Jayne and I made a trip for a family wedding in Cedar Park, Texas back in the spring of 2009. When we were first planning we discussed how we were going to travel. We talked it over and so we decided to drive. I personally was not looking forward to it, because driving meant I would spend most of the time behind the wheel. I mean this was 1500 miles and a minimum of 24 hours of actual driving time. Then we had to discuss which vehicle we would drive. [I really tried to convince her that we should drive our Nissan 350Z but not enough room for all the luggage.]
What a glorious time we had. I want to say that this was a trip down memory lane, but it was so much more than that. We started by driving just a few hours on the first afternoon, a Thursday. The trees and wildflowers in Virginia were in full peak color and we would realize just how beautiful they would become as the miles rolled along.
We stopped the first evening in Fincastle, VA, just outside Roanoke. We stayed in an older hotel that we had stayed in years ago when our daughter was attending VA Tech. This brought back memories from more simple times in life.
The next day we started out as a leisurely drive and in my mind I wanted to make it to Nashville, TN. As we were about 2 hours outside of Nashville, I asked Jayne to check on her Blackberry to see if there was anything going on in Nashville. We found that there was a tribute to Patsy Cline playing at the Ryman Auditorium and that settled it, now find a hotel. Jayne is a big fan of Patsy’s. We found a nice hotel downtown, within walking distance of everything. Every one of the hotel employees could not be more friendly and responsive. We checked in and changed clothes. Found a local dinner theater that had a youth group having fun dancing with a local live band. After supper we headed out to the Ryman. After a great show, where we sat third row center stage, we slowly made our way back to the hotel. What a marvelous evening and visit. [Before we left the hotel we found a napkin that said: Travel is more than just A to B, travel should celebrate good times.]
Next day, Saturday, we started out with Bryant, Arkansas as the destination for the weekend. Jayne has family there and this would be a nice visit for two days. On the way we traveled through Memphis, TN and the home of Elvis Presley. Many times we have traveled down I-40 through Memphis and wanted to see Graceland, but we were always in a hurry to just get to the next point. We made an effort this time to find it. We did not take the tour, but we did stop out front.
We now are back on the road and only about 2.5 hours away from Bryant. When we were about 45 minutes outside Bryant Interstate 40 was backed up. It was backed up to the point of not moving for several minutes. We got off the interstate and visited a grocery store, wait this was Arkansas, so it was actually a Wal-Mart. Used the GPS to route us around and got back on the interstate only to travel about 2 miles, then stopped again. Back off, GPS around again. This time we detoured on a little longer route and found some absolutely beautiful countryside with large farms and very scenic roads. We are in the Midwest and this is spring, so yes we did encounter a thunderstorm. This last 45 minutes now took us an additional 2 hours. But we were still arrived early evening.
Saw Jayne's Aunt Okie and her adult children. Aunt Okie is now in her 90's, so this was an extra special time for Jayne. We stayed at John and Jean's next door to Aunt Okie. We went to Aunt Okie's church on Sunday morning and this was like going home for Jayne, as she has been coming here since she was a child. We then had a family dinner at Jean's, then visited with family, and took a drive around Bryant.
Nice weekend visit with family and then Monday morning back on the road to Cedar Park, TX. This would be the longest stretch of the travel. Not much to see along the interstates and we did have to get down there this day. So we set the cruise and settled in for the drive. We stopped for lunch at a local fried chicken restaurant, somewhere in East Texas, and they had the best sweet tea I have ever had. In fact it was becoming a quest to find more sweet tea. Well, no luck finding another fried chicken restaurant, but we did find Braum’s Ice Cream, which we haven’t had in many years.
We now made it to Cedar Park five days after setting out from Fredericksburg, VA and except for a 2 hour stretch I did drive the entire way. We spent the better part of 4 days in Central Texas visiting family, getting acquainted with some family members from the in-laws, and meeting new friends. We spent one evening having supper at the Oasis on Lake Travis to watch the sunset with immediate family. If you have never been to the Oasis, it is a must when you visit the Austin, TX area and go for the sunset.
Wedding went well; everybody all dressed up all the family together. Now it was now time to begin thinking about the drive back to Virginia. I knew that we did not have as much time to get home as we had coming out. We were going to have to make it back home in 2.5 days.
Well, we left Central Texas about mid-day, after dropping off Heather, Trevor and Colton at the Austin airport. We drove cross country toward our old home in College Station, TX. This would only be about a 90 mile trip so first leg would be short and this would be the half day. We did drive by our old house and stopped for lunch at Layne’s Chicken Fingers. [The sweet tea again was not as good.] Made it to the Louisiana border and spent the night. Rested well and we had decided to take I-20 this time then up to Chattanooga, TN then back to I-40 and up through Southwest Virginia. We found a nice older hotel on top of a mountain just off the interstate, watched the sunset over the mountains and had Cracker Barrel for supper, again sweet tea, not as good.
Arose the next morning and drove through southwest Virginia back to home. All in all a rather uneventful trip back home.
Within 30 days of taking this trip I had decided that I should retire from the FAA. I write all this because I am convinced that God showed me many things along this journey besides the countryside and the highway. I am convinced that I was to spend time with my wife and family to get in touch with what is really happening or what should be happening.
Traveling life’s roads is not about going from point A to point B, but it is the journey, the sites we see, the friends we make, and the time spent with loved ones. Come to think of it, I drove the entire trip home and was not even tired. Oh yeah, I am convinced that the search for the sweet tea was only a desire to find the sweetest things in life. Funny how God works.
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
No comments:
Post a Comment