Catch Me If You Can: A Sunday Afternoon Drive

I'm not sure if it is the escape from duties, or a love of nature, or a way to relax, or the country life dream.
Our family loves a Sunday (or any day) afternoon drive.
Here are some tips for making the most of it.

Go with a tidy car:
Dump the clutter and do a quick run through with the vacuum. It's so much more enjoyable when you can stretch your legs and enjoy the ride without biscuit crumbs on your seat.

Pack a few things:
A picnic rug or two, to sit on or wrap around you atop a windy mountain. Snacks for breaking up long drives, and lollies help the ears adjust to the altitude changes. Something to do for the kids who get bored of the scenery (two of ours find wonder in everything the outdoors has to offer, and will gladly look out the window the entire trip, one of ours would prefer the imaginary scenes in her favorite book). Drawing packs to sketch what we see on our travels (we love the clipboard storage boxes from Officeworks to keep our stuff contained in the car).

Have a few favourite routes:
It's wonderful to see the same trees, mountains and pastures through the changing seasons. It's thrilling to notice something you haven't noticed before, though you've been there many times. I remember seeing a couple of peacocks walking along a fence once, something I'd never seen on our regular trips, and will probably not see there again. Our local favourite trip is Dayboro, Mt Mee and Campbells Pocket Road.

Try new routes:
Drive a bit further. Find somewhere with different terrain or scenery to your usual spots. Discover, and feel like a true explorer!

Stop somewhere;
Pull the car over if you see something interesting or a picture perfect place for a photo. Find a lookout to check out the views. Have a picnic on the side of the road. Take hot chocolates in the winter, and enjoy them in the open air. Get out for a bushwalk.

Have good music playing;
Give everyone a look in with their favourite tracks. We love Elizabeth Mitchell for the little kids, some acoustic and chillout for the adults and yes, some TayTay for the big girls to keep them happy.

Create traditions:
This will happen of it's own accord. In our family, Dad purposefully drives fast through puddles to create a splash. The kids love it. On a country road sometimes we will let the kids out to run alongside the car in a race. And we can't go past the our favourite bakery without stopping for a pie.

Marvel:
At the shades of green, the shapes of clouds, the raindrops on windows, the beauty, the Creator.