2017’s Favorite #NeverHaveIEver
The Gays Goes West
Mr. and Mrs. Gay that is…
My parents always found a convenient excuse not to visit me in Los Angeles for the past five years. My mom later admitted it was their silent protest in hopes that I would move back to Virginia, closer to them (not happening). FINALLY, they decided to visit me September of 2017.
I was so excited to host my parents for two weeks. We would spend one week in Los Angeles, travel to San Jose to see my cousin, and then check off one of the places on my Dad’s bucket list: The Grand Canyon.
Road tripped with my parents as an adult #neverhaveiever
Trip Overview
Los Angeles
We did all the usual suspects in LA: Griffith Observatory, Sunset Blvd, Hollywood Walk of Fame, All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ, Santa Monica Pier, and Venice.
My mom was constantly holding on to dear life in the back seat of my car while I weaved in and out of traffic. She wasn’t a fan of all the crowdedness of Los Angeles and neither was my dad. Needless to say, they were excited to get out of LA and begin our road trip. They brought our family dog Charlie too! Yogi (my dog) of course went with us as well.
San Jose
So the five of us left for San Jose to visit my cousin, my mom’s sister’s daughter. My dad loved the scenic drive up to Northern California. If you don’t know Mr. Gay, he loves nature and he loves farming.
It had been over ten years since my mom and her niece had seen each other last. It was such a beautiful reunion.
Las Vegas
After San Jose, we drove to Las Vegas to break up the drive. My parents had never been to Vegas. I enjoyed seeing their reactions as the neon lights illuminated their faces.
The Grand Canyon
My dad had dreamed of seeing The Grand Canyon for a long time. Witnessing my dad’s dream come to fruition gave me so much joy. I also had never seen The Grand Canyon, so to be able to share that experience together was incredibly special.
Zion National Park
Since we were already so close, I convinced my parents to add two more stops to our trip. We went to Zion National Park. My mom loved that you could sit on the bus and tour the amazing park. They toured while I hiked Angel’s Landing (something I was not able to do during my previous trip there).
Bryce Canyon National Park
We were cutting it close on time (losing sun). My parents were good sports and agreed to finish our day at Bryce Canyon National Park. Unfortunately, since I took too long hiking Angel’s Landing, we were not able to do much at Bryce Canyon. However, we were able to see two view points and watch the sunset there.
Overall
The Gay family hadn’t been on a family trip since… well I don’t remember because it’s been that long. This one was incredibly special for me in so many ways. My parents got to meet my friends (essentially my family here in LA) whom I had been talking about for years (finally putting a face to a name) and vice versa. My friends were able to understand me a little better, often getting the comment “Oh, I get it now,” after meeting the Gays. My parents were able to see and experience things they had only seen on TV previously.
Furthermore, traveling and sharing new experiences together was simply so much fun. I’m an only child and I don’t get to see my parents often (usually once a year during Christmas). The time together was what I valued most and I look forward to them coming back — hopefully it won’t take another five years.
Until the next trip…