In the early summer of 1993 after graduating from university, my mom and I drove my little Honda Accord out to Los Angeles to start my first job. Our drive out to LA was an adventure. Remember when there were no safety nets like cell phones or the internet. Driving across the country, you were on your own. If you ran out of gas, you were walking to a gas station. If your tire needed to be changed, you hoped a pay phone was nearby to call AAA. Cross-country travel was still considered dauting and exciting.
Aside from sleeping at night, my mom and I drove straight from Michigan to California with the exception of making one stop– at the Grand Canyon. The allure of the Grand Canyon took us off the highway, turning us into tourists, if not for just one hour. That was the first and only time my mom and I ever did anything so adventurous, just the two of us. It was a fun trip. Thanks mom.
When I get home to Philadelphia, I’m going to see if I can find the photo that was taken in 1993 with my mom and I (rather than Mike and I, as above) standing in the exact same place in front of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.