It’s hard to believe that it’s been a week since I roamed Yellowstone Park with my 19-year-old son, Robin. Our trip was so much fun. We explored the country, had the opportunity to meet people I’d only met online, and see family. You can read about it in my last post. On that 6,496 mile trek, I learned a lot about my own writing and the Dragon Courage series.

Getting Ready

First off, as I began the process of packing and getting ready for the trip, I began to understand Duskya in Dragon’s Cure. She realizes that she needs to go on a trip without Cerulean. At first she’s ready to fight for the right to go, but Cerulean, just like my husband, readily agrees that she can go. Then she the night before she leaves, she begins to doubt herself.

Duskya did not sleep well. It wasn’t that her bed was uncomfortable, but the fact that she realized it would be the last time she would be in it for at least two moons. She curled up next to Cerulean, trying not to keep him awake. She sighed, wondering what this trip would bring. She knew she had to find Serena; she hoped that in the process Carryn would learn to truly forgive. Just before dawn, she drifted off to sleep.

I could so relate to the mixed up emotions of my character. I wanted to go. I was excited about going, but at the same time, I was nervous. I had never traveled so far completely on my own before. I always had someone else who was responsible with me–either my parents, grandparents, or even my husband. This was the first for me to drive across the US on my own.

Dragon’s Future in Eastern Oregon

Photo by Eric Wyatt Photography

As we passed through Eastern Oregon along I-84, I listened to Robin chat about his world. He has a very intricate fantasy world that he’s written about. I expect at some point in time he’ll get them published. A sign pulled me out of his world and into the realm of Dragon Courage. I saw the turn off for Wyeth, Oregon. As those who’ve read Dragon’s Future will know, Wyeth is Ruskya’s dragon. He had his start from this very sign six and a half years ago. About an hour later, we passed Philippi and Blalock Canyons and then Woelpern Rd. All of which triggered memories of places in Dragon’s Future. Twenty miles further on Robin’s story telling was interrupted as he noticed Three Mile Canyon and asked if that was where Three Spans Canyon came from. I smiled as I thought of the dragon riders from the north. The next day, we drove along US Highway 395. As we wove our way through the canyons of Eastern Oregon, I wanted to go back to Three Spans Canyon and Woelpren and tell another story. Who knows, maybe a story will surface from that area. For now, I had to focus back on the road as my son took on his first mountain pass as a newly permitted driver.

Pushing to Make It Home

Several times along the way, my leg and foot cramped up as I drove not wanting to waste time in stopping. In so doing, I was reminded of Kyn, in Dragon’s Revenge. After his trip to the El’Shad’n and then to the Carr, he finally returns home. As I stumbled out of a vehicle to be greeted by Heather Huffman Bodendieck, her son, and four dogs, I felt much like Kyn. When I finally made it to my birthtown, my sister’s home, and finally my own house, I understood Kyn’s eagerness to make it home.

The day was uneventful, and by the time his legs were cramping, they were almost within hailing range of Three Spans Canyon.

“You really should take a break,” Wylen scolded Kyn. “You will not be able to walk when we get there.”

“Then you can land outside the door, and I will crawl inside. We are too close to stop now.”

Wylen huffed a puff of smoke. “You are stubborn today, little one. Why is that?”

“Because, I see those clouds. They are ready to spit snow. If they do, we will be caught out here. I don’t want that.”

Wylen nodded. “Fine. We’ll get home.”

Awhile later, Ruskya was mentally calling him. “Youngling, it is good to have you home. Why not come here for a meal?”

“What if this storm turns into a bad one? Do you really want me there for a day or so?”

“Youngling, you know nothing of the love of a family if you have to ask that. Of course we want you. We’ve missed you like crazy since Braidyn’s wedding. Besides, we’ll probably stay up all night talking anyway. It’d be like it was when you were a newly chosen youngling.”

Kyn smiled. He was home. Ruskya wanted him; Ma and Da needed him. He belonged.

“All right, then, but I’ll warn you, you may have to help carry me inside. I haven’t had a break all day. I flew straight here once I saw the clouds.”

“Younglings!” Ruskya said with exasperation and yet affection in his voice. “I’ll have Carryl make you a tea. Just land in one piece.”

Kyn laughed. “Make it a large pot. I ran out of tea several days ago. I had to actually drink that brew they make where Braidyn lives. It was disgusting!”

When Kyn landed, the wind had picked up and snow was spitting at them. Ruskya met him and helped him off of Wylen.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you wouldn’t be able to walk, youngling.”

Kyn grinned. “What can I say? I just wanted to get home.”

“Well, you are home,” Ruskya agreed.

Where Dragons Live

As our journey took us across fifteen states, Robin and I discussed the possibilities of our dragons living in the various areas. In the hills east of Grand Teton National Park, his dragons could hide as a whole hill. Whereas the dragons of the world of Dragon Courage would rather live in the rugged peaks of Colorado Springs or the Grand Tetons themselves. I wondered if there was room for these kinds of mountains on my map of the Dragon Courage lands.

I, also, realized that even though I had a specific set of canyons and hills in mind when I wrote Dragon’s Future, there are a number of states that have similar places. I added Kansas, Wyoming, and Missouri to the list of places that would understand what I had in mind when I created Philippi and Three Spans Canyons.

Through Wyoming, I saw numerous horse ranches. The wide open plains call out to be riden. As I drove, my mind began to wander. We have tales of cowboys and horse tamers. What about a world where dragons are a nusance and steal livestock and harrass ranchers. Wouldn’t a dragon whisperer come in handy? What would it look like? Who would be the hero or heroine? Any ideas? I’d love to hear them. It’s the side comments of “What if?” or “Hey, you should write a story about…” that often tickle my imagination and then end up growing into a story.

1. Attitude is everything.

My first road trip of any real length occurred when I was eight years old. My family moved from Iowa to Washington. The two thousand mile trip could have been a disaster with three kids, a car, a moving truck, and another family of three. Instead, mom and dad looked at it as an adventure. We explored the whole trip. Even when mom saw the barren wastes of Eastern Washington and in shock said, “If this is your beautiful Washington, send me back home,” even then, there was a feeling of adventure. Other trips followed. The Christmas visits to see grandparents litterally was over the mountains and through the woods. Usually, with wind howling around the station wagon as we traveled the monotonous oil fields of Wyoming. Yet, the adventure of stuffing blankets up against the doors to block out the enemy wind still permeated the family. The wonder of being able to stay awake past the normal bedtime to keep the driver awake filled our young minds with a sense of awe, especially when our city eyes beheld the vast expanse of the sky.

Your attitude on a road trip can determine the whole mood of the event.Tweet

Will you go in grumpy and grumbling? If so, your kids will pick up on that as will your spouse. Been there and seen that! Will you view it as a necesity? If so, the trip could turn into just doing what has to be done. Frustrations will build as what has to happen gets waylaid by life’s unexpected happenings. The final option is to do like my parents and treat the trip as an adventure! Who knows what we’ll find around the next hill! Your kids will pick up on the excitement and their attitudes will adjust. Yes, there will be the inevitible issues of tired, cranky kids, but you’ll be able to handle it better and may even get the kids to adjust as well.

2. Have daily routines.

One of the great memories from my first family road trip almost forty years ago was the daily unwrapping of a small toy. Grandma had purchased small car-friendly toys we could play with along the way and as a way of remembering her. One of those toys was a wind up doll about three inches tall. Mine was a baby in a walker. When we wound her up, she would stroll across a surface. I had that doll for twenty some years. My daughter may still have it in her doll collection! Creating a meaningful gift for your child doesn’t have to be expensive. I don’t think Grandma would have paid over $3 in today’s economy for each gift. She counted out the days of the trip and had each gift wrapped up. Each child had their own little basket and we could choose which to open on which day. There was a set time each day to open up our toys.  As a parent, you could create some fun daily routines in the car, whether it’s opening a gift or having a treat at a specific time.

3. Have fun car activities planned.

There are a ton of car games you can play with your kids. If they’re old enough to have gone on school trips, they’ll even have some of their own they could teach you!

The alphabet game:

This activity is a fun paced game in the city or a slightly slower one out in the country. The interstate is a great place to play. Everyone wants to find words that have the letters of the alphabet in them. However, you’re looking for them in alphabetical order, and you’re trying to be the first to get all the way to the letter Z. If you’re playing with little kids, then you may want to allow everyone to use the same word that someone finds. However, with older children, it becomes a challenge to find the word first. An additional challenge is to find words that start with the letter you need.

The license plate game:

I play this game every summer. I look to see how many different states and Canadian provinces I can see in our town. It’s always fun to see where all the tourists are coming from. For the car, you’re trying to find as many States and Provinces you can. Don’t forget to look at semi-trucks. They provide many of the harder to find States. You can print off a map of the US and Canada and laminate it or put it in a sleeve protector and kids can color in the States they find. You could also download a pdf copy and put it into an app like Bamboo Paper and then electronicly mark them off.

Audio books:

Our family loves to listen to audio books on road trips. I find as a driver my brain stays alert more when there’s a plot happening. For some reason it’s not the same if I’m creating the plot in my head versus hearing it outloud. Audio books are available through audible, or your local library. You can download them from the online library that services your local area, or check out CDs from your public library.

Movies:

With today’s technology, parents can plug in a video in their vehicle and keep the kids busy for hours on end. Since the purpose of most road trips is to spend time with family, I would discourage movie watching. However, if it is kept to a minimum and everyone gets to watch the same one, it could be used as family time. This could fall into the daily routine activity as well.

4. Look for inexpensive places to stop.

I vividly remember watching the signs for free ice water from Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota. We would count down the miles until we could stop for that refreshing taste. While there, we’d usually spend the extra for an ice cream cone as well. In the winter, we’d eagerly search for Little America, Wyoming, as a place to warm up and get hot cocoa. These places still exist today.

Whether they’re historical markers, rest areas, or small town attractions, free or inexpensive stops can be a lifesaver on a trip.Tweet

This summer, if you’re planning a family road trip, take some time to make it bareable for everyone involved. Set aside some daily activities, plan some games, map out the inexpensive stops, and above all don’t dread your trip. View it as an adventure ready to happen!

This first one is just flat adorable. How many of us adults know the facts of these countries and can find them on a map? My 6th grade Spanish students will be introduced to the Spanish speaking countries this week. They are to prepare a quick report of fun facts, geography, food, and history with the class on one country. I want to share this video with them so they get an idea of what type of a report it could be–it doesn’t have to be dull and boring!

One of the biggest challenges of my job is to show students that learning a language is important and that they can travel outside of the Southern Oregon Coast. They think that they can get by speaking English, no matter where they go. This next video shares why it’s important to be multilingual in a very unique way. Who doesn’t want to have a great personality?

What do you think? How many languages do you know? How many could you understand?