It is tradition for our family to go on a road trip every summer. The kids actually get more excited about the journey in the car than getting to the destination. Admittedly I feel the same. Ok maybe not MORE excited than getting to the destination but the car ride is just as fun. Are we crazy? Are we alone in this? We’ve been lucky with kids that travel well.

I have plans to write a blog post about our tried and true road trip essentials, tips and tricks as a family of five! So stay tuned for that!

Here are some photos from our various travels throughout the years. Keep scrolling to enjoy the poem I wrote about our road trip life!

It’s Time For That Summer Road Trip

“At the butt crack of dawn!”
Dad tells them what time they are leaving.
It’s a chilly, dark march to the car. 
Warm kids in Hello Kitty pj’s,
clutching Zelda and Ponyo pillows.
Mom is showered and sweetly perfumed,
she clutches her bulging makeup bag.

“Go to sleep!”
Dad demands, 
sipping his steaming cup of coffee.
Several hours need to pass before they stop for breakfast. 
Fuzzy blankets pull up, 
excited eyes squeeze shut.

“Who’s hungry?!”
Dad shouts
so the third row can hear.
Deep waking breaths and the squeak
of leather as they stretch,
squinting at the blazing sun.

“We’re not stopping!”
Dad warns them,
after the retro diner eggs, pancakes,
several sides of crunchy bacon,
teetering glasses of tart juice,
and heavy mugs of weak coffee, 
to use the bathroom down the narrow hallway 
now.

“Did you see that?”
Dad quickly checks the rearview mirror
for astonished faces,
but all he can see are the tops of heads,
looking down at a device or book.
No one saw anything.

“Are you ok?”
Dad asks Mom
because she snorted so loudly,
twitched so violently
with her head craned back, 
mouth gaping. He wonders if
she was fighting for her life in a dream.

“Did you get the nacho cheese?”
Dad asks,
after he fills the tank and finds them,
fists full of neon bags of sour gummies,
bottles of blue lemonade and cherry sodas,
puffy bags of powdery chips, 
Milky Ways and Reece’s that are already melting
in the desert heat.

Dad is quiet now
because Mom hasn’t stopped talking
about her latest read,
and about how they need to start exercising,
as she drips nacho cheese onto the center console
and shoves sour gummy worms 
in his mouth.

Sincerely Yours,
Jen

Okayest Jen working on summer session math, probably headed to Tahoe.