August's Column in Boomer's Magazine

Some of my guys practicing their knife throwing skills on
a roadside stop for tea with an ocean view.

Gotta Love a Man’s World

Guy’s Road Trip

by Shelley R. Lee

At home in Ohio, an urgent phone call from my husband, Dave, seven states away stranded with three of our sons jolted me out my happy place. I was done with work and awaiting my flight to spring vacation in San Francisco where I would meet them later the next day. “Shell, can you look up repair garages around here, we’re in Rock Springs, Utah…my reception is horrible. Maybe we need a rental…I don’t know, pretty sure we blew the transmission.”

These guys love a road trip and most of their adventures end up with a story something like this. We often travel with the title of our vehicle, and if you saw our fleet you would understand. But this journey was the first time we actually had to scrap the old beater in the middle of the country.

When I called that nearest repair garage and explained the situation a kind man talked slowly to another guy who we later learned was his brother. His voice echoed across the room, “Oh yeah, I saw those guys pulled over at the exit. I’ll go back and pick ‘em up.” Sort of a small town, apparently.

The nearest car rental was in Salt Lake City, over an hour away. One of the brother repairmen offered to take them the next day, and meanwhile directed them to the only motel in town for the night. My men decided to do what they usually do for a night’s sleep on the road, use the van as their room, usually with Dave sleeping on the roof. I should mention here that the van was locked inside a chain-link gated yard, There was probably a dog. It seems like there would be a dog. 

Their next night’s sleep was in a stunning 2012 Subaru Outback where they stopped late at night in pure exhaustion at a park in San Francisco. When the sun came up they realized they were at the Palace of Fine Arts, the Subaru windows were all fogged up and the neighbors in this upscale neighborhood were getting concerned.

Our time together at Alcatraz, the walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, and all of our wanderings in this spectacular city were great, but in retrospect, not as entertaining as all the travel antics. I hate to admit it though, because I typically whine quite loudly and get thoroughly depressed when I see the rental bills. But hey, we saved a boatload on hotels those three nights I wasn’t with them.

Shelley R. Lee, previously the lone woman in a lively family of four twenty-something boys is happy to also have a daughter-in-law these days. Author of three books, numerous articles and book contributions, she resides in northwest Ohio with her husband of 28 years, David, a wrestling coach, of course. 

This Boomers edition online: http://www.frontporchpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/BT-Aug2014FINALFINAL.pdf