Road Trip!

This week I asked the question everyone to describe their ideal U.S. road trip if we could afford one or describe a favorite one you had. In typical fashion, I have done both. I love road trips and not the kind I grew up taking with my parents when I was young, where it was drive 12 hours straight through from Ogden to Bakersfield, CA either! (Why Bakersfield of all the God forsaken places on this earth you ask? Because my family lives there and really, as a kid, I had some fun summers there). Anyway, I prefer the meandering road trip with a destination in mind, an idea of where you might stop for the night, all the time in the world to see the sites along the way, good music on the radio, yummy snacks in the cooler, and the kind of conversations that only the open road can produce.

That being said, my ideal road trip would be a Civil War/American Revolution tour of the Eastern U.S. My grandfather was a Civil War buff, so I grew up appreciating that war and how it impacted the country. I think it would be awesome to see all the sites that shaped our nation and those that almost tore it apart.

The best road trip I ever took was with my mom (the ultimate and my favorite road-trip companion) to Seattle. We went up through the Eastern side of Washington (bleh!) through Yakima and into the quaint little town of Roslyn . If any of you were fans of Northern Exposure, you will know why we went there. Next to New Orleans, this town has the neatest cemetery ever. From there we drove on to Wenatchee to visit my Great Aunt. While there we visited the lovely Ohme Gardens. After Wenatchee we wandered into Cashmere for some Applets and Cotlets (a personal favorite treat of my moms). Mom and I drove on into the Cascade Mountains to the town of Leavenworth. This is not only a fun town with all the German influence, it is located in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Then on to Seattle to do the usual tourist things, catch fish in the market, shop at Nordstroms, walk around Queen Ann, have steamed clams with my friend Devita. We did see a great Art exhibit of Thomas Moran. We headed down to Oregon from there following the Columbia River. We stopped at Multnomah Falls where we hiked around for a while. Then on along the gorge to the Mary Hill Museum, which is one of the most interesting museums and collections I have ever seen. Finally we headed for home, stopping in Boise for some trout and a walk along the river.

Through the years my mom and I have taken many road trips together (Santa Fe and the Turquoise Trail), Denver and various parts of Colorado, Washington (twice), Canada, Montana, California, Wyoming, Idaho, Ireland (eek!). I always have a wonderful time with her and treasure the memories of those experiences and our conversations. I have learned so much about her as a person, and hopefully she has about me, and through these experiences we moved beyond just mother and daughter, but have become best friends. So thank you mom, from the depths of my heart.