Tales of a Road Trip

Each summer, as soon as the last day of school comes and goes, I begin packing up the boys in preparation for our summer-long trip to New England.  This year's summer plans aren't much different.  But there is a twist.  This year we are driving.  Which is not a big deal.  I know a lot of people who pack their kids in the car and take long road trips.  But for me, it's a bit out of my comfort zone.  My aunt Susan (Aunt Sue, as she's affectionately known around here) has volunteered to drive with us since we will be leaving my husband behind to enjoy the quiet house work all summer long and I'm not sure I am quite adventurous enough to manage the drive solo. And somehow, with the two of us in the front seat, the trip seems so much more exciting. This idea we've cooked up is going to prove to be either really great or really stupid. Time will tell.

My GPS tells me this journey will take about 20 hours. I'm sure many people could do this in two days. I am not many people. We have allotted five days, not only because I get really sleepy when I drive, but also because we want to take our time to see and do interesting things along the way. I've started borrowing books from the library, looking at maps, small ways to begin planning for our big adventure.

I bought one book called Cross Country, written by Robert Sullivan, that chronicles his adventures of driving, well...cross country. It was meant to inspire me, and so far, I've been able to snag a few tidbits of helpful information such as using my local AAA office to have them put together a "TripTik", a binder with maps, hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc., all available on our route. This is something I was going to pull together myself, so if I can commission AAA to do it for me for free, even better. But are there even any local AAA offices anymore??? The whole concept of using AAA as a travel planner seems very 1989. And if these offices still exist, will I most definitely be the youngest person in it?

Other than the helpful hints I've been able to garner, I may have to return Cross Country to the library largely unfinished. As one Amazon reviewer commented, it's a bit like watching someone else's home movies...not all that interesting but I feel like I have to politely push through to the end. Not to mention, Sullivan and I are clearly not cut from the same cloth. In the first few pages he says he thinks he can make 3,000 miles in 3 days. As for me, I'm just hoping to make it to our destination in one piece at some point before it is time to turn around and go back home!