Rivers and Roads…

Please pardon the fixation with “The Head and the Heart”. We just saw them in concert and I was blown away. I think the title fits though…

For whatever reason, we decided to watch “Country Bears” last night. It’s impossible for me to think of this movie without remembering the trips to Arizona, Mackinaw City, Traverse City, and endless (well, not “endless”…well, maybe…) skating, soccer, track, and vacation destinations.

These trips were a big part of our family life as they (and we) grew up. Michigan is an amazing state and we wanted to experience it together. The Arizona trips happened as a result of Northwest Airlines messing up our tickets (so that we weren’t sitting together), a serious lack of sleep on my part, and a ticket agent who made a comment that I couldn’t let go of. 3 days there and 3 days back gave us a rich full experience (good and bad) of traveling the interstate highway system. Hotel stops included a swimming pool, adjoining rooms, and sharing beds with young people who may or may not move a lot when they sleep. 🙂

Our adventures included:

Swimming in a pool that was half indoors and half outdoors. A cold front had just passed through western Missouri and the outdoor temperature was in the 30’s. It didn’t stop the kids from swimming in the outside part. It absolutely stopped me.
“Guard kitties” – Somewhere in the Southwest, there was a KFC with a lot (dozens if not hundreds) of cats pouring over the dumpster in the back. They owned the parking lot. It makes sense but it was still a little strange to see.
Rest stops signs like this:
The world’s biggest McDonalds (according to the folks who own it) in Vinita, OK:

These trips also included “Country Bears” and a lot of other movies (VHS and DVD) courtesy of my laptop and a precariously configured set of audio and video connections. This hodgepodge of a movie-watching system was later replaced by a built-in system that included wireless headphones and separate controls in case Melissa and I wanted to listen to the radio.

Then there was this poor guy:

I’ve heard it said that it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. The journey was incredible but these trips have always been about the destination.