TRN Round Table: Vacations and Road Trips

The fine folks from all around the Network have come together to share stories of memorable vacations and road trips throughout the years. We’re combining them all into one long, omnibus-like post for you to enjoy. Kick your summer off right by reading these memories of trips from years gone by, and then add your own in the comments.

Kansas City Road Trip of 1983
By Gary Ekborg

My family didn’t take a lot of vacations when I was a kid. No spring break in Mexico and no visit to Disney World like other families. If we took a trip, it was to see family in the same state or a longer trip to see my older sister in Colorado.

There was one year when Dad surprised us and we took a trip to Kansas City over Labor Day weekend in 1983. Not just any trip though, he bought tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs vs Seattle Seahawks football game AND the Kansas City Royals vs Seattle Mariners baseball game!

I’ve been a Seahawks fan since childhood. I’m not really sure why. I grew up in Iowa and had never been to Seattle. The only reason I can think of is that my sister is a Denver Broncos fan, and at the tim,e the two teams were division rivals. I most likely picked a team to annoy my sister🤪

From our home in Iowa, the drive to Kansas City is about five hours. We drove down in my dad’s Ford Ranger, parents up front, kids in the bed. My dad lived in his truck throughout the summer when he was working on the railroad. The truck was set up with a topper, a pass-through window to the front, and a cushioned bed for us to lie on. It was a great way to travel.

My sister and I laid in the back with our boombox picking up radio stations along the way and trying to get truckers to honk.

The first full day in Kansas City, Saturday, we went to a water park called Oceans of Fun. Toward the end of the day, I was feeling sick, and after one ride, I threw up in a nearby bush. I spent the rest of the day wrapped in a towel, sipping 7Up.

We ate at the hotel bar and went to bed in preparation for the football game. My dad stayed up to watch TV, and I watched Alien with him on HBO. That may have fueled my horror movie obsession as a kid…

The next day, we arrived at Arrowhead Stadium earlier to get our seats and see the pre-game festivities. The cheerleaders were warming up in one end zone while the players practiced on the field. We found our seats, explored the stadium, and bought some food before the game started.

The game was good. Seattle trailed most of the game and came up short in the end, the Chiefs won the game. I was still sick, but had a great time.

Somehow, during the game, my dad found out the players gave autographs while getting on the team bus. After the game, we made our way to the buses, and I was able to get my Seahawks pennant signed by the players!

The next day we went to the Royals Stadium to see the baseball game. It was an exciting game, mostly for Seattle fans, exciting plays, and home runs. I don’t recall the final score, but Seattle won the game.

I have a lot of great memories from that weekend despite being sick most of the time. Which turned out to be pneumonia.

The trip to Kansas City was one of the best trips we took as a family. A trip my sister and I still talk about today. It was our first major water park, first NFL game, and first MLB game all packed into one long weekend.

California Dreamin’
by Brian Cave

I can only remember one real vacation trip with my family. In 1993, my family loaded into the car and headed out to the great redwood forests of Northern California. After a stop at Lassen Volcanic National Park to check out the stinking sulphuric pools and brightly colored ponds, we made it up to Eureka to drive through giant redwood trees and ogle Paul Bunyon statues. Coming from Reno, Nevada, I had never seen sights as beautiful on that summer trip.

The gorgeous views were compounded at the hotel, of all places. One day, when my parents wanted to check out the local thrift stores, my brother and I were left at the hotel to take advantage of the pool. A few other teens were already hanging out there, and my brother and I stuck to ourselves for a while. Somehow, as big a nervous mess as I was around girls, I started a conversation up with Mandy, the oldest and most attractive of the other swimmers. We chatted in the pool until I was all pruny.

Later that night, as our family watched Entertainment Tonight and Wheel of Fortune, I worked up the nerve to go to her hotel room and knock on the door. Our conversation went on quite a bit longer as we sat in the hallway, and I felt myself crushing harder on her the more we talked. I got her address and became pen pals with her for months, so it was worth it when I got in trouble for ditching the family for a few hours on our last vacation day.

Birthday Flight
by Karen Flieger

One year for my birthday, I took a flight to Midway and my aunt and cousins picked me up and we went to my grandparents’ house in Wisconsin. I’ve only been on a plane a few times in my life and this was one of those rare occasions. It was also the first time I’d ever traveled with people under the age of seven years old.

Lake Placid
by Kevin Decent

My family hated driving. Maybe it’s a generational thing. I’ll talk to my friends about making what we think of as quick weekend trips that our parents would never have done. Sometimes I’m bored and I’ll drive an hour to the closest big mall just to do something with my day. When I was a child (which, to be fair, was an hour and a half) that same trip was done once a year at Christmas time. Maybe twice for back to school. We didn’t pop over to New England during a holiday break. To get away from it all, we rented a cottage that was 30 minutes away from home, which is now one way of my daily commute. 

However, there was one place that my mom would drive to and make an all-day trip that I vividly and lovingly remember to this day. Every Autumn, when the changing leaves were at their peak, we would drive up to Lake Placid. Yes, the place “where do you believe in miracles” happened. 

This was a two and a half hour drive through the Adirondacks. Twisting winding rural roads with explosions of red, yellow, orange, still some green, and even purple. I’ve been on some boring drives in my day (looking at you Wyoming), but that drive to Lake Placid could have been twice as long, and my eyes would still be wide open with wonder the entire time. Of all the turns along the way, the best one is at the end. Trees as far as the eye can see with no end in sight. Then , one more turn in the road and the land opens up to the namesake lake and accompanying town. I may have been just a child, but I thought, imagine coming home every night to this view. 

Thankfully, I was a child and enjoyed all that there was to do. Many of the Olympic facilities were still there and used for training. There were so many places along the main row of shops to sit on benches and let the calm of the lake wash any anxiety away. I recall a conveniently located ice cream stand right next to one. Somehow, two scoops made that bench feel even more relaxing. 

My absolute favorite part of any trip though, was an independent bookstore right on that main road. This is over 35 years ago now but I remember that store having a bit of everything. I think my brother and I were limited to one book each, and that choice brought back all the anxiety that chocolate ripple and lake waves pulled away. The book has to be just as special as this trip. I finally felt satisfied with a Hardy Boys book featuring a comic book-themed case. This was definitely the best choice because the anticipation couldn’t wait and I read the book on the way home via the headlights of cars behind us. There aren’t any headlights behind me now, but there is a bookshelf that holds that same book. 

As a parent, I constantly wonder if I’m doing right by my son. I hope that my mom saw how much fun I had on that trip, and it was worth the long drive. 

‘80s Road Trip
by Wyatt Bloom

Camping in our pop-up camper was our vacation.  Many trips were made in a 1978 Dodge truck and the orange “schwoosh” Starcraft camper.  Niagara Falls, Lapeer MI, Hershey PA, and the most memorable one is probably going to Virginia Beach, VA.  The drive was not too uncommon as my sister and I were carried along in the truck bed (truck cap in place).  Nestled amongst the luggage, some firewood, dad’s tools, and a few toys and booklet puzzles to keep us remotely occupied, we traveled from Central PA to Virginia Beach, VA for our week-long vacation.

What I remember most is that we went to King’s Dominion theme park, and while it had thrill roller coasters, there was this canted tunnel in which the tubular walls rotated counter-clockwise.  While my dad confidently walked straight through, the rest of us had our out-of-whack equilibrium, making us question every step.  Another memory is that there was a rainstorm that occurred and it was the first time I heard rain on the rooftop of this camper.  A “ping” sound is as close as I can describe as the rain pelted the hard roof while we rested under the hard canvas slide-outs.

Finally, the beach!  Visiting the beach was a tremendous and captivating experience for me, as the closest to a beach was a lakeside beach crafted along a dam in Central PA.  Seeing the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean with the ripples of waves was nearly hypnotic.  Digging, building castles, and playing in the shallow waters were all placed into my memories of a memorable vacation.

Mean Gene’s Burgers
by Hoju Koolander

My road trip experiences growing up were like the film Groundhog Day. Every time we took a family vacation, it was the same multi-day drive from Southern California to Northern Utah to visit my paternal grandparents. One trip, repeated for 18 years straight. But in 1999, the deja vu family road trip featured an unexpected pit stop that I’ll never forget.

After many overly familiar hours on the road, a sign appeared that had never been part of the journey before. It featured a bright yellow logo reading “Mean Gene’s Burgers” and was dominated by the familiar smiling face of my favorite wrestling icon, Mean Gene Okerlund! I exclaimed excitedly that we had to stop in for lunch, and my Dad obliged. Arriving inside the small fast food restaurant that was attached to a gas station, I was amazed to see Mean Gene photos all over the place, clad in his signature tuxedo. He was on the napkins, the tray liner, the menu, and promo posters, I was in heaven!

We ordered our burgers, and while we were eating, one of the patrons asked my Dad ( a balding, middle-aged man who always wore a business suit and tie, even on vacation), “Are you Mean Gene?”. We all had a laugh, and as we prepared to leave, I purchased an official Mean Gene’s Burgers t-shirt, which featured the slogan, “THE BURGER THAT SAYS BITE ME!” To this day, I have saved every item from that visit, even the receipt. It was the most magical moment of my childhood road trips, and I still cherish that once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Thanks for joining us for this Round Table looking back at vacations and road trips. And don’t forget to leave your own short story in the comments below!