My grandmother and I had a lot in common. We loved watching I Love Lucy reruns and John Wayne movies. We loved sharing a scalding hot pot of coffee from her old Corningware percolator with homemade cinnamon buns. And we shared a passion for road trips. "You and I have 'travelin' feet'," Gram use to say.

We loved to take off and drive the long, winding backroads of America. We didn't need a destination, just the open road. I was the driver and Gram was the navigator. We once made a 'pilgrimage' from one end of Route 66 to the other, stopping at every roadside attraction and diner for hot coffee and chicken fried steaks.

She was 86 at the time.

My kids didn't inherit a love for exploring highways and byways, which was puzzling at first. Then I realized my mother and her siblings never cared for road trips, either. It seems the 'travelin' feet' gene skips a generation. That means one of my grandkids will get the itch to take the wheel someday. When that happens, I'll take the navigator's seat then we'll just drive and drive and drive...