Travel Days Part One
We began our annual sojourn to Lake Tahoe with a little twist this year. We delivered a truck to a friend, went to see our oldest son and his family and then on our way, finally to Lake Tahoe, joining our other son and family for a week of hiking, wine tasting, boat rides, bike rides, and plenty of pool time. Jen and I have but one goal this entire trip, relax. We’ve been working our tails off getting ready for this trip, not so much planning this trip, more so emptying the guest house for our youngest daughter and her family to move in. We’ve been squeezing boat time in between rainstorms, which seems to be an everyday occurrence. I mow at convenience instead of any kind of schedule, in fact, I always mow the day before leaving on a trip, but this time has left me three days prior to leaving. The way it is going, I’ll have my forest back before I get home. If I’m lucky, Logan will want to learn to drive the zero-turn and mow before I get back. Mid-to-late sixties folks should never drive three days averaging ten hours a day. Our bodies are telling us that if we ever attempt to do that again, they aren’t going to comply, and we’ll be left somewhere out in the desert.
Our neighbors have a house in Ruidoso NM that they call their cabin. Most people would die to have it as their lifelong home. It is beautiful to say the least. Anyway, they recently headed there for the summer to escape the East Texas heat and get their fill of wild horses, elk and deer visits, along with the occasional bear to remind them not to leave anything out that is edible. On their way to their home away from home, their brand-new truck decided it didn’t like the engine in it and blew apart on the road leaving a trail of oil a quarter mile long. Credit to the dealership, they took care of them and made a deal he couldn’t refuse. My fortune was offering to drive it out for them as we were heading out on our vacation, and it wasn’t that far out of our way. Great for him and disastrous for me as I fell in love with the way it rode and drove. So much so that I’m now looking forward to 2026 when we get to replace the Buick. This may be the plan until I look at the price of doing so. Nothing to mention on the drive other than thirty minutes before arriving, a rock was thrown from an oncoming vehicle and even though I saw it and tried to maneuver away, it clipped the door pillar. No damage, just a very small mark saved by the window rubber seal and a sickening feeling in my stomach. It was the first thing I told him when I pulled up and he was like; it’s a truck its ok. We stayed the evening and went to bed with bellies full and feeling good but dreading the next day.
We left Ruidoso early, thinking we were sneaking out but were joined for quick hugs and thank-you’s all around. Starbucks and on the road for thirteen hours of driving through four states. The country was diverse. Mountains to high-desert, to high meadows, lots of farmland, cowboy country, canyonlands and side-by-sides, to the great Salt Lake. We were exhausted but we laughed a lot along the way and shifted butts at least a thousand times to relieve back pain. My arm kept falling asleep due to a pinched nerve in my neck and fingers tingled most of the way. Some notables, Capitan, two towns in succession in SW Colorado call Arriola and Cahone. Now what were these people thinking and I’m sure they don’t mean what the English version is, but still funny. This followed by Dove Creek which made me wonder at the name as ladies of the evening were often called Doves. We passed a liquor store with the name “GI-Whil Liquors”. Say it fast and you’ll get it. Very clever. Got into Ogden Utah late in the evening, tired beyond belief and hungry. Jen’s camera battery fell ot of her bag and we looked everywhere for the other battery and charger thinking they fell out too. Luckly, the bistro at the hotel was still open and we were able to eat so comfort food. Spending two days not paying attention to politics or money. I have to admit it felt good. We left Utah early and headed to our son’s house with hope we would have a shorter drive, ha. Along the way, I thought of the batteries and asked if she had actually gone through the bag. She looked again and bingo, there they were. No stopping on BOise to buy new ones; onward north. After nine and half hours we made it, and we both collapsed. Even our friend in New Mexico was checking on us and we both decided that we would not drive this kind of distance again unless it was pulling the trailer and took a month to get where we were going.
The evening of the second day resting and what-not and after maybe my third nap, my granddaughter asked me if I took naps every day. I had to laugh because I rarely nap. We got to watch martial arts training and have eaten well. I had requested bagels since I had taken a break from them at home. We vow to give ourselves a break from physical work feels great and feels like the image of what retirement was supposed to be, I think. I have been struck with a thought about parenting. Don’t get me wrong, all our kids and spouses are good parents. My thought though was how explanatory everything is all day long with my son and wife. I’m not sure where the energy comes from to do this 24/7, but somehow, they do it. I was struck with this thought of wokeism parenting in that it is less authoritative and more negotiating and learning constantly. That is until it isn’t, even though they have to get authoritarian occasionally but not with corporal punishment but with loud stern voices in contrast to the calm demeanor style. I immediately was reminded of my younger cousins in Texas that carry a switch and use it about five times a day on their sons. No explanation other than do what I tell you because I told you so. Two sides of the coin, both effective and somehow my brain went to politics and knowing how each household is politically. And people wonder why everyone in this country seem to be divided. I’m in the middle. I think we should explain why something is not or is appropriate but only following the demand of doing what I want. I never hovered and that is something I see the younger generation doing. Maybe this is a compensation for their own childhood and what they thought was wrong with their own raising. I think it must have been pretty effective as they are strongly independent and good parents. I think my generation did something right!
A good first of our trip seeing lots of country and reminiscing about areas we have lived or worked in. We miss this part of the country and wonder if it would ever be in the cards to live in again. Probably not as we feel we have made a solid home in Texas and enjoy being around family and our new friends. Second part of the trip, we journey south along the Pacific coast and take in the redwood forests. We were going to go to Crater Lake National Park, but we found out the road for about eighty percent of the park is closed due to snow or fire. We’ll take two days to drive what each day was on the first part of the trip. South Lake Tahoe in June is great. Hopeful to see bears but more importantly to spend time with our son and his family and see some beautiful country.