Road Trip of Memory

Bloganuary writing prompt

Think back on your most memorable road trip.

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My husband was in Germany, courtesy of the US Army. I was 21, and I had a chance to work in a small town beyond Tucucari, NM. This is significant because it was 1975, and Route 66 was still mostly intact and it ran through Tucumcari, NM. I lived about an hour north of Chicago, so all I needed to do was to take the tollway through The City (that’s what we called Chicago), and then take Route 66 the rest of the way. I got to see more of my native country on that road trip than I’d ever seen before.

Being a military wife who was out of work, I had very little money and it was mostly used for gas to get where I was going. There were friends and a job in Logan, NM – my destination.

I amazed a few older folks for being willing to travel alone. They warned me of what to watch out for, and how to be prudent on the roadways. I listened, but I also felt very impervious to harm. I was stupid young, and casual about life’s adventures having consequences.

I didn’t even really understand the significance of the road I was traveling, and it’s legends. I think that was a good thing because I really didn’t have the means to make the trip more than it was.

The trip out to New Mexico wasn’t very adventurous. The return trip is a different story, but I’m gonna stop here for now.