5,386 miles
3 gals can make a 5000+ mile trip on their own. Mom, who turned 81 on the road, Lissa, who is almost 11 and me 26 days of driving and visiting along the west coast end to end. We left New Mexico, dropped dogs off in Arizona and visited with family then headed to San Diego to spend a week on the beach with Natalie. Next, we visited Bethany and Tanner in Hollywood then spent a week traveling north. Siri guided us through San Fransisco, visited friends in Livermore then up to Lakewood, near Seattle.
Our son and his family were moving so we got to help them and visit with family who were also there to help. Finally, we drove south through Idaho and Utah. What a wonderful adventure.
Lissa made all our hotel reservations with the help of Choice Hotels. Only one glitch the whole trip. We were going to stay at The Dalles in Oregon on the Columbia River but had a hotel in Dallas, TX. They were able to shift the room so we never actually had to sleep in the car.
Mom was in charge of the map to make sure Siri was on track. Always nice to see the big picture. She also appreciated the idea that we had overnight bags to take into the hotel so we didn't have to lug our big suitcases in and out each night. Watching others struggle with their enormous suitcases made us feel even more brilliant.
I was the sole driver on this incredible journey. We stopped anywhere any one wanted to stop. If something showed up out the window that looked interesting, we pulled over to investigate. Ronnie B. has always been the one who would veer off the route to see something new. The three of us took his lead and never passed up an opportunity.
Siri kept us on track through the entire trip. Mom kept thinking Siri was an actual person. Lissa kept changing what Siri called me and his/her gender and accent. I think the trip ended with Siri referring to me as 'Stinker Butt'. Siri is helpful and entertaining. She/he only yelled at us once. Mom called it a smart ass and Siri said that wasn't very nice. Lissa told her to stop navigating when we reached a destination. Siri told her she sort of figured that out on her own.
The three of us have been taking trips around our beautiful country since Lissa was 3. Who knows how many more trips we will get to take. Mom is getting older, Lissa is getting more involved at home, and I may not always be confident enough to drive so far. We have seen a lot of wonderful places, visited a lot of family and laughed till we almost peed our pants too often.
This trip was one of my greatest gifts. I pray there will be other trips in our future but am blessed that we can smile when remembering this one.
In Him,
Joyful
7-11-15
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