Road Trip Medley

NATIONAL ROAD TRIP DAY – Friday Before Memorial Day

 The road trip we took with our son and grandson, from Wisconsin to Sierra Vista in December of 2017 is the only fun road trip I can remember.

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NATIONAL ROAD TRIP DAY

The Friday before Memorial Day is declared National Road Trip Day and serves as the official kickoff of the summer road trip season. With two-thirds of leisure travelers (64 percent)* planning to take vacations this summer, it’s clear that the open road calls when long weekends and Fridays roll around. We pack up, fuel up, stock up and then crank up the tunes. In fact, 63 percent** of road trippers say that having good music, audiobooks and/or podcasts to listen to are the most important parts of a successful road trip. Additionally, three in five road trippers (59 percent) say that having good snacks and drinks for the road, finding great places to eat on the way and finding clean bathrooms to use while traveling are their most important parts of a successful road trip.

How do you travel? There are two kinds of people who take road trips. If you’re going together, you might want to discuss a compromise before hitting the road! The tourist takes their time getting there and doesn’t mind taking backroads to see long-forgotten ghost towns. On the other hand, the pilot enjoys seeing the country from the car, sets a course and frowns upon unscheduled stops or side trips.

Well, that explains it. I would be the 'tourist' traveler, wanting to take backroads and stop for interesting photo ops. You-know-who likes to stick to the freeway and get to the destination asap. Ugh! How boring!

I decided to skip ahead to Friday for today's Medley.  It IS a holiday weekend for us in the USA and lots of folks do take road trips on long weekends.  Let's see where we can go with this one!!

1.  Have you ever done a spur-of-the-moment road trip?  Where did it take you?

Yes! And it took us to the land of never-ending snow. It was the unexpected road trip in April of 2018 when we had flown to Arizona and had intended to make that a round-trip flight, when suddenly the airline notified us that there was a BLIZZARD in Minnesota and our flight was canceled. I think MSP got a good foot of snow and because that flight was canceled and other flights had to stay on schedule as much as possible, they couldn't fit us in anywhere. So Mr. C. spent hours (literally) on the phone, trying to talk to Customer Service and get something arranged. No luck. So we rented a car and drove back to Minnesota and Wisconsin, driving straight through (I didn't do the driving; I did the whining) And this was April 19). It was definitely a must-get-there-as-fast-as-possible trip.

 Somewhere in Yorkshire

2.  If time and money wasn't an issue, what roads would you choose to travel and how long would you be gone?

Taking time and money out of the picture, I would choose to travel all the little roads in England. I would be gone for a few years, but all of my family would have accompanied me, so maybe even five years! I mean, this is a fantasy, right? That would be mine. And every day at 5 PM I would make sure that I'm at one of the great cathedrals for Evensong service.

Deer, on our walk. They came out of the woods long enough to cross the road and get a drink of water.

3.  When you go on a long road trip, what snacks and beverages do you take?  Do you pack a picnic? Does the back seat turn into a nest?

We used to travel between Wisconsin and Lancaster County Pennsylvania a lot. I don't remember the beverages, but I took along a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and lots of ziploc bags full of carrots, peppers, olives, cheese. These days I would also take sparkling water. Although I didn't pack it as a picnic, we actually did eat it as a picnic in a few places - like on Highway 30 just outside the laundromat in Lancaster, PA., as well as in the van.

4.  Please tell us about something interesting or strange you have seen on the side of the road.

 This little rascal climbed out of the pen (under the bottom barbed wire) and was exploring the ditch when we returned from our walk last night. As you know, that barn is just across the road from our place.

 SHE did not approve!

 Even his pal wanted him back inside

Since our neighbor and his wife, who own these cattle, are in Mexico at the moment, Mr. C. decided that we could put this little guy back in the pen. "Just stand there and wave your arms." Oh good grief, I was immediately transported back to childhood where I was in a similar situation, calves or heifers getting out, and I was supposed to "just stand there and wave your arms." Sometimes I could do it and sometimes, if they came running at me, I'd beat it out of there! I told Mr. C., "I'm not very good at this."  But he coaxed him and I did manage to stay ahead of him until he came to the spot where he had crawled out. Then Mr. C. found some wire and rigged up a fifth strand of barbed wire. When our neighbor returns from Mexico, he will be surprised to see that fifth strand. And yes, there is another neighbor who checks on them daily. Right now they're on lovely pasture that has a creek running through it.

5.  Who does the driving when you head out in the car?  Do you stop in the rest areas along our Interstate highways when you have to use the facilities, or do you choose a fast-food restaurant or gas station instead?  Not TMI... inquiring minds want to know!

Mr. C. does the driving. Both of us are more relaxed that way. Wisconsin has pretty nice and clean rest stops, but we usually stop at Kwik Trip stations because it's just part of the upper Midwest life. LOL. Kwik Trip has almost anything anyone could want, onions, eggs, and coffee being three of the most important.

6.  Please share something with us about your week so far.

 This was actually last weekend. While Mr. C. and our son worked on carpenter-type stuff around the house, this grandson and I played SEVEN games. He's a smart little cookie, and so sweet. But I'll tell you, it's not easy to play seven games in a row with a four year old. This one is 'Busy Town.' And evidently it's perfect for a four year old, because he totally got into the excitement of the game. That was so much fun to see.

Spot it

Tic Tac Toe

Pass the Pig

Camper

Memory matching game

Counting Campers

Busy Town

I knew I should have bought 'Guess Who?'  That's a cute one too. 

Got any other ideas for cute games for kids that age? I've seen some really incredibly disgusting games, but the ones I listed are all good ones. I'd love to hear other suggestions.

c. 1927 F.A. Whitney baby carriage

 And after I brought it back indoors...

These two!

One of the things I'm eager to get done in prepping our house for the market is to rip out the horrid old carpet in the rooms upstairs and replace it with carpet or hardwood. But I'm not wanting to do either until Tommy and Smokey are in their new home. It would be so disruptive to these poor kitties, and it will be disruptive enough when the time comes for them to go to a new home. Elizabeth, three hours away from us, is interested in them and is scheduled to visit here the second weekend of June. Please pray about this. I know there are lots of big things to be praying about, but since there are no big or little things to God, I feel okay about asking. And we are called to be good stewards of His good creation.

THANK YOU for the Medley, Terri!

I will be closing both of my shops on June 1. They will remain closed for most of the summer, or perhaps longer. We've got so much to do around here to get our place ready to sell.

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Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

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