Are we there yet?
Ahh, road trips. I’ve always been a big fan. When I was little they involved periodic stops at rest areas for salted boiled eggs and orange juice (ick!), listening to the adults yap on and on about the good old days, and enjoying lots of Colombian folk music in the background.
Nowadays, it being just the girls and me, the rest area breaks have been replaced with gas station breaks, the boiled eggs and orange juice with chips and soft drinks (don’t judge–we do pack fruit and water but oh, that gas station junk food is just so tempting!), adult conversations with girly giggles, and as for the music–well, it varies. I still like to listen to Colombian stuff, but I’ll throw in some pop, some oldies, a bit of country here and there, and even my own workout playlist, which contains quite a bit of spicy language. Thank goodness for satellite radio and auxiliary jacks.
Most of our road trips are local–a few hours up or down I-35 because that’s about as far as I’m comfortable venturing on my own–but we have gone as far as California a couple of times and to our favorite place in the world, the Taos ski valley in New Mexico, on several occasions (although never with the intention of skiing). As for lodging, that varies depending on our budget, but most of the time we’ll either camp out at some state park, stay with relatives, or get a cheap hotel room. In Taos, there’s the Sipapu Ski Resort, with bunk rooms complete with a microwave, fridge, private bathroom, and access to TONS of excellent mountain hiking for $40 a night.
I gotta say, though. The very best part of any road trip is the journey itself and the people you share it with, and I am very fortunate to have given birth to two of the best travel companions ever. Most of the time while we’re actually on the road they’re in their own little world and I’m in mine, but even in the middle of that dreamy trance I get into while the road stretches out endlessly before me, I’m always aware of their presence in the back seat: together they alternately chit-chat, laugh, snack, play, zone out, sleep… and very occasionally argue. Every so often our worlds merge and we play road-trip games, sing along to the radio, and have deep, meaningful conversations. Twice we’ve even listened to a book-on-tape along the way. (Not a bad experience, but it does require concentration, which in my opinion takes away from the enjoyment of the trip itself.)
Some of our favorite road-trip destinations so far:
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Los Angeles, California
- Austin, Texas
- San Antonio, Texas
- Turner Falls, Oklahoma
- Beaver’s Bend, Oklahoma
- The Grand Canyon!
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- South Padre Island, Texas
- Flagstaff, Arizona
- Taos, New Mexico
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- El Paso, Texas
- Port Aransas, Texas
Road trips we wanna take someday:
- Yellowstone National Park
- some beautiful rolling hills in Arkansas, preferably in the fall
- Mount Rushmore
- something green and lush on the east coast–the Virginias or Carolinas
- beaches in Florida
- mountains in Colorado
- rock formations and ancient ruins in Utah
- anyplace in California other than LA
- rainy Oregon
Someday, yeah. Maybe in a few years when the girls are old enough to help me drive along the way. Yikes!
How I Pass the Time 