It's About the Journey, Not the Destination

Yesterday, my sister and I took a day to ourselves to spend the day saying goodbye to our daddy our way. We did one of the things that my dad loved to do...we took a road trip.

Beginning of our journey, my sister took this picture of us turning onto Highway 33 to Ojai.
Dad would often tell us that someday we should take this road. He and mom had taken it and loved the trip. So we took this road and dad was right as always...it was a wonderful journey to take together for my sister and me. 

Back when we were all little kids, my mom and dad used to just pack us up into the car on a Sunday and take off with no real destination in mind. The whole thing was about the journey and what we would see and discover and the memories that we were making without even realizing it.

Getting closer to the mountain. We would have to cross over this one and a few others to reach our final destination. Dad had only told us that it was a winding road, he didn't tell us how winding or how long or how beautiful it would be, but we felt that he was with us, guiding us on the way and showing us the beauty of the land and seeing it again through my eyes and my sisters eyes. 

I remember one particular trip that we took on a Thanksgiving Day. My parents didn't even realize it was Thanksgiving Day and they just packed us up and off we went. Road Trip!!!  Back in the day (when I was a child), there were no stores or restaurants or fast food places open on Thanksgiving Day. Everything was closed! Everything!

We saw so many beautiful sites along the way. This was one of the first, a little farmhouse off in the distance. I could imagine us living here with dad. He would have loved it! Dad was a farmer and we always lived in the housing provided by the farmer that dad happened to be working for and it was always out in the country. Country living is in my heart, thanks to dad and his love of the land.

So here they were, far away from home with four little kids...four little starving kids, and no where to buy food!! They had not planned for this. Luckily dad found a little store that happened to be open and they stopped and bought a loaf of bread, some bologna and some chips. That was one of the best meals ever! I can still taste the saltiness of the bologna and the chips. Dad always provided. 

That little farmhouse in the earlier picture was left far below as we climbed higher and higher. At the highest point I believe we were 3000 feet above sea level, at least that is the last sign I remember seeing with an elevation. The view was breathtaking and my sister and I kept seeing beautiful spots and stopping to snap pictures. We imagined how nervous our mother must have been to be on this winding road but knowing she was safe because dad was at the wheel.

Another time I remember Dad taking us to visit my mom's family in Arizona. They had just bought a new car. I think it was a Ford Crown Victoria. A very fancy car. My dad got it into his head to pull over at a little fruit stand to buy a watermelon. Then, to my mother's shock and anger, he proceeded to slice the watermelon in the car and give all his little chicks (us...his kids) a slice of watermelon. My mom got so angry, but dad knowing he had whetted our appetite for watermelon was not about to let his little chicks down. He withstood my mom's wrath and his babies ate watermelon in a brand new car!!!! You can probably ask my mom about this little story and she would tell you it was not one of HER fondest memories! But it is a memory that we...his baby chicks, will never forget.

We felt filled with peace when we rounded a corner and saw these big fluffy clouds and just knew that dad was with us on this trip. We've all felt his close to us since his passing, helping us to heal and letting us know that though he is gone he is still with us in spirit and we never have to feel alone.

One of my best memories of the road trips with dad was his stories. At that time I believed every word that came out of his mouth. I didn't realize that many of the stories that he told us were made up just to keep us all entertained so we didn't start trying to entertain ourselves by using each other's heads as volleyballs or whining "Are we there yet?" Dad would tell us stories of when he was a fighter pilot in the army or he would tell us about when he used to suck honey off of the butts of honey ants in Mexico. We loved his stories and we loved when he would sing. Dad would often tell people a funny story about how when I was little I once told one of my aunts, "My dad is a beautiful singer, he sings as good as the radio!" He would laugh so hard when he told that story.

We reach the top and it's time for the driver to take a little break (and truth be told, driving those winding roads sometimes with sheer drops was a little nerve-racking! I wondered out loud to my sister if my dad had been as nervous as I was, but then we said Nah...cause Dad was and is our hero and he was never scared and always brave!
Right to the very end.

We had a great day and it was just what we needed, a healing trip, just my sister and me and our Wing man...Dad. Love you dad, miss you more than words can say. . .

Another beautiful shot by my talented photographer, co-pilot and best friend, my little sister. Love you sis and will always protect you from the vampires :)