Over the River and Through the Woods (and the Mountains), To Grandmother’s House We Go

For most of our marriage, my husband and I have traveled to one or the other set of parents to celebrate the holidays. Usually, we went to his parents’ home in Marshall, Missouri, which was only 90 miles from our house. The last time we celebrated a holiday there was a year ago—Thanksgiving 2023.

Since then, many things have changed. His mother (our only surviving parent) moved to an assisted living facility in Spokane. We moved to a similar community in Seattle. So, we still live in the same state as she does, it’s just another state, 1900 miles away from Missouri. And the distance between our homes is now a five-hour drive (at our pace) instead of 90 minutes.

Both the Missouri and Washington routes have a large river between our home and his mother’s—but instead of the Missouri River, we now must cross the wider Columbia River. And now there are the Cascade Mountains to cross as well.

This past weekend, my husband and I made the drive from Seattle to Spokane and back. Over the river and through the woods, indeed. And over Snowqualmie Pass in the Cascade Range.

The trip went fine, though I was nervous about driving. I drive a Subaru, which is built to handle snow. But I haven’t made this trip in winter in decades. I remember winter drives through the Cascades when I was a child. Sometimes, my father had to stop and put chains on our car. Of course, cars back then didn’t have four-wheel drive, and they didn’t have all-weather tires.

I think I’ve only driven (as opposed to being a passenger) through the Cascades once before this trip. That was in late April 2015, when I drove my father’s ashes in his last car to my hometown of Richland, Washington, for his funeral. I drove alone across Washington State through the same pass we had to travel this weekend. But that trip wasn’t in winter.

Thankfully, the weather was decent last weekend was decent. Snowqualmie Pass had fresh snow beside the road, but the pavement on I-90 was merely wet, not snow-covered. It rained on the trip east on Friday, but most of the return trip on Sunday was bright sunshine. I remembered many landmarks all across the state, and I enjoyed telling my husband about my childhood memories of trips along this route.

This past weekend was the first time we’d seen my husband’s mother since her move. She is doing well, for being almost 97, and she seems content in her new apartment. She is better off living near family members in Spokane than living alone in Missouri. Just as my husband and I are glad we have moved to be close to the Seattle branch of our family.

There comes a time when being near family is more important than remaining in a familiar community. Sometimes, one is fortunate to have both, but when not, then there comes a time to move.

Yet, it’s important to stay in touch with relatives who live far away. And so, over the river and through the woods (and the mountains) we went this past weekend.

And our son and his wife, who flew from New York to Spokane for Thanksgiving, will make another trip West to see family in California and Seattle at Christmas. I’m glad they are the generation traveling this year. I think my mountain-pass trips are over for the winter.

What travels are you making this holiday season?