ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!

         Yippee, Yippee!! No more school, shout twins James and Joanne as they get off the school bus. Two months off, yippee. That’s my thoughts exactly, thinks their mother, Susan, since she and her husband are teachers. Now comes the packing. Going on a 30 day road trip will take a lot of organization, but will be worth it.

      At dinner that evening, Susan reminds everyone that the next few days are going to be very busy if they want to get started on their road trip. “I don’t want any moaning,” announces their dad, Scott, “I want you both to listen to your mother and help out. After all this trip is for all of us, even Gunny (their Shih tzu).

      “But for tonight,” states their mother, “we are going to relax. I have a special treat for dessert.” “It’s my turn to pick the movie,” adds their dad, “Unless anyone thinks of something else to do.” “It does seem silly to be indoors when it is such a beautiful evening. I suggest we take Gunny and go to the park, maybe bring a Frisbee. What do you think?” asks mom. “Park, park,” yell James and Joanne in unison. “Well, I guess that’s settled,” points out dad. “To the park it is, now let’s finish dinner.”

      The next day Scott took James to go pick up the travel trailer, while Susan took Joanne to buy things she made a list of. They would be able to start packing the trailer later that day. Everyone is excited, even the twins. Even Gunny seemed excited; he was barking and running in circles, making everyone laugh.

      That night, after a busy day packing the trailer, the twins were exhausted. They went to bed with no fuss. Their dad said that the next day will be for finishing all packing. They had made a list of things they would need to bring and things they wanted to bring. Mom said it would be a matter of space, even though the trailer was a big size, she didn’t want the kids to think that they could bring too much. The idea is to see the country, experience new things. She wants it to be a holiday they would never forget.

      The day has arrived. Everyone is up early albeit with grumbles coming from the twins, even though they were excited. Their Shih tzu, Gunny was also adding to the excitement by running in circles and wagging his tail so hard that James said it looks like Gunny is ready to take off. Dad said they could sleep on the road, but he hopes the scenery will keep them occupied for awhile at least. He asked mom to start the “I spy” game; it always managed to keep them occupied.

      Their first stop would be in 4 hours where they will camp for 3 days and enjoy some water sports and also where they had arranged to meet another family who lives in the vicinity. They got together around a campfire that evening and while the adults were catching up on news so where the kids. They had so much to tell them that their chatter sounded like of flock of birds. When it got quiet, the adults knew that it was time for bed. Tomorrow is another day. There is a self-pick fruit farm close by, so the mothers decided to go there in the morning. Neither of their children wanted to tag along, so the fathers had charge over them. The fathers will have their day to themselves the next day. The strawberries they picked would be for dessert that evening.

      The next day the fathers decided to go on a bike ride. After they left the mothers and children decided to play Frisbee then go for a swim. Gunny liked trying to catch the Frisbee. The weather has been absolutely accommodating. Even the mothers donned their swim suits and joined their kids in the lake. The dinner plans were going to be hot dogs and hamburgers with potato and macaroni salads. Then to top it off, they would have the freshly picked strawberries with ice cream. Again the kids were ready for bed when suggested by their parents. After all, they would need to leave by noon to make it to their next destination.   They would be heading for a big city where they could unhook the trailer. 

      After a restful night, everyone was raring to go. Once they had parked the trailer they had a quiet dinner and roasted marshmallows by the fire. They would be spending the day at the zoo, then going to a local restaurant for dinner. It was a little overcast, which kept it cool, since they will be outdoors most of the day. The twins saw some animals they had never seen before. Joanne thought the Llamas were so cute, while James had a laugh at the antics of the Spider Monkeys. His mom suggested that they research Spider Monkeys when they get back to the trailer. They loved watching the bear cubs, playing together like kids. The dinner they had made a wonderful end to an equally wonderful day. The next day it was decided to visit a museum since it was raining with no end in sight. If the weather improved, they would continue with their planned activity and go to the water park.

      Their next item on the itinerary would be camping several days on the outskirts of a desert. Dogs were not allowed, so Gunny had to stay in the trailer. It didn’t seem to bother him, since he didn’t whine or howl when the family left. They had researched what activities are being offered. Their dad found out that there are hoodoos to climb around on.  As well as climbing the hoodoos, there is a museum that offers on hands digging for fossils.  James was more excited about climbing the hoodoos than was Joanne, but she promised to give it a try, as long as they were not too high. Her parents promised her that they would be right there with her. It turned out that Joanne had so much fun, she didn’t want to leave. Her parents promised that there will be more fun to look forward to. Joanne did manage to climb quite high, but needed help from her dad to climb down. James and his mom both found a fossil in their digging spot. Everyone went to bed that night exhausted, but happy. The rest of their visit there was just camping and wandering around, enjoying family time, no sightseeing planned.

      On their way to their next destination, James was saying how much fun he’s having, even when it rained. They are headed to a Bird Sanctuary. Mom was reading information on some types of birds they would see, and she said they would be able to have an owl perch on their arm. The owls ranged in size from the Pygmy Owl to the much larger Horned Owl. The twins both started saying who, who. Walking around the sanctuary grounds and looking into the individual cages, the family was amazed at the variety of birds, especially owls. Dad was the first to have an owl perch on his arm to show that it’s okay, the owl won’t hurt you. He assured the twins that the keeper will be holding the owl’s lead, so not to worry. Mom went next, even though she was a bit skittish. After James had his turn, he said to Joanne, don’t be scared, I will be here too. The twins admitted that the bird sanctuary was one of the best places they visited so far. The guide also mentioned that the sanctuary rehabilitated injured birds. Armed with souvenirs they got back to the trailer exhausted.

      As they were travelling south, they came upon a small town fair. Unplanned though it was, they decided to stop. Wandering around and trying to win at the games, everyone agreed that it was a good idea that they stopped. It was hard to get the twins away from the pony rides. They enjoyed the cute ponies very much. The petting zoo was also a great hit. Joanne and her mom just loved the lambs. They felt so soft. They only had a short drive until they arrived at the next camping grounds. Another family was next to them, and to their surprise they were from their home town and the kids attended the same school. Around the campfire that night, while the kids regaled each other with their travels, the parents sat back and enjoyed slight conversation over coffee. The next day was spent swimming in the nearby lake.

      Turning southwest to begin their drive home, they stopped at Buffalo Jump Valley. When the guide explained what happened there, the twins were saddened. They each wanted to buy a buffalo souvenir to remember them. They were able to spend a night in a real teepee. To them it was an emotional and educational experience.

      The rest of the stops on their way home were usually for just a day. Time was winding down, but their last stop was just outside their home town. There they went to the Heritage Days festival. The exhibits were a wonder to see and the different clothes each country wore, were exclaimed upon the rest of the way to their next to last night camping. Also, the different foods to taste got the kids to ask mom if she could make some of those foods at home. She said she would try.

      Home at last, sighed mom. While unpacking the trailer, which dad and James will return the next day, mom and Joanne made pancakes for dinner. During dinner the parents asked the twins, what was their favorite part of their road trip? The twins both answered, the driving.