Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Wednesday Medley: Road Trip edition


Wednesday again, and time for the Wednesday Medley hosted by Terri at Your Friend from Florida.  This week's Medley has a fun theme, as Terri is basing the questions off National Road Trip Day, this coming Friday.  Road trips are fun, and this Medley sounds like fun too, so why not head over to Terri's and get the the questions to answer them on your own blog? 

1.  Have you ever done a spur-of-the-moment road trip?  Where did it take you?
I'm sure we've done that more than once,  but one that stands out in my mind is a day when our girls were young teens and it was a pouring down rain type of day.  It was either a Saturday or a vacation day -- probably a vacation day, now that I think about it, as Mr. T worked most Saturdays back then.  We wanted to take a road trip but the weather was not at all conducive.  Mr. T suggested that we take a drive to the very tip-top of New Hampshire, where none of us had ever been.  So we got in the car and just headed up there.  No snacks, even, as I recall.  We stopped in Colebrook, the largest town up there, and had lunch at the Wilderness Restaurant.  
Then we drove on and saw the Connecticut Lakes and turned around before getting to Canada, if I remember right.  I'm pretty sure it never did stop raining!  But it was a fun trip, mostly because it was so unplanned.  Below is a very blurry photo of the second Connecticut Lake.
 Now the trip to the Great North Woods has become more familiar as we've traveled up there many times to stay in a favorite cabin on Back Lake.  But it's always a wonderful getaway -- and the Wilderness Restaurant is still a good place to eat!  Its sign still looks the same also.  Below is a sunset on Back Lake. 

2.  If time and money wasn't an issue, what roads would you choose to travel and how long would you be gone?
We have talked about this more times than I can count.   We would love to take a road trip all across the USA and visit friends (and blog friends!) all along the way.  We would be gone for as long as it took!  A train trip across the US would be fun also, the type of trip where you can get off the train along the way and get back on a day or two later, if Amtrak still offers that option.  But I think we would really prefer the road trip.  Lord willing, it will be a retirement project!
3.  When you go on a long road trip, what snacks and beverages do you take?  Do you pack a picnic? Does the back seat turn into a nest? 
We nearly always take trail mix.   Sometimes a picnic.  Usually water to drink, but with us a road trip pretty much always involves at least one stop at Dunkin' Donuts for a coffee or iced coffee, depending upon the weather.  Our most recent vehicles have been an SUV and a minivan, and with both of those we can pretty much contain the travel gear to the cargo area where it doesn't get too disorganized.
4.  Please tell us about something interesting or strange you have seen on the side of the road. 
A few times we traveled in upper Michigan at night.  There were deer literally lining the sides of the highway and grazing on the grass there and in the median.  That was just plain scary.

One of the neatest sights we have seen on the side of the road was a moose we saw a few years ago who seemed to be posing for us!  These photos were taken as we rode by and are not the best, but you get the idea.

The sights below are both from a trip to Freeport, Maine a few years back.



 
5.  Who does the driving when you head out in the car?  Do you stop in the rest areas along our Interstate highways when you have to use the facilities, or do you choose a fast-food restaurant or gas station instead?  Not TMI... inquiring minds want to know!
Mr. T does the driving.  We usually do stop at the state rest areas when traveling the interstates, unless it happens to be mealtime.  Ideally, then, we would find a Cracker Barrel.  
Check out a couple of our amazing New Hampshire state rest stops and welcome centers here:  The Common Man Roadside.  You will be surprised at how nice these are and how well they represent our state.  The photos below show a covered bridge that is built inside one of these welcome centers. 

 Meanwhile, on the other side of the country (more or less) the photos below are from the Schellbourne roadside stop in Nevada back in 2016, I believe.  Lots of fascinating information there about the  Pony Express and local Indian history as well.


 On secondary roads, we might stop at a gas station/convenience store, a fast-food place or a Dunkin' Donuts.  And one time, out West, an Indian grocery store, which was a very nice and well-stocked supermarket with the only public restrooms for miles around.  There were lines!
6.  Please share something with us about your week so far.
It's had its share of weather extremes!  Hot and humid Monday with periods of torrential rain.  Today (Tuesday as I write this) it's windy and very cold.  I felt as if I had a very productive day at home yesterday, which is quite unusual for a Monday.  Three loads of laundry done and put away, supper made, blog post written, work on my Sunday School lesson and a craft project -- and no doubt more that I can't think of right now.
Are you planning a road trip for Memorial Day weekend?  We aren't, but we hope to take one soon!

18 comments:

  1. We'll that was a fun post! And very exciting to see a moose. Travel by train is nice and so roomy, but takes forever. I took the train from Minneapolis to Great Falls, MT and there's almost nothing to see between Western Minnesota and GF. An elk now and then. The Great Plains, aptly named. And yes they are wonderful for feeding a nation. I wouldn't want to do that road trip.

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    1. We went on the California Zephyr from Chicago to Elko, Nevada. That route goes right through the Rockies and there is lots to see.

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  2. I am loving this week's theme and seeing all the fun places to visit. I am a sucker for all those kitschy tourist things like the giant Indian. They fascinate me. Thanks for sharing your travel adventures.

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    1. I know, I think those things are fascinating too. I've always loved that giant Indian -- glad the pc folks have not required them to take it down.

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  3. Loved reading your answers!! And all the pics are great!! Have a great Wednesday!

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    1. Thanks, Jodi! We have taken a lot of fun road trips over the years.

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  4. Deer at night is a scary site!! I am a poet and didn't know it. Have a great week.

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    1. And you are so right! (Adding a line to your poem.) Thanks for visiting!

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  5. That was fun reading! I thought you were taking a trip to the top of Mt.Washington when you said the tip-top of NH! 🙂 Yes, I did think that would have been very brave of you in a rainstorm. I’m glad that your family made that trip. Some of the most wonderful memories happen on bad weather days.

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    1. We haven't gone to the top of Mt. Washington yet but we do hope to do the Cog Railway someday. The Auto Road *doesn't* sound like the best idea in a rainstorm, does it?

      You're so right that some of the best memories happen on the least auspicious days. It was indeed a fun trip.

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  6. I would take a road trip up the East Coast....over to Minnesota to visit family then back down to Alabama. It would be fun to take a train trip. Of course my idea of a train trip is straight out of White Christmas.lol

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    1. Train trips are fun ... not quite like in White Christmas, but fun anyway.

      We did travel by train to Jacksonville, FL one time and that was not such a fun trip since we traveled coach. People coming and going to the bar all night long, becoming increasingly more inebriated and loud ... nope, not fun.

      Hope to see you if and when you take that road trip up the East Coast!

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  7. We are not planning a road trip this weekend. We were going to Georgia to visit my sister and her hubby, but neither of them are feeling well right now and she asked us to cancel. We will get up there in July, perhaps. Thanks for joining the Medley!! Those road-side attractions you saw are fun and interesting!

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    1. Thanks for the visit, Terri, and thanks for hosting the Medley. I know it must be a challenge each week to decide what questions to ask, but you are doing a fantastic job!

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  8. Lots of great road trips...fun post! And Cracker Barrel is always at the top of our list when we stop to eat! Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Debbie! We love Cracker Barrel! Hope you had a nice weekend also.

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  9. This was such a fun read, especially the spur of the moment trip, As I read this I was thinking of all the memories you and your family have made, and I am sure when you are together many times are spent reminiscing. The photos are so lovely!
    Thank you for sharing, and for your sweet comment on my blog, I indeed enjoyed sitting around your kitchen table this morning.
    We will be home this Memorial Day weekend, have a blessed Memorial Day weekend.
    Sue

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    1. Thanks for the visit, Sue! Please come and sit at my kitchen table any time. There are many posts in the archives that would probably interest you.

      It is so seldom when we have all of our family together. Even this most recent time there were some who were not present, but it was great to have so many in the same spot at least. We do enjoy reminiscing in the rare times when we can be together.

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Thanks so much for stopping by to visit my kitchen table! I love company here in my kitchen, so be sure to leave a comment so I'll know you've visited! I'll answer your questions and comments here on the blog unless you request otherwise.