Road trip with my daughter

My ‘new normal’ of making 2-day road trips to Dallas to see my dad was very different with my daughter coming with me. I’ve always liked making road trips with her because we get some long uninterrupted time to talk; this time it was 6-7 hours on the road each way. In the aftermath, I am thinking about ways it was different from my road trips on my own.

• We were on the road about an hour later than usual; she is not quite as much a morning person as I am. I picked her up at her house just before 7 AM. It was a few minutes before sunrise – and I took a picture through the windshield of my car of the color behind the emerging foliage of her back yard.

• We took my dad on a walk outdoors (cloudy but dry….warm enough to not need a jacket). It was my first time doing that but, now that the weather is warmer, a walk will be included in my visits unless it is raining. He was trying a new walker with 4 wheels instead of 2, so I was glad there were two of us just is case it didn’t work well for him – but he liked it and seemed to maneuver with it very well.

• I got a suite rather than a single room at my usual hotel. It worked well for us.

• She suggested another walk after we got to the hotel which I hadn’t done before…I’ll add that into my routine from now on as well.

• The music for the drive was more varied…still mostly instrumental but we included some artists she suggested mixed with my usual selections.

• I didn’t do any reading at the hotel as I usually do…we were still enjoying our conversation too much!

• We stopped for lunch on the way home (she found the restaurant as we were nearing lunch time). When I am on my own, I make a quick rest stop around lunch time and then arrive home very hungry.

Our next road trip together will be for the upcoming solar eclipse. This time my husband will be with us…and do all the driving!