What's that? You say, summer is running out and you haven't made your annual road trip?
You know, the jaunt with one goal in mind.
OK, no problem. We'll take you with us. Just hop in.
Uh, what's the deal with the orange outfit?
The great thing about a cross-country run is that there are so many memorable areas to visit.
Colorful businesses.
Glamour spots.
A road trip also has all kinds of great shopping opportunities.
And magnificent architecture.
Including a bridge in Imperial County that lets you know when you've crossed it, just in case you start to wondering.
No reason that a road trip can't be educational, too.
OK, if you're going to get technical on me, the roadkill shrine stood briefly in downtown L.A. as a prop for an obscure 1996 Bill Murray movie. But it was supposed to be somewhere else.
Some learning lessons are strung out for several days.
Such as this before-and-after spelling exercise in Hope, Ariz.
Part of the fun of the open road is unexpected dining pleasures.
That's a real cafe in Van Horn, Tex., by the way, and even got a mention in the Cormac McCarthy novel, "No Country for Old Men."
Lastly, there are plenty of recreational spots that will give a warm welcome to travelers.
OK, that's enough fun. You should be refreshed and ready to return home and handle that L.A. traffic.
Well, most of it.
Contributions came from Paul Brodt, Marie Sleet, Judi Birnberg, Jack Collins, Chris Ellis, Keith Johnson and Dorothy Roediger.
Steve Harvey can be reached at steveharvey9@gmail.com. His Twitter address is @sharvey9.