Today is National Road Trip Day!
I adore road trips and will pick driving long distances in a car over air travel any day.
Do you dig road trips? If so, what are your favorite road tripping memories? Here are a few of mine.
Childhood Road Trips
The annual trips to visit our grandparents, uncle and aunt in Mississippi will always have a cherished place in my heart. Those rides packed with people, food and a crazy amount of luggage in Daddy’s Fleetwood Brougham were sooo much fun.
Daddy would drive it without assistance, stopping only for gas/restroom breaks. Momma was the stewardess, passing packets of aluminum foil with her fried chicken on Wonder bread, bags of chips, cookies, homemade pound cake and frozen cans of Fanta.
While others napped at night, I’d talk to Daddy and watch for police speed traps. During the day, my siblings provided entertainment (especially Cheryl and Rosalyn), and the time and miles flew by.
Summertime Road Trips in Koonka Boonka
At 17, I got my first internship and car.
I worked in robotics for P&G in Cincinnati. Youth, plus grown people money without grown people wisdom or responsibilities – those summers were something! (Thank God for protection.)
Shenanigans aside, I felt a sense of freedom and peace riding around Ohio and Kentucky (and later New York when I interned for Kodak) with Stevie, Arrested Development, Janet, EnVogue, Mariah, LL, and Run DMC blasting. It was self-care and time for me to process thoughts and feelings as I was bereaving the loss of my Daddy, and riding country roads reminded me of him. (It still does.)
A Special Trip to Chicago
A standout memory is an impromptu road trip to Chicago with Jabari, Etana, Renee and Denise the year before Momma passed.
One day the Lord laid it on my heart to go spend time with Momma. It was in the summer so we loaded up in the car and went. I’m grateful for that time together before she started getting ill.
Any Road Trip with Will and the Kids
As much as I love to drive long distances (I wanted to be a truck driver when I was a kid) – being in the passenger seat with my man driving and our kids in the back is one of my fav things.
It doesn’t matter where we are going or what we are doing (talking, playing forced car trip games, singing loud with the radio, reading, watching movies – napping) – it all is enjoyable and filling to me.
I’d love to hear about your road trip memories.
If you are road-tripping this summer, you are not alone. GasBuddy’s 2023 Summer Travel Survey indicates 64% of Americans are planning to take a summer road trip this year.
As you hit the road, remember smart smartphone use and other safe driving tips.
