30 p.m., we took our daughter out to dinner. While there, my husband ran into a friend he hadn’t seen in more than 20 years. We haven’t lived in Southwest Virginia since 1997, but we still call it our “home” when anyone asks, “Where you from?”

TIME FOR THE THEATRE:

The Barter Theatre is a wonderful place, and we saw The Wizard of Oz that night.

The creation of the tornado was inventive with the use of fabric and dancers. The Munchins were entertaining and just so darn cute. Of course before we see the Wizard I needed to pee and was grateful for the intermission.

My husband, waiting for me:

Overall it was a very fun experience. It was a great road trip with a happy ending. Spoiler Alert: Dorothy makes it back home from the Land of Oz.

GOT TO HAVE A T-SHIRT:

The gift shop was packed with people the night of the performance so we went back the next day to buy a t-shirt and take some photos. This “cardboard toto” was located inside the lobby:

On the other side of the street from The Barter Theatre, they had taken the LOVEworks art from the Virginia is for Lovers and added OZ to promote the show:

I modeled my new t-shirt:

We eventually made our way home. It was a great road trip with a happy ending.