Skip to main content

On the Road Again


In 1985, we went on our first long vacation as a family.  We had been to visit relatives in Indiana and Florida before, but had never set out just to see new places and try new things.  The four of us packed up our almost new Dodge pickup with a camper shell, and headed west.


Some people in our circle had never heard of such foolishness. They could not understand why we would spend money that could have been used to pay the mortgage or other bills just to enjoy nature and expand our horizons. Crazy as a loon, they said.


We went through St. Louis, then across the prairie.  I can remember stopping for gas and experiencing that constant prairie wind for the first time.  It snowed on June 13th, Hub's birthday, in the Big Horn Mountains. We followed the snow plow to Ten Sleep Canyon, where we found a little diner with the best pancakes we had ever eaten, except they had no flavored syrup for Mitchell. Yellowstone, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, the Colorado Rockies--it was all amazing.



Remember, this was before the internet and credit cards.  Months before we started on our trip, I wrote to the Chamber of Commerce in the capital of each state we planned to visit.  They all sent glossy brochures, which we pored over and debated on what things were too important to miss.  Then, we spent hours at the bank getting traveler's checks. Travel is so different now.  I have a Hampton Inn app on my phone where I can find rooms before I get to wherever we are going.  Then, we stayed at whatever motel we could find.  We learned that our standards decreased when the availability of motels decreased.  We have some motel horror stories, but we survived. They are good memories now.


That trip lit a fire in us that is still raging.  Back then, when we kept bread and peanut butter in the back seat for emergencies, we set a goal to travel to all fifty states in our beautiful country.  It was an optimistic goal in a time when we often didn't have enough cash to eat at McDonald's. If you are going to dream, dream big.


On October 13, we began a trip to the only state lacking to reach our goal--Hawaii. We flew from Nashville to Los Angeles/Long Beach, California, where we got on a cruise ship to Hawaii. We spent fifteen days on the ship getting to Hawaii and back.  We returned home on October 31, exhausted and happy, with hundreds and hundreds of pictures.  I plan to share some of them (I promise I won't post them all) here in the next few days.  Posting on this blog not only allows me to share with you, but it helps me to organize and remember.  Stay tuned.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie.  It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house.  After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there.  I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then.  I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important.  It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things.  We call it Holy Smoke.  Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan.  It helps to use your hands (or hand, if you have t

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee.  It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures.  We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything.  Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

Cedar Trees in Cemeteries

If you ever wander in old cemeteries, and I know many of you do, you are bound to see some cedar trees. The tradition goes back to the early days of the United States and even earlier  in Europe.  Cedar trees were not always used, but some type of evergreen trees were planted because they were a symbol of everlasting life.  Some  Cherokees believed that cedars contained powerful spirits, including the spirits of the departed buried beneath them. Perhaps because they are known as burial trees, there are many superstitions that surround cedars.  My grandmother told us in no uncertain terms that if we planted a cedar tree, we would die when it was large enough to shade our graves. Some others are: Never transplant a cedar tree; it will bring bad luck. If you transplant a cedar and it dies, you will die shortly. Planting a cedar tree in your yard welcomes poverty. Some say Christ was crucified on a cedar tree, and will bring bad luck if you burn it. If a cedar tree com