“Sometimes the best destinations aren’t chosen because they’re famous. They’re chosen because the people you love are waiting there.”
Introduction
One of the greatest blessings of travel is that it gives us the opportunity to reconnect with the people who matter most. While we certainly enjoy exploring new destinations, trying local restaurants, and discovering hidden gems, some of our favorite trips have very little to do with sightseeing.
This was one of those trips.
When Fall Break rolled around, we packed up the motorhome, loaded the dogs, convinced our teenage daughter that road trips really could be fun, and pointed the front of the RV toward New Braunfels, Texas.
Our destination wasn’t a famous landmark.
It wasn’t a national park…It wasn’t even a campground….It was home.
Our oldest son, Chris, his wife Rachel, and our granddaughters, Lilah and Norah, had settled in New Braunfels, and spending a week making memories with them sounded like the perfect vacation. Looking back, this trip became even more special than we could have imagined. It was also the very first road trip for the newest member of our family—our tiny puppy, Ki’Oni.
As with most of our adventures, things didn’t exactly go according to plan…
Chapter 1
Hitting the Road… Eventually
If you’ve followed JourneyFor2 for very long, you’ve probably noticed a recurring theme.
No matter how much time we have to prepare for a trip…
…we’re still scrambling at the last minute.
Every.
Single.
Time.
Tracey had confidently announced that we’d be leaving by 9:00 that morning. In theory, it sounded like a great plan.
Reality had other ideas.
Between loading the last-minute supplies, packing clothes, making sure nothing was forgotten, getting our daughter out of bed, and preparing three dogs for nearly 1,000 miles on the road, the morning disappeared faster than we expected.
Adding to the excitement was Ki’Oni, our brand-new puppy.
We had literally welcomed him into the family the day before.
While Caitlynn had dreamed of getting a puppy for nearly two years, she was quickly learning that puppies are adorable…and a tremendous amount of work. Thankfully, I had already completely fallen in love with the little guy.
His first road trip was about to begin.
“Are You Here Yet?”
Long before we crossed the Arizona state line, my daughter-in-law Rachel texted.
“Are you here yet?”
“I wish,” I laughed as I replied.
A short time later, my son Chris chimed in.
“How about now?”
Like so many families, we have those little jokes that never seem to get old. Our standard answer whenever the kids asked, “Are we there yet?” while growing up was always the same:
“Just five more miles.”
So naturally, that’s exactly what I texted back.
Chris immediately replied,
“Five more miles…to the edge of Chandler?”
It didn’t take long for the playful harassment to begin.
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure who was more excited about this trip…
…the family waiting for us…
…or the family making the drive.
Across the Desert
As we headed east through Arizona and into New Mexico, I couldn’t help but notice something unusual.
Blue skies.
If you’ve traveled this stretch of Interstate 10 very often, you know that’s not always the case. It seems like every time we’ve driven toward the Burro Mountains, the skies around Lordsburg have greeted us with heavy clouds, wind, or rain.
Not this time.
The desert stretched endlessly beneath bright blue skies filled with giant cotton-like clouds.
It was shaping up to be a beautiful day for a road trip.
We stopped at the Love’s in Lordsburg to top off the fuel tank and give the dogs a chance to stretch their legs.
If you’ve ever traveled with multiple dogs, you already know that “quick stop” is a relative term.
Zeus was his normal easy-going self.
Ki’Oni wasn’t quite sure why he was suddenly attached to a leash in the middle of the New Mexico desert.
Max…
Well…
Max apparently believed he was training for the Iditarod.
Trying to walk three dogs at once while one of them pulled in every possible direction probably provided plenty of entertainment for everyone watching from the truck stop.
Eventually everyone handled their business, everyone made it back inside the motorhome, and we were rolling east once again.
The Friendly Competition
As we crossed into Texas, I sent Chris photos of the “Welcome to Texas” sign to keep him updated on our progress.
That only fueled his campaign to convince Tracey to drive straight through.
A few months earlier, Chris and Tracey had made the entire trip from Arizona to New Braunfels in one marathon drive. Since then, Chris had been relentless about reminding Tracey that it could be done.
“You’re driving a luxury diesel pusher,” he teased.
“No excuses.”
Friendly family competition can be a powerful motivator.
Before long, what had started as a two-day trip slowly transformed into something much more ambitious.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
We were going to make it all the way to New Braunfels in one day after all.
One Text I’ll Never Forget
One unexpected moment still makes me laugh every time I think about it.
As we drove through El Paso, we passed the University of Texas at El Paso, where my ex-husband had attended college years earlier.
I snapped a couple of photos and sent them without any explanation.
Within seconds, my phone buzzed.
“EL PASO!!! UTEP!! Thanks honey!”
I stared at my phone.
Then burst into laughter.
A second text followed almost immediately.
“Oops…that was meant for Caitlynn.”
To this day, I still smile every time I remember it.
Road trips always seem to create those little moments that no one plans but everyone remembers.