BETWEEN THE LINES: FOOD, FUN, FAMILY MAKE FOR INTERESTING COMBINATION ON ROAD TRIPS

"I took the road less traveled and that has made all the difference." -- Robert Frost

On my latest journey, I didn't take any roads that were less traveled -- and I doubt it would have helped if I had. This road trip was doomed from the start.

My mom, brother and I recently decided to leave town for a weekend in Columbia. It sounded simple, but the plans soured before we even left the city limits.

Our first problem arose when we had to decide whose car to drive to Columbia.

I thought we had decided earlier in the week that my brother would drive because his car is the newest and gets the best mileage.

But Friday afternoon, almost two hours before we're about to leave, he begins complaining about the long drive and how he has to clean out the food remains and clothes from his back seat.

So I graciously offered to drive my car. Everything seemed fine until we tried to load the suitcases in the trunk of my Mustang.

Of course, before we loaded anything in the trunk, I had to remove some items -- an air mattress and pump, a shopping bag of cassette tapes, a set of Craftsman tools and a beach towel -- that were left over from my latest move. I left the jumper cables, snow scraper, blanket and bottles of water just in case we needed them. I thought there would still be plenty of room.

There wasn't.

Between my brother's monstrous Pullman suitcase and my mother's pillow, blanket and bag, there wasn't going to be room in my car for any passengers, let alone my clothes. So my brother had to drive.

We filled the gas tank, bought $10 worth of snacks and sodas and headed out of town a half hour behind our "schedule," which is nothing out of the ordinary for my family.

That's when we discovered our second problem -- a lack of space. In one small car, we crammed three people, a cooler, a pillow and blanket, some magazines and jackets.

There wasn't enough room for much more, but we managed to add some food to the list.

What is it about traveling that makes people so hungry? You're not engaging in any physical activity, but you crave junk food -- and lots of it. Why?

We passed the time by eating. We had finished a 32-ounce soda, a bag of chips, crackers and a candy bar before we had driven 30 miles. Then we stopped for dinner.

After two days of eating non-stop in my favorite Columbia restaurants, we left town with even more food. We added hot bagels, a soda and a large mug of steaming coffee to the remainder of our snacks for the return trip. But those things didn't satisfy our cravings.

My brother wanted french fries. He drove through the Hardee's window while I went inside the convenience store for more candy and a Coke.

As we pulled out of the parking lot, my mom spilled her drink. When we turned onto the highway, the french fries went flying all over the floorboards.

I laughed, until hot coffee spilled on my lap. Of course, that was before my candies went toppling.

Somehow I have never learned how to eat and drive at the same time without wearing any of the food. I'm not sure if the problem this time was the driver or the roads.

Maybe the road less traveled also has fewer bumps and curves. I guess we'll have to take another road trip to find out.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.