by Kim Stairs

Created on: June 24, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Some of the greatest memories I have are traveling in the car to destinations most people only dream of seeing. I was a part-time Army brat. Which meant that every time we saw my dad, we were traveling to aother state. And as a teen-ager, this meant hours of being trapped in a car with only fields of corn or wheat to look at. How devestating !

These long journeys to afar, were also great oppurtunities for my father's lectures on smoking, drinking, dating, money, and everything in between. Do you know of any kid who wants to be in a car for hours with no end in sight? Plane trips were usually not the first traveling choice for my dad. Dad and Judy (my stepmom) liked the long drives, which served as times to get to know each other better. But for the two of us older kids, we sometimes wanted to kill each other! Thank God for two cars, we often switched between the two on routine meal and bathroom breaks.

As great as the lectures and bonding moments were, I will never forget some of the awesome places they took us! My eyes were wide with awe as I gazed at the Grand Canyon. It was so breath taking! The colors of the canyon shifted and changed as the sun rose and set. It is a magnificant splender to behold nature's capacity to make us stand in awe.

After visiting the canyon, we continued our driving to the Four Corners of the US. It was on an Indian Reservation, and we got to touch four states at once! How many people can say they can reach out and touch four different states at the same time? Even a smart mouthed thirteen year old can't come up with a one liner for that one! The different Indian reservations we got to visit showed us the different cultural styles and art of Native Americans. It was this kind of experience that opened my heart to love and accept people's differnces from every background.

The background at White Sands in Texas was as bright as the sun! The tour guide warned us to apply sun screen to areas that would be burnt by the reflection off of the sand. No one wants to burn the under part of their nose, chin, ears, or under arms. The heat coming off of this sand was smoldering! But all you could see for what seemed like miles was white! Where did all this white sand come from? It boggles the mind of the young and old alike!

In contrast to the sand, the lava rocks were dark as night. With out a guide, we climbed up these massive rocks, to heights I'd never reached. It as quite a thrill to be rock climbing on your own with no harnesses or safety nets.

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