Comments on: Traveling Long Distance With Kids http://www.whatsgottago.com/2007/05/10/traveling-long-distance-with-kids/ Sweat the Small Stuff: Ranting about the little peeves in life Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:50:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: HeleneP http://www.whatsgottago.com/2007/05/10/traveling-long-distance-with-kids/#comment-2869 HeleneP Sat, 19 May 2007 16:34:53 +0000 http://www.whatsgottago.com/2007/05/10/traveling-long-distance-with-kids/#comment-2869 Boy, does this bring back the memories!! 4 squabbling sibs, a dad who liked the scenic route, and a constantly losing battle with carsickness.....I have absolutely NO yearning for long car vacations and refuse to take my kids along for "wow, look at that beautiful Victorian house" type jaunts! We never pack the car without the Game Boys, extra batteries, the laptop, DVDs, etc etc etc...even if we are only headed to the relatives' less than 2 hours away. But I also remember a bit fondly (because it was where I was the least nauseous) sleeping across the "ledge" along the back seat window. Can't even think about that these days! My best memory of a car trip, though, was not a vacation but a move. We were driving from Leavenworth KS to just outside of Vancouver BC back in the summer of '79, and we had 2 cars to get from point A to Point B: a brand new "boat" with power everything and AC (driven by dad because it was too big for mom's comfort zone) and the old AMC Hornet wagon that overheated whenever it had to climb any sort of incline. Yep, we all fought over who "got" to drive with mom. I recall being in the front seat of the "boat" in cool comfort, the lead car in our little 2-vehicle caravan somewhere in the US midwest. Up ahead a huge snapping turtle was crossing the highway and I said "look out!" Dad was able to swerve and miss the turtle, but as we were congratulating him and saying "that was close!" we turned around just in time to witness the Hornet rolling right over the poor old turtle........the crunch stayed in my head for a looooooong time!! (so did the turtle guts in the tire treads....) Boy, does this bring back the memories!! 4 squabbling sibs, a dad who liked the scenic route, and a constantly losing battle with carsickness…..I have absolutely NO yearning for long car vacations and refuse to take my kids along for “wow, look at that beautiful Victorian house” type jaunts! We never pack the car without the Game Boys, extra batteries, the laptop, DVDs, etc etc etc…even if we are only headed to the relatives’ less than 2 hours away.

But I also remember a bit fondly (because it was where I was the least nauseous) sleeping across the “ledge” along the back seat window. Can’t even think about that these days!

My best memory of a car trip, though, was not a vacation but a move. We were driving from Leavenworth KS to just outside of Vancouver BC back in the summer of ‘79, and we had 2 cars to get from point A to Point B: a brand new “boat” with power everything and AC (driven by dad because it was too big for mom’s comfort zone) and the old AMC Hornet wagon that overheated whenever it had to climb any sort of incline. Yep, we all fought over who “got” to drive with mom. I recall being in the front seat of the “boat” in cool comfort, the lead car in our little 2-vehicle caravan somewhere in the US midwest. Up ahead a huge snapping turtle was crossing the highway and I said “look out!” Dad was able to swerve and miss the turtle, but as we were congratulating him and saying “that was close!” we turned around just in time to witness the Hornet rolling right over the poor old turtle……..the crunch stayed in my head for a looooooong time!! (so did the turtle guts in the tire treads….)

]]> By: Barbie http://www.whatsgottago.com/2007/05/10/traveling-long-distance-with-kids/#comment-2819 Barbie Fri, 18 May 2007 20:13:30 +0000 http://www.whatsgottago.com/2007/05/10/traveling-long-distance-with-kids/#comment-2819 Oh how I remember long distance car drives with my family. I am the youngest of six children, so, just like you Jayce, I always ended up in the most uncomfortable place in the car. One year that I remember well, we had an old station wagon with an extra rear facing seat. My oldest sister opted to sit back there with me on this particular trip, because she was annoyed with one of our brothers. I guess discomfort in traveling was a sweeter deal to her then sitting next to a brother that wanted nothing more to do then taunt her. Half way through the trip, she looked a little pale and started complaining about sitting in the back with me. She knew then why I always voiced my displeasure in being made to sit backwards in a moving car. Within minutes, as she unloaded her lunch all over my lap, I then knew why I had become protective of my uncomfortable, but strangely desired seat. In a family of eight, it was one place where I could be alone and not have to put up with everyone's "verbal upchuck," that often ended up in my "lap." Oh how I remember long distance car drives with my family. I am the youngest of six children, so, just like you Jayce, I always ended up in the most uncomfortable place in the car. One year that I remember well, we had an old station wagon with an extra rear facing seat. My oldest sister opted to sit back there with me on this particular trip, because she was annoyed with one of our brothers. I guess discomfort in traveling was a sweeter deal to her then sitting next to a brother that wanted nothing more to do then taunt her. Half way through the trip, she looked a little pale and started complaining about sitting in the back with me. She knew then why I always voiced my displeasure in being made to sit backwards in a moving car. Within minutes, as she unloaded her lunch all over my lap, I then knew why I had become protective of my uncomfortable, but strangely desired seat. In a family of eight, it was one place where I could be alone and not have to put up with everyone’s “verbal upchuck,” that often ended up in my “lap.”

]]> By: Wolfcat http://www.whatsgottago.com/2007/05/10/traveling-long-distance-with-kids/#comment-2633 Wolfcat Mon, 14 May 2007 18:37:05 +0000 http://www.whatsgottago.com/2007/05/10/traveling-long-distance-with-kids/#comment-2633 Hey, at least both of you CAN read in the car without getting carsick! Remember riding back from Montana in the back of Thunderchicken with David when we came back to the States? That is another thing that is verboten nowadays with the seatbelt laws and now the booster seat one. The latter really is ridiculous, as it says that it can force someone up to age 16 into a booster seat if they are not 80# and (I believe) 4'10" or taller. For long drives, I like the concept of being able to distract the children more than what we had, and separate seats is definitely a bonus as well. Sometimes I swear you two had a conspiracy to see how long it took to get me to erupt/get in trouble. *grin* The CB was a lot of fun and I miss that part of the journeys. The songs, well...some of them were fun, but several of them were just plain annoying at times. We just got a trailer hitch and trailer for the van, so that when we go to our events we won't have to play puzzle pieces and brace things to NOT fall on Teren or the dogs anymore. Nor have the corgi and chow sitting on our laps for 2-4 hours at a time. Sheer luxury. Hey, at least both of you CAN read in the car without getting carsick!

Remember riding back from Montana in the back of Thunderchicken with David when we came back to the States? That is another thing that is verboten nowadays with the seatbelt laws and now the booster seat one. The latter really is ridiculous, as it says that it can force someone up to age 16 into a booster seat if they are not 80# and (I believe) 4′10″ or taller.

For long drives, I like the concept of being able to distract the children more than what we had, and separate seats is definitely a bonus as well. Sometimes I swear you two had a conspiracy to see how long it took to get me to erupt/get in trouble. *grin*

The CB was a lot of fun and I miss that part of the journeys. The songs, well…some of them were fun, but several of them were just plain annoying at times.

We just got a trailer hitch and trailer for the van, so that when we go to our events we won’t have to play puzzle pieces and brace things to NOT fall on Teren or the dogs anymore. Nor have the corgi and chow sitting on our laps for 2-4 hours at a time.

Sheer luxury.

]]> By: Jayce^ http://www.whatsgottago.com/2007/05/10/traveling-long-distance-with-kids/#comment-2502 Jayce^ Fri, 11 May 2007 19:22:40 +0000 http://www.whatsgottago.com/2007/05/10/traveling-long-distance-with-kids/#comment-2502 Yeah, I think a lot of my modern problems with travel stem from those vacations. If you think it was bad, I was the little brother, hence the kid always on the hump. At to that my freakish growth pattern, and I had long legs on my young body, with a really large hump in that old corolla. Then the fact that you'd get mad at me for "Looking out *your* window". But hey, I'm not bitter or anything. You forgot to mention that the highlight of our trips, in terms of gadgets, and time takers, was dad's CB. Heck, in the old Fiat we always would talk to the truckers, helping give "smokie alerts" on the mountain passes. My favorite memory though is when I was a teenager, and Jeremy just 21, we went on a trip with a friend. Kayaking on the coast. He and I will both remember halfway into the couple hour drive, we both chimed in how that was the moment mom would have us start singing songs... Scary that I do it at that same moment with my kids. Yeah, I think a lot of my modern problems with travel stem from those vacations. If you think it was bad, I was the little brother, hence the kid always on the hump. At to that my freakish growth pattern, and I had long legs on my young body, with a really large hump in that old corolla. Then the fact that you’d get mad at me for “Looking out *your* window”.

But hey, I’m not bitter or anything.

You forgot to mention that the highlight of our trips, in terms of gadgets, and time takers, was dad’s CB. Heck, in the old Fiat we always would talk to the truckers, helping give “smokie alerts” on the mountain passes.

My favorite memory though is when I was a teenager, and Jeremy just 21, we went on a trip with a friend. Kayaking on the coast. He and I will both remember halfway into the couple hour drive, we both chimed in how that was the moment mom would have us start singing songs…

Scary that I do it at that same moment with my kids.

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