As you are reading this on this wonderful Sunday, I may or may not have made it driving in the car for twenty plus hours and 1200 miles with my husband and two kids. We are road tripping it again and well it is always an experience. It starts off being good, some minor arguments, apologies because the silence is deafening, and than the sweet release that we are finally at our destination.
For some reason year after year we pile in the car and head north to visit family. Last year we did two of them in about a months time. First we went west and came back to do it again three weeks later to go north. The kids overall though are huge troopers and as they get older I really want to continue on the summer road trips.
I have been pestering my husband with planting the idea that we maybe need to look into getting a travel trailer here in the next few years so we have some place to stay so we can just go and see where the miles take us, plus we than would have a place to sleep and store all of our stuff when we travel north or west in the coming years.
For me traveling by car is all about saving money but also seeing the country. We have seen some of the most awesome stuff on our travels. Last year we were on historic Route 66 on both our road trips. One was in the southwest when we stopped to see the famous Wigwam Motel (Cars motel was based on this place) as well as in Illinois as the kids played on the swing-set at the rest stop.
We have eaten some unique foods as well and stopped at local chains. My husband gets so excited when he sees a White Castle and insists on getting as many belly busters as he can eat. The kids have revolted on that one because they get sick from it. Yes we have had that to on road trips.
Last year the boy got sick the minute we set foot in the motel for the night. I ended up with no blanket and feared being puked on the entire night. Lucky for me it was a one time thing and he instantly recovered from it. I did freeze all night but curled up under the tiny blanket one of the kids had brought along.
Yes we have some horrible experience son the road like the two times we had a flat tire but we saw the good with that and the generous nature. We also have seen birth places of many presidents and my husband now stalks the section of road we saw the General Lee every time we pass by it.
We have seen dust devils in two states and saw more of Texas than I ever thought I would. This state of Texas literally has every possible climate possible. You go from lush hill country to the desert where there is no bathroom in sight though my hubby found one off the beaten path for us and yes I did limit my fluids but after two kids my bladder is tiny and the mere though of water makes me have to go.
So if you get a column from me next week, I made it with little instances. Everyone likely survived and my husband is heading back to Texas while the kids and I immerse ourselves with family for three weeks. Heck that might be more daring than the road trip!
Rebecca Benson is a League City stay at home mom who has lived here since 2003 when her husband took a job on the International Space Station program. She followed soon after working on the same program for nearly six years when she started staying home with the kids. Rebecca loves to craft, scrapbook, sew, and embrace motherhood. Rebecca has a blog called Mommiedom ((http://queenmommiedom.blogspot.com/) where she talks about all the things in her life not just those “confessions”.
