Dairy Of A First-Time Road Tripper

 
      As I looked out the window at the Colorado mountains that were slowly disappearing into the rear view mirror, all I could imagine was the final destination.  Three friends on a road trip to the west coast where they would be spending a week exploring.  I had been friends with Allison and Olivia since we were all eight years old and we knew virtually everything about each other.  This trip, I knew, would teach us much more about each other though.  Permeating the air conditioned enclosure was the fragrance each of us wore and the sweet mixture of the trio was succulent.  I was crammed in the back seat with the overflowing bags each of us had brought that wouldn't fit in the trunk with the rest of our road trip items.  Spilling out of the top of one bag was an abundance of food from Oreos to multi-grain crackers that Olivia's mom had packed for our adventure to the coast.
     "I can't believe we're finally doing this!" Allison exclaimed.
     "I know! This is going to be the greatest trip ever!" I replied.  Ever since we had entered high school, we had always wanted to go on a road trip together.  Since we would all be heading off to college in the fall and taking new paths, we decided after graduation was the ideal time. 
     As always, we turned up the Top 40 Hits in Allison's 2006 VW Jetta and made our way down the interstate that was surrounded by rolling hills and snow peaked mountains as far as the eye could see.  The green, lush landscape that I was viewing was mesmerizing and I could hardly take my eyes off of it. 
     In the passenger seat was Olivia, a tall, athletic girl.  She had pin-straight, blonde hair and fair skin and was very pretty.  Just like Allison and I, she was singing along to the familiar tunes on the radio.  I had always thought she had a good voice, but sitting there behind her for hours on end really made me recognize her talent.  There was something about her raspy, delicate voice that was captivating.  As I was listening to her sing, I was examining Allison's features while she was driving.  She was a beautiful brunette with olive skin and her flawless complexion was impossible to miss.
     After driving for a few hours, we made another stop to get gas.  We stopped at a gas station that was in a town that had features that made it look like it had been established when the Oregon Trail would have come through many, many years ago.  The old run-down shack that most would have called a convenience store seemed to hardly be standing.  The outside had metal siding that had bolts missing that were holding it down and was rusting in some spots.  This little edifice had a bathroom that one would not go in if they were not with an acquaintance.  The stalls were practically falling apart and the lights were flickering like we were in a bad movie.  Getting in and out of that run-down dump was our main motive and once we got everything we needed, we sped-walked out of there. 
     Now back on our journey, we talked and listened to the music once again.  Even though I was squished in the back, sandwiched between bags upon bags of clothes, makeup, pillows, and so much more, I was perfectly content.  When I had imagined this trip, this was exactly what I saw and I couldn't wait to get to the coast to pioneer the beaches and towns.  I looked out the window once more before I fell asleep and saw the breathtaking pink and orange sunset that ended the great first day to our excursion out west.