54 years ago, my Mom loaded her three sons into our brand-new Chevy station wagon and lit out from Virginia to California to Michigan and back. Maw called it 62 days under canvas.

A few summers back, I put together this blog to mark the 50th anniversary. I’d intended it to be nostalgic. Now that the world is where it is, this has taken on all-new significance — the great outdoors, exploring new cultures, lots of personal interaction. Nostalgic indeed.

It’s is a day-by-day recounting of the nine week trip, including excerpts from Maw’s diary (with permission), old-timey paper maps and AAA tour books purchased on Ebay, as well as photos and impressions of those who were transported and transformed.

I asked her, as part of this exercise, why did she do it. Simply, “I wanted to go to California.” And so she and her boys did.

Maw passed away three years ago, but thanks to the internet–and my heart–her spirit lives on.

Note: This is NOT a new road trip. It is a recounting of the one that happened 50 years ago.