Wednesday Q&A: Road Trips

I found out long ago...
It's a long way down the holiday road

Okay, before we get started here, I have to admit I just love the fact that Mamarazzi and Queso sponsor these weekly Q&As. For one thing, it makes for an easy, not-a-lot-of-effort-needed post and that's a good thing when you work full time and still want to blog somewhat regularly. Also, these questions usually bring enjoyable memories to mind again and give me the chance to write them down for my kids. So, thanks!

This week's Q&A focuses on road trips. John and I love, love, love them. Ren? Not so much anymore. And, well, we haven't been on many with John-Heath yet, but considering how he is stimulated by EVERYTHING, he would probably love them, too.

{1} What are 3 must haves for a long road trip?

It’s been a few years since we went on our last true road trip so I’ll give you my past list of “must haves” and, what I’m sure would be my new list.

PAST
Snacks
Magazines and music
Toilet paper

PROBABLE LIST SHOULD WE GO ON ANOTHER ROAD TRIP IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
iPods and headphones for both children.
magazines
earplugs for me
(so that I might enjoy reading above-mentioned magazines in peace and
quiet should my children get bored with their iPods and resort to their next favorite pastime while riding in the car - arguing with each other.)

There would probably be no need to invest in snacks and toilet paper, considering we all would probably need frequent mini-breaks from the enclosed space of a car and John-Heath’s favorite hobby, it seems, is checking out the bathroom of every business we have ever entered.

{2} What was the destination of your most recent road trip?

We headed out west a few years ago and just drove until we ran out of time and needed to head back home. After stopping at different places along the way for a day here and there, we made it as far as Dodge City, Kansas.

{3} What do you miss most about home when on a trip?

Clothes that don’t come from a suitcase and family, of course. You might not think I’d be this way, but I tend to get homesick for my mom, dad, and sister’s family (even at my age) if we are gone for more than a few days.

{4} What is the furthest you have traveled on a road trip?

Several summers ago, the one just before Ren entered fourth grade, we went on what we affectionately refer to as our “New England Blitz.” We went as far as Kennebunkport, Maine, staying in a different place every night.

It was an awesome trip! We visited some great places and saw some wonderful things...Boston (greaaat town), the Liberty Bell (Philly is another must-see), Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, MA (every child should take a field trip there!), Mystic Pizza (didn’t much care for the house special, but got a t-shirt just like Julia Roberts wore in the movie), and locating and talking our way into the ultra private community of Fenwick, Connecticut to see Katharine Hepburn’s home (John and Ren are big fans and she had passed away just weeks before), and sooo much more. I have wanted to go back from the moment we left.

There were only three things I disliked about that trip...

One, the motel we stayed at during our night in Bennington, Vermont.

Ren: (as we pulled into the parking lot well past midnight) Momma, what is this place?
Me: It’s called a motel.
Ren: You mean it’s not even a real hotel?
Ren: (days later back at home talking to my parents about our trip) ...and we stayed in a MOtel.

Two, all the freakin’ huge mosquitoes in Maine. They were like something straight out of a 1950s Sci-fi movie.

And finally, all the bridges and tunnels we went over and through. NOT a fan of bridges and tunnels. Not a fan, at all!

{5} Will you "stop for the largest ball of twine, etc" or are you a "hurry and get there" road tripper?

Ohhh, yeahhh. We could be related to Clark Grizwold, so we’ve seen our share of twine, wax figures, reptiles, meteorites, and deep, hand-dug wells, at least during the going part of trips. Once we head back home we kinda get in the “hurry up and get there” mode.

What about you? Are you a fan of road trips?

P.S. Before anyone out there gets all up in arms about the motel reference, let me clarify. I have stayed in many a motel in my life. There are some wonderful little ones that are quite near and dear to my heart. However, the one mentioned above was not one run by a local mom & pop. Instead, it was rather dilapidated, looked as if it could be the place of business for ladies practicing the world's oldest profession, smelled, and was poorly furnished. In fact, I spent what was left of my entire night hanging on to the mattress for dear life in an effort to keep from falling out of the lop-sided bed onto the nasty floor. Bennington (at that time) was a one horse town when it came to chain hotels, and on that night that horse happened to be full!