When I was a kid the highlight of the summer was vacation.. We always used to take a vacation somewhere. All our vacations were of the driving kind. We would go to Omaha where we had relatives, we went to to Grand Canyon, we went to Michigan, Washington (where I was born), Arkansas, seems I remember the southeast a little bit (Cumberland Gap). Seems we stopped at every historical marker along the way. I also remember the old Route 66---there was more of it then than there is now, but it was already on the way down then. We weren't always the best travelers (three kids in the back seat of a hot car, sisters), but all good memories.
The Misses and I were fortunate enough to be able to take vacations with our family. We were able to get the time off and were able to afford to take some trips. Most of our trips were of the driving variety as well. We took numerous trips to the Dells, and down to Chicago to visit museums and zoos. We took trips to Minneapolis and to Indianapolis to visit children museums. We would go to Green Bay or northern Illinois to visit railroad museums. Most of these trips were of the long weekend variety. Then there were our summer vacations.
I remember the first "long" trip we took. The Misses and our son drove to Dubuque Iowa--our daughter wasn't born yet. We road the tram up the bluff, walked around and swam. And we found out that Stew didn't seem to mind riding in the car. I really like this, because it meant there would be more trips.
We used to take a trip every year. We went to Disney World twice and had a wonderful time both times. There is an unofficial guide out, and Cathie would plan out the entire day. We seldom waited in line for more than 10 or 15 minutes. One year the kids were picked to open the park. It was a great time. Gramma and Grampa lived in Florida, so we took a few trips there to visit them. And there were many stops on the way there and back. We would stop at caves, and prehistoric sites. There weren't too many historical markers missed. One year on the way back we stopped at Tupelo to see Elvis' birthplace, then hopped in the car and drove to Graceland. That was the year we stopped to see my dad in Arkansas--last time I ever saw him.
I was amazed how close Niagra Falls is. Stop over one night and you're there. Amazing place--from the Canadian side. American side is a little rough. Tourist trapish. We took a trip to Kitty Hawk to celebrate 100 years of flight, then hit Dayton on the way home. We went to Mackinac Island and the sand dunes in Michigan. There were trips to St. Louis. Wonderful place to take a young family. We visited the Carolinas. We went to the Smoky Mountains. One year we flew to San Francisco to visit Cathie's sister, and to see California. Days in SF, and then seeing Yosemite, the Redwoods, Highway 1, a great trip. We really enjoyed all the national parks. So much to do and see. Hope that we are able to keep them open and staffed so future generations can enjoy them.
There will be a part two to this subject, and maybe a part three as well. There are a couple of specific trips I want to write about. I have nothing but great memories of our vacations. I was very fortunate that my kids were good travelers, that I had the time and resources to take these trips. These were probably the favorite times of my life.
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