The Mother Road
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Max talks about “The Mother Road” quite a bit, as he does all things related to the movie, CARS. That's what they call Route 66, those citizens of Radiator Springs, the town that was bypassed when the highway came to town.
I'm thankful that Max seems to have inherited my and Jamie's love of the journey… We live in a really odd spot; there are about half a dozen different ways I can get to my parents' house, and Max has a definite favorite.
“Can we go through Niles, Mommy? The town AND the canyon?” What can I say? The kid loves a scenic route!
He comes by it honestly though, I have to admit. Jamie and I have long been avid fans of a roadtrip, especially since 2005, when he bought his current car, a 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder. It's a ridiculous little 2-seater, and we love it! The best roadtrip we ever took in it was up to Vancouver, Canada, in June 2006, for a friend's wedding.
We strapped a suitcase on the back, allowed ourselves 2 days to get there, and took Route 1 all the way up the coast, stopping wherever something struck our fancy. We drove through a redwood tree tunnel, took an elevator through a cliff to see Sea Lion Cave, and found a random aircraft museum somewhere in Oregon.
It's because of my (our) love of the open road that I am SO excited to tell you about ExitTheHighway.com! Toyota has teamed up with Audubon to create a place for you to pledge to take the scenic route, and enjoy the gorgeous country we live in, and to learn about local conservation projects and heroes! You can upload your photos of your adventures, find good off-the-beaten-path places to explore, and if you pledge to take the scenic route, you could win a Toyota Prius V!
I've lived in the Bay Area my entire life, and can't wait to explore some of the suggestions I found on the San Francisco Itinerary!
I'd love to hear about your scenic route adventures in the comments, and then you can share them on Exit the Highway too!
Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of Toyota.
