Long Drives

Grand Teton Mountains, Wyoming, USA

I enjoy the occasional long drive.  I'm not talking about a long daily commute during rush hour traffic. I have a five minute commute to work from my house (10 if I'm walking, possibly longer if you count cleaning ice and/or snow from the windshield) and I have no desire to trade that in for a long daily commute to work.   No, thank you, very much.  I'm also not talking about the white knuckle drives during down-pouring rain or icy and snowy road conditions.

No, I'm talking about the nice long, pleasant drives that are sometimes necessary to get from here to there when making visits to family members, taking vacations, or even moving from one part of the country to another.  We have done that, my DH and I, with him driving the U-Haul and me following along behind in the family vehicle, the kids split up between us.  I have driven or ridden the stretch of US Interstate 80 from coast to coast.  Not all in one single trip, admittedly,  but I have traveled the entire route from east to west.   I have traveled some stretches of that road countless times, and excepting the times with terrible weather conditions, enjoyed almost every single trip.

I think that long drives are in my blood.  My dear mother's father wrote often about the long drives he would take fulfilling his work responsibilities as a county extension agent, and then later after he retired.  My own dear father would take us on a road trip almost every June after school let out and before the hay was ready to be cut and hauled to the barns.  I spent countless hours in a school bus traveling throughout our state to support our high school basketball and football teams against the other smaller schools scattered all across the state.

Granted, some road trips can be agonizingly long and monotonous, but most of the time I truly enjoy the quiet time spent in the car alone, or with loved ones,  Road trips can be times of fun and laughter and light hearted conversation.  They can be times of serious discussions and sharing of hopes and dreams and joys and burdens. They can be times to discover and  enjoy the many varied beauties and creations of this awe inspiring world we live in, both natural and man-made. They can be times of quiet introspection and even prayer and communion with our loving Father.

I believe that I have enjoyed at least one long drive every week of this past year.  I'm grateful for safe, reliable vehicles to travel in.  I'm grateful for the means to purchase the fuel for the trips.   I'm grateful for the good company I've enjoyed on many of the drives.  I'm grateful for the safety we've experienced, and the safety that others in our family have experienced in our varied travels this year.  I hope to experience many more pleasant long drives this coming year and for many years to come.

What are some of your favorite long drives?

Grand Teton Mountains, Wyoming, USA