Sunday, July 12, 2009

On The Road Again by Tana LeMay


My favorite season is spring-summer-fall. Anything except winter. If I must pick one favorite of all, it would be summer. Most of my memories center on that season, like a song that takes you back to a particular moment in time.

What I most look forward to each summer is our vacation. Those of you who know me know of my love of travel. Going to new places is so much fun. We rarely fly; always drive. Most people groan and ask why. Yes, it takes longer, but you get to see so much on the way. You drive through little towns with strange names; come upon festivals in full swing; eat at restaurants you never knew existed. And, there’s all that scenery. Yes, some stretches of road are flat and boring, but there are always areas that are hilly and pretty. I’ve probably been to more than half of the states in this great country, but there is still a lot I want to see.

Growing up, we always took a trip to somewhere each summer. Colorado, Florida, Gettysburg, Boston, Lake of the Ozarks, Wisconsin, South Carolina….. I have a lot of memories from those trips. Curtis and I try to take our family somewhere each summer, hoping they’ll store up their own special memories.

Recently, my ABF class was talking about a trip some of them took to the Smoky Mountains. We went there 3 or 4 times. It too is an area with a lot to see and do. Dad was always fascinated with the bears. He liked to pull over and feed them. One time a bear practically crawled onto our car. Not on Dad’s side, but the passenger side. He handed my stepmother a piece of bread and told her to roll down the window and give it to the bear. “Are you crazy?, she asked. On that same trip, driving up to Clingman’s Dome, traffic came to a stop on the highway. People were getting out of their cars because a mother bear and 2 cubs were sitting alongside the road. Dad, Bridgett and I walked up for a closer look. A crowd had encircled the 3 bears. One child got too close and the mama bear took a swipe at him, fortunately not touching him. People screamed and took off running. Bridgett and I were at the front of the pack and made it back to our car in no time. Unfortunately Dad didn’t know we took off. He turned around and we were gone. He was not happy with us when he got back to the car as he had been looking for us, thinking we had rolled down the hill or were grabbed by the bears. We still talk about that trip.

If you have time, grab your family, pack up the car and hit the road for a few days. There’s a lot to see in this great land God has blessed us with. Make your own summer vacation memories.

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