Road Trip!

Does anyone enjoy a good road trip? I certainly do. Some of my fondest memories have been created during road trips. All the random things you see, experience, and the conversations that come up are unmatched.

I remember a few long drives as a child when my family drove from California to New Mexico. I made that trip a couple of times for a family vacation and a death in the family. Even more memorable for me is the road trips I’ve been able to make with my own children.

We made trips between California, Arizona, and Nevada several times throughout their childhood. Sometimes we’d go meet up with their father if he had a layover somewhere. Other times we’d just go visit family.

When my oldest son graduated from AIT with the Army, I knew I had to be there. Instead of flying out like we did for his Basic Training graduation, we decided to drive. My mom, me, and my youngest son set out from Vegas to the Show Me state (Missouri).

The three of us set out from Vegas with a cooler packed with drinks and snacks – crowding the already little backseat of my mom’s Monte Carlo. My youngest was barely 17, but thankfully a good sport. (I don’t think he minded so much since he had easy access to the food.)

We spent a couple of days in Missouri checking out the base and watching the graduation. It wasn’t as big and formal as the basic training graduation. However, I was still extremely proud of my son and honored to be there for another of his accomplishments.

Once we were done touring the base, he was released to drive home with us. We crammed the Monte Carlo with his gear, on top of our bags, and headed southwest again. He complained a few times, saying he should have just let the Army fly him home. (I think he enjoyed the time overall.)

We stopped in Oklahoma for a day to spend some time with family there. My aunt was living in a small town right off a lake in a small cabin she had built herself. Mom, me, and both of my boys stayed the night there with her.

A few of my cousins met us for lunch, as well. It was nice to see family that my kids hadn’t really gotten to know growing up. Even though the stop was short, it was nice. My cousin, Melisa, was my first best friend in life. We grew up like sisters until about middle school when they moved. Unfortunately, our kids have only been in the same place a handful of times, so it was nice to have that happen.

From there we pushed through to Vegas. It was a long and rough journey, but we made it. Besides being a little cramped, I wouldn’t change anything about the trip. Those hours and miles turned into some amazing memories that forever live in my heart.

I’m so blessed to have had several thousand miles and hundreds of hours on the road. By myself, I jam out to music and let my thoughts flow. Maybe that’s why I love to ride, too. With my mom, kids, other family and friends, I love the music, the conversations, the silly jokes…and most of all the time shared.

There’s something about a road trip that doesn’t quite compare to anything else.