Paqngo

What has been your favorite road trip? Was it as a child or were you taking your own children? Were you by yourself or with friends? Was it through the country you live in or another?

Paqngo

I remember bouncing in the back of my parents Chevy driving across the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to Washington to meet up with some friends. I also caught my first fish and wore a hat made from a newspaper.

We used to travel with our children all over the Western United States. One memory was driving through Bonners Ferry, Idaho with our kids and ended up being part of their 4th of July parade. We all loved waiving to the people while we listened to our kid’s favorite band Hansen.

Recently, we got to rent a car and drive all through Tuscany. I enjoyed stopping here and there to gaze at the amazing views. Walking through the small towns and having great meals will always be remembered. We also took a drive on a rainy afternoon and found Frances Mayes house, Bramasole....completely by accident.

sf7307

I have been on so many I can't count, or even remember them all. But I'd have to say the one with the most abiding memories was a cross-country trip (New York south, west to California, California back to New York) with my parents and brother when I was 12. We traveled in a station wagon - no seat belts back then, my brother and I mostly traveled in the back of the wagon, no seat even. We were originally going to camp, but my mom, who planned the whole trip, decided that would take too much out of every day, so we stayed in roadside motels (the kind with a swimming pool in the parking lot - we would arrive and my brother and i would be in the pool practically before we could get our suitcases inside). I'm sure we all shared a room, although I don't really remember. We ate in local hangouts and coffee shops (fast food was a relatively new invention, but there were drive-ins). When possible, we stayed with relatives - for sure in Knoxville, Birmingham, El Paso and Indianapolis (all cousins of my mother). We visited all the prime attractions - Luray Caverns, the Great Salt Lake, Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, Disneyland, the Golden Gate Bridge, and so many others. It was a 30-day blast.