8 Bucket List Road Trip Adventures!!
On a hot summer day, my neighbour, Lori and I sat outside on her deck chairs, while we watched our kids ride their bikes up and down the street. Typical, summer day for us but that afternoon, we started sharing our dream trips, where we wanted to go, what we’d love to see. Adventures we’d take, popping into the house, we grabbed an atlas book, opening it up on the kitchen table, throwing caution to the wind, we grabbed a pen and began circling all the places we dreamed of going. It honestly didn’t feel feasible at the time. A Stay at home mom, homeschooling both my kids, Lori at the time, raising her boys on her own.. But still we dreamed in the end, we settled on the idea of taking a trip to NYC for her 40th Birthday!
I left it at that, a dream, but she was tenacious enough to not let our “daytime dreaming” slip away and fade into non-existence. Lori kept dreaming and one morning she called to say, we were going to NYC, she had looked into flights and it seemed doable. I talked to my husband Rod, he had some vacation time, so he could stay home with the kids, it was settled we were going. We looked online for places to stay, and while NYC is at any time expensive, we picked the NYC hi-hostel, booking a room we would share with two other random strangers. It was exciting, invigorating and I could hardly wait to go!!!
Our infamous “Lori’s 40th Birthday Trip” was a trip of a lifetime, one I’ll never forget. We had so many moments where we suddenly would realize, we were standing where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan had shot in a scene in You’ve Got Mail, or when we walked by the childhood home of film legend, Humphrey Bogart. The whole trip was a little surreal and completely wonderful!
Three important lessons from that trip
I NEEDED to keep Dreaming.
I NEEDED to not allow my dreams of adventure to fade.
I NEEDED to take action.
From that lesson, I’m constantly making notes of places I’d like to go and to kick off this blog refresh I have a list of places I’d LOVE to go on a road trip with my trailer, Olive along with my trusty sidekick, my GT 200 Vespa, Simon
Image by @lorrainemmarie
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, holds such a rich history, how many movies featured, The Alamo? Years ago, we took our son to see Tombstone, from that trip, sparked a desire to visit San Antonio.
Red Wood Forest
As corny and cheesy as it may seem, I really do want to drive my vehicle through one of the redwood trees, ideally with my Vespa.
Image via Unsplash @Adam Nemeroff
Denver, Colorado : This one is a suggestion from my husband, and I agree it should be added to the list. Often when we travel, if we can take in a hockey or baseball game, we’ll try if the home team is playing and if not, visiting the stadium and taking a tour has always turned into a great opportunity. Plus Denver has a great art scene, plenty of hiking and outdoor opportunities to take advantage of.
Image by Unsplash @freetousesoundscom
Nashville - Home to so many music and cultural icons, this is one spot that ranks fairly high on our dream trip list! Everything about this stop would be a bucket list adventure, visiting the Johnny Cash Museum, The Grand Ole Opry, and hitting up Studio B where Elvis recorded his albums! YES, PLEASE!
New Orleans - Years ago when the internet was still fresh, all shiny and new I met my friend Kim online through the wonderful world of Soap Chats where we would discuss all things Days Of our Lives or Another World. She lived in New Orleans and since those early chat days, it’s been my desire to see this amazing historic city. Plus I’ve always wanted to go and eat at the infamous, Gumbo Shop and order up Jambalaya.
Vermont - Oh Vermont, we would most definitely visit in the fall! As I write, I can envision beautiful fall leaves in an array of luscious reds and oranges.
Prince Edward Island. This one has been on my list since I was a kid and is in direct relation to the wonderfully vivid antics of Anne of Green Gables. Her adventures, mischief and kindred spirit have held a sweet spot in my heart. I’ve probably over-romanticized but it remains on my list as an absolute road trip adventure!
Joshua Tree - we did go here in January of 2019, however, at the time there was a government shutdown so we were limited in where we could go. Vandals had unfortunately destroyed sections of the park causing permanent damage to many beautiful trees, it was a wee bit disheartening, to say the least. For this reason, it’s stayed on my bucket list!
Image by @lorrainemmarie
If you have a bucket list place, let me know in the comments, and if you loved this please take a moment to share it, save it or pin it to inspire your own dreams!