Family road trips, what are some of your best or worst memories whle traveling across the country with your family?

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:13:39 -0400

As my family and I prepare for a short 13 hour road trip from Michigan to VA, I recall the countless memories of traveling with my parents on vacation across the U.S. and Europe. What are some of your memories, good or bad while traveling via road trip?

Response by SSG Ed Mikus made Jul 29 at 2015 9:14 PM

SSG Ed Mikus — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:14:49 -0400

oh my!

It was a PCS move with a very sick 7 month old child, (she should have been in the hospital) but we needed to move to a place with more up-to-date doctors. Tricare would not pay to transport her, the Army could not find a way to help, so we drove from Ft Riley to Ft Meade. along the way we hit a blizzard about an hour before our planned stop which was picked based on the proximity of a children's hospital that could handle my daughters unique condition. it all worked out at first, we found a cheap hotel that would let us in with a dog, ate dinner and bedded down, then it all happened, not sure exactly what it was but we had to call 911 for the baby, they took her to one hospital, then another where they kept her for a week. they could not treat her or help her, they spent most of the week fighting with Tricare and the nearby Air Force base to get medical transport for her without success. During that time my wife and I took turns sitting with the baby and sleeping in the Ronald McDonald house and the local VFW cared for our dog. So they finally released us to drive the rest of the way. We arrived at our destination around 9 pm 2 days later and again had to find emergency aid, this time we drove her to the hospital we picked out, and was the reason we asked to move. Things went much better after that!

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 9:15 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:15:49 -0400

My dad has worked for Winnebago for over forty years, every now and again he would get to use a motorhome for summer vacations. Best one ever was a road trip to New Orleans.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Jul 29 at 2015 9:16 PM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:16:31 -0400

Traveling the state of Florida in a Ford Pinto on summer vacation

Response by Sgt Ken Prescott made Jul 29 at 2015 9:18 PM

Sgt Ken Prescott — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:18:49 -0400

1999 summer vacation.

Got a flat tire in Bishop. Six hour delay.

Got to Lake Tahoe. Went to wrong end of lake.

Spent the last week of vacation with a horrible cold.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jul 29 at 2015 9:18 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:18:51 -0400

The summer trips to New Hampshire in the back of the station wagon, no seatbelts, no cares... My how times have changed!

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Jul 29 at 2015 9:24 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:24:18 -0400

Wife and I just did a trip down to Disneyworld from VA (about 14 hours). Car's AC is out at the moment. It was a sweaty run, but fun.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Jul 29 at 2015 9:25 PM

LTC Kevin B. — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:25:25 -0400

Best: Don't have any.
Worst: While in the 3rd grade, I went on a road trip from Louisiana to Nevada (3 days each way) with my mom and stepdad. Both were heavy smokers and they drove the entire way chain smoking with the windows rolled up. I was basically choking to death in the back seat the entire time. Whenever I'd ask them to roll down the windows so that I could breathe, they'd turn on the a/c and say "There, now you'll have some fresh air." It was brutal.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 9:28 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:28:57 -0400

Traveling from Augsburg, Germany to Venice, Italy, in a two-door Opel with my father, mother and 5 siblings. It didn't matter that we were packed like sardines, the countryside was beautiful. :) Happy Memories!

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jul 29 at 2015 9:33 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:33:44 -0400

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member The Good, the Bad and the Ugly camping trip. Taking my family camping in the Blue Ridge Area of the Appalachian Mountains for the first time. I had done enough "camping" in the Army to last a lifetime. Then I remembered how my parents had taken our family camping in Maine, Green Mountains in New Hampshire, Adirondacks and Lake George in New York and the Great Smokey Mountains.
It was October about 14 years ago and we loaded up a tent and got to a camping site about dusk. I was the only one with "camping" experience so I set up the tent in the dark with the "help" of two of my sons. We were on a slope and sleeping in sleeping bags on foam mattresses. That night there was a tremendous thunderstorm with driving rain, the youngest son got between me and my wife who was down slope from me. Fear and loathing in the mountains of Virginia. [the Bad] Everybody was somewhat disgruntled because they were wet, cold and hungry. We started the camp stove and heated up a rudimentary breakfast. After we warmed up a bit we began exploring. The whitetail deer seem to know where they mingle freely with people without being shot by a gun or hit by arrows. My youngest son picked up an apple with stretched his arm out as far as it good go while a buck stretched its neck as far at it could toward the apple. I took a wonderful picture of my son, the apple and the buck just as the buck took it in its mouth [the Good] - unfortunately I don't have it scanned in. A moment later the buck promptly threw up the apple because it probably had eaten too many already [the Ugly].
LTC Stephen C., SPC Private RallyPoint Member, SGT Forrest Stewart, PO3 Steven Sherrill, CW5 Private RallyPoint Member

Response by SFC Christopher Perry made Jul 29 at 2015 9:51 PM

SFC Christopher Perry — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 21:51:43 -0400

My mother had a number of old VW vans when I was young. We took one of these vans on a road trip from Colorado to California via some interesting side trips. Occupants included my mother, one aunt my brother and I. At some point the van began refusing to start. My brother and I were quite young at this point and of very little help in the situation. The adults were obviously braving this trip on a very tight budget because they never did fix the van. We spent the entire trip parking the van outward and downward whenever possible, so that it would be easier to push start the beast. We had some interesting folks help out along the way.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 11:22 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:22:49 -0400

What vacations? Blue collar living...fortunately, times have changed thanks to good parents and hard work!

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 30 at 2015 12:32 AM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 00:32:39 -0400

While driving to Munich from Kaiserslautern, there is a lot of road construction, it makes a 6 hour drive into an 8 hour drive. Half way there, my oldest got motion sickness and hurled all over herself and her seat. Then shortly afterward the youngest started choking on a gummy bear. All of this happened in heavy traffic. It was pretty scary.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Jul 30 at 2015 7:20 AM

Sgt Kelli Mays — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 07:20:46 -0400

Do Cruises count? lol Never liked driving long distances so I fly myself and my kids everywhere we went....now my dad on the other hand would take a whole months leave in the summer...pack us up and drive to four or five states and teach us everything there was to know about each state, then play a game in the car while on the road to remember everything we learned.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 30 at 2015 8:05 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 08:05:56 -0400

Last summer, I traveled with my family from Fort Campbell to Indiana, then to Texas, back to Kentucky, then to West Virginia and back to Kentucky. It was a great summer and I enjoy the travelling, but as the one who is always designated to drive, I never really get to enjoy the sights. But I did get to enjoy some quality time with my family.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Jul 30 at 2015 9:52 AM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 09:52:40 -0400

My wife absolutely refuses to go camping, and I cannot say I blame her. She went with her ex husband, and he set up their tent on low ground with a hill to one side. Rain came in from the other side, hit the tent (which did not have the rainfly set up on because it was nice when they had arrived), and forced them out into the rain to put up the fly. Then they got flooded when everything ran down hill. They wound up with half an inch of water in the tent. She has one of those memories where if it is a bad experience, it is not to be repeated.
This brings me to my story. When I was young, my dad and my aunt took me on a camping trip in South Dakota. I had been warned about Rattle Snakes, and told to stay close to the campsite. We were also trout fishing on a stream near the campsite. It was toward the end of summer, and so the nights were cool, but the days were still warm. The good, I got to go out on a camping trip with my dad and my aunt for a couple of days enjoying nature. The bad, the stream that we were fishing in had a mud flat adjacent to it. I sank in the mud up to my knee, and almost lost a shoe. I was small then having not hit my growth spurt, and so I had a hard time getting the baited hook from the mud flat into the water. I didn't really catch much. We did manage catch one large trout, and one small trout, so we cooked it over the camp fire, and had a nice supper (didn't even have to opening the hotdogs). The Ugly, after supper, we roasted marshmallows on the campfire. I ate way to many, and went to bed with a belly full of fish and marshmallow. Yep, I vomited. I was in the tent, in a mummy sleeping bag zipped all the way up, and had no escape. It was all over my face.

The funny thing is, it did not make me like camping any less. I went on many boy scout campouts on Kwajalein after that time, and now have taken it up again combined with hiking. My son and I took a trip last September for a week of primitive camping. We hiked in five gallons of water each as there was no access to water, or facilities of any kind. That was a beautiful trip. We built a fire without matches, slept under the stars, recharged the batteries, while not having access to technology. Now I am trying to get my daughter interested, but she is a seventeen year old girl who I don't think could survive the procedure necessary to remove her from her phone.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jul 30 at 2015 10:36 AM

COL Charles Williams — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:36:09 -0400

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member Great question. We have had so many great trips, and as you know as a parent, and as a military person (planning, PCIs, schedule, order) sometimes that does not always happen - hardly ever.

We have traveled all over Europe, to MidEast, North Africa, but the best places - trips - we have ever ever had, as a family, where to National Parks here in the USA. Springbreak, 1998, rather than Wallyworld, we went on 4000 mile round trip, road trip from Leavenworth, KS, to Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellow Stone, and several others. The kids did not want to go... but, I believe this want there most fun vacation ever. My daughter is planning a similar 3 week trip this fall... I am jealous.

Once, in the Czech Republic... I got a boot on my truck outside of the Hotel, where the front desk told me to park... and when I went to the Police Station to see what to do... They said I had to pay the fine.. I asked how much... they asked "how much do you have..."

Response by PO1 Ken Johnson made Jul 30 at 2015 12:49 PM

PO1 Ken Johnson — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 12:49:48 -0400

Once they were old enough, I would take a spreadsheet and put items to look for...
Blond in a Corvette, "First" Baptist Church, Orange 18 Wheeler, and then I would put some items like Something Military, Something Royal, and have the kids try to find it. Listening to them make something "ROYAL" had some interesting twists.... a sign that had a toilet had to be given to my son by the judges (wife and I) because Pops said he was sitting on the throne and that is ROYAL...

Response by Maj Kim Patterson made Jul 30 at 2015 2:03 PM

Maj Kim Patterson — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 14:03:54 -0400

I found it was a great way to connect each summer by going on a long road trip with my kids. They'd take turns riding shotgun and talking about what was on their minds. It's pretty hard to walk away when the vehicle is moving 80, ummm 75, unless there is a silo and a cow. These are sure signs there is a cop writing tickets all day long for an abrupt change to 35 in his one mile jurisdiction. They have grown up to be amazing packers, fearless travelers and adventurers. We've seen places we meant to see and places that were unplanned side trips because a) I got lost or b) I got lost on purpose to investigate a pop up attraction. One of these was the Hersey Factory in Hersey Pennsylvania. As a child, when my father retired, my mother had always longed to see something; anything other than our house and backyard. Dad bought a trailer, planned a trip with 4 kids between the ages of 6 and 10, threw us in the car and hit just about every thing there was to see in 48 states. (As an aside, my dad's hand could reach no matter which spot you picked to sit in) Cub Scout camping because I am a good mom... On the Mongillon Rim. Got the tent set up, then the monsoons hit. Let your imagination take it from there. I don't own a tent anymore.

Response by SGT Jeremiah B. made Jul 30 at 2015 2:10 PM

SGT Jeremiah B. — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 14:10:02 -0400

We didn't do too many road trips growing up, but at one point, we lived in the DC area and would drive to Florida to visit family. I remember staying up till midnight and sleeping in the back of the family station wagon most of the way.

I also have a distinct memory of being mad because we were going to miss the series finale of 'V' because we were moving back and dad had to pack the TV. Oh the tribulations of 8 year olds.

Response by PO1 Shahida Marmol made Jul 30 at 2015 4:04 PM

PO1 Shahida Marmol — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 16:04:06 -0400

I only traveled across country once. From VA to KY. for some reason we didn't fill up before we left the VA state line (we're coming from Williamsburg) and we were running low on gas 50 miles to empty in WV. It seemed as if all the gas stations were closed. I start getting nervous because it's around 1 am and I've watch tons of horror movies in my lifetime to know you don't want to get stuck by the woods in WV lol. Our GPS takes us to a gas station that doesn't exist anymore. So now I'm almost crying because I have my two kids in the car and a very active imagination. We happen to come across an old house we're people were still up because we could see the shadows. So my ex and I got out the truck, leaving our kids with my mother in law. I was so scared, but we knocked on their door of their little shack looking house. They told us where we could get gas, and they didn't kill us =) now I never go less than half a tank during long trips lol

Response by MAJ Ron Peery made Jul 30 at 2015 5:12 PM

MAJ Ron Peery — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:12:29 -0400

All of them! We started doing road trips in 1967, when we went back to NJ to visit old friends and see where we used to live. After seeing NJ again for the first time in 6 years, I was happy we had moved to Oklahoma. Starting in 1968 we started "trailering" with a trip to the southwest.....Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, seeing all the great scenery and archaeological parks. In 1969, we went to South Fork, Colorado and liked it so much we returned every year for several weeks, trout fishing, camping and hiking. 1976 was my last family trip, and I missed them. But mom and dad kept traveling around the country until 2000, when they settled down in Texas. I've done a lot of traveling on my own and with friends, and my share of deployments, but those family vacations are still the best memories.

Response by CDR Laurel Meadows made Aug 2 at 2015 12:20 PM

CDR Laurel Meadows — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 12:20:21 -0400

While PCS'ing from Virginia Beach to Huntington Beach in 1984, our household goods packed and gone, school out so no time constraints, I drove 6000 miles one way across country. We went from The Washington Monument to Monticello to meeting Jimmy Carter at a Renascence Fair to Ronald Reagan's boyhood home and beyond. It was a great trip for myself and my two sons while the hubby sat in school in Great Lakes!!

Response by SSG Paul Setterholm made Dec 14 at 2015 7:02 PM

SSG Paul Setterholm — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 19:02:35 -0500

In New York City, my dad had to go inside a business and left me in the truck. A hooker came up to me. All she was wearing was a silk blouse and high heels. I was 12. My dad still tells that story to everyone to this day. You can imagine the scene.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2015 10:59 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 10:59:13 -0500

my brother throwing up on my pillow ten minutes on a multiday drive across the US from Kansas to Washington. We lost our cat, my sister got tonsillitis, and we ended up in an old western town in Kansas with one town doctor. Good times