Road Trip!!

You know, my family has driven over a whole lot of the United States. We've moved about 31 times, and each time we've moved we've driven there. You know what I've realized? I just love driving places for trips. It's also funny, because a lot of times we didn't see a whole lot of stuff that was terribly worthwhile. I've been in Oklahoma in the middle of winter and the grassy fields are all dead...I've been across the Salt Flats many, many times, and I've been all over up and down California. My favorite thing about road trips involves three things: camping, driving, and friends.

First off, camping. Anytime that I've been on any kind of road trip to go camping, it's been amazing. Now, I'm not talking about hard-core camping, where you pack all your stuff and hike into the mountains to rough it, I'm talking about basic camping--a tent, a tarp, and some stuff to cook over the fire when you build it. In these cases, the car becomes something different--it's the link between you, the great outdoors, and civilization. Also, I love the feeling of a sun-warmed car when you've just gone swimming in a really cold lake or in the ocean. Mmmmm...

Secondly, though it could have been firstly, driving. I love driving. I love to drive myself, and I love to be a passenger--whether that entails sitting in the passenger seat and keeping the driver entertained, or sleeping in the back on a really long drive. I get really good naps in the car. I think it's the warmth combined with the movement. I also think that my parents used to take me on drives when I was little to make me sleep, and it's definitely stuck. I also love watching landscape whirr by as we drive on the interstate. I love the stars in the sky overhead when you get out into the desert, or anywhere out in the open. I like sticking my hand out the window and catching little air currents as I drive along. Good times.

Lastly, the people. You get to know people in a different way when you're stuck in a little space in the middle of nowhere with them. You're forced to talk, or at least to communicate in some way. When you're sitting there in silence, then you still get to know their facial expressions...how they drive, all that stuff that can tell you facts about them that they didn't know that they were sharing. Music choice is especially good at this. When riding in a car with someone, listening to the music that they pick can tell you a lot about their current mood, and the kind of person that they are. One of my favorite indicators is what songs they'll turn up and sing loudly to. The best is when you can both sing along loudly to some song that they've picked...that's when you know that you can be real friends. Conversations in cars can be some of the best too...because they have to last as long as the car ride. Granted, if the conversation turns really sour, this last part can make for a terrible ride. Hopefully though, you're taking road trips with friends...because it makes a big difference.

All-in-all...Road trips are basically one of my favorite things, and once the snow melts, maybe it'll be time to take another one. Or maybe, while the snow is still around, it'll be time to head somewhere slightly warmer. Who knows? In any case, I've got a serious hankerin' to watch A Goofy Movie, and maybe to go and check out some of my maps.