I enjoy road trips. I love to drive and see the countryside as I travel.
This Veteran’s Day holiday weekend finds me “on the road.” Well, in the air, actually, as I fly home from the Eastern Washington state. Believe it or not, when I planned this theme, I did not know I would be taking this short trip to visit our family in the Pacific Northwest.
While enjoying our time there, we get out and walk along the stunning suburban forest roads.
My husband’s brothers live in Spokane, and his mother is also there in an Assisted Living care situation. She turned 87 years old in October and we haven’t seen her in 18 months!
I posted about “Time” for last week’s Sunday Stills challenge, and as they say, “life is short!” Hubby recently found out his auntie passed away at age 92. She lived in Germany and he only met her once. She was his deceased father’s sister.
Two weeks ago, we hurriedly made plane reservations for this short trip north to be with Mama Hella…because we never know… Time is not on our side.
Last year on this very weekend I had the absolute pleasure of hanging out with fellow bloggers in Palm Desert. This was truly a road trip, with a 9-hour drive from Sacramento to San Diego, then from there, north two hours to Palm Desert (just outside of Palm Springs).
Now that we have our wonderful 27-foot Jayco travel trailer, and hubby finally got his new truck, being on the road will be a pleasure. Especially when we can take our dogs along for the ride.
As I hinted in my last post, we have a major road trip planned for late December into the second week of January. I have always wanted to visit the American Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Utah) but never had the opportunity to do so.
This trip is inspired by author Tony Hillerman, whose works include the fabulous mystery series featuring two Navajo tribal policemen set in the Navajo region of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. Covering thousands of miles of territory, the characters often found themselves on the road, driving from one area to another as they chased suspects and solved crimes.
As I read, I could imagine the sun setting behind the iconic monoliths of Monument Valley and feel the heat of the summer monsoons.
Although I have driven through Arizona on the Hwy 10 over the years, I have never been to the Grand Circle area known for National Parks like the Grand Canyon, Antelope Valley, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon and Zion. Other areas of interest include Sedona and the Hopi and Navajo Reservations.
With the help of Pinterest and some blog posts I’ve read, I am creating a customized road trip with a drive that starts in San Diego and eventually ends back in Northern California via (or should I say viva) Las Vegas. If the predicted El Nino weather pattern has its way, there should be more sun than rain.
What sights have you enjoyed on your road trips? Here are a few of mine!
As we enjoy our holiday weekend, please remember the Veterans who served in the military whose sacrifices made our country (and perhaps yours) great!
I can’t wait to read what you have in store for Sunday Stills this week! Link up here or ping-back to this post!
Second Wind Leisure Perspectives 
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