Road
trip! I still enjoy getting into the car, putting on my favorite music, and
driving someplace. Road trips for our family were impromptu adventures. We all
could be sitting around reading or watching television and he’d tell us all to
get in the car. There were the thirty minute rides to Coney Island for hot dogs
or shrimp boats or the longer treks from Brooklyn into Manhattan to visit
family friends.
I
remember the time we were all in pajamas and getting ready for bed when Dad
said to get dressed in fancy clothes we were going to a supper club in
Manhattan. He wanted to listen to the music.
In
the summer, we went to longer trips. The car’s glove box was filled with maps
and notes. Mom made sure we had maps. Dad, on the other hand was more adventurous—point
the car where you want to go and find your way. I think he did it to drive Mom
crazy. She’d get out the map and the ‘discussion’ would start. It usually wound
up with Mom stuffing the map back into the glove box and turning up the radio.
The
paper maps were Mom’s responsibility. On the longer road trips she’d share them
with my sister, brother and me to track our progress. We’d announce the
upcoming town, gas station and motel.
Mom
got tour books from AAA (American Automobile Association) that noted places of
interest and Trip Tik Travel Planners that outlined your route.
Those
were great trips. There is something about struggling with a paper map, pulling
off at a rest stop and spreading the map on the car hood to confirm (or find)
where you’re going. We’d get a snack, stretch our legs, and pile back into the
car sure of our next weigh station.
As
you can see, I loved the trips. To be honest, they weren’t all terrific. We
cursed outdated maps, restaurants we left because there was no way we would eat
in them and motels, well some Dad just drove by without stopping.
Today’s
road trips are different. With our son living in Boston (we live in New Jersey)
road trips are not unusual. Now we program our GPS (or Google Maps or Ways) and
take to the highway. Electronic maps come with their own pitfalls.
I’ve
learned to review the itinerary before we leave just in case the GPS loses its
signal. Yes, that’s happened to me. Sometime I get aggravated with the system
when the instructions are not clear and I’ve made a wrong turn. Extreme Maxine
keeps telling me she’s recalculating our route. Then there are times when the
route is wrong.
After
a delicious dinner at a remote restaurant, our daughter and son-in-law found
themselves in the Pennsylvania hills. It was after ten at night and they were
eager to get back to their hotel. Low on gas, they used their GPS to find a gas
station. They drove for quite a while with fuel the warning light flashing. They
finally pulled up to the address the GPS gave them. It was a private house. No
gas station in sight. Their GPS somehow directed them to the owner of the gas
station’s home. Thank goodness he had a can of gas in his garage.
Fun
fact… Did you know the Turin Papyrus is thought to be the oldest recorded road
map? Believed to be created in 1160 BC
What can you tell me about your road trips
