Monday morning, August 4, and it’s time to begin the inevitable return to reality. Much to her chagrin, Laura had to put up with my driving all the way home. While she is fully capable of driving a stick, it has been just a few years since she did (about 25). Of more immediate concern, however, was that, of the only two minor problems that have occurred with the car on the trip, one is that the driver’s seat motor seems to have stopped working and, with the seat in the fully-back position, she would have just a bit of trouble reaching the pedals! We left early, at the beginning of a rainstorm, but managed to get out of the city in reasonably good shape. An uneventful 10 hours later, we pulled into the driveway, unpacked the car and officially declared the Baseball, Beer and Hard Rock Road Trip completed. Whew!
Like the commercial says…
Road Trip Fuel - $392.43
Food and Adult Beverages - $849.08
Ten Days With My Son, Watching Games and Seeing Sights – Priceless
Since this is my blog, I get to close with anything I want, and I want to brag about my son (and his sister). We are not the first father-son duo to do something like this and, based on the feedback from many of my friends when talking about our adventures, not likely the last in my circle. I won’t say that we reached new, deeper levels of understanding, nor did we establish great new channels of communication. Matthew is his own guy, an excellent thinker and passionate about his beliefs. He is very well read and informed and, as much as he hates it when I say this, he likes to argue/debate, and he is very good at it. These aren’t new revelations to me – these characteristics have defined him since high school. We don’t always agree and, just sometimes, his adamant positions can be a tad annoying (partially because he is often [EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm always right...and even when I'm not my Dad is still wrong] right but, more often, because he rarely concedes a point). Regardless, we had a great time for 10 days, with no one else to keep company with except each other, and I love the person he is and has become. He is incredibly capable, when he puts his mind to something, and he goes deep. Just as he could speak fluently about every team and game we saw, we also got excited together about the scenery, sights, monuments and museums we visited, and that made the trip even better. I am so incredibly proud of him it is hard to put into words.
When we have children, it is a crap shoot for both parties – the kids don’t get to pick their parents, and the parents may or may not have a lot to say about how their kids turn out. To continue the Road Trip theme, Laura and I are humbly blessed to have hit home runs with both Matthew and Sarah. We have always been both parents and friends to our children, and it is a joy to watch them grow and become their own adults. It is even more rewarding to continue to be an important part of their lives; for them to be happy to see us and spend time with us. I take no credit for having knowingly passed along “critical life lessons” that shaped their lives, those that would make a great how-to book – Sarah often tells me that the most memorable quote she carries with her from me (and it isn’t even original) is “you can lead a horse, but a pencil must be lead”. That will come in valuable some day!
Regardless, I will forever be thankful for the opportunity Matthew and I had to take this trip, and for the friendship we share. I truly believe the most exciting part of the future for Laura and me is going to be watching Matthew and Sarah build their lives, and to be a part of that process. And the next time either of them wants to take a trip with us, the only question will be, “When do we leave?”
Thanks for reading this.
Final Stats
Distance – 2/10 of a mile short of 3,000 miles
Mileage for the entire trip – 26.2 mpg (not too bad for a muscle car!)
Weight Gained From Research of Local Brews – don’t go there
