Road Trip!

I love a Road Trip. I love getting in a car and driving a long way. I can’t completely explain my love for Road Trips. I went on many Road Trips (and yes, I think it’s appropriate to capitalize the term Road Trip) as a kid. I found something wonderful in getting in a car and looking at the wide sky of southwestern Minnesota and then South Dakota. 

I’m writing about this because for the past three days I was on a Road Trip with my daughter, Hannah. We drove from Casselberry, Florida to Blaine, Minnesota. The trip was 1,650 miles and took a little over 24 hours of driving spread out over this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 

When I was young my family would frequently take a Road Trip out west for summer vacations. We traveled to Montana, and Oregon and many trips through South Dakota. At least three times we also drove during Christmas vacation to Big Pine Key, Florida to visit my dad’s parents. Once we drove straight from Big Pine Key to my hometown of Worthington in 40 hours. I drove from New York City to California once and did a lot of driving when I lived in California. 

Not everyone loves a Road Trip. When given the opportunity to get in the car for a long period of time, my wife Amy’s response is usually the same, “shoot me.” 

Is there something spiritual about a road trip? Absolutely. A road trip is an adventure with many opportunities to encounter something unexpected. And yes, Hannah and I encountered the unexpected. 

I flew into Orlando this past Tuesday. Hannah, her partner, Carter, and I hung out for three days. 

We went to the beach in Daytona Beach before getting rudely moved from the beach by a drenching rainstorm. 

On the way to Daytona Beach, I experienced Buc-ees. Being from Minnesota, I knew nothing about this chain. I loved Buc-ees. Who doesn’t love a bright lit store, with impeccably clean bathrooms, and a huge display of brisket sandwiches—and a lot of other items. I talked to a clerk about the wonder of Buc-ees—she told me I was Buccifed. Only in the south! 

I don’t think I completely got used to the heat and humidity of Casselberry. It wasn’t even terribly hot by Central Florida standards—95 during the day with dew points in the high 70’s. It took a while to get used to walking from air conditioning to the summer heat and having my glasses fog up. Running was hard in Orlando. Even at 10am the heat and humidity and sunshine was almost unbearable while running. I ran this morning in Minnesota with the temperature in the high 50’s and a lower dew point. Give me running in Minnesota on almost any day! 

The first day of our Road Trip was the longest—we traveled from Casselberry to Nashville. I’m grateful that semi drivers do a terrific job of moving product in the United States, but the number of semi drivers was astounding. I’m also grateful that semis don’t drive in the far left lane. We had plenty of time listen to Hannah’s music—which was pretty much Taylor Swift. I told her that we were going to have our own Eras concert in the car. 

Driving down the mountains outside of Chattanooga at night in the dark rivals any ride on Valley Fair. Prayers are required. WE slept in on Saturday at our hotel in Nashville. 

On Saturday morning, Hannah wanted to find a bench that Taylor Swift used in Centennial Park in Nashville. Because of the videos on Tik Tok we found it without a problem. Who knew that Tik-Tok could be helpful in directions?!?

We found the bench and then found a gigantic Parthenon. A Parthenon in Nashville. Who knew? This Parthenon was built in 1897 when Nashville wanted to be the Athens of the south. Inside the Parthenon was a forty-two-foot statue of Athena. Again—who knew? 

I couldn’t help but notice the tributes to the Confederacy in the south—a few museums mentioned in billboards, and plaques in rest tops honoring those who died. It’s a complicated question of honoring those who fought against the Union. I don’t want to wade into the controversy, but it’s fair to say that the South has not forgotten the Civil War. 

The second day we drove from Nashville to Rockford, Illinois. It took Hannah fourteen calls to find a hotel that was open. And the room we found was only available because someone had canceled right before her call.

This road trip gave me all sorts of opportunities to notice how people drove. And the speed in which people drove. I put the cruise at 75 on the Interstate. Oh yes, I know that this is five miles above the speed limit, but this speed puts me in the slow lane. The number of cars who sped past me going over a hundred is sobering. 

On Sunday, Hannah and I finally arrived in Blaine at about 3pm. It was time to get out of the car; time to not eat restaurant food or use a bathroom facility that wasn’t my own. I don't drink, but it was worth having some champagne with Amy, who closely followed our trip.

Hannah and I will always have this memory of riding back from Florida. We didn’t have any deep, earth-shaking conversations, but we enjoyed each other’s company. 

I love Road Trips. Give me a few weeks to recover from this one, and I’ll be ready for the next one. 

If you have a story about a Road Trip, put it in the comments. I’d love to hear about your experience.