Vicki Sullivan is a retired English instructor and writing tutor who lives in Portland.

For my household of one, I have reintroduced the Sunday drive. Since I have no longer been grading papers or preparing lessons on Sundays, those days drag so taking a drive is a way to get out and see something different.

Families used to take Sunday drives. My father would take our family of four on rides even though my mother wasn’t always thrilled, as she would sometimes complain that the rides were “pointless.”

My father’s sister Theresa used to take my Sullivan grandparents in Rumford out on drives, as they didn’t have their driver’s licenses. I also remember seeing my Aunt Catherine’s then-boyfriend taking my grandparents out in his convertible, which seemed very exciting to me.

So I guess it was a family ritual. My father would not take us out in the “runabout” he drove to work, but would proudly steer the family car, usually a Chevy sedan. He tended to give a running commentary about the places he knew along the way when I would have preferred to listen to the ’60s songs on the radio.

The rides were usually short, south to Scarborough, Old Orchard Beach, Scarborough or Biddeford Pool, which he could never seem to find; or the destination north might be Falmouth or Brunswick, always Route 1 for the scenic route. I do remember one seemingly endless drive that started out with no particular destination but ended up in Bar Harbor for a much longer day than we had expected.

When my father could no longer drive, he would ask me to take him out for a “spin.” I would gladly do it, and we would often go to two of his favorite places, the Gorham campus of USM and Scarborough to his old fishing hole.

I guess like father, like daughter, so I take myself on Sunday drives. Although it’s not always easy trying to take in the scenery since I am no longer the co-pilot, I manage to just the same. 

I have always taken short excursions, but mainly to shop or get an ice cream. But during COVID, I started taking longer rides to escape the boredom. The roads were pretty deserted and strange because places were empty. But there were still sights to see. I went to Kennebunkport to take walks with my friend Lydia and her sister Suzanne.

I drove to Prout’s Neck, Windham, Falmouth, among others. One memorable trip was to Cumberland, where I rode past the Stockholm Farm where my college friend Karen had grown up. I had not driven by her house in years.

Longer trips were to Naples, Bridgton, Cornish and Norway.

Now I take some of those same rides. One of my favorite trips, but not during tourist season, is to Pine Point and Old Orchard Beach. Because there’s no traffic, I can slowly drive through town and see the Amusement Park and Pier and remember the fun days I spent there as a kid. And on a dreary winter’s day, the ocean cheers me up.

My most recent ride this past Sunday afternoon was on Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth, continuing on to Kettle Cove. After my gazing at the ocean for a few minutes, it was dusk by the time I headed home so I was able to see the Christmas lights.

A drive on Sunday is a relaxing way to spend some time and enjoy the scenery. In the new year I plan on taking more Sunday drives. But actually any day could be the day for my Sunday drive.