My Great American Road Trip

 I took a road trip last week to deliver my car my to sister and her family. The trip began in California and ended in Alabama. I drove through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi to arrive at my destination. The trip was 2300 miles long and lasted 3 days. The sights, sounds and people were memorable and the journey alone gave me prime time to reflect, dream and plan. I am not sure if I will attempt a drive this long again anytime soon, but I am happy that I was able to experience this trip.

I had a few things on my list of must see and do and on the top of the list was the Grand Canyon...

This was my first visit to the Grand Canyon and it took my breath away. As I was driving towards the park, I came upon snow. I am not usually a fan of snow or anything cold, but this added to the enchantment. Upon arrival I exclaimed "Are you kidding me?!" when I saw the deep red canyon framed with bright white snow. The scene was surreal. Of all the times I have dreamt of visiting this park, I never expected to be so blown away by nature and yet nature always surprises me and leaves my heart overflowing with gratitude. This is one of those times when I cried tears of joy and thanked God for the journey life has taken me on this year. I felt like this scene was a gift.


That night, I stayed in Alburquerque. New Mexico is beautiful and I could sense the sacredness of the land. Even when I went to buy turquoise, the woman described the different types of turquoise and their meanings. Everything seemed to have symbolism attached to it. I quite liked the notion that everything is special.

The remainder of the trip took me through Texas where I stopped for Texas BBQ...YUMMY! In Oklahoma the road never seemed to end. Arkansas was pretty with the trees and Ozarks. I stayed in Little Rock on the second night and visited with my aunt and her husband the following morning. They took me to see the Bill Clinton Presidential Library and we had a Southern breakfast complete with grits.

On the final day, I crossed the Mississippi River, drove through Memphis and parts of Mississippi into Alabama and finally my sister's home. I arrived and was welcomed with hugs from my nephews. I think that is what made this trip worth it.