Get Your Road Trip On...

Just in case you were wondering what kind of scenes I like best to write, I thought I'd share a bit. :-) As I wrote in my first blog post, writers are encouraged to write about what they know. Since I'm in the business of writing romances and about marriage relationships that grow in the fertile soil of respect, fun, desire and shared values, very often I look back on the almost 37 years of my own marriage relationship for inspiration. (um, would you believe I married when I was 12? Thought not, but it was worth a try) There are experiences that stand out as some of the very best times we've shared. Close to the top of list for us is road tripping.

Thanks in part to a tight budget and in part to my parents who had a roving retirement, my husband and I have traveled thousands of miles on the roadways of this great country of ours. It started with our honeymoon. We had the bright idea of going camping in Rocky Mountain National Park. We also are one of the only couples I know that came back early from aforementioned honeymoon, after a late afternoon thunderstorm in the park knocked down our (heavy, canvas, borrowed) tent and filled our sleeping bags (also borrowed, did not zip together as promised) with hail (in August). Even with these small disasters, that trip started our passion for seeing the landscape from the seat of whatever car we were driving at the time. One of my best memories of this particular trip was watching my husband's expression as he saw snow-capped mountains for the first time. I was so very privileged to witness the same awe that had been in my own eyes years before.

Our love affair with this kind of travel continues to this day. Hitting the road with tunes, a full tank of gas, and provisions is a high point of any given year. Common destinations include the north shore of Lake Superior, Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, the Dakotas, various national parks, and the mountains. Sometimes we throw the camping gear into the trunk of the car, sometimes (increasingly so as we age a bit) we spend the nights in hotels. Either way, we love the sense of discovery (road construction not so much). I'm sure we've gotten our share of strange looks as we motor down the highway with the windows open, the tunes cranked, and singing to the top of our lungs. (Think classic Petra, the Booth Brothers and other Southern Gospel greats, Geoff Moore and the Distance, the Mamma Mia soundtracks, the Doobie Brothers and Boston) I should point out that unless it's stifling or raining (or winter) we prefer to motor with the windows down, rather than with the air conditioner running.

As a writer, I'm prone to wondering how I can use these experiences (or if I can) in my current book or a future book. Stay tuned because Boundary Water's Search and Rescue-Book Three will most certainly feature a road trip or two for Jack and Liz. I think I can promise you that they get the same kind of thrill traveling that way as I do.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Take a deep breath and revel in God's beautiful creation. (photos from top to bottom: Eagle Harbor, UP Michigan, Beartooth Pass, Montana, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, and Grand Marias, MN)

Looking forward to having the wind in my hair again soon,

Joy.