Thursday, September 17, 2009

Most Memorable Road Trip


Airington 1
Timothy Airington
ENG 111-63
Mr. Gasparo
27 August 2009


Most Memorable Road Trip


Nearly twelve years ago I took a road trip to California; traveling with my two best friends, our dog, and no exact plan or route to follow. We started south towards Louisiana, just in time for Mardi Gras. A city that has its own energy which made you feel like it would never end. Shifting our direction we headed westward, towards an old friends house to relax for a while. We would explore San Antonio and surrounding cities, finding adventure and crossing paths with history. Leaving behind our friend, knowing we wouldn’t be far away, we set our sights on California. We would contemplate residency, but instead explored the local cities for all they had to offer. Our trip would pivot back east where we would end our trip with a visit to Florida. Staying with a friend of a friend in Florida would be nothing more than a quiet and relaxing end to a trip with memories that could not be replaced nor forgotten.

Arriving in New Orleans was a moment of great excitement; the party was already under way as we fell into place. We would encounter street performers painted in silver and gold standing as still as statues. Children tap dancing for tips with mother not too far away in the background. The multicolored drink machines were everywhere lining the walls of the bars where people came and went. We would make friends with some of the locals who had no problem pointing us in the right way. And we would end up bringing one of our new friends for the rest of the trip. Setting our directions west we would leave Louisiana behind with a new traveler and on our way to an old friend.

The scenery changed as we headed west, finding endless highways of desert. It had been a few years since our friend had moved to Texas, so it was only right that he was a stop on our trip. He took us downtown to the river walk which is like an outside mall with a river running through it. We would walk until I passed a plaque for the Alamo, unaware that I was standing directly in front of it. Once we had consumed our share of warm fifty cent beers, we headed to a park which had an entrance to a river which we could tube down. As we arrived to the park we prepared for a ride by strapping six packs to our draw strings which I lost after the first set of rapids, only to retrieve them somehow. I can remember a bridge jump and conversations with random people on the banks of the river. We spent a few of the following days relaxing and then continuing to California.

Unlike our previous stops we had no specific agenda planned. We would freely explore the surrounding cities and see what California had to offer. Almost immediately we hopped on our mountain bikes and headed down to Venice beach. Spending the day amongst the artist and other street vendors, we would come across muscle beach and the set Baywatch was being filmed on. We would cross paths with many of the sights we had only seen on television. Returning to our room we would again make more friends who would invite us to dinner. When we arrived you could smell the meal that consisted of whole garlic, chicken, and vegetables all mixed in one big pot producing an aroma that filled the street outside our new friend’s home. The following weeks we would venture all over Hollywood browsing the walk of fame and seeing the studios many television shows are filmed. We had come to live but instead California was a pivot in a road trip, leading us back where we came.

The route on our road trip took us through many places, making new friends and visiting old ones. The new friends in New Orleans helped us explore every aspect of Mardi Gras, and get the full experience from our visit. We have not been able to see our friend in Texas since this trip, which if all else would have failed would have made it all worth it. And honestly I can hardly remember my time in California but I know I made it to the west coast and wanted nothing more than to find my way home. At the end we all came home and went on with our day to day, but would eventually all take our different paths which would leave and even bigger meaning to this unforgettable road trip.