Stories Along The Way

My brother recently bought a motor home, and I have to admit—I’m jealous.

The good kind of jealous.

It’s beautiful, spacious, and comfortable. The moment I saw it, my imagination started going. I could picture myself traveling across the country, taking my time and enjoying not only the destinations, but everything along the way.

I can see myself starting somewhere in the Midwest and heading toward Chicago. We’d find a nice place to park the motor home, explore the city, enjoy the sights, and then, when we were ready, simply get back on the road.

No rushing to catch a flight. No dragging luggage from one hotel to another. No worrying about checkout times.

Just get in and go.

From Chicago, I’d love to travel all the way to New York City and experience the Big Apple—the City That Never Sleeps. I want to see the lights, the buildings, the people, and all that energy.

Then we’d head north.

I can imagine making that dream entrance into Canada and continuing all the way to Quebec. I wouldn’t want to rush through it. I’d want to enjoy the scenery, stop when something catches my attention, and appreciate every part of the journey.

But that would only be the beginning.

I want to see the beautiful beaches of Florida. I can picture waking up in the morning, having my coffee, and knowing the ocean is nearby.

I want to travel through Colorado and see those incredible mountains. Some views are too beautiful to appreciate in a photograph. I want to stand there and see them with my own eyes.

California would definitely be on my list. I want to see the hills and take in the views around San Francisco Bay. Then I’d love to continue north into Oregon, surrounded by those beautiful green trees and the kind of scenery that makes you want to pull over, get out, and simply look around.

And, of course, we would have to stop in Las Vegas.

Sin City.

I can imagine arriving as the sun is going down and watching all those lights come alive.

From the bright lights of Sin City to the City That Never Sleeps, from the beaches of Florida to the mountains of Colorado, and from California’s hills to Oregon’s beautiful green forests—I want to experience all of it.

But one of the things I love most about this dream is the idea of having everything we need traveling right along with us.

We could keep the refrigerator stocked with fruit, drinks, Cup Noodles, and whatever else we wanted.

And when I wanted a real meal, I’d pull out my mini stove and cook my own Mexican food.

Now that sounds good to me.

I can picture finding a beautiful place to stop, setting up my little stove, and cooking something delicious while taking in the scenery around us. Nothing fancy would be necessary. Good homemade Mexican food, a beautiful view, and people I love would be more than enough.

That’s my kind of traveling.

If we saw something breathtaking along the highway, we could stop and enjoy it.

If we were tired, we could rest.

If we were hungry, we could cook.

If we found a place we loved, maybe we’d stay another day.

At the end of a long day, I can picture myself sitting back in one of those cozy recliners, relaxing and talking about everything we saw that day. Then, when we got tired, our bed would already be there waiting for us.

The next morning, we’d wake up and start another adventure.

There’s something about that kind of traveling that sounds like freedom to me.

No airport telling me when I need to board. No hotel telling me when I need to check out. No feeling that every minute of the vacation has to be planned.

Just the open road and one question:

Where do we want to go next?

So yes, Brother, I’m jealous.

But it’s the good kind of jealous—the kind that inspires you. The kind that makes you look at someone else’s adventure and realize there’s something you want to experience for yourself.

One day, I will.

It may take a few years, but that’s okay. Some dreams take time.

It will happen.

And when it does, I’ll come back to this blog and write about it again. Only next time, I won’t be writing about the trip I want to take.

I’ll be writing about the trip I actually took.

But until then, I’m not waiting for a motor home to start making memories.

For now, I’ll continue traveling in my SUV. It may not have the cozy recliners, the full-size refrigerator, the kitchen, or a bed waiting for me when I get tired, but it gets us where we want to go.

And I can still bring my mini stove.

Most importantly, I’m making memories with my son.

Years from now, we may not remember every highway we traveled or every place where we stopped. But I hope we remember the conversations, the laughter, the meals I cooked, the unexpected stops, the beautiful views, and all those little moments that happened because we got in the SUV and went somewhere together.

The motor home is still a dream.

It’s still a goal.

And one day, I hope I’m sitting in that comfortable recliner somewhere far from home, looking out the window at a breathtaking view and thinking:

I finally did it.

But for now, my SUV, my son, my mini stove, some homemade Mexican food, and the open road are more than enough.

The motor home adventure may be a few years away, but the journey has already begun.