Road Trip

[BoardMaster]

Road Trip

Being on vacation is hard work. I am not being facetious. It is tough being away from all that you know to be normal. I have traveled roughly 4000 miles in the past 3 weeks and while I thought I so very happy to leave Colorado I am really happy to be home.
I have spent the past few weeks visiting, driving, spending and eating my way through the deep south. A fact not totally lost on my body. We did the beach thing, the family thing, the "this is where I used to..." thing and frankly I am wiped out. I am not going to lie, yesterday I had to take a day off from my own vacation. WOW!

While I kept our family busy with vacation shenanigans we did have a good time. However, we probably spent more time together than should be legal. Especially on the to and from part of the trip. We thought that since we were staying so long it would be more economical to drive rather than fly and rent a car. I think my priorities are totally skewed. Maybe someone should impose a 72 hour time limit on spending every single moment with your spouse and your kids. I love them but I am just saying! I think that there is a point at which one can overload on being together.

I am not alone and I have no doubt they feel the same way about me, after all it's only fair. Apparently I am not the most pleasant individual to make road trips with. I don't know why. I like driving during the day and staying in hotels at night. I also enjoy stopping every 200 miles or so to browse the trinkets and treasures in the local gas stations. It's not that I want any of those gems I just like to look! Maybe I am not as great a traveler as I think. I must admit that I do get a little cranky when I have been trapped in the car for more than a couple of hours and I have an overwhelming fear of public restrooms; don't ask!. But overall, good traveling to me is all about enjoying the trip. Not so for my husband. For him, the trip begins when he arrives at his destination. Apparently he is of the opinion that it is much better to drive the 24 hours straight through only stopping to use the restroom all while living on a diet of sunflower seeds and soda from a cooler. I am told that is a guy thing. Maybe it is retaliation on my husbands part for all the obsessive compulsive tendencies he has put up with for 23 years.

Yes, there is something magical about taking a road trip. I don't know where the magic comes in but surely someone, somewhere understands the enchanting intricacies of a road trip. So we will continue to travel via road trip because in every journey there is the opportunity to turn it into an adventure and that is what road trips are all about!

Elizabeth Alvarez