Due for another road trip (Bloganuary)

Daily writing prompt

Think back on your most memorable road trip.

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Finally, an interesting prompt. There are too many trips to go into detail about here. I adore road-tripping, and have done so many. The top three road trips that come to mind:

My very first road trip was cross-country (USA) with my parents and infant sister. It was the summer before high school, and I had just turned 14. We drove from San Diego, across the great plains and stopped in St. Louis (Kansas) and Chicago first, to see some of my Dad’s relatives. Then we continued on to Flemington, New Jersey, the farthest point east before we turned back west and traveled through Kentucky, Oklahoma, Colorado, and back to California. We were in a truck with an attached camper shell; my Dad did all the driving, while Mom “navigated.” During the drive, I spent a lot of time up on the top deck of the camper, and for the life of me I cannot remember how my infant sister was strapped in (I’ll have to revisit this with my folks). I do remember having a great time and being a little shy to meet some relatives I’d never met before. Some memorable places were the long stretches of road and corn fields of Nebraska and the plains, downtown Chicago and the Willis Tower (back then it was still known as the Sears Tower), the horse ranches of Kentucky, my Aunt Jean’s vast lawn at her New Jersey home, my first experience with truck stop diners, and so many more gems.

Another great memory was my first solo road trip, from San Francisco to the majestic coastal redwoods. It was late summer 2004 and I was single for the first time in years, and a little drunk on my own independence. I had a white Z3 once upon a time, which had surprisingly ample trunk space for a sports car. I didn’t pack much, but on the way up to Arcata, I explored the wine country in Sonoma and Mendocino, so was glad for the space to put the wine loot I collected. The highlight of that trip was (and remains) the pilgrimage to Trinidad State Beach. I hate to even write that here, because I’ve always thought of that place as my secret hideaway. It’s a stop I make on each and every road trip I take to this region, so I’m a wee bit protective of it. That first trip alone was about six days, just enough to leave a pang of longing on the road home.

One more cherished road trip memory was when one of my ex’s drove me from our place in Paris, and made a circle all around France, from Bordeaux to Nice to Bourgogne and back to Paris. This was the summer of 2006. There was naturally a lot of wine involved on that trip, too, as we stopped in some of the most storied vineyards of France. I remember one of my favorite towns (a village, actually) was Sauternes, home of the eponymous wine of the noble rot. I was surprised that hardly a soul was in the village as we entered by a two-lane road. The only other living critter I saw at first was a friendly horse. Most people evidently had the good sense to be inside at lunch or a wine bar. When I think back on this trip, I remember how I adored my travel companion to the point of idiocy. The trip was splendid and perhaps another time I will spin out some tales from this trip and period of my life. Suffice to say that we didn’t make it as a couple, but I am eternally grateful for the memories and especially the efforts he went to take me on this grand tour of France.