When my oldest daughter was two years old, I took her on a cross
country trip. Just her and I. A father/daughter trip.
My wife had no desire to go along since she absolutely hates
driving anywhere in the winter. This is probably due, at least in part, to a
trip the two of us took before we got married. A trip that contained a little
extra “adventure.” I wrote a blog about that event, which you can read here.
But back to the father/daughter trip. We traveled from
Wisconsin to Wyoming to visit my parents at Thanksgiving. A memorable trip, and
one I still look back on fondly. At the time, a few people thought I was crazy.
Apparently, fathers do not generally take their small children on long trips.
Well, I guess I’m not normal. We had a great time and I wouldn’t trade the
experience for anything. A few years later, I again took her with me, to
Missouri this time.
Some years later, when my son came along, he and I made
several road trips, to Wyoming and other places. Again, these trips made for great
memories that I reflect on quite often. Reminiscing, as it is called. Now, I
realize as a truck driver, my view may be skewed, but there’s something about a
long road trip that connects people in a way nothing else can.
But wait, there’s more! I also have another child, a
daughter. As a momma’s girl, when she was young, she never wanted to be away
from her mother very long at all—with me or anyone else. And so, the two of us
never took any extended trips together. That is, until this last weekend. She’s
now an adult but better late than never, right?
Being that we’re smack dab in the middle of winter, as you
can imagine, my wife did not wish to make the journey. So, the two of us, my
daughter and I, drove to Idaho to help my son move. A three-day trip that
brought back a lot of memories from the travels with my other two children and
reminding me of what I’d missed out on with her.
Of course, this time, I wasn’t “in charge” of, well,
anything really. I didn’t have to hold her hand when we got out of the truck,
order her food, or think up road games to pass the time. In fact, I didn’t have
to take care of her in any way. She is quite a capable person! In some ways,
that made this trip quite different. Yet, in many ways it was the same. A
father/daughter road trip. Just her and I.
And at last, my trifecta of father/child road trips is
complete! Good thing too. Because, apparently, I’m older than I used to be.
Although I drive for a living, weekend trips tend to wear me out these days.
But before I go to bed for some much needed sleep, I just wanted to say thanks
to my daughter for traveling along!
Bruce A. Borders is the author of
more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room
913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook and
paperback on iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Diesel Books, and
Smashwords, or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com.
Amazon Profile - http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS.
Bruce A. Borders also serves as the Vice-President of Rave Reviews Book Club.
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Current Reads
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Jack Everett
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SPOTLIGHT
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Robin Chambers
