My long-time readers know that I have an eclectic taste in music that runs the gamut across genres. You also know that I like to write a reflection learned from family trips. This week I’m going to meld those two ideas as I recover from a vacation to Duluth.
It’s about three and a half hours to the great northern vista, so Michelle and I packed a batch of CDs to play on the way to and from as well as all the trips in-between. Here are some examples of songs we listened to and how they reflected on what was happening at the time.
“Move It On Over” by George Thorogood and the Destroyers – Playing some George Thorogood as we left seemed like a good idea. It’s good old-fashioned rock with a lively beat to get the good vibes going as we started out. And as you travel the highways and byways of our fine state, this song makes sense. Traveling by mostly interstate allows you to cruise past people to get to your destination quickly.
“God Gave Me You” by Blake Shelton – His Red River Blue album is outstanding in many ways. This song made me think about how lucky I am to have a wonderful wife and two great children. The opportunity to make great memories together was truly a gift from God.
“Cryin’” by Aerosmith – Will I35 ever be finished? Is it possible that not a single stretch needs construction done on it for even one year? We passed through major projects by Owatonna, Faribault, and Pine City. It was stop and go for all of them in at least one direction. In addition, Duluth was as torn up as I’ve ever seen a city! We even had a detour to get out of town when we left!
“Incense and Peppermints” by Strawberry Alarm Clock (from the Austin Powers soundtrack) – Shopping while on vacation is always an adventure. We look at various items of apparel, but also look at the little things. Little samples of candy (I tried some jalapeno caramel – interesting.) and other small items tend to find their way into our shopping bags. They don’t cost as much, but when you start adding all of them up, well…
“Waterfall” by the Piano Guys – If you haven’t listened to the Piano Guys, you’re missing out! Piano and cello have never sounded so good! And they’re a group that everyone in our family enjoys. This song is especially important because I think our favorite part of the trip as a whole was visiting Gooseberry Falls north of Two Harbors. This state park is truly a treasure. We visited on an absolutely perfect day for hiking: low 60s and sunny. We got some great views of the falls and nature; the peacefulness and tranquility were unparalleled.
“Runaway” by Bon Jovi – Little kids are cute. They have to be or their shenanigans might cause their parents to rethink keeping them around! The number of cute kids causing their parents distress reminded us of why we didn’t do much traveling when the kids were very young. You can always tell when it’s somebody’s nap time. And the amount of kids running free in an attempt to escape to freedom was huge!
“I Love This Bar” by Toby Keith – Don’t get me wrong: I don’t drink much, but after an especially warm day walking along the boardwalk by Lake Superior, sitting down at Grandma’s Saloon and thinking about what to order didn’t take me long. I needed a cold beer. Otherwise I stuck to soda, water, and juice. But that day, after walking over four miles, that one beer was refreshing.
“If I Fall You’re Going Down With Me” by the Dixie Chicks – In addition to Gooseberry Falls, we also visited Split Rock Lighthouse and Enger Tower, all three places that had spots in which I was a bit hesitant to lean out too far. I always get nervous when someone is holding their phone out, trying to get the perfect picture. One bump and that phone is a goner, along with all the photos that haven’t been backed up to the cloud in some time.
“Heal the World” by Michael Jackson – You see and meet so many very nice people in other places. I was constantly seeing people ask others to take a picture of them; we even had a couple volunteer to do so for our family without us asking. People hold doors, say please and thank you and excuse me, and are generally very pleasant. For all the nonsense you see in the news, most people are doing what they can to make the world a better place.
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel – Amidst the devastating stories about forest fires out west, we were often surrounded by great forests in and around Duluth. I know there have been fires in the past, but I hope everyone is responsible and helps keep those precious resources and beautiful landscapes as safe as possible.
“Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car” by the Wiggles – Yes, we brought along a CD the kids used to listen to when they were very young; we’re mean that way. But it brought laughs and singing along! Our big red car seemed to be at the end of its driving after long stretches without a break. But it served us well there and back again.
I hope you’ve had a chance to get away this summer or have some time coming up to do something you enjoy and make some memories. However, you might be listening to different music when you do!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is boodle, which means a crowd of people, as in, “There was a boodle waiting to get seated at Betty’s Pies, even at 2:00 in the afternoon.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!