As I drive along the stretches of highway going to and from nowhere particularly exciting these days, mostly just taking my mom to doctor appointments or running errands, I find myself reminiscing about my childhood and fondly remember the feelings of adventure and rushes of adrenaline as mom, dad, my brother and I set forth on family vacations.
Carefully prepared maps for each state we would travel through with routes highlighted in yellow, rest areas along the highways circled, and KOA campgrounds for overnight stays marked with stars, we embarked on what felt like treasure hunts where the pots of gold were the national parks across the USA we had not visited before.
Looking back I realize the real gold treasures were the happy times we spent being together, the fond memories, and the love we have in our hearts for family members who are no longer with us!
A song to accompany my post, "Ventura Highway" by America: 
This is my first time entering the SunThursday Contest hosted by the wonderful 
