Holiday Road Trip 2024, A Critical Review

Last night, while the family slumbered, timber trembled when the wind whipped and fractions of dead fractalated branches shattered to the ground all around the house and highway. In the quiet of the morning, we loaded up the car to beat it back home after ten days of travel and gluttonous family feasting. Chattering echoes of week-long holiday tribulation and cheer volleyed back and forth in conversation until the driver popped, Another Side of Bob Dylan, on the stereo. From out the passenger side window, a devastated yet majestically peaceful Ohio morning landscape whizzed all around us and the past steadily became very small. Suddenly, the quiet broke and conversation turned to speculative futures, hopes, and dreams of what might come to be. What began as mumbles of uncertain possibility escalated to outright proclamations of resolute conviction. Some tears were shed, both joyous and somber. One thing was for sure, there was a sunshiny day over there across the Pennsylvania state border and we were headed in that direction.

Between us and the sun, one last squall and a bit of rainfall from the hazy heavens above. The windshield wipers pounded out comforting heartbeats and sloshing noises. 

Somewhere around the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, in the township of Dennison, PA the overcast sky gave way to little creamy tufts of cumulus clouds that peppered the bright blue firmament. I could smell the cold clear waters of the Susquehanna approaching in the distance. Not too far now folks…, not much longer. Halfway to Hoboken for New Years. 

Holiday Road Trip 2024, *****Five Stars