I've been driving across this country for my entire life. As an 18 yr old, I got into my car-pointed it west and just drove. Getting ready for a road trip meant throwing some spare clothes in a duffel bag, making sure I had a lot of film for my trusty Nikon- and getting behind the wheel. No maps, no supplies, just money and clothes (and often not a lot of those-laundry mats were my friend!). I'd go where ever I saw something interesting-I slept in rest areas and ate at roadside dives. Apparently, I had little fear of death.
I drove through a blizzard in New Mexico once in a jeep I had never really driven before. I had to find a mall parking lot (everything was closed due to the storm) to figure out how to put it INTO 4 wheel drive. Then I had to teach myself how to DRIVE it in 4wd. I have awesome pics of me at Monument Valley- I still don't exactly remember how I got up there- I know I never planned it. One afternoon I ended up in San Diego because I got bored in Phoenix. I've seen the meteor crater in Flagstaff, Arcosanti, Talieisn west, spent weeks in Sedona and Santa Fe, hiked in the Grand Canyon, Canyon De Chelly, the petrified forest, learned to LOVE Jerome Az (perched on the side of a cliff with awesome artists), I've gotten up in the morning-hiked Enchanted Rock in Tx and then driven down to South Padre to look at the gulf at nightfall. I've never had a second thought getting behind the wheel of a car and just going where ever (and when ever) I wanted to....
Now though, with a kid, a road trip is a serious packing matter. DVD player with movies, all sorts of electronics (phones, games, cameras) and the chargers that go with it. Books and paper so he can draw his movie storyboards. I've actually packed OUTFITS for us. I have a map. And an atlas. I have reservations for the first nights stay on the road. I've gone online to find interesting things for us to find along the way- not just letting fate decide for us. It's sort of sucking the fun out of it for me.
But I'm still going. And it's going to be fun. Just, a different kind of fun.
2 comments:
oh, oh, oh, so exciting! You've got guts, girl, taking the boy along! But what memories! I had wanted to do something like this when the kids were little--I never even mentioned it out loud.
You're so right, a different kind of fun--I hope it is satisfying, too.
Max has traveled quite a while before-twice to Pennslyvania and once in the UP of MI, but this is the first time it's just the two of us AND it's 1400 miles one way...it's a long drive!
Not every moment is going to be unicorns and rainbows- but I'm hoping that there are more rainbows than thunderstorms...
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