Are We There Yet:

I just finished a road trip with my 81-year-old mother and 2-year-old granddaughter. We drove through seven states -- Texas to North Carolina and back -- in four days. What an adventure! It was literally an Erma Bombeck book! Without going into detail, just imagine: a forgotten dress and lost luggage; cleaning orange-colored car sickness off a car seat; a time zone change that equals a missed wedding; tennis shoes worn with a silk dress; and so much more. But also imagine being alone with your mother in a car for seven hours each of those four days. Imagine all the things we talked about. Imagine the topics we covered. No stone was left unturned. Every relative's life and loves were recalled and examined. Every recipe and remedy was discussed and dissected. War and politics were approached and then left alone. Art and music were appraised and appreciated. Family history was reconstructed and relived. Sometimes it seemed as if we were in an episode of Cash Cab, making "Mobile Shout Outs" to my siblings for answers to things forgotten or clarifications on things remembered. So, although the trip was "ca-ra-zeee" and eventful, it was wonderful and memorable as well.

The road trip also brought back lots of childhood memories -- memories of my family's cross country trips in our Starmist Blue and Colonial White '57 Ford Fairlane 500. We traversed the nation in that car moving from military base to military base. And during the summer months, the six of us along with our luggage and gear were crammed into the "blue bomb" for camping in exotic places such as Beaver's Bend and Sulpher Springs.

Susan Rugh's book, Are We There Yet: The Golden Age of American Family Vacations, is an in-depth look at post-World War II family travel. Rugh’s study recounts how "postwar prosperity and mass consumption–abetted by paid vacation leave, car ownership, and the new interstate highway system forged the ritual of the family road trip, a ritual that became entwined with what it meant to be an American. With each car a safe haven from the Cold War, vacations became a means of strengthening family bonds and educating children in parental values, national heritage, and citizenship."

Notwithstanding the rueful memories of discomforts and squabbles in that crowded car, road trips were magical times for us. When we had a family of our own, my husband and I made sure that our children experienced road trips... even though they were usually centered around soccer tournaments. I hope when our girls have families, they will make sure their children will ride the road too!