Day 26: 195.98 Miles

According to MapQuest.com, Justin and I drove for a total of 4 hours and 23 minutes today. It was roughly 195.98 miles. Luckily the sky was clear and driving conditions were great, even at night.  Today's trip was from Milford, MA to Sturbridge, MA, then to a few different addresses in Westfield, MA, to Easthampton, MA, and finally back to Milford.  We met up with our friend, Kristen, in Sturbridge for brunch.  Friendly's has become our regular meeting place, and it is just about 1/2 way between both of our houses.  We left Sturbridge and headed to Westfield, MA.  We are trying to get more familiar with the different neighborhoods in a few towns/cities in Western, MA.  There were six houses on the market that we wanted to drive-by.  It was an interesting trip, and of course I found my dream house!  If only we were a few more months into the "house-selling/house-buying" process.  When we left Westfield we headed to Easthampton to spend the afternoon with the Browns.  (Happy Birthday Lena!!)  We left there around 6:30 and got home at about 8:00.  All around it was a good trip.

Road trips have always been part of my life.  When I was younger my Mom and I would jump in the car and just drive around to listen to music.  We never really had a destination, but we would find ourselves at the beach in Winthrop, or at a cousin's house in a neighboring town; sometimes we would just come back home.  When I got my license in high school, I was always looking for a place to go - the further away the better.  Anytime my friends and I were going someplace, I would usually be the one to drive (it helped that I was the only one with a car for awhile).  In college the same was true.  I didn't have my car as often, but when a roadtrip was planned it was my car that made the trip.  We drove to UMass Amherst, Cape Cod, and Rhode Island more than once.  

Once I met Justin road trips took on a whole new meaning. We drove anywhere and everywhere in the great state of Massachusetts, and occasionally New Hampshire and Vermont.  Our longest trip, thus far, was driving down to Disney World for our 1-year anniversary in September 2010.  We also drove from Miami, FL to Key West, FL a few years ago.  The two of us love to be in the car together.  We play games, talk, and I usually get a lot of sleeping in.  

If I had it my way I would drive everywhere.  I'd skip the planes, trains, and boats every time.  I'm not really sure why I love the car so much, but road trips are one of my favorite things to do.  I'm ready for the first beautiful spring day that I can roll down the windows and hit the road with no particular destination in mind.  I am grateful for the 195.98 miles Justin and I traversed today, and all the road trips to come. 

“Now, on this road trip, my mind seemed to uncrinkle, to breathe, to present to itself a cure for a disease it had not, until now, known it had.” 

― Elizabeth Berg, The Year of Pleasures