According to my favorite anchor, Charles Gibson (he will always be Charlie to me), Americans drove 10 BILLION fewer miles in May 2008 than in May 2007. This strikes me as highly ironic as my family and I prepare to embark on our summer road trip to North Carolina.

We are leaving tomorrow morning, at the crack of my bum, with the goal of driving from Ashland, Massachusetts to Williamsburg Virginia. For those of you who are counting that is a 10+ hour trip of over 580 miles, not counting stops for meals and potty breaks.

Did I mention we are doing this in one day?

We're not completely bucking the trend towards fewer miles or great fuel conservation. Last year we completed this trip driving our Mazda MPV, a fairly spacious minivan which gave us plenty of room to spread out, but also burned through gas at 22 miles per gallon. This year we're driving my new Toyota Prius which averages over 50 MPG, but also keeps the kids close enough to actually touch each other.

Want to know how it goes? (I get it, my pain is my readers'/listeners'/friends' joy). Just watch this space, or follow us on Twitter.

Wish me luck.