Daughter, Drove 2,000 Miles to College: The Best Goodbye I Could Have Asked For

A long drive becomes an adventure

The mother had bought a little Mazda for Maria to take to college, but getting it from Portland to Fulton posed a challenge. The pair were not confident long-distance drivers, recalling a previous trip from Eugene to Portland that required frequent stops and a rest-stop nap.

When they considered taking a scenic route, Maria suggested making the journey an adventure. The mother welcomed the chance to camp outdoors and spend time with her daughter before she left for college.

Camping and wildlife in the West

They chose a longer route through Yellowstone, where they pitched a small tent beside a motorhome. The next morning, they drank coffee and watched wildlife, including bison, moose, elk, deer and wolves.

After driving across Wyoming, they camped at Custer State Park beside a river. The mother said the experience was better than flying, a view that surprised her.

Monuments and roadside stops

At Mount Rushmore, they took playful tourist photos. The visit to the Crazy Horse monument affected the mother deeply; she cried at its scale, beauty and story. They also stopped at Wall Drug and the Corn Palace. In Kansas, a roadside attraction featured a concrete prairie dog statue and rattlesnakes in terrariums at a gift shop.

A goodbye remembered with laughter

The drive included rest stops, gas stations, snacks and campsite showers. Kansas felt especially tiring on its straight, flat roads, where the pair traded questions about who would drive and whether they had arrived.

Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” became a recurring soundtrack, played when they started driving and crossed state lines. The mother said the song now brings Maria to mind, and the two have continued laughing about the rattlesnakes.