For me, a school teacher, time off from teaching students began back in June, after school ended. But of course, professional development as well as other duties such as signing up to help to create a pacing calendar for our district’s new math curriculum, kept me busy for a few weeks afterward. 

Then of course, domestic duties called out and I answered. Painting two rooms in our house, washing windows, and attacking the dust that accumulates behind furniture consumed my time in July. 

Finally though, we vacated all things, and hit the road for a little vacation.

      On the Road  

Thankfully, my husband and I both enjoy taking vacations by hitting the road and thankfully we can afford to hit the road for a vacation. 

I know that not everyone is cut out to take a road trip together. Not everyone is compatible enough to travel in the closed quarters of a car or truck hour after hour. A friend of mine once shared that she can’t stand the way her husband drives and he does not appreciate her comments about his driving. Flying might be more restful for this couple. 

But, for any road trip to be successful, planning and compromise is always necessary. Long before packing our gear we conversed about our personal time constraints, which direction we should go, and whether or not to take kayaks or bikes. We chose to go westerly, limit our time to seven days and take the bikes. 

Since we’ve driven a lot of miles together, I know how to be a good passenger. Though my husband knows most of the highways and interstates from memory, I still carry the maps just in case he needs to know how far the next gas stop will be or just in case I want to know what towns are up ahead.  

Traveling by car is my favorite way of getting from point A to point B. Unlike planes or trains, my husband and I get to decide our time of departure, and the time we want to pull over and rest for the night. We don’t have to conform to anyone else’s schedule. Neither do we have to worry about what we put in our bags. So far, there are no TSA agents on the open road. 

While we may listen to a good podcast, our favorite music or bring along a book to read when we aren’t the one driving, our favorite pastime is watching the panorama of scenery. Living out west like we do, the landscape is attention grabbing. 

Evergreen trees abound in the national forests as do lakes, rivers and streams. The wildlife is still abundant and wild; a lone coyote in a field, a heron sharing a lake with geese, and a bevy of swans soaring overhead.  

Why bother to hit the road? A road trip offers the opportunities to feel the freedom that accompanies the wide open spaces of our country, enjoy the company of our traveling companion and vacate the routines of our lives that await our return.