. . . a road trip to remember
I come from a long line of history nerds. I can remember my grandma reading my social studies textbooks from cover to cover evey year when I would bring them home to do homework. We often engaged in political conversations in which we would solve the problems of the world with simple minded ideals. She taught me the value of examining the past, and I am grateful for the sense of patriotism I saw reflected in her life.
I inherited her love of history, and during this last week we had quite an adventure visiting National Monuments across the central U.S. We started our Journey in Lefors, TX on Sun. July 3rd. Our main desitination was Mount Rushmore, but the trip soon took a turn ecompassing over 3,000 miles. My cousin and my neice joined us for the ride, and they kept us laughing the whole way with their silly questions and innocent perceptions.
On the 4th of July, we sat at the base of the South Dakota Black Hills and watched the faces of our Founding Fathers light up the night sky while the Air Force Orchestra led us in the singing of the National Anthem. It was a humbling experience knowing the men on the mountain paved the way for the very freedoms I was allowed to enjoy. Sharing this time with my grandma made it all the more special, and I will remember this Independence day for a lifetime.
After a little persuasion, I convinced my grandma we should travel west towards Yellowstone National Park. Neither of us had ever been north of Colorado, so I figured we ought to make the most of our vacation. Nora is almost 63 years old, and because she raised me I sometimes forget she's my grandma, not my mom. She's no longer a spring chicken, but she was a trooper during the long days of driving across the mountainous terrain of Wyoming. After 16 hours of being in the car, we finally reached the park. Words cannot describe the beauty we encountered, and by the time we left the Grand Tetons, we were experiencing scenic overkill. It would take a whole lot more than just one day to truly appeciate the wonders of Yellowstone, but we thoroughly enjoyed our brief exposure to the wildlife and vegetation. Old Faithful spewed from the earth, and I witnessed some of God's most unusual creations.
My oldest sister, Tiffanie lives in the small Texas Panhandle town of Hartley perched on the high plains. We stopped here to drop off her daughter, and share the memories we'd created along the way. She and her husband just left to go to Wal-mart, and I decided to take these few moments of solitude to record the precious steps of our journey.
I'm sure that most folks out there in cyberspace have taken memorable vacations as well, and most of this blog will be boring, but I'm glad I took the time to reflect on the experience. Nora has dreamed of traveling since we were small, but because she chose to raise a second family of 4 children, this never became a reality. Spending this time with her helps me feel like I can give back a little of what she has shared with me. I love her so.
Now, I must mount the drivers seat and make another eight hour trip to the Metroplex. I'm traveling with my sisters three boys, so the rest of the journey should also be an adventure.
Isn't summer GRAND!