Road Trips or.........
How I Travelled Across the United States and Didn't Lose My Marbles
Text and Photographs by Amy Kunstle
There is something brisk and bold about packing the car and yelling "Road Trip!" iPods ready, Road Food book packed, mapquest called up....LETS GO!!!! This year my kids were initiated into the wild and wonderful world of road trips. We have been breaking them in for years with trips around Colorado, South Dakota, New Mexico and Utah. But, as they have grown older and the stories of road trips past have grown more colorful we felt that the time had come to make it real.
This was old, rich territory for me....I spent my childhood poised on the front porch waiting for my Dad to get home to let us know if we were flying (in our small private plane) or driving. My Mom was amazing with her ability to leap travel hurdles in a single glorious bound hauling out pre-packed motor home boxes full of linens, cookware, staples and perishables or if flying....barf bags, ear plugs and sack lunches!
We drove and flew a million miles back and forth from Colorado to visit family in Tennessee and Mississippi. We watched the landscape for familiar billboards, begged to go to Stuckeys, stuck our tongues out at each other, listened to our one and only 8 Track tape of Glen Campbell's Rhinestone Cowboy and pondered the possibility of a swimming pool at the next KOA. It was a pretty good life! By the time I graduated from highschool we had been to almost all of the Southern and Midwestern states and many other states as well.
So our travels commenced...James was 12 and Madeline 8. Off and racing, we flew into Nashville and ate at their first ever (and best ever!) Southern-style Meat & 3 restaurant Elliston Place Soda Shop. Then over four days drove to see family in Decherd, Tennessee.......
Explored Williamsburg, Virginia....
Peeked into the past at Monticello....
And relished time with family, friends and history in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.
Needless, to say there is nothing like learning by actually touching and seeing living history with people you love!!! It was amazing.!!
Summer found us itching to keep going in our own territory with an amazing trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We got into the mindset at Louis Lake, Wyoming......
Hung out with the marmots at Roosevelt Lodge Chuckwagon Dinner......
Gloried in the freedom of the ravens at sunset.... 
Marveled at a black bear and her cubs......
Ooohed and ahhhed at Old Faithful.....
And finally got to see a grizzly bear and her cubs at the Grand Tetons.
Again, marvellous trip. Many, many stories later, we are so glad that we are passing on a tradition that will make its' way into our kids' stories and history of their growing up.
It makes me really happy to remember....soulful to continue....and motivated to book our next adventure!!!
Stay tuned for St. Lucia in the spring!!!!!!
