Run Gazelle Run – For the Love of a Road Trip

Run Gazelle Run – For the Love of a Road Trip

“Baby we were born to run.”

– Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run

When was the last time you went on a road trip?

As you may have noticed, I tend to run away from home on a rather regular basis. I’m not sure why I have this recurring urge to jump in my car and hit the road – but I suspect it has to do with the fact that my Mom did it all the time…and I guessed I picked up the habit 🙂

My Mom loved nothing more than to toss a few things in the old wicker picnic basket and head to the mountains for a wee getaway. In the glory days (in keeping with the Springsteen theme), she would stay at a hostel. As she got older, she glammed things up a bit and stayed in a motel or hotel – but usually on a good deal. Where she went mattered less than the fact that she just got away. A break, as they say, is often as good as a rest.

Here on Vancouver Island, my go-to destination for a road trip is the Kingfisher Resort & Spa. And I love nothing more than heading there to take advantage of a smokin’ deal! This time of year has reasonable rates anyway but it was even cheaper this time around (I went in late January) because their restaurant is closed for renovations.

So sure…I may have heard the odd band-saw or hammer – but hey, that kind of construction noise just made me feel right at home. Literally. Hah! That’s me thumbing my nose to all my bandsaw-obsessed neighbours 🙁

And this time around, my friend, Terri, joined Sadie and I on our road trip to the Kingfisher. Terri and I have been on many road trips and travels together over the years…some more enjoyable than others!

But hey, we’re still great friends, so that’s what matters. Ter is what Cameron Tuttle calls a “Road Sister.” Sadie is, too. As you likely know, one must be discerning when choosing one’s fellow roadies.

A Road Sister, Tuttle explains in her classic road trip book, The Bad Girls Guide to the Open Road, “is a woman who road trips with style, especially who has road tripped with you before…a fellow bad girl, a Gohemian Girl, one of your roadies.”

Although Ter forgot her picnic basket and related accoutrements (we had to carve our cheese with a SPOON!) she certainly does road trip with style. Her suitcase was filled with wine and other delectable delights, including pre-cooked pancakes with fresh pineapple and Quebec maple syrup.

And no road trip is complete without the right tunes! For me, it’s Springsteen songs, such as Born to Run, Thunder Road, Badlands, Glory Days, The River…Ter likes those too; Sadie not so much.

Here are a few more pics from our adventure:

Got a road trip tale or a getaway planned? I’d love to hear it!

“Ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.”

– Bruce Springsteen, Badlands

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Maryanne Pope is the author of A Widow’s Awakening, the playwright of Saviour and the screenwriter of God’s Country. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Chair of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. If you would like to receive her regular weekly blog, please sign up here.