I love to drive. No, really. I think it's in my DNA.
As a child in the 60's-70's I remember lots of "long" trips in the car with my father:
My grandparents were avid travelers - world wide - in the 60's when that was a true luxury. Grandma in heels and pearls, Grandpa in a suit an tie, jetting off to Europe, bringing back wooden shoes and Dolls of the World to add to our collection. But we drove, and a blank US map was around to help us memorize the states and figure out where we'd been/were going. I think about that map today, and how many states I've traveled to/through. While I'm not sure that I'm able to complete the Mountain time zone (apologies to Erica and the states of Montana, Wyoming, North/South Dakota, Idaho), I'm looking forward to coloring in Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Arizona.
I've made treks alone (and/or with the dog) to Wisconsin and South Carolina - enjoying the time in the car; the freedom to stop and explore; the vastness of the mid West. But those trips were chump change compared to the 3,000+ miles I'll be logging. My M.O. is to drive until I'm tired - but finding lodging, especially with the pup, is often a challenge. A friend has recommended that I set goals of reaching particular places so I can make reservations - I think I will. (Thanks, Lisa!)
I'm not going to rush - taking six days seems doable and allows for a swing through Nashville and maybe Memphis; a wave to Bill and Hill's Little Rock; a stop at the Oklahoma City memorial; good grub in Texas; a soak in a Santa Fe hot tub; a visit with a friend in Flagstaff and rolling into LA county in daylight on or around January 4th.
Time to load the iPod, pack the snacks and print the trip tik - I've only got a week left!
As a child in the 60's-70's I remember lots of "long" trips in the car with my father:
- Two hours to NYC where on the way in we would stop in the Bronx at a White Castle for a sack o' sliders and then, after walking around Rockefeller Center to see "The Tree", hit the Baronet/Coronet Diner on the upper East Side for exotic Greek treats - Gyros and Baklava.
- Barely waking up on a summer Sunday morning, to be packed and ready to go at what I now refer to as "o'dark thirty" for the ride to Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island, where by 8am the car was parked directly adjacent to the sand. My sister and I spent hours building sand castles, swimming in the surf (the "real" ocean - no Long Island Sound beach, this); eating salami sandwiches on white bread and ultimately getting so sunburned that no amount of Solarcaine could help. (oh, how we suffered, lobster red - shivering with sun poisoning!)
- Then there was the trip to Chicago - driving west from Connecticut, one adult and two little girls, straight through. I honestly don't remember that we stopped to rest - 14 hours... singing show tunes... the Music Man's "Gary, Indiana", as we passed through this depressed steel town to visit the extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. (and yes, a pilgrimage to another White Castle - do you see a theme here?)
My grandparents were avid travelers - world wide - in the 60's when that was a true luxury. Grandma in heels and pearls, Grandpa in a suit an tie, jetting off to Europe, bringing back wooden shoes and Dolls of the World to add to our collection. But we drove, and a blank US map was around to help us memorize the states and figure out where we'd been/were going. I think about that map today, and how many states I've traveled to/through. While I'm not sure that I'm able to complete the Mountain time zone (apologies to Erica and the states of Montana, Wyoming, North/South Dakota, Idaho), I'm looking forward to coloring in Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Arizona.
I've made treks alone (and/or with the dog) to Wisconsin and South Carolina - enjoying the time in the car; the freedom to stop and explore; the vastness of the mid West. But those trips were chump change compared to the 3,000+ miles I'll be logging. My M.O. is to drive until I'm tired - but finding lodging, especially with the pup, is often a challenge. A friend has recommended that I set goals of reaching particular places so I can make reservations - I think I will. (Thanks, Lisa!)
I'm not going to rush - taking six days seems doable and allows for a swing through Nashville and maybe Memphis; a wave to Bill and Hill's Little Rock; a stop at the Oklahoma City memorial; good grub in Texas; a soak in a Santa Fe hot tub; a visit with a friend in Flagstaff and rolling into LA county in daylight on or around January 4th.
Time to load the iPod, pack the snacks and print the trip tik - I've only got a week left!
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