Having decided to spend our Christmas in New Orleans this year, we decided to forego our usual mode of transportation - airplanes - and venture out on the road.
I have many fond and funny memories of road trips in the 60's and 70's with my parents. Seeing the sights, visiting National Parks, eating at roadside diners, shopping in antique stores, singing in the car, getting lost, arguing and laughing. I know I can't recreate those moments, but I can, with my daughter at my side, create new ones.
We plan to take her dog, Skullie. A mix she rescued about a year ago. Skullie is her heart and soul - and also her service dog. Working diligently with her, my daughter has trained Skullie to assist her during panic attacks or bi-polar moments of anxiety. Preparing Skullie for the trip will be easy as she loves going places with us and is so well-behaved. Packing for Skullie will no doubt be just as difficult as it will be for us.
Our road trip will take us to New Orleans via the most direct route - East on the 8, then east on the 10.
San Diego - Arizona: 170 miles
Arizona - New Mexico: 367 miles
New Mexico - Texas: 164 miles
Texas - Louisiana: 873 miles
TX/LA border - NOLA: 237 miles
Over 1800 miles in 3 days. We still have to decide where to stop and spend the night along the way. I'm just getting a bit too old to sleep in the car!
Coming back, our plan is to follow a portion of the old Route 66 - up to Oklahoma City and across to Albuquerque. But more on that later.
Lots to see along the way - from the historical (Tombstone, Yuma Territorial Prison, The Alamo) to the natural (the high desert of Arizona, the Rio Grande, the Bayou country) to the strange (Old Tucson Studios, Toilet Seat Museum, Haunted sites in Las Cruces, and lots of cemetaries!). Coming home there will be even more sites for us to linger over....but, again. This is about the beginning of our journey.
Laying out maps on the table with my dad was such an enjoyable part of our family vacations that I plan to do the same thing this round. Yes, nowadays I have GPS and the internet, but somehow, sitting with paper maps and different colored highlighters marking out our path makes me giddy. Our trip will be planned, but then again...not, as we will never be able to visit everything we want to see and we are sure to spot places that deserve a look - no matter how brief.
Here's to Road Trips of the past...and of the future!
