Going on the Road... Coast to Coast (literally) and Back
05-06-2015, 06:37 AM
#24
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Frederick, OK
Posts: 2,031
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage, Steve. Your cross-country trip sounds like a great idea.
As a matter of fact, my wife and I have planned a “road trip” for our 40th wedding anniversary this year. We’ve been talking about it for a couple of years. We’ll have 40 years of marriage in mid-August, but July is usually our slowest month at the shop (with summer vacations being in full-swing), so we’ll probably be taking off a week in July.
Our road trip will be a little different than yours, because it will be completely void of any itinerary. We don’t even know which direction we’ll be going. We’ll gather our clothes, some money, and get into the car. We’ll flip a coin in our driveway to decide with way to go down our street. Once we come to a highway, we’ll flip the coin again to decide which way to go on that highway, and continue flipping the coin as we come to diverging routes that aren’t major thoroughfares. We’ll avoid large highways and stop at as many road-side historical markers as we can. Once we’re fairly along on our trip, we’ll put the coin away and just choose where we want to turn from then on. When we reach the 4th day or half of the money, we’ll start heading back toward home on a different route.
My parents and I took a trip like this back when I was 16 years old (late 1960s), and we ended up in Nogales Arizona where we turned around (after walking across the border for a little shopping in Mexico, of course). It was one of the most memorable and relaxing vacations I’ve ever been on. Of course, I had a brand-new driver’s license that I got to use on some of the lesser-traveled highways, and the educational value that my Mom kept talking about didn’t register on me until years later. Some days we wouldn’t make much over 200 miles all day long before finding a small “homey-looking” motel for the evening.
About the only other vacation that I’ve been on that could compete with that one, was our “food trip” vacation in the 90s with our teenaged daughter. We drove for a few hours to Amarillo Texas, got a motel room mid-day, and went to the Big Texan Steak House for a beef steak (not the 72 ounce one). The next morning, we drove a few hours to Clayton New Mexico, got a motel room mid-day, and hit a spot we knew of for great enchiladas. We let our stomachs guide us for the next few days on a big loop back to home....
CD in Oklahoma
As a matter of fact, my wife and I have planned a “road trip” for our 40th wedding anniversary this year. We’ve been talking about it for a couple of years. We’ll have 40 years of marriage in mid-August, but July is usually our slowest month at the shop (with summer vacations being in full-swing), so we’ll probably be taking off a week in July.
Our road trip will be a little different than yours, because it will be completely void of any itinerary. We don’t even know which direction we’ll be going. We’ll gather our clothes, some money, and get into the car. We’ll flip a coin in our driveway to decide with way to go down our street. Once we come to a highway, we’ll flip the coin again to decide which way to go on that highway, and continue flipping the coin as we come to diverging routes that aren’t major thoroughfares. We’ll avoid large highways and stop at as many road-side historical markers as we can. Once we’re fairly along on our trip, we’ll put the coin away and just choose where we want to turn from then on. When we reach the 4th day or half of the money, we’ll start heading back toward home on a different route.
My parents and I took a trip like this back when I was 16 years old (late 1960s), and we ended up in Nogales Arizona where we turned around (after walking across the border for a little shopping in Mexico, of course). It was one of the most memorable and relaxing vacations I’ve ever been on. Of course, I had a brand-new driver’s license that I got to use on some of the lesser-traveled highways, and the educational value that my Mom kept talking about didn’t register on me until years later. Some days we wouldn’t make much over 200 miles all day long before finding a small “homey-looking” motel for the evening.
About the only other vacation that I’ve been on that could compete with that one, was our “food trip” vacation in the 90s with our teenaged daughter. We drove for a few hours to Amarillo Texas, got a motel room mid-day, and went to the Big Texan Steak House for a beef steak (not the 72 ounce one). The next morning, we drove a few hours to Clayton New Mexico, got a motel room mid-day, and hit a spot we knew of for great enchiladas. We let our stomachs guide us for the next few days on a big loop back to home....
CD in Oklahoma
05-06-2015, 08:27 AM
#25
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: San Lorenzo, CA
Posts: 5,361
CD - That is awesome! I have driven across the US several times in my life. The last was when I was married and I was in a Dodge Grand Caravan with My Mom, My Wife, My sister, and Three daughters... (Estrogen bubble.....)
My two favorite moments were once when we were in Nebraska after a couple of days driving My daughter asked where we were so I showed her on the big map. She was in awe and said with wonder in her eyes "America is HUGE!!!" The other was in Ohio at a McDonalds when my eldest started looking around uncomfortably. I asked her what was wrong and she looked around carefully, and then it dawned on here what seemed so odd.. She leaned forward and whispered "there is nothing but White people here..... " I almost fell out of my chair...
EDIT: I sent Heather the link to this thread. Her reply "your quilting buddies are so cool!!"
My two favorite moments were once when we were in Nebraska after a couple of days driving My daughter asked where we were so I showed her on the big map. She was in awe and said with wonder in her eyes "America is HUGE!!!" The other was in Ohio at a McDonalds when my eldest started looking around uncomfortably. I asked her what was wrong and she looked around carefully, and then it dawned on here what seemed so odd.. She leaned forward and whispered "there is nothing but White people here..... " I almost fell out of my chair...
EDIT: I sent Heather the link to this thread. Her reply "your quilting buddies are so cool!!"
Last edited by SteveH; 05-06-2015 at 08:33 AM. Reason: Add comment
05-06-2015, 09:07 AM
#26
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: leavenworth, ks
Posts: 3,093
Steve, I live near Kansas City if you're passing through here on your trip. I would love to meet you and Heather. Last summer, my hubby and I drove from KS to NY to CT to NH back to CT and then to TN and finally back to KS. On the leg from New York to Connecticut, we drove through the Adirondacks. Beautiful & peaceful. We are doing that again this summer but seeing a different section of the Adirondacks. We also followed the Erie Canal for a bit on our trip.
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