A Memorable Weekend in USA with the Kia Telluride
About three months ago, my sister’s daughter, Chloe, announced that she was graduating from her PHD degree in NeuroScience from New York University and she invited our extended family to a celebration in upper New York State. She had booked a huge AirBnB and had set a date and asked for confirmations from anyone who might be available to join the celebration.
We all eagerly accepted the invitation and began planning our weekend in New York State. The plans would involve organization for food preparation and arranging for family representation for this monumental event.
Everyone was very excited and within our immediate family we were able to include my wife, Marjorie, myself and our two daughters, Lissa and Rebecca. The obvious choice of vehicles was going to be our reliable Kia Telluride with its captains chairs in the second row and loads of space in the back.
As the date approached, the political situation in the USA had changed dramatically and we all developed some trepidation about the border crossing. We decided that we would buy all of the ingredients for the event once we had crossed the border into the States, and we all made sure that our documents were up to date. Just about three weeks before the departure date, an announcement was made that made us all feel guilty for crossing the border but we had made a commitment and my niece would lose a lot of money if we didn’t attend. We decided that we had to make at least one last trip to the states and this would likely be it.
We left Ottawa and headed to Ogdensburg to face the American border agents and to cross into New York State. I admit that we were nervous and concerned about what might and could have happened. The opposite happened and we were met by a kind and receptive border agent who wished us a nice visit and who offered his congratulations to our Chloe!
The drive down was lovely. I wouldn’t characterize upper New York State as beautiful but as we wound our way deeper into the Catskills, the roads became twisty and mountainous. I really don’t pretend that the Telluride is a sports car but we were super surprised at how well it handled the curves and the hills while loaded with four people and too much cabin clothing.
When we finally reached the cabin it was a late, dark Friday night and everyone else had already arrived. Our eldest daughter Lissa is a Family Doctor in Ottawa and our younger daughter Rebecca is an Artist and a Professor at Emily Carr University in Vancouver, BC.. The Artist/Professor was to arrive at 3 pm in Ottawa and we had waited to pick her up before beginning our journey.
The cabin was not just a cabin. It was a huge multi level building with a hot tub outside and with a large kitchen, dining room and with many bedrooms. We arrived and were entering into party that was well underway and that felt very exciting. We joined the festivities and drank a toast to our niece and ate a fantastic meal.
The party included several different factions playing pool, darts and card games. Some barbecued and later some intrepid youngsters hit the hot tub. We ate snacks and drank beverages and enjoyed the remote and expansive dwelling.
Later when we retired to our rooms, Marjorie and I commented on how lucky we were to have had everything go so well. Rebecca’s flight had arrived early so we had picked her up before 3 pm, the traffic both in Ottawa and for the majority of the drive was non-existent, the border crossing was smooth and, significantly, the drive in our luxurious Telluride was effortless and fun. Then to arrive at an ongoing party where we joined a celebration of accomplishment and brilliance - we felt truly grateful.
Day 2, in New York, we woke up to a delicious breakfast made by cousins and then a small group of us decided to go for a hike to a beautiful waterfall. The drive was about 20 minutes from the cabin but the walk was a hilly, muddy, and wet hike, up and down some significant mountainous terrain. The end result was a beautiful and high waterfall.
We returned to prepare a meal and then ate and played into the evening. Marjorie and I held the dart board and others played cards or owned the pool table. It was a great evening filled with generations of joy. The formal celebration of Chloe’s graduation was expressed and was a happy and proud moment. Chloe is a humble and super competent professional and it was evident in her defence of her PHD. We all acknowledged her accomplishments and celebrated her success. We went to bed feeling happy and grateful yet again.
Day 3 was to be our return day and was the drive that I was least looking forward to. We had been going to bed late and waking up to the sound of conversations in the early mornings. I was worried about being tired and the drive was about 6 hours long. To our collective surprise the drive was easy and seemed short. We played music, talked and caught up. The time with our daughters was so relaxing and reassuring. In no time we were home and we were rested and happy. The car did not let us down and the smooth, quiet and effortless trip was peaceful and restorative.
Road trips are a big part of my retired life and having a reason to drive somewhere with our packed Telluride makes me happy. Doing so with my family, with the joy of spending more comfortable and luxurious time with family and friends makes it even more pleasurable. I acknowledge my good luck and express my gratitude with these posts and I only hope that by writing these blog posts, I am helping to spread the joy of travel.
Special thank you to Chloe and family for making this wonderful trip happen.
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