Friday, April 17, 2009
“Fun is in, it’s no sin, it’s that time again, to shed your load, hit the road on the run again. Summer skies in our eyes and a warmer sun. It’s one for all, all for one, all for all-out fun.”
With just four weeks until the official end to the school year (Ahh, that sounds good!), it’s time to put the finishing touches on your plans for another perfect summer — of internships, jobs, vacations, camps and, oh, those summer nights.
But if I may, I would like to make a suggestion that somewhere in the 12-week outlook for late May to early August, you set aside a week or 10 days (but not at the beginning of summer, because all you’ll do is eat, sleep and party) for a road trip.
I have been on only two in my entire life, but nothing quite embraces the summer values of spontaneity and fun like jumping in the car and driving around the country on a complete whim.
Last year, a mere three weeks before school, I decided to do just that. So I came up with a few things to see, an estimated cost and duration, and then (with permission), on a sunny August afternoon, three days before a concert in Colorado, I took off.
Now, I don’t recommend everyone do this alone nor that even plan as much of the trip as I did, but there are a few musts when road-tripping:
— Choose an interesting, perhaps novel route: If you live in Kansas, you’ve been on I-70 too many times. I took I-80 across southern Nebraska and added Cheyenne, Wy., and the beautiful northeastern part of Colorado to my trip. It was a lot better than seeing Kansas again.
— Stop at anything you feel like: Driving is meant for particular destinations, but on a road trip you can pull off when something piques your interest, such as a pony express station or a wind farm (make joke here).
— Make sure you get out of the car: Experience all there is in each place you stop. Don’t drive somewhere, hop out to take a picture and then head to the next spot.
— Run into someone else you know: I didn’t plan it, but I wound up in Estes Park, Colo., because I felt like heading that direction. I ended up running into and later staying the night with a friend of mine and his family, which saved me money and made for a nice, relaxing evening.
— Know whether or not you have to be 21 to stay in a nice place: Certain hotel chains have age requirements, but Super 8 doesn’t.
Most of all, enjoy everything. On my trip, I saw the majesty of Rocky Mountain National Park and attended my first two concerts, including James Taylor at Red Rocks Amphitheater outside Denver (which might be the best place to see a concert in the world). But I also drove for four hours at 11 p.m. because Sturgis attendees had booked hotels for miles around Mt. Rushmore. Instead of it being a negative, I made something of it by cruising across South Dakota with the top down, listening to the Backstreet Boys.
Life is what you make of it, planned or not. A road trip this summer might just put you back on the high side of life. So, “get through it” (school), “get with it” (summer) and “find a ride.”
— Holmes is an Overland Park freshman in political science.
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