The road less traveled

Okay, summer is here and for many of us it’s time to hit the beach, drive up to the mountains, or head out west.  All of these family adventures usually begin with…..”Where are we going?”  I personally like the mountains and the cooler air, the drives along winding roads that twist through the trees and overhanging rocks, but many of you prefer a trip down south to the beach.  Either way, its vacation time for you and your family.

I was recently eating lunch with a friend of mine and he had just returned from a road trip out west where he and his nephew rented a convertible Mustang and traveled along parts of the old historic Route 66 highway that was once so popular with travelers.  He told of the many stops they made and how much fun it was to just cruise the back roads with the top down and their hair blowing in the wind.  They saw the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, and many sights that I’ve never seen.  As we continued to talk it got me to thinking that I need to plan a trip like this with my family.  Now before you can say it, yes, I’ve seen the movie “RV” with Robin Williams and that’s not the kind of road trip/vacation I want to go on. (But a funny movie if you have not seen it)  I’m talking about a trip that takes you back into American history and travels to areas of our county that are dying off so fast that soon no one will even remember them anymore.  It’s sad to say this, but I’m just as guilty of planning our travels with one thing in mind, what route are we taking that can get us there the fastest and stay on the bigger highways and interstates.  It’s just the way our society has changed-we plan a trip and it’s more about the place we are going than the journey getting there.  Back in the old days we use to take our time as we traveled and part of the vacation itself was the things we would do along the way. 

George Strait had a song in 2001 named “The Road Less Traveled” and the lyrics said this; “There’s a road, a winding road that never ends, full of curves lessons learned at every bend…….for the road less traveled ain’t for the faint of heart, for those who choose to play it safe and never stray too far, me I want to live my life and one day leave my mark”

I’m going to do my best to plan a road trip with my family that includes taking “the road less traveled” and see part of this awesome country we live in and just enjoy the ride wherever it takes us!  Who’s going to join me as we take a road trip this summer?