Last summer, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary. Way to go, Mom and Dad! Not only did you manage to raise two kids who turned into responsible, respectable adults, but you also managed to put up with each other for a really long time. If you put my two marriages together I come up with 20 years. Let me assure you, there aren’t going to be another 30 with anyone else. (Sorry, Mom, I’m pretty determined about this.) But, I digress. After such an accomplishment, you’d think my parents would want to go somewhere romantic, just the two of them. Paris maybe? Hawaii? New York? Nope. Instead, all of us, my brother and family included, tagged along to the UK for the family trip of a lifetime.
During our UK adventure we were fortunate enough to visit Stonehenge. As if that wasn’t enough for one lifetime, on this trip, Mr. C and I get the chance to experience something, erm…similar.
Picture this: we’re driving through some of the most beautiful country I’ve seen in ages. At least since yesterday’s drive. 
Mr. C might say the same except that he is reading a book and not looking out the window unless, during very particular moments, I give specific orders to do so. At least he’s reading. Lately, he’s been sneaking onto his iPad while we are driving. He isn’t even taking the time to revel in the majestic beauty of our country as it blurs past the window. But, gentle reader, never fear, the iPad is officially banned for the rest of our car rides. You will have fun on this trip. You will look out the window. You will enjoy the endless miles that we are driving. You will. You will. You will!
Anyway, back to my story. Stonehenge. It’s amazing, like you imagine it to be. But, today, we one-up it. We see Carhenge. That’s right, folks, Carhenge. It’s exactly like Stonehenge, but with cars. And, fewer tourists. And, as long as you clean up after them, pets. So, almost exactly like Stonehenge. 
We spend hours driving through the Sandhill region of Nebraska. Truly spectacular scenery. And, when it’s finally time to stop and take some photos, where do we go? That’s right, Carhenge. Because who doesn’t want to see cars painted primer gray and positioned just like the monolithic stones of Stonehenge?
Let me tell you, it’s fabulous too. Ridiculous? Yes. Cheesy? Of course. But, fabulous nonetheless. Like Cadillac Ranch which I saw while driving across the Texas Panhandle years ago, this is one stop I’m not going to soon forget.
Another thing I’m not going to soon forget, the raging thunderstorm as we approach the Black Hills of South Dakota. Because, let me tell you, I’m able to see this particular storm from a very long way away. Like, over an hour. As I inch closer I start to wonder, why exactly is it so dark? What is happening in there? Are we going to get out alive?
As we cross over to the dark side I start monitoring the thermometer and the clock. In 2 ½ minutes we drop from 93 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit. 2.5 minutes, people. MINUTES. Then, Mr. C wakes up and wants to know why someone is shooting nearby. (Ok, this is the part where I need to assure my non-American readers that my child has never been anywhere where shooting was actually occurring. I promise. Not every American has heard gunshots while driving. He just can’t figure out what else it might be because it’s crazy loud. And everywhere at once.) What is it? Hail. Really big hail. Really big hail that chips my windshield. I’m just happy it didn’t break.
Now we are spending one blissful week in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. For those of you wondering why, my answer is simple. Six years ago, during our last cross country adventure, we discovered this region, and, I can’t stress this enough, it is simply fabulous. When planning our current escapade I couldn’t think of a better place to spend a week. We will be revisiting some of our old favorites like Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Plus, we will be exploring some of the places we missed the first time around. Feel free to join us for the fun. Send us your requests. We’ll do our best to make it all happen. We’re going to go searching the roads for bison and antelope and eat some damn good steaks for dinner. And, mostly, we’re going to relax. We don’t even have Wifi in our apartment… Yay! It’s time to break out the bag of games.
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