CDs that remind you of very specific times and places.....

[Bouncy Ball]

I'm listening to a CD right now I haven't heard in about a year.

It's Franz Ferdinand's CD (their only one, I think). Say what you will about them, but I had it bad for this band last summer.

I went on a road trip of nine western states with my daughter, my best friend and her dad. My best friend and her dad are both science teachers and have backgrounds in geology and anthropology, talk about great people to go on this trip with. Plus they are both incredibly easy-going.

We went in her conversion van and put 17,000 miles on the odometer. We camped every night in a two-room tent at state parks or KOAs. I had never camped in my life before that trip. (!!!) I'm still amazed at how much I loved that aspect of it.

We ate almost every meal either cold or what we could make in an electric skillet. We didn't want to carry the material for campfires. People at our campsites were always so friendly, I felt like we made tons of friends.

We went from Dallas west to Carlsbad, New Mexico, then dropped back down into West Texas to see Hueco Tanks and the sand dunes (the night we saw the sand dunes we took off our shoes, felt the cold white sand, the full moon was on one side of us, the last remnants of the sunset on the other, and fireworks right in front of us--magical night) then we drove through El Paso and looked over at Juarez, Mexico on our left.

It's kind of a blur now, but we saw all the cool stuff in New Mexico (western area), and the four corners area of Colorado. All those amazing dwellings, caves, and catwalks. Then northern Arizona including the Grand Canyon, which didn't even look real.

Every national park in Utah. We'd go from a lunar scape to a Martian scape in a matter of minutes. We waded up the Virgin River. I fell and later had to buy a new pack...the stink was bad once it dried. Our shoes were disgusting after that, but God the Virgin River was amazing. The hanging water gardens. Arches. Zion. Bryce Canyon. The Dixie National Forest was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, truly.

Up into cool green southern Wyoming after making a turn through the rolling green fields of Idaho. That night in Wyoming was one of the best. Then Yellowstone, three days there. I fell in love with moose. Up through Montana, then dip back down to Mt. Rushmore (not as exciting as we thought), Medicine Wheel, the Black Hills, my God. Then we headed south back through Colorado and took a look at Rocky Mountain National Park, the highest elevation we got to in the whole trip.

I had only seen pictures of all those places before. It was magical.

And I listened to that damn Franz Ferdinand CD the whole time. I brought others, but was stuck on that one. Now I can't listen to it without thinking of those places. All four of us kept journals and took loads of pictures and video.

One of those things you'll never forget for the rest of your life...

On edit: the gas total came to $800. Guess why we aren't doing a trip this year?

[eyesroll]

1. I will forever link the Pixies song "Gouge Away" with

my now-ex-husband/then-boyfriend's dorm room, freshman year, 1993.

http://www.wisconsinite.net/dairyconspiracyarchives/000378.html

[Bouncy Ball]

2. Isn't it funny?

And smells, too. You can smell something and just be taken back.....

Don't mind me, feeling deadly nostalgic today....