Yesterday I made the 500+ mile trip home for an early Christmas at the grandparents’ house. If I’m going to spend 9+ hours in the pickup, I’m not going to spend it all on the interstate.

My uncle was all over me for not taking the shortest/quickest route home and none of the other family members could understand why I went slightly North through the Missouri boothill instead of through Memphis. Sorry, not everyone’s in it for the quickest route.

I love crossing the River at Dyersburg then driving down through the Delta to get home. The scenery is much better, I don’t have to deal with any of the Memphis traffic. The back state highways are much less crowded (and I might or might not take advantage of the speed opportunity). Maybe I want to enjoy all of the different crop fields, small Delta towns, and friendly people at the gas station for a fill up and coffee.

If you’re driving, then you can choose the route. There’s more than one way to get where you’re headed.

But we didn’t spend all night complaining about travel plans.

We all sat around the table and had a huge breakfast feast for supper. 5 pounds of bacon, 2 pounds of pork sausage, 2 dozen eggs, ~50 biscuits, a gallon of chocolate gravy, and hashbrown casserole. Before any gifts were open we all encircled the living room and sang devotional praise songs. Well worth the trip home (even if I chose the unpopular route).

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Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman works in grassroots advocacy as a communications consultant with beef cattle farmers and ranchers across the United States. He is a proud alumnus of Oklahoma State University, with studies focusing on cattle reproduction and nutrition. Ryan's experience in the beef industry range from family farms and ranches in several states to large feedlots and non-profit policy organizations. Ryan is an avid trail and ultrarunner, proudly showing how beef can be an important part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Find Ryan on social media as @BeefRunner.