Road Trips
I’ve been thinking about…
Road trips!
Our whole family — from four states — has a big trip coming up as we get together for our annual vacation. From points south, west, and east, we will be road-tripping to summer fun!
This brings back so many memories. Road trips were a big part of my childhood as “Jersey” drove across half the country to be with my Mom’s Texas family. We spent a day or two in Amarillo with cousins, but the ultimate destination was the family cabin in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of New Mexico.
It took us two full days of driving. Back in the day before air-conditioned cars, we would start at 4 am to drive as much as possible before it was too hot. A motel with a pool was a welcome stopping point.
In my early years, we traveled on local highways with intriguing sites, little towns — traffic lights. By the 1960s, Ike’s Interstate highway system made the trip faster, but not as interesting.
This was the era of AM radio. When it was my turn to sit up front with Dad, I would tune in stations looking for Paul Harvey — who ended each bit with his signature “Good day!” “The Rest of the Story” tales he told fascinated me. Many years later, I used some of his pithy stories of history and heroes with my middle school students who shared my delight.
The huge Rand McNally map book was a constant source of entertainment for me. I plotted our path, estimated the time when we would arrive at the next town, the rest stop for picnic lunches, and that longed for motel pool!
It was on one of these trips that I discovered a fascination for Daniel Boone. I knew he was a frontiersman, but did he really settle every town named Boone or Boonesboro that we encountered across multiple states? Once home again, books from the library satisfied my curiosity about Boone and other westerning men.
Obviously, this was long before electronic devices that do so much to entertain young road travelers today. But turning them off and turning onto the happenings of the trip can open unexpected vistas — outside the window and inside the mind.
We have some ideas to share! See ACTIVITIES for a range of ideas Jayne offers to add some spark to road trips!
Happy Summer!!
