On the Road again

Special Note - My CFA is also writing a post about our adventure. We promised not to read each others before hand. I have no idea what direction her post will take. Be sure to check it out at Look to Him and be Radiant.

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Did you hear it?

I heard it.

My CFA heard it.

I heard them calling my name and I saw their pretty invitation.

It was the sunshine and the breeze and the blue sky and the dusty roads. 

Each, in their own way, were just begging me to come visit them on a Road trip!

So at 2 a.m. the decision was made. My CFA (technically the A for assistant is no longer the case, but I don't want to confuse anyone and change her name) and I were going to play hookey from our other responsibilities and take the Jeep out for a drive.

But we were respectful and waited until 8 a.m. before we sent Insurance Boy a text to ask if the Jeep was available for a joy ride.

I absolutely love that his reply was one word - no questions asked. "Sure."

These little joy rides of mine started about 8 years ago. One summer at the last minute I needed a vehicle for the 4-H King and Queen to ride in for a parade. So I called IB and he let me borrow his Jeep. We gave it a good scrubbing and it was a super fun way to ride thru the parade. And then we took it for a joy ride and I was hooked. 

The Jeep retired from it's parade duties a few years ago when it met an untimely encounter with a deer. After that, I think it was two years before I got to drive it again. (Side note - it was not me who hit the deer.) It just took awhile to get it repaired.

One of the things that was damaged in that accident was the hard top. I noticed that it now has a new hard top. We picked it up in it's new garage and immediately noticed it's new tears in the seat.

No worries. I can fix that.

But there are lots of things that haven't changed.

The tapes that line the dash or are stuck in the glove compartment.

The proof that this is not really a leisure vehicle, but a work/farm vehicle.

And the wiper blades that live at half-mast.

The John Deere magnet is technically new, but there has always been one there. I think the original one was lost in the accident, but later replaced and joined with a guardian angle. How appropriate.

The other part that stayed the same, and always will, is the fact that my road trips are not planned. No destination in mind. When we get to a cross road, we look both ways and then pick a direction.

For this trip we turned right and headed north.

Away from Henry.

Towards the wind farm.
We went thru all of those towns.

And that one too.

What makes a day of playing hookey while taking a road trip complete?

Eating ice cream for lunch!

I have taken all kinds of road trips in all kinds of different vehicles at different times of the year.
And I must say, my favorite kind of road trip is in the jeep, with my hair blowing every which direction, struggling to push the clutch in far enough to change gears, sweating unlady like against the vinyl seat, getting filthy driving down dirt roads and listening to blaring cassette tapes.