For me, there are a few contestants for that spot. I enjoyed hitchhiking around the country at the age of sixteen. That was an experience that I have always remembered and valued, but it wasn't altogether enjoyable or comfortable. There were times when it was lonely and sad. My wife and I went on a Caribbean cruise several years ago and, while this is not something that I thought I would enjoy, it was a lot of fun. But probably the trip that I enjoyed the most was with my son one summer, when I took eleven weeks of vacation and and couple of weeks worth of holidays off to drive from Southern California to Michigan and back, so that he could see where I grew up. He was, I think, about twelve at the time. I was working for Champion Paper Company, and at the top of my earning years, so there were no monetery concerns. I was driving my first new car, actually a Nissan pickup truck, and we had all the time in the world. We took a couple of weeks just driving from California to Michigan, stopping wherever there was something to see or to do. One day, we only drove about thirty miles before stopping for the night. Most nights, we camped out in a tent but some nights, we got a motel room. We spent a month or more at my dad's house. To my surprise, I found that a couple of the shacks that we had built in the woods, when I was my son's age, were still standing, including the floor and three walls of one that we had built on stilts, as it was in an area that flooded in the spring. We went back a different way, since guys like to avoid going back the same way they had come, and took our time on the way back as well, spending some time in Yellowstone National Park, and still got back with nearly two weeks to go before I had to report back for work, so there was time to do some things around home, as well. What were your favorite vacations or trips?
One of the best working vacation I went on was when I went to the Big Island in 2006 from the college I was going and graduating from our, club had a chance to go free to the Big Island visiting the sister campus of the University of Hawaii among other things like the University's new projects and all we had to do was pay for our own meals, so I went with our club as one last holding on to youth and learning all mixed up vacation and it was swell! Times were better and we were younger...Mom was still healthy then too..those were the days!
When my husband realized his cancer was probably going to be fatal we took a seven week long vacation so he could see some of his friends one more time. It may sound sad but it was far from that. we took our time and traveled to all the places we had been in 43 years together. We saw alot of the people we had been close to, stopped at all the tourist traps. It was a good time and with it came peace.
That is a hard one, because I have taken a number of trips that were both interesting and awesome in many ways. I really think the best trip was when my hubby and I drove and camped across the US..and visited Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands. The scenery was so interesting and different..and I loved being able to view it all. I think I am gonna have to add a return trip to Yellowstone on my bucket list. We didn;t get to spend much time there, and I could have spent days exploring it. I would take that trip again in a heartbeat.
My most favorite trip was like a caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly. It was my first of many adventures of discovering myself. Being a single mother I volunteered as a Parent Advocate in the Headstart Program in our region. I was selected as one of the Center's representatives to attend a conference held in Kansas City, Missouri. It was AWESOME!!! A lot of firsts for me then (1) leaving the city (2) trusting someone else with my boys (3) my first airplane flight (4) a few nights in a beautiful hotel (5) all expenses paid and spending money. I can go on and on but the one thing that I remember the most was me shedding some of my shyness and hearing myself saying things that people actually listened to. I had a voice as a parent that contributed to the mission of the program.
@Patsy Faye Thank you. Indeed it was. I learned so much about myself in the workshops that were held.
It's hard to choose, but I really loved visiting Orchard House, the home of Louisa May Alcott. I'm a big Little Women fan, so it had always been a dream of mine to visit. This historic house in Concord, MA is so charming and full of personality. They have kept the majority of it as it was when she and her family lived there, to the best of their knowledge. You can see the desk where Louisa penned Little Women, and the room that she would have spent much of her childhood in. As I remember, the schoolhouse that her father taught at was also adjacent and open to visitors. Orchard House is also very close to many other literary haunts, such as Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne, in Salem. It has been about 15 years since I went, and I would go back in a heartbeat.
I may have mentioned this in a previous post, @ Diana Kristof but when I was on that same Yellowstone trip we went past the turnoff for DeSmeth Sp? South Dakota the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I really wanted to go since I was a major fan of the Little House books and the TV series as well. However, we really didn't have time to make the long trip from the highway. Next time I get out that way again, (hopefully not the 12th of Never), I will go. So many neat things to see and do in South Dakota, and beyond.
Chris that is a beautiful journey. I am sorry about your husband's illness. But what a sweet way to share some memories and look back on your wonderful years together.
@Ken Anderson Most memorable, probably the first time I got into an airplane, New Years, 1965, flew from Chicago to Vegas with my new wife of 5 months. She: seasoned flyer at 18, me: scared S.L. that first time! Best, probably trip driven out west when I first-time saw the beautiful natural geography found in Utah. Most memorable: now Capitol Reef National Park, then "Monument". Magnificent colored sandstone formations and cliffs towering over the Fremont River! Pristine, unspoiled, beautiful! Frank
In 2009 the wife and I flew from Omaha, Ne. to Nashville ( we didn't live there yet ) grabbed the sons ( who were living there...) rented a car and drove to Charlotte, N.C. for a Billy Joel and Elton John concert. Had a great time catching up on drive there. Drove back to Nashville and hung out with them for another week. They still bring it up as one of their favorites. Of course the time we took them to Disney World is the all-time vacation they remember. Me too!
@Diana Kristof I saw the House of the Seven Gables in Salem. I think we did not actually get to tour it though, because it was Winter or early Spring and they were closing early. However, I did get a chance to see the Salem Witch Museum. I have actually seen that twice, because they seem to open later than surrounding attractions. I guess the Louisa May Alcott place wouldn't have been far away.