Travel. Everyone loves it and has their own way to experience it. Flying has become a necessary part of said travel but in recent years has lost its charm and magic. It's definitely become far more stressful and tiresome with long lines, lost luggage, and frustrated souls. It's become a means to an end; a way to get where you need to go. And then there is the Road Trip. There is nothing like a good road trip. There's a freedom in it. No schedules to speak of. Stop when you want, rest when you're tired, eat what you desire. Take in the sites at leisure if you want. Or not. There is no pressure. No cattle pushing. Whatever road you choose is up to you.
Coming from a family of seven in the 70's, we did a lot of road trips. I have sweet memories of my parents piling all of us in our blue, wood-panelled station wagon, seats down, sleeping bags all lined up. We often did the overnight journeys. Dad, to this day, still loves to drive and perhaps being a trucker in his younger days gave him the longevity to drive for hours and hours without thinking about it. I adored these trips and anticipated them twice a year with joy and excitement. I was very small - four, five, and six years old during our peak road tripping years - but my memories are vivid and my feelings even more so. I would wake up tucked in my flannel sleeping bag, deep in the darkest part of night and peer out the long windows knowing the Saskatchewan prairies were out there but too dark to see. There was only the glow of the truck stop diner. I would see mom and dad through the glass having a coffee in the wee hours of the night before deciding to move on. There was somehow a safety and comfort in it. My brothers and sisters sleeping away. Safe. Content. I didn't know fear, anxiety, or loss. Only joy. I was a happy little kid and had a very happy childhood. I guess those trips and memories shaped my love of travel and my somewhat nomadic lifestyle. I romanticize road trips and forget that there will be grind-y bits and definite failures. Had one on day two, in fact - bad hotel choice! Like, real bad. But the failures that don't get lost in memories, become part of the laughter and joyous parts of the journey. Currently, we are rejigging my default of always taking way too much. Re-organization will be today's focus as we forge onwards towards camping in New Jersey with the Lama. Rain on the horizon. Day three of the journey begins.
