MONDAY, JULY 17, 2023, TRAVEL WEEK

 MONDAY, JULY 17, 2023 - TRAVEL, TRIPS, AND VACATIONS

It is summer - and the best time to “get out of town.”  This week I’m writing about vacations - from my experiences and on the best vacations and planning for vacations. The others that I knew and my friends from school also took trips.

My definition is that trips are to visit family or friends, and vacations are to go someplace scenic or exciting.  These days, people are going on cruises, and going to “destinations” - like Disneyworld or Hawaii.

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Growing up, we went on “trips” but not many vacations.

I’m not sure if that was the norm in the 1950s - but I suspect it was.  I don’t remember anybody going to Hawaii for a vacation but, I knew the neighbors were taking “trips” to Dubuque, Iowa to visit their family.  Other neighbors were going to visit their families.  If there were vacations, it was to destinations close by (within a day’s drive) - Lake of the Ozarks, Chicago, Wisconsin Dells, or Minneapolis.  

We took day trips - frequently to Iowa State Parks.  We went to Backbone State Park, Wapsipicon State Park, Palisades State Park, and Lake McBride - all close enough to pack a picnic basket and take a country drive.  We went to Beaver Park and saw the Cedar Rapids Zoo.  Ellis Park was close. These were family time together.

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On trips, we went to visit relatives.  Almost every year we went to the Chicago area to see Uncle Earl and Aunt Jean (and our cousins, Pam and Mark).   (It almost was a vacation in 1959 as we went to a Chicago White Sox game - which won the American League championship that year.

Other annual trips were to Minnesota to visit Uncle Howard and Aunt Ruth, Tom, and Doug.

And, maybe four times a year we went to Maquoketa Iowa to visit Uncle Nolan and Aunt Leah.

All of these trips were done in one day - no hotel or motel stays.  Get in the car, drive, get out of the car, and move into the relatives for a day or two.

(We also visited Uncle George and Aunt Dorrine - but they moved periodically).

My best trips were the ones to Maquoketa.  Aunt Leah (my mother’s sister), had three children - Craig, Steve, and Nancy.  To this day, these are my “best” cousins.  We call ourselves the “Youtzy Kids” - as we are grandchildren of George and Stella Youtzy.  

The best Maquoketa trips were in August when the Jackson County Fair was on.  Uncle Nolan ran an agricultural business - “Feed and Seed” - with animal feed, a seed for planting, an elevator for storing corn, and pretty much all agricultural-related items (except equipment - there was a John Deere dealer and an International Harvester dealer in Maquoketa).  

With my two male cousins, Craig and Steve, we had fun at the fair. We watched the demolition derby (old beater cars trying to knock out other old beater cars).  There were horse races and just enough excitement to keep three preteens busy.  

Uncle Nolan was a member of the Isaac Walton League and we watched them shoot skeet. A mechanism would fling out a clay pigeon and the shooter would try to shoot it down.  He also went fishing (and we would tag along).  My cousins had made a canoe (that floated)

And, one - “almost negative” memory.  We had gone to the community pool and my cousins were hanging out with their friends and I decided I could walk back to Aunt Leah’s house.  But, I got lost.  I walked another block and found a landmark and made it back just fine.  (Maquoketa was a community of about 5,000 people - so it would have been hard to get lost).

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We had two LONG trips (that might border on vacations as we stayed in motels for at least one night).

One was the western trip.  We first drove to Grand Island, Nebraska, and stayed two nights with friends.  Then drove to the Black Hills.  We stayed in a campground - but without a tent.  (Yes, money was always an issue).  My mother, sister, and I slept under a picnic table, and my Dad slept in the car in Rapid City, South Dakota.  The next morning we went to Mount Rushmore, and then across Wyoming and had a motel in Cody Wyoming, then into Yellowstone Park, (and a cabin), and then to friends in Idaho.  We stayed three or four days in Idaho, and then made the long drive to Rocky Mountain National Park - and one more motel (along the Big Thompson River.  We drove through the Park and then drove to Colorado Springs to stay with more relatives.  After three days, we were back in the car for the long drive back to eastern Iowa.  So, some aspects of a vacation (Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park), but, also a trip (friends in Idaho and Colorado Springs.

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The other long trip was to Alabama - to visit my Aunt Geri and Uncle Wayne in the Mobile Alabama area.  We did stay one night in a motel on the way there.  After time with that family, we drove to the Atlanta area and stayed with friends.  Then a long drive back to Iowa.

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Going to a destination that didn’t have family or friends just wasn’t done (at least not in my family).    

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How about you?  Do you go to visit family or friends?  Do you drive?  Do you fly?  

As an adult (and particularly as an academic), I got to travel to interesting places.  I’ve been to Quebec, Montreal, Louisville, San Diego, San Antonio, Seattle, Los Vegas, and even Orlando. (And, most of these trips were paid for by my work) 

I’ve written that every year needs something memorable - it might be a trip to a destination or a trip to visit family - or a combination.  

What fills your heart with joy?  Is it seeing the beauty of places?  Being with family?

More tomorrow.

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

SEEING THE BEAUTY OF GOD’S WORLD IS GREAT

LOVING FAMILY AND FRIENDS IS GREAT

KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, JULY 17, 2023