Summer Vacation, Day 1

Well, we hit the road on Friday night, about an hour later than I had hoped for - which I secretly planned on anyway, knowing how difficult it can be to get 2 kids, 2 adults and 1 dog into a motorhome and on the road. Of course, we still had to stop and get gas...but the kids settled down fairly quickly and after a few reminders that we were in a moving vehicle on the highway and NOT on a playground jungle gym, they fell off to sleep in their already made up beds. The dog is a great traveler too! We put her towel down between the front two seats and she headed there and slept for most of our driving time!

The road, the open road...ahh... the hum of the tires, the long stretches of highway and the endless possiblities laid out before you. Andy and I met while traveling and I think that we both had the bug long before that. I have always looked forward to the adventure of map reading and discovering new places. When I was younger, I would watch our journey progress on an old beat up copy of the map that my parents had discarded. I would circle places that I hoped that we would stop, and if we didn't, I was sure that I would return and go myself, someday. This trip was a bit of that...it was a rehash of a family vacation that I remember from my youth. I guess that I was about 10, but my Mom argues, saying that I was 14 (I seriously doubt THAT, but I might go with the compromise of 12?) For one thing, my friend Tiffany joined us for this trip and we were not friends after the 6th grade....
Anyway...We went up to the Mammoth area for several vacations, so I probably have mushed them all together in my mind...But I rememember loving the scenery and having a great time and so I wanted to share these things with my husband, and my kids. Some things were "just as I remembered" and others, sadly, had changed or dissapeared completely. Seeing as how I made this journey almost 30 years ago, (gasp!) I guess things have a right to age, disintergrate, change and grow old. Much the same as my body has, over the years!

We headed out the 210 freeway around 8:00 p.m. and hit no traffic, which is always a blessing. From there we hit the 5 for just a few minutes before dropping onto the 14 which would take us to our first stop at the beginning of the 395 Hwy. Our overnight destination, Red Rock Canyon a gorgeous spot of dessert with carved hills and amazing rock formations. The drive was "uneventful" but gave the grown ups some time to talk and wonder about those who did not travel. We know that it is just "not for" some people, but we are certainly not of that breed. We feel so blessed that we can take 2 weeks to spend with our kids, as a family! How many people get to eat EVERY meal with their family for 2 WEEKS STRAIGHT!? (by the end of the trip, I was beginning to wonder...Who would WANT to!) We really feel that it is a time to bond and to get to know each other better, to learn what being a family and a team is really about. It is time to talk and rest and learn and play. As we rolled down the road, we wondered, "What will this vacation mean? What imprint will it leave on my mind? On the kids'? What will be our favorite thing, our funniest moment, the story that we carry with us?" We pulled into Red Rock, easily at around 11:00 p.m. It was deserted and silent and HOT (we knew that it would be). We found a campsite, walked the dog and climbed up into our bunk, excited for the discoveries that were upon us. Neither of us slept well due to the heat and the CRAZY night wind that decided to BLAST straight through the motorhome from 1:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. The wind brought some cooler temps and we snoozed fitfully, until sunrise at 5:30 when we looked out and got the answer to the question, "Why is it called, Red Rock?".