Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.
Miriam Beard
It's late...or early, depending on your perspective.
I'm just back in from a road trip with 2 of 8, back from a whirlwind weekend of traveling to a Cecchetti Ballet exam and conference. 2 of 8 had a marvelous time, spending fantastic instruction time with master teachers, learning new technique and honing her skills.
And I drove up and down the highway, shuttling my sweet dancer between where we were staying and where the conference was held.
And then we drove many more miles back home.
My path to becoming a road warrior is littered with the memories of road trips past. As a kid, I spent many an hour in the back seat of the Chevy Impala, traveling the highways and byways to many of our nation's gorgeous national parks. When we moved across the country at the end of my first grade year, that transition took place from my vantage point in the back left passenger seat of our metallic gray Mustang.
And the last five years of multiple moves situated multiple miles apart have solidified my title as a Drivin' Mama.
Spring is the season when we hit the road again to take 2 of 8 to her various dance intensives and competitions. And I find that, while I hate the packing up process and all the chaos that seems to entail regardless of all my planning, the actual time on the road can be very sweet. 2 of 8 and I usually take the younger kids and once they are quiet and hypnotized by a video, 2 of 8 and I actually have a chance to have uninterrupted conversations. Conversations about trivial things. Conversations about deep things. Times of quiet, listening to great music. Times of laughter. All as the miles tick by.
It is said that for some individuals, the process of driving quiets the brain. And for my frenetic mind, this has certainly held true. It has been in those late night hours, watching white lines slide rhythmically beneath my tires that my mind quiets and strolls, resting a bit on this thought, looking at that thought from a different angle. My left brain is engaged in the concentrated effort of aligning the visual information of the road and the dashboard with the kinestetic needs of the steering wheel and the foot pedals. And while that analytical part of myself is kept engaged in the busy work of driving, my right brain can enjoy the quiet and take in the view of the inside of my heart.
An enlightening road trip indeed.
Are you a driver? Do you crave the quiet and solitude of the open road? Or would you rather have your teeth pulled out with pliers than have to spend time conquering the asphalt? Do you look at a trip of a few hundred miles as a driveable little jaunt or do you refuse any other mode than an airplane if your destination starts pushing triple digit miles? Write your own post on this topic and put the url of that post and your name in the Mister Linky's box below or leave your thoughts in the comment box.
Really beautiful. I love family trips together in the car, we really do bond in a different way. Unfortunately, my hubby and I both get really, really sleepy when we drive. That makes it hard.
ReplyDeleteI love road trips. My husband and I take several every year. My cousins and I try to take at least one a year, our cousins road trip we call it. We have some really great times. I'll take the road over the air anytime!
ReplyDeleteI love to drive. The idea of spending days in the car is so soothing to me. But now that I have two toddlers, it seems more like a circle of hell. Maybe when they're a little older.
ReplyDeleteWe're supposed to visit my husband's parents in July. It's a 27 hour drive--one way. They offered to fly us instead. As much as it saddens me, I think I might just take them up on it. Unless there is some way to send the toddlers on a plane by themselves!
We take family car trips every year. There is nothing like shutting out the distractions for a little while (no DVD player here) and just getting reacquainted with each other. I especially like having a nice, long conversation with my husband as we drive. With all the work and picayune obligations of daily life, I miss him. Driving gives us a chance to reconnect in a wonderful way.
ReplyDelete- Julia
I love road trips, love them! Though I too, could do without the packing and clean-up. Adorable Hubby...NOT SO MUCH!
ReplyDeleteI'm planning my first 8 hr road trip with the yahoos here in a month or two. I've taken 2-4 hr ones with them before. I'm not much of a big trip driver. Daily driver, oh sure, but big trips..eh. I'll take 'em, not a problem, but I don't drive them. I don't like driving in unfamiliar places. But I'm getting better. I keep pushing myself. So, now I'll be conquering an 8+ hr drive to visit with my mom and fam ... just me and the 6 yahoos. "Just" teehee Funny how when you leave off one person (dh) it becomes "just". Anywho, we always have a good time on our trips. Once I get over the initial anxiety of the travel I do rather enjoy it. I get through those hairy travel areas and all is well.
ReplyDeleteUm...anyone have a portable dvd player they could loan me? They might enjoy a movie while we're on the go.
I'm just happy my oldest has her license now. Hubby has sleep apnea and is still getting used to the bipap machine. He is too tired to drive for long time periods. At least we now have a third driver.
ReplyDeleteI hate the trip to visit our families in NY. 420 miles to my mom's house usually takes us all day 10+ hours. We have the kids who hate the car, the ones who have to be away from everyone or they cause trouble, and the kids who get car sick. :)
The older I get, the less I like to travel or drive. I just like to stay home!
ReplyDeleteI love to road-trip, my husband does not. My mother is a cavy (guinea pig) judge and my oldest son likes to show rabbits (rabbits and cavies show at the same shows) so we travel up to 6 hours from home for rabbit shows all spring and fall. Last weekend we went to Kennewick, WA from SW Idaho and didn't even take an animal to show! It's fun seeing our friends and learning opportunities abound at every event. Mom goes much farther afield than my son and I do, maybe when the little boys are older we'll all go to some of the big shows. We're usually penny pinching so the shows offer us the opportunity to visit within our circle of friends and avoid a hotel bill! Our kids don't actually realize yet that you can travel and not go to a livestock show of some sort. The other day my oldest was heard wistfully stating, "Do you think they have any rabbit shows near DisneyLand?"
ReplyDeleteI'm not such a fan of the driving but I like to look out the window and watch the trees go by. Spotting fields with wallabies or looking out for the elusive cassowaries around Mission Beach. I don't like the Marlborough stretch though... it's a big patch of nothing when we head south, N.O.T.H.I.N.G.
ReplyDeleteDriving with kids has taken some of the relaxation out of it but it's still fun.
I love your thought-provoking, question-asking posts.
ReplyDeleteEver since our first children (twins) were 3 months old, we've taken 2-3 road trip vacations per year as a family. By road trips vacations, I mean usually more than 1,000 miles...otherwise we refer to them as little roadies.
In the past 10 years with kids, we've adjusted to baby/toddler/kid needs...but all 4 of the children are good travelers and especially love it when we wake them up before it's light out to get them into the car for a trip.
We used to make our regular 22-hour trip only stopping for gas. Now that our kids are older and need to shake out their legs, we usually stop somewhere overnight.
Last May we turned a little roadie (driving only 7 hours to meet up with family) in to a major road trip, by deciding--after we reached our first destination--to take a 1,300 mile/5-day detour before returning home. We headed for the snowy Rocky Mountains with only swim suits, shorts and flip flops in our bags.
If we took planes everywhere, our kids would never see the wind farms of West Texas, the glacial erratics in Washington State, the winding back roads to the many national parks, or the charming little towns we pass through to reach our destinations.
These are the memorable trips our children won't forget. The last time we traveled home for the holidays by way of airplane, however, is a trip I'd LOVE to forget! =)
Disclaimer: Both of my parents live far enough away that if we want to get there AND spend time with them, we usually have to fly. =(
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