The Car Trip

The wagon, the OldsmoBuick, the family van; all icons of American travel. How many great memories do we have of hours spent traveling down the interstate Griswold style? How many arguments about being on someone else's side of the seat? Close your eyes and think about the games you played in the car. Think about the great times you had with your family; AFTER the car trip of course.

Justin and I were talking about how your life supposedly ends after you get married and have kids. I of course would never propose that may life ended when I got married. Emilee and I have been on several trips and even managed to pull off the Alaska trip. But everything is supposed to stop when you have kids. Maybe Emilee and I can't travel by ourselves the way we have. Maybe we have to worry about our budget more than before. But maybe, just maybe we can figure out how to incorporate our love for trips into our family lifestyle.

I can remember our old silver Caprice Classic station wagon. I am sure that thing smelled something fierce by the time me, Mom, Kelly, and the Williams hit Orlando. But it was AWESOME. The back seats folded down and everyone had room to lay out in their sleeping bags. We played license plate bingo and other games designed to keep the trapped adolescents out of trouble. We loved driving the Mom's crazy asking "Are we there yet?" every fifteen minutes. And we loved stopping at the GA/FLA line to get a Coke at the rest stop.

I remember Ralph almost killing five of us, including Mom, when he decided that he could pass a tractor against heavy incoming traffic. His plan was to use to the accelerate button on the cruise control. But Mom stayed calm and got us all safely to spring break. We had a blast and by mid-week everyone was out of money. But Mom, demonstrating a woman's foresight, had collected $100 from everybody on the trip for "groceries". Everyone was singing the blues and mom whips out $100 for everyone. She saved the trip! I hope I am able to be a hero like that to my kids and their friends.

Some of you have seen the picture of the best fishing trip I have ever been on. My Dad took me, Mike Wilkins, his dad, and my grand dad out deep sea fishing. We were so worn out when we got back to the docks in Destin, but the day had been amazing. We caught over 500 lbs of amberjack and snapper and even got our picture in the paper. I look at the picture of the catch board after the trip on a regular basis and can still taste the salt in the air.

There are all kinds of things I fondly remember. Even trips Kelly was on! We had a great time as a family most of the time. Whether it was fishing in the Indian River, playing the billboard game, going to the Seafood Factory, or simply going on the Sunday drive that seemed to last for 3 weeks when you were 10 years old; we had a lot of good times as a family. We did not always get along, but we always came out better for our experiences.

We may have one kid or several, but I hope to share the same experiences with my kid/kids. I want them to know what it is like to be trapped in the car for an indeterminate length of time. I want them to know how to go 600 miles on 2 tanks of gas and one pit stop! Unfortunately with Emilee that will never happen. She ALWAYS has to pee!

I am listing out some things I want to experience with my children. If you see I have missed anything please feel free to suggest it in the comments.

Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Alaska, the beach, Disney, camping, fishing, Six Flags,
Wally World, the great lakes, the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf, Maine, The Lost Sea,
Ruby Falls, Asheville, The Smokies, The Rockies, etc.....


Stay Safe,

Rob


P.S. Thanks Mom and Dad.