Sonya Elliott - Van Roadtrip

My daughter and I took a road trip this weekend. We visited a college campus five hours away from our home. We drove our VW Vanagon that has no AC. It was hot. After the campus tour we drove another three hours to see my parents in Spokane. Still hot. Our return to Seattle was another four and a half hours (hotter still) to a hot gym where we played two basketball games before driving home in more heat. I hate being hot…but I had an awesome time. I love road trips in the van.

Maybe it’s because the Vanagon makes the drives more memorable. The van has lots of window and feels open, has a pop up table for snack breaks and there is heightened sense of excitement with the chance of being stranded on the side of the road. A trip in our Blue Bomber is always an adventure.

I will never forget this weekend with my daughter. The melting and suffering on the drive made the fun that we had more memorable. The campus tour, ping-pong with Oma and Opa, visiting my high school best friend and teammate, and sifting through memory lane as Oma and Opa prepared for a garage sale. All perfection encompassed by hours of heat.

And during each leg of the trip, as warm air blew in my face and I slowed my breathing and told myself I was cool and comfortable (I do this when I model in the heat, though I’m not sure how much it really helps), I would glance at my daughter in the passenger seat and smile. There will forever be a picture in my mind of her with her feet on the dash, hair pulled into a bun, stray pieces whipping around her face, reading, “Mom I’m hot,” escaping her mouth from time to time. A statement as opposed to complaint.

I would agree. Then we’d both smile and drive on.

WRITING PROMPT #1: Write about a memorable road trip.

WRITING PROMPT #2: Sandy was tired of the heat, tired of…