Chapter 5 · America the Beautiful

Go Big or Go Home

The Go Big Plan — a two-week trip to celebrate Grandma turning 50

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The year Grandma turned 50, I remember we decided to get bold and planned a two-week trip, extending our journey into Arkansas and across half the country to visit her cousin, my Uncle Charlie Brown.

Charlie Brown and his brother were raised by my great-grandma alongside my grandma. He was just as interesting a character as my grandma, also loving the freedom of the open road. He had a Honda motorcycle that he rode for years until his legs just wouldn’t lift him over it anymore, and he eventually had to sell it. Over the years, he often had jobs driving buses for the city or local schools.

Back then, he was a big fan of Snoopy and Charlie Brown from the old comic strips in the funny section of the Sunday newspaper, who also happened to share his name. His voice reminded me of my great-grandmother, with the same pronunciations and the same West Virginia accent. My grandma’s accent had faded over the years after she moved to Georgia when my mom was a toddler.

He was a happy guy who, at the time, was in his late fifties, maybe even his sixties. He had long gray hair worn in a low ponytail braid, a matching beard and mustache, wore a biker’s leather vest covered with patches, and kind of resembled a soft teddy bear from the Hells Angels.

Charlie Brown was married to a lady with fair skin, the kind that burned in the sun like her ancestors had come straight from northwestern Europe. She had reddish hair and was just as bright and joyful as my Uncle Charlie.

Looking back, this seemed like the perfect trip. We were headed to visit family we loved, celebrate Grandma’s 50th birthday, and make memories on what we thought would be another great summer adventure.

Little did we know, this road trip was about to become the most unforgettable one we’d ever take.