Two women, one car and the open road

Thelma and Louise were so right. There’s nothing like an all-girl road trip to clear your head and solve the world’s problems.
My girlfriend and I kept an eye out for Brad Pitt (who thoughtlessly failed to show), but decided to keep things simple, choosing not to shoot anyone, carry large amounts of cash or drive off a cliff. Despite several suggestions that we not forget the chilled six-pack in the back seat, we consumed only excessive amounts of food and candy, stopping multiple times just because we could.
When you travel with another woman, you do away with the “Have to make record time” syndrome, along with the “Absolutely must go directly from point A to End Destination” affect afflicting most males. We can stay behind slow trucks without bursting a vein in your neck. We can admire sights and vistas and even stop at some goofy monument if the spirit moves us. Although much of the scenery was beige desert, it flew by as we caught up, discussed and yakked.
The whole adventure began when my friend found exactly the car she wanted and it was only available at a dealership in Phoenix. The minute I heard that, I asked to tag along. And indeed, we jumped on an airplane bright, but not too early, Saturday morning, and drove that lovely car back to San Diego the same day pondering life’s major challenges along the way.
I had no idea what a delicious sensation it was to board an airplane carrying nothing but my purse. Old habits die hard and I kept starting to worry about where my luggage was or getting back to the airport on time, only to gleefully jolt back to reality. I suppose I could have worried about the car breaking down, but it was in perfect condition, so even that happily evaporated. 
Our biggest concerns were setting the dual air-conditioning to the perfect setting, what size soda to get, what music to play and what topic we hadn’t yet covered in our ongoing, comfortable chatter about the truly important things in life.
Now there are some of you out there who know how much I generally loathe long car trips. I failed to mention the one perfect antidote. I just need to put a girlfriend in the opposite seat.
Fun trumps carsickness every time. Next time, I’m thinking Maine.