Annie and Tom Gardner of Santee recently embarked on a nine-week, cross-country trip without an exact itinerary.

“We drove a distance of 10,686 miles in our Ford station wagon with little preplanning, just basic route directions to many areas of interest,” Tom Gardner said. “We used AAA tour books as a guide but often great scenic attractions just popped up as we drove along.”

The mood of the adventure was relaxed because the couple tried not to use the Interstate, where cars and trucks whiz by at 70-plus mph.

“We found the secondary roads so much more relaxing, and we could truly see America cruising at 50 to 60 miles per hour with almost no other traffic,” Annie Gardner said.

The Gardners had no problem finding suitable accommodations and used their cell phone to make reservations for their overnight stays.

The couple visited 45 places on their trip. Among the 24 favorites of the major sites they saw were: the St. Louis Gateway Arch; the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico; the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon, Arizona; Crater Lake, Oregon; Oral Roberts University and the Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa; Balboa Park, San Diego; Yellowstone National Park; the River Walk and Sea World, San Antonio.

“What can we say about the natural grandeur of the United States?” Tom Gardner said. “A highlight of our trip was our first view of beautiful blue Crater Lake, Oregon. It was an incredible sight.”

A former Navy photographer whose dad was a professional photographer and painter, Gardner took hundreds of spectacular photos, which are a permanent reminder of the couple’s adventure. He also played golf in Tulsa, Albuquerque and San Francisco. In Tucson, the couple visited with a former fourth-grade student of Tom’s and her husband. Teacher and student had not seen each other in 43 years.

The Gardners documented their trip in a well-organized, meticulous way by marking the route, noting each place they stopped and labeling each photo with commentary. They do not hesitate to recommend this form of spontaneous vacation to others.

“One of the reasons we enjoyed the trip so much is that we were flexible and did not adhere to a strict schedule,” Gardner said

“We will never forget the pleasure and knowledge we gained from experiencing the beauty of our own country.”

-- T&D Correspondent Shirley Upton can be reached by e-mail at writer@ntinet.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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