Friends, Family and Far, Far Away
It was a close call. A darn close call. It could have gone either way. We could have been sitting home these past three weeks instead of going on our planned cross-country excursion.
But I guess we got lucky.
Judy had been working with an arthritic knee and had received her second injection to relieve the pain. All seemed well. Then she fell walking into exercise class one morning and that aggravated the difficulties with that particular leg. Then she fell again less than a week later in a parking lot. We realized that she also had a balance problem along with the achy, arthritic knee. And the start date for us to begin our trans-continental drive was FAST approaching. Damn. It was beginning to look a bit bleak. To tell the truth I was THIS close to pulling the plug. If she couldn’t motivate at all, the logistics seemed to be very difficult if not impossible for a long car trip. But then she said, “you know, I can walk around Walmart as long as I hold on to the cart.” I didn’t know that, and after it was proven to me that she COULD get around, we visited with her orthopedist and got her a walker. Our trip COULD be done, albeit with a bit more difficulty. But it WAS doable.
It was back on! Hurray!
The basic idea was to head west and stop at a number of places – some relatives or friends, others just tourist places we wanted to see. The westward journey would finish up at my brother’s house in San Jose, California. We figured a couple days at each place. Then the straight run back home east along the I-80 corridor.
So that was the plan and by golly gee, we were gonna do it!
The rest of this narrative contains day-by-day descriptions of what we did and all that good stuff. If you’re game, come on along. There was a lot of interesting stuff we saw and some great folks we visited with.
Here we go!
Monday, 10/16 Home to Rolla, MO.
We got rolling on our fall adventure around 7:30 with decaf from home and doughnuts from Dunkins. Sort of a tradition in our family to start trips with pastries. It was spitting a light rain, off and on, until we crossed the Ohio - Indiana line or there about. The weather was then just cloudy until later in the day when the sun came out just in time to blind us heading west. I started learning how to take Judy’s walker from the rear of the car, give it to her, then return it after her use. Lunch was at a Sonic near Terre Haute, Indiana. Had heavy sun-in-the-eyes for the last hour of that day. Difficult driving conditions. Missed my turn for the St. Louis bypass I usually take, so got to see downtown St. Louis up close and personal. They have a traffic circle just as we got off the interstate in Rolla, Missouri where we were staying that night, and I seem to ALWAYS have problems there. I want to go over THERE, but the circle seems to always send me the other way. Had to eventually use our GPS to sort stuff out. Dinner was at a nearby Denny’s. The hotel had high beds and Judy needed a stool again to get up on it. Just another high point in the day. Time changed and clocks/watches were reset. Noticed LOTS of semis on the interstate today.
Tuesday, 10/17 Rolla to Sand Springs, OK
Up around 7, breakfast at a Waffle House, rolling by 9. Comfy bed here, so great sleep. Not real hungry by lunch time, so a quick stop at the Micky D’s “over the turnpike” and kept rolling. At Lori/Harris house by 2:30. (Lori is Judy’s sister.) Lori had cooked a VERY nice early supper for us – crock pot roast beef, mashed potatoes and 3 kinds of salad. Yummy and very much appreciated. Lots of chatting and planning for the next day. They also gave Judy her mom’s old walker. She was wheelchair bound by then, so they really had no use for it. It was pink, had wheels, brakes and a seat. A big step up from the primitive contraption Judy’s orthopedist had given her earlier. Lori and Harris had planned a trip for us up to Pawhuska, OK to have lunch at Ree Drummond’s place, the Mercantile. She’s the “Pioneer Woman” TV personality on the Food Network.
Wednesday, 10/18 in Sand Springs, OK
Loaded up their Volvo (nice car!) and headed north as planned. Very good food at Ree’s place, and lots of it! Later in the day, after returning to Sand Springs and lots more conversation, we drove over to a nursing home and visited with Judy’s mother Juanita. She’s 100 years old, so our conversations were attuned to that fact. It was nice to see her again.
Thursday, 10/19 in Sand Springs, OK
Up early and visited with Harris over coffee and cereal. A bit later, Judy and I drove over to Broken Arrow, OK and visited with our friends Linda and Bob Murray. Linda was the younger sister to a girl I dated back in the ‘60’s. We talked a while, then rode to a restaurant they particularly liked. It was very good! And, as usual, too much. Then back to their house and chatted some more (and played with their adorable dog) and then back to Lori and Harris’ house. Missed a turn on I-44 driving back (I hate that highway) in the rush hour traffic. Ate more of the delectable roast beef/potatoes/salads for supper.
Friday, 10/20 Sand Springs, OK to Roswell, NM
Said adios to our outstanding hosts and started the long drive west. Got to the hotel I’d booked and discovered that Judy, due to her leg problem, could not lift her leg over the 8” step into the room. Had to cancel that hotel and find another one more attuned to her disability. Ended up at a Holiday Inn Express as the second try after the first no-go. This place had no steps and many grab rails in the shower. Perfect! Lunch on the road was McDonalds and supper was a Denny’s. Time changed again. Hard to remember to watch for that. Tired from the drive.
Saturday, 10/21 in Roswell, NM
The curtains in our new room are remote controlled. How spiffy! I’d booked a tour of Roswell for 12:30. We will see how Judy handles the van that would be used for that tour. The included breakfast was good at the hotel with sausage, omelets, cinnamon rolls, etc. Drove downtown and found the tour place. (roswellufotours.com) Went in, checked with the tour folks and watched a presentation of what the tour entailed. There were 10 of us booked for that time period. We walked out to the van and Judy decided not to go. Several steps up to the van and she just didn’t think she’d be able to handle them. So, she decided to just wait as I did the tour. Our guide’s name was Paul, and he was extremely informative on everything pertaining to the story of the 1947 UFO crash. He was also quite a pleasant guy – and a real UFO student! We saw lots of places in the area that had significance to the story. We had several spots where we disembarked downtown and walked around a bit to see some areas in greater detail. Then a short ride to the old airbase south of Roswell. I was very pleased by the tour. It went into a lot of detail about the days surrounding the ostensible crash and I was happy to learn many new facts I didn’t know before. Upon returning to the starting place, I received a full refund for Judy. It was Sonic for a late lunch and then back to the hotel. Later that evening we went to a BW3 for supper. As usual quite good. Hit the hay after a bit of TV watching.
Sunday, 10/22 Roswell, NM to Las Cruces, NM
It was only a 3-hour drive to our next destination, so we took our time. Our route went over some mountains and then by White Sands National Park. We could see the white sands from the pass in the mountains. Very pretty. We soon stopped at our friends Rick and Gini’s place. Rick was an old friend from back in my grade school days and we also shared many adventures as Boy Scouts together. Gini cooked pork chops and rice for supper. Quite tasty! They live in a beautiful Southwestern style home, and we admired its ambiance a lot while we were there. We chatted for hours and then adjourned to our bedroom with attached recently remodeled bath. Very nice!
Monday, 10/23 in Las Cruces, NM
After a great cleanup in Rick’s NEW, beautiful shower, it was then decaf and chit-chat time with Rick. A bit later they packed a lunch for us and we headed over to White Sands National Park. The area was very interesting with finely ground gypsum all around and especially in dunes. Looking very much like freshly fallen snow. Apparently, there is nothing like it anywhere else on earth. Rick and I walked up a boardwalk and admired the views from the end. It was striking with the white dunes, the mountains in the background and the blue, blue New Mexico sky. We made use of one of the provided picnic tables and ate our lunch – chicken/cheese/tomato/lettuce sandwiches with chips and a cold beer. Pretty darn nice! We rode around the park for a bit more, checking out the folks riding down the dunes on saucer sleds, then drove by a local landmark called Dripping Rock. During this drive we saw a number of roadrunners out… well… running on the road! No Wile E. Coyotes apparent, though. This area was open range and had cattle wandering about here and there – actually stopping us at one point while they moseyed across the tarmac. Then back to Rick and Gini’s house for more jawing. For supper we went to one of their favorite Mexican restaurants. A very big building with tons of decorations. Our dinners were great and WAY too much, as usual.
Tuesday, 10/24 in Las Cruces, NM
A lot of catching up was accomplished that morning with Rick and Gini. Lunch was chicken/cheese sandwiches and chips like yesterday. We then all piled in Rick’s truck for the grand tour of Las Cruces. We saw the mighty Rio Grande River (not so mighty today – they called it the Rio Sand - and NO Mexicans on the other side either) and lots of pecan orchards. We saw much of the downtown area with colleges, arenas, etc. and other interesting areas. We stopped in Mesilla (small suburb of Las Cruces) and bought souvenirs plus some chocolates for Rick and Gini. Today was cloudy, cool and spitting a little rain. Back home and settled in with a glass of wine and more talk. Rick showed me three of the paintings he had done in a painting class he’d taken, and they were quite good. Excellent hamburgers for supper with some local Hatch chili peppers on top. Yumm!! Made some plans for tomorrow’s drive north to the Four Corners Area. Slept well.
Wednesday, 10/25 Las Cruces, NM to Kayenta, AZ
Left Rick and Gini about 7:30 and headed northwest toward the Navajo Nation. After a 10-hour drive we arrived at Kayenta, AZ way up in the northeast corner of that state almost touching the Utah line to the north. Had a smattering of rain early but it cleared as the day progressed. Very interesting landscapes as our drive progressed ranging from desert floor, piney uplands, lots and lots of range land with horses and cattle and a number of rocky mountain passes and really stunning vistas. Lunch was a Cracker Barrel near Albuquerque. Our stop this night was Wetherill Inn, Kayenta. Seemed like a pretty nice place. Not high-end, but kinda upper-middle. Checked with the desk clerk there and got a map to the Monument Valley area. Our tour there starts at noon, so no need to get up real early. We slept well. Oh, did I tell you that there were PLENTY of Indians around?
Thursday, 10/26 Monument Valley/Kayenta, AZ
Up around 7:00, showered, grabbed a bag breakfast from the local McDonald's and carried it back to the room to eat. Left for Monument Valley and our tour around 10:50 to get there in plenty of time. Our tour operator was Dineh Bekeyah – Navajo for “the people’s sacred land”. Highly recommended! Upon arrival we asked the operator if we could get a tour vehicle that Judy could ride in due to her ailment. Luckily, they provided one – like a flatbed truck with seats bolted to the rear. With a roof! Judy sat in the cab in front with the tour guide. It was chilly that day and we had luckily worn sweatshirts. Our guide was a wonderful Navajo man named John. Everyone around was Navajo, of course. Our tour was 3.5 hours and we saw a LOT of stuff in and around the valley! John was extremely adept at narrating what we were seeing and telling us all about the rock formations, the history of the park and especially about Navajo life. We learned a LOT and enjoyed it tremendously! We even stopped at a Navajo hogan (home) and a young lady told us all about home life on the reservation and what growing up female was like as Navajo. We learned that their entire lineage is traced through the female of the line. It’s a true matriarchy. John expanded in great detail about this. It was like an open-air seminar on Navajo culture and its people. There were only four of us on this particular tour – Judy and I and another couple. We were back to the hotel around 4:30. Supper was at a sit-down place in Kayenta called The Wagon Wheel. Of course, it was too expensive and too much to eat. Then back to the hotel, purchase a few souvenirs at the gift shop and adios for the day.
Friday, 10/27 Kayenta, AZ to Gold Canyon, AZ
It was a cold start this morning. We gassed up, grabbed some doughnuts and decaf and were on our way south. There were lots of 2-lane roads at 65 mph to negotiate before finding an interstate near the turnoff for the Grand Canyon. We got to our destination, Cindy and Mike’s place, in the early afternoon. The last 50 miles or so around Phoenix were painful due to traffic, and it wasn’t even rush hour! Some 6-lane stuff that was hard for this corn-fed Ohio boy to maneuver in. Our hosts, Mike and Cindy, were very gracious. They lived in a nice desert-themed home in a beautiful, gated community. Cindy had texted me the gate code, but I didn’t see it. My bad. A nice lady in a red Jeep opened the gate for us after I told them who we were visiting. Some background: Cindy is the daughter of my 2nd cousin Lorraine. Lorraine is my grandmother’s brother’s daughter and is a little older than Judy and I. To keep all this genealogy straight, I call ALL those folks cuz. Keeps it simple. (We tried to explain this lineage to our Navajo guide yesterday and our explanation had him totally befuddled.) They have two dogs – a big black one and a little white one. We were missing our dog by then, so playing with them – Poppy and Norman – was very enjoyable. Mike grilled steaks for supper and did a superb job of that task! Cindy’s additions to the meal were potatoes, salad, asparagus and a creamy dessert with mandarin oranges in it. We ate it on the patio as the temperature was perfect and the bright full moon in the black sky added a great ambiance. Very, very NICE! Kudos to our hosts. We noted later that the time in Arizona was NOT what we expected. Arizona does NOT change back and forth to/from Daylight Savings Time. My car clock and my GPS were arguing with each other. As usual. Finally got it all sorted out.
Saturday, 10/28 in Gold Canyon, AZ
A bit of normality for us this morning. Shower, decaf and PLAY WITH DOGS. Watched a bit of TV with Cindy and Mike. Realized we’d put two weeks on the road already! Wow! I guess we’re getting to be road warriors. For lunch today we went to a pizza place in Mesa (nearby town) called “The Organ Stop”. Kinda weird I thought. It’s a great big barn of a restaurant. You order and pickup at a counter and sit out in the big room at a glorified picnic table and bench. Nothing special. Until it’s music time! The big round wall at the end of the room concealed an orchestra pit and out of it rose a gigantic Wurlitzer organ! It has all the bells and whistles normally hooked to giant organs along with other instruments hanging from the nearby walls – drums, cymbals, bells, woodwinds, etc., etc. Along with hundreds of pipes. (It’s a pipe organ, remember?) The musician takes requests and plays a lot of them, along with some patriotic music also. This instrument is LOUD, and the walls rumble with the noise. The draw to this venue, obviously, is the organ, not necessarily the pizza which, to be honest, was just OK. Noticed that a lot of birthdays and anniversaries were being held there. Pretty interesting, all told. Then it was back to the house to watch game 2 of the World Series. Arizona was in it, so it was kind of a big deal there. It was another good day of conversation and fellowship. Cindy even pulled her mother up on her video and I joined in the chat with her back in Ohio.
Sunday, 10/29 Gold Canyon, AZ to Sun City West, AZ
Up and more chit-chat with Cindy and Mike – ate toast, drank decaf and played with Poppy and Norman. We left around 10:30-ish to drive to my friend Ron’s house. It’s west of Phoenix ergo the name. The traffic was lighter as it was Sunday, but… it still seemed pretty heavy to me! Got there and was welcomed by Ron. He lives in kinda of a condo – 2 bedrooms, 2 bath and his community, Sun City West, is huge! It has several golf courses, several rec centers, fire station, bowling alleys, swimming pools, tennis courts and oodles of other stuff. I’m guessing miles square. We drove around a bit, and he said there were 30,000 residents, but it’s spread out a lot. Really nice. We talked about the old days. We used to work together back in the late ‘70’s and we rehashed a lot of very old memories. Ron cooked us some supper and we enjoyed that before retiring for the night.
Monday, 10/30 in Sun City West, AZ
More talk with Ron. He graciously loaned us his washing machine and dryer and we took advantage by washing the HUGE PILE of dirty clothes we’d accumulated the last 2 weeks. Judy used Ron’s shower as it required no step over a tub railing as ours did. Ron left to go bowling and left us to finish washing clothes. Heard lots of fighter jets flying overhead. Ron said there was an Air Force Base close, and they practiced a lot. We accepted his suggestion that we try one of his Haagen-Dasz ice cream bars from his freezer. Yum! Ron returned around 2:30 and we enjoyed lots more talking. For supper he made spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread. Quite good!
Tuesday, 10/31 Sun City West, AZ to Bakersfield, CA
We left Ron’s around 8:30, wiggled our way down a number of streets and highways to I-10 and then headed west. California, here we come! Not too terrible traffic through western Arizona into California all the way to near Palm Springs where it started getting heavy. Lunch was a Denny’s in Highland, California. Traffic continued heavy (this was expected) all the way until I-5 North went over the mountains and down into the central valley where it thinned out considerably. We stopped at a discount motel near Bakersfield around 6 pm and settled in. It was a long day at the wheel through miserable LA area traffic. We seemed to hit the valley during what the hotel clerk called “fly season.” Our room had dozens of flies. Multiple dozens probably. I got a fly swatter from the front desk (she had no fly spray) and merrily spent some time killing the pests. The room price was so reasonable I forgave them the pests. Supper was Popeye’s chicken from the truck stop across the street. The room was handicap accessible, so Judy will have no problems sleeping, showering, etc. We don’t have to leave real early in the morning as my brother only lives 3.5 hours away, so we plan to sleep in a little. Actually, slept pretty well, all things considered, even though the trucks across the street were roaring most of the night. The flies didn’t bother our sleep. Maybe they were sleeping too???
Wednesday, 11/1 Bakersfield, CA to San Jose, CA
We were rolling by 8:30. I-5 long and straight north interspersed by many, many semis. Micky-Dee’s for breakfast while rolling along. Noticed the huge number of crops growing in the valley, even in the fall as it now was. We could guess what a few of them were, but most were unknown to us. We’re definitely not farmers or botanists. Then across the mountains (we seemed to do that a lot on this trip) to San Jose. We were at my brother Chuck’s by 1 pm. We talked for quite a while, viewed the repairs and updates to his home (he had water damage a while ago) then rode to his local Walmart for some staples. He’s cooking supper. The mountain portion of the drive was a bit hairy at times. I’m just not too fond of heights. Just a chicken driver.
Thursday, 11/2 in San Jose, CA
Up at a normal time and then lots of chit-chat. We’d been to Chuck’s house on numerous occasions, so it was like a second home to us – very familiar. Breakfast was French Toast and bacon. While we ate, we watched his feral cat Tom come onto his porch and eat food Chuck set out for him. It was kinda funny. Cat comes to see him every morning to eat and lay in the sun on his deck. Supper was at a pho place in San Jose’s Vietnam Town. (Pho is a kind of Vietnamese soup.) We ordered small bowls of pho, and they came in gigantic bowls. THOSE were the LITTLE ones! Tried the ribs in noodles they were good! The menu was mostly in Vietnamese with English subtitles. We ate outside as the weather was California perfect. Chuck’s friend Dave had joined us for supper, and it was good to see him also as we knew him quite well from previous trips. Watched some TV then to bed by 10:30. Still considering what route to take home. I’ll talk about that in a bit.
Friday, 11/3 in San Jose, CA
Up and showered in Chuck’s NICE NEW SHOWER! Chatted a while then adjourned to one of California’s iconic eateries – In n Out Burgers - for lunch. Quite good! We drove by one of his previous homes and saw the changes that other owners had made to it. Chuck had bought it back in the “day” for around $170 K and now it’s in the neighborhood of $1.2 mil. Three bedrooms, two bath ranch house. Go figure. It’s basically Silicon Valley with some of the highest real estate values anywhere. We then drove back home and talked about what route we would take home. I’d been concerned what a friend had said before the trip when I told him I was considering taking I-80 back home. He said, “You’re going through the Donner Pass in November? You must be nuts!” I’d never considered that. My brother said not to worry, it was too early for problems. Even so… Bought gas that afternoon - $4.89 a gallon. I’d paid $3.12 at home before leaving on this trip. Guess this was about normal for San Jose. Still didn’t touch what we paid in the southern California desert on Tuesday. $5.99 a gallon! Yikes! We’ve decided that yes, we would take I-80 home, so Chuck gave us some directions on how to get through the Bay Area to get to that road. Tomorrow, we start east and toward home!
Saturday, 11/4 San Jose, CA to Elko, NV
Just juice this morning before leaving my brother’s place. Belly a bit upset as usual before a trip. Bid adieu to my brother twice. Why? Forgot my computer at his place and had to run back to get it. Luckily, we hadn’t driven far yet. The highways weren’t terribly busy. This was probably REAL light for a native, but still a bunch of cars for lil’ ol me me to contend with. Stopped near Stockton, CA for breakfast at Denny’s (see a pattern here). Saw some really impressive mountain scenery going from CA to NV. (The aforementioned Donner Pass was negotiated easily. 55 degrees and sunny.) From then on, pretty ho-hum. Miles and miles of miles and miles. Got to Elko, Nevada around dusk. Checked into the Ramada Inn and Casino for $79 a night. Good golly! Handicap room, too. Supper was in the hotel/casino restaurant. Nothing looked particularly good, so settled for bacon/eggs for supper. Back to the room and settled in for some TV and then sleep.
Sunday, 11/5 Elko, NV to Laramie, WY
Had a full breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Paid by voucher for having stayed the night so it was free. Then back on the road. Scenery was pretty interesting – mountains, grazing land, desert. It was awesome dropping down out of Nevada into Utah. You could see miles upon miles of the Bonneville Salt Flats spread out in front of you glistening white in the sunshine. Ate a burrito at a central Wyoming truck stop. Had to keep driving after dark to get to a good stop due to the time change last night. Not fond of night-time driving in strange places. Grabbed a Super 8 finally in Laramie, Wyoming. Decent but still a bit low-end. Papa John’s pizza for supper. Pretty tired. Stacking a lot of miles last couple days. Planning on using our GPS to locate a doughnut shop for breakfast tomorrow. She did her job, but ultimately the place had been out of business a long time. Oh well…
Monday, 11/6 Laramie, WY to Lincoln, NE
Doughnuts and decaf at a gas station. The pastry was, surprisingly, very fresh! Drove the last bit of mountains, then it was LOTS and LOTS of high plains. Lunch at a Sonic mid-state, then grabbed a Motel 6 in Lincoln – just a bit west of Omaha. Much nicer than last night! Kinda. Getting tired of driving. This trip has stressed the fact to us that this is a BIG doggone country! Supper ended up being at a Mexican place called “Amigos” that was similar to a Taco Bell. I was hoping it would be a bit nicer, but it was a dark night, hard to find places and we accepted what we found. When we left, we asked the GPS to take us back to the Motel 6 we were booked in as I forgot all the turns I had made to get to where we were. Little did we know that Lincoln, Nebraska has TWO Motel 6’s! Yep, we ended up at the wrong one and were trying to figure out why it looked so doggone different than before. Ha! After re-navigating to the CORRECT Motel 6 (miles away), we settled in for the night. Along with quite noticeable elevator noises (we were right next to it) and another annoying motor noise from our in-room refrigerator. Much fun.
Tuesday, 11/07 Lincoln, NE to Joliet, IL
Tried getting Dunkin doughnuts this morning. Our GPS took us to a spot where there was NO doughnut shop. Clear downtown Lincoln near Cornhusker Stadium (I think). Long way from the motel. Ended up stopping at a gas station off the interstate (like we should have from the start) and getting humongous apple fritters. We noticed a whole lot of big windmills all across Iowa. Pretty green in that state. Lunch was at ANOTHER Denny’s – ho hum. Beginning to hate that chain. Decided that tonight, which should be our last night on the road, we would stay at a better hotel. Made it a Comfort Inn this time in Joliet, Illinois. Nice place. We both saw a Cracker Barrel near the hotel when we got there and planned on going there for supper. And oddly enough, it kinda disappeared when we went looking for it. Of course, it was in the dark with lots of road work around the area. Ended up at a sports bar and grill right next to our hotel. Good food and a lively atmosphere. A serendipitous good choice. No untoward noises that night.
Wednesday, 11/08 Joliet, IL to home
Breakfast was at the hotel. It was decent, but I still had little appetite. Just wanna head home, I guess. Traffic past Chicago was pretty heavy – lots of construction in the area also. After that it was normal to light. Had a little spitting rain, but that cleared fairly quickly and from there on through Indiana and into Ohio it was nice. Time change again and we had to adjust clocks and watches. Again! Arrived home around 3:30 that afternoon. Very nice to be back! I was amazed at how much there was to unload from the car. Oh, and our dog Penny was VERY glad to see us return. It was now over.
Thoughts:
America is a BIG, BIG country. Be very aware of that fact before undertaking any trip of this magnitude. Be aware of distances, times, condition of your car, your age and all limitations existing on your health.
A huge thank you to all our hosts for the past couple of weeks. Your generosity, friendship, hospitality and willingness to put up with two travel-weary folks was greatly appreciated. You will never know how grateful we were for a bed, a shower, a meal or two and to spend time talking to you and how happy we were you shared your life with us for a time.
The beauty of this country, from the desolate stretches of the American desert through the amazing mountains that seem to be everywhere west of the Mississippi is continually breathtaking. There was ALWAYS something interesting to look at around every bend of the road. We felt an intimate bond with the land we passed through, knowing that this is OUR land, OUR country and we felt a kinship with every scraggly pine tree or tumbleweed to the most majestic of the mountain ranges.
Making connections with old friends and relatives was worth all the weary miles that it takes to get to their homes. It’s wonderful to go beyond a Christmas card every year and maybe a hello on the phone. The face-to-face interactions and physical nearness is a breath of fresh air for any relationship.
Traffic on the road is inevitable. It will be way tougher to drive in than you can imagine. Prepare yourself for that fact. Be safe and try not to do dumb stuff.
You will get tired. The long stretches of highway will get tougher and tougher to endure as time goes on. Take more breaks than you think you need, ‘cause you DO need them. Now take another one. You need that one too. Eat when necessary and try to keep your mind occupied.
Find humor in the difficult times on the road. Tears never help, but laughter will shorten the distances.
Cherish the time spent with friends and family. Odds are that some of them won’t be there the next time you’re out that way. Be humble and be grateful.
Enjoy yourself!
