And So It Begins

Have you ever taken a road trip? We have taken a few trips in our motor home but it is a far cry from the trips of my childhood. I am remembering a vintage 1930 something Dodge sedan which in my mind was olive drab but more likely was dark gray. It had a piece of plywood or some kind of a board filling the space between the front and back seat so my brother and I and the dog could sleep while my dad drove all night. More likely that we could not afford a motel than that the schedule was so tight we didn't have the time to stop. This was a trip back to Kansas when I was probably 5 or less. One event that I will never forget was a gas stop at some run down station in the desert. A lot like a scene from an old black and white movie. I remember sitting up to see what was going on and all I saw was this white head coming out of the night like a ghost. The car pulling into the gas station from the other direction had been in an accident. It had no windshield and the driver's face and head were all bandaged like the mummy. I honestly don't remember another thing about that trip. All of our other trips as a kid were camping in the dirt at Barton Flats and one trip to Sequoia. Both of those had memorable things as well...at Barton Flats my brother and I had wondered up a trail and I turned over a rock. There was a scorpion under the rock and my brother grabbed me and ran. In my memory he ran down the trail and I was trailing behind him like a flag in the wind. On the trip to Sequoia my brother had shimmied up an old redwood that was smooth and polished with age. It was laying at an incline and he was pretty high off of the ground. He lost his footing or grip and started to slide backwards down the slick tree. He was trying to hold on and stop so hard that he blister both of his hands. Oh yes, the other thing about that old Dodge...it always had a big coffee can in the back seat for my brother and I (and I guess maybe the dog too) so we wouldn't have to stop at a restroom.

Donna remembers one road trip she took with her Aunt and Uncle. She got car sick and grabbed her Uncle's good felt hat and threw-up in it. I wonder what ever happened to that hat.

Annie says all of our trips have been good but she misses not getting to sleep at the foot of the bed when we are in the motor home. Kallie says "what's a road trip?"

Ah, memories of childhood! So come and follow along with us as we set out on our adventure. Come and go where we go and it will save us all a lot of email.