Roadtrip: The Beaten Path

I’m fond of saying things like “Getting there is half the fun!” or “The journey is as much a part of the adventure as the destination.”

But, I admit, there are certain trips we’ve taken so many times that we now have a “system” for them. We stay in the same highway hotels and, even, stop at the same gas stations for our pit stops. *Yawn.* Two of these “beaten paths” are the trip from Atlanta to DC and the trip from Atlanta to my parents’ house just north of Austin. The trip to DC is so routine that we even park in the same spot in Union Station every single time!

On the one hand, these trips are about making good time to get to our destination. With my work (flexible as though it may be, it must get done and not be ignored) and other commitments, these trips truly are all about the destination, not the getting there. If the three of us could fly or take the train for an equivalent cost and with a reasonable schedule, then I’d be happy to not make the drive we’ve made so many times before.

On the other hand, I wonder if I could try a little harder to find more interesting or unique places along the road fo us to stop at for an hour. Sure, the unexpected occurs on every trip – looking for cover in a sudden hailstorm or a highway closed due to an accident. But I’d love to find some sort of “oddities” trail map for the interstates we frequent and try out a different “pit stop” each time, perhaps. Maybe a tour of an ice cream factory. Or the craziest playground in Virginia. I wonder if anyone has written such a book/website/app?

Haberdashery in a Tank