Road Trip Part I

Ah, the road trip... miles upon miles of highway passing beneath the tires.  Landscape changing sometimes as quickly as the miles pass while, at other times, the scene remains eerily the same as if time has stopped and nothing else exists beyond the fields and plains and prairies. 

 

A road trip is about music and silences.  It is about highways and byways, side roads taken without a destination in mind, and freeways taken to arrive post haste.  They are about snacking and chatting, singing and playing, and learning to exist in close spaces with others for long periods of time.  A road trip allows us to see how wonderful and vast  the country is; how similar and yet different.

 

And my road trip this year, the first half at least, was not an exception.   

 

A quick summary of the highpoints of the trip:

 

Omaha

• Zoo a must!
• Best time to go - during College World Series period - cute men (of all ages) everywhere!
• Exercise and Entertainment just beyond the front door of the hotel should you stay in the Old Market (is there anywhere else to stay)
• Georgia Bulldogs were staying in my hotel... did I mention loads of cute men of all ages?  (and yes I did notice despite having the Diva with me - and she noticed too, kind of)

BFE Missouri

• MacDonald's has cappuccino (seriously) which is not the case in Woodbridge, Virginia (outside DC on 95).  Go figure!

St. Louis

• Yes, we drove from Omaha to St. Louis arriving in time to tour the Arch and have dinner.  Despite the College World Series excitement and finals broadcast on ESPN, the bar televisions were all tuned to the Cardinals baseball game.  *sigh*

Columbus, Ohio

• Stopped for dinner.  They like their music loud!!

New Philadelphia, Ohio

• The gateway to Amish Ohio where there is beautiful land, fabulous cheese, unbelievably high quality furniture for low prices, and a way of life that is vastly more simple than my own.
• My dreams of living on a farm and working the land were rekindled, if only for a moment.   

 

After a few hours of "how much longer" and "Are we in Virginia yet?" and "West Virginia again!"  (we traveled through it three times from Ohio to the DC area), we finally arrived back in Virginia after 10 Thursday night.  

 

And there is nothing like returning home after a trip.  It is a feeling that is both dreaded and cherished.  Dreaded because one is suddenly very aware of all that has to be accomplished.  Cherished because there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed, waking knowing that you don't have another day on the road, and home is just... home!  There is nothing quite like it.      

 

This was the first half of our annual road trip.  On Monday morning we will wake and hit the road before rush hour to spend a few days on a Virginia island.  Now that, my friends, will be relaxing.  Sure, there might not be the cute men of all ages that I enjoyed in Omaha, but there will be sand, waves, sun, laughter, and no schedule outside a bit of geocaching. 

 

I love road trips.  They are experiences both enriching and entertaining.  What better way to discover this and that, both about the land and ourselves (and our companions) than in a car or on a train... traveling? 

 

In my opinion, a relationship is proven strong when a couple can spend days or weeks on the road traveling.  If they can endure one another's company for that period of time through the hours upon hours spent alone, they can probably make a good run at a strong marriage.  (If there are any men out there willing to go on a trip with me... just let me know.  I am willing to do some scientific research on my theory!)

 

I am a fan of the road trip - but then again, I am a fan of travel in general.  Give me a means of transportation and I am there!  (I don't even need a destination)