Hunting for Heritage

Ramsay gets to go on another trip! This time it's with me and my mom, as we head across Washington and Idaho toward Montana, stopping in Spokane on the way

My mom has a group of friends there, women who've been in the know about each others lives since high school (and maybe even before.) She missed their collective 80th birthdays last year, but she's back in the loop this year.

I also have a long-time friend in Spokane, about the only close friend from my own high school days. We met at Young Life camp, started talking, and the conversation hasn't ended. It's gone through weddings, my life overseas, major life changes and the joys of children and grandchildren. Jeanie was the first person to take me on a road trip, adventuring to Glacier Park after our freshman year at college. Its only fitting to see her on this one.

On our way to Montana, where we'll be visiting some cemeteries and thinking about Mom's grandparents, we'll stop in Mullan, Idaho where she grew up. Evan and I (and Ramsay) visited there on our Epic Journey last year. We called mom from the street where she lived, so it will be extra sweet to be able to take her there too.

Mom and I haven't spent this many hours locked into a car since she drove us to Wyoming in my youth. I hope we still like each other when we get back to Anacortes next week. Only Ramsay will know the truth, and he's not telling.