Road Trip!

My husband and I are taking a road trip this summer from Connecticut to Nashville to meet up with cousins from Washington State and then continuing on with one couple to Memphis for 2 nights and one full day.

I’ve taken similar road trips over the last 31 years with the most memorable one being our one way cross-country trip from California to Connecticut. We had some troubles in our California living, mainly that it was too expensive to live there in 1995. My dad, who had been alone for 8 years after my mother died, was reluctant to sell the family home to me in 1989 when I asked, but was convinced five years later by my sister to do it. We’re glad it all worked out.

We sold our home in a very short time, packed up our belongings, shipped the pickup truck ahead of us, watched the moving van people pack our boxes, and we headed out the door.

We drove south to say goodbye to family and then headed east. Our trip included stops at Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon because who knew when we’d have the chance again? We planned a somewhat leisurely trip, planning also 2 days in Oklahoma to visit family, a stop in Washington DC, and Baltimore Maryland.

We stayed overnight in Kingman and Flagstaff Arizona, and Santa Rosa New Mexico. Once we hit Oklahoma, those plans flew out the window. We just wanted to get “Home”. That, and the moving van arrived sooner than expected and my father was freaking out! He kept saying, “there’s room in the garage”, and I kept replying, “I don’t know about that”. Unfortunately, I was right! So, we decided it was time to keep moving.

We cut our time short in Oklahoma by a day, made it to Memphis Tennessee, then Roanoke Virginia, and pulled into Connecticut on Saturday evening. 3,051 miles in eight days.

Our son, who was almost 5 at the time was such a trooper! There were no “no child in the front seat” or “children in car seats until a certain weight” back then so he and I took turns in the front seat, or sometimes I was in the back seat with him playing games, or very often, he entertained himself drawing or listening to music. I made sure that every Best Western we stayed at had a pool and that made him happy. He never complained about the hours in the car.

This time, we’re taking our time to Nashville (I swear!), and stopping in Maryland with a trip to Antietam Battle Grounds the next day, followed by Asheville North Carolina, Gatlinburg, and on to Nashville. Each stop includes some planned time to explore.

Driving back to Connecticut though will be reminiscent of the last days of our 1995 trip though since we want to push to get home by Saturday (again). Memphis to Roanoke to Connecticut.