In Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, Sal goes with her grandparents on a road trip that spans from Ohio to Idaho. Some of the reasons that are listed in chapter 2 include: 1) Gram and Gramps want to see Momma, who is resting peacefully in Lewiston, Idaho; 2) Gram and Gramps know that Sal wants to see Momma but is afraid to; and 3) Dad wants to be alone with the red-headed Margaret Cadaver. He has already seen Momma, and he did not take Sal. It is also stated by Sal's dad that she is being sent along to read maps, as Gram and Gramps don't know how.

As the story progresses, you learn more about the past travel experiences of Gram and Gramps that Sal hinted about early on in the novel. They were once stopped for driving on the shoulder instead of in the the designated lane. Readers also learn that they once stole the tires off a senator’s car in Washington, D.C. Also, Gramps once tried to help “a damsel in distress”—a lady who was having her own car trouble. He really thought he could fix the car, but he was unable to, and he actually made the problems worse by pulling parts away from the motor. The "damsel in distress" had to call a mechanic to get her car running again. As Sal thinks about it, all of the things that she has learned about her grandparents are good enough reasons for her to be on the trip out west.

What reason do Gramps and Sal's father give Sal for the trip?

In the novel Walk Two Moons, written by Sharon Creech, the main character, Sal, goes on a road trip to Idaho with her grandparents, Gramps and Gram. Sal, short for Salamanca, believes her father wants her to go on this road trip so he can spend time with his new girlfriend, Margaret Cadaver.

Sal wants to go on this road trip to visit her mother who is "resting peacefully." Sal wants to make it to Idaho before her mother's birthday. Gramps, who knows the truth of the situation, really wants to support Sal during this difficult time and knows she is nervous and afraid to do this task alone. Sal's father is too distraught to tell her the way he met his girlfriend and tries to convince Sal to talk to Margaret. When Sal disagrees with this idea, he encourages her to go on this trip to discover the truth about her mother.

Sal believes Gramps is taking her along to see where her mother is resting because he knows that Sal wants to see her but is afraid to go. Gramps is going to give her some moral support. In other words, Gramps and Gram are going as an excuse to take Sal to do what she is afraid to do.

Sal believes that her father wants her gone so he can pay more attention to Margaret Cadaver, whom Sal does not like. This is not the real reason, but this is what Sal convinces herself her father thinks. Sal’s father wants Sal to talk to Margaret about her mother, but Sal refuses to do this.

Sal also believes that her father does not trust his parents, Gramps and Gram, on the road by themselves for such a long distance. Therefore, Sal is going along to offer some protection as a voice of reason. The older people will perhaps not take so many chances if their granddaughter is along.

What reasons do Sal's father and Gramps give her for the trip?

For most of the course of this book, Sal accompanies her grandparents on a road trip from Ohio to Idaho. In Chapter 2, “The Chickabiddy Starts a Story,” Sal lists “some of the real reasons” for this arrangement:

1. Gram and Gramps wanted to see Momma, who was resting peacefully in Lewiston, Idaho.
2. Gram and Gramps knew that I wanted to see Momma, but that I was afraid to.
3. Dad wanted to be alone with the red-headed Margaret Cadaver. He had already seen Momma, and he had not taken me.

But she also says that her father sent her along because she could read maps and her grandparents couldn’t. She also hints here that her grandparents had bad driving and traveling habits. Later in Chapter 5, “A Damsel in Distress,” Sal gives concrete examples of a few instances from their past. They once stole the tires off a senator’s car in Washington, D.C. They were once stopped for driving on the shoulder instead of the actual lane. And Gramps once tried to help “a damsel in distress”—a woman who was having car trouble of her own. He thought he could fix the car, but he really couldn’t. He made the problems worse by pulling hoses and other parts away from the motor. The poor woman had to call a mechanic to get her car running again. These are all good reasons for Sal to go along on this trip west, in her mind. She either doesn’t know why her mother is still in Idaho, or she doesn’t want to think about or accept why she is there.