Some of my most vivid memories of childhood are road trips with my mom or with the whole family as I got older. Road trips are not just any vacation. They are the vacations that almost take longer to get to than the actual time spent at the destination. They are those trips that start before the crack of dawn and usually end with somebody yelling, “I will never do that again” or “STOP TOUCHING ME!”.
I know that doesn’t sound like fun, but stories are told, junk food is purchased, and road games are played. You suck on juice boxes while eating 16 hour old peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You see mountain ranges and beaches and sometimes stay in the weirdest “hotels”.
The road trip I currently have in mind is the one that my family took to Punta Tombo, Argentina in 1998. We were living in Bahia Blanca, Argentina for 2 1/2 years while my dad was relocated for his job. I was 16 and my little sisters were 8 and 3. Mom had found out that Punta Tombo had warm weather penguins (Magellanic penguins to be exact) that we could walk around with, so we loaded up into the car and started the drive.
We drove for about 8 hours and stopped in Puerto Madryn for the night. Mom and Dad found out that we could take a catamarran tour to see Right Whales the next morning. It was amazing. At first you think you won’t see anything at all, and then all of the sudden, there are whales right off the side of the boat! Even a moody 17 year old can enjoy that! To this day, I enjoy those pictures and remember how amazing that was.
The next day we drove the remaining 4 hours to Punta Tombo, parked, and literally walked maybe 20 steps before we were surrounded by curious penguins. Apparently, people break the park rules and feed the buggers because they would not leave my little sisters alone. It was hilarious! Shoe laces were pecked and the 4 year old was chased around a little before Mom told the birds to scoot.
We stayed in the park for at least 3 hours and just walked around taking pictures. The birds were nesting in holes under bushes, so we could see the eggs every once in a while. Magellanic penguins don’t have to keep the eggs warm like cold weather penguins, so sometimes you could see a whole nest of eggs with an early hatchling just coming out. It was literally a once in a lifetime experience. Thanks Mom and Dad!
When we did finally have to leave, we were exhausted. We stopped at another hotel after 6 hours of driving and enjoyed the pool. We had left Thursday and got back late Sunday night. Altogether we had driven for about 24 hours of the 4 day trip. Exhausted doesn’t cover how we felt, but it’s as close as I can get.
BUT, that was still the BEST road trip ever!
Do you have any awesome road trip memories? Are you planning one anytime soon?
I want to take my family on your road trip! My youngest son loves penguins, he would just die if he could walk all around them.
I love road trips. I have so many fantastic memories of just throwing the kids in the car and taking off. One of my favorites wasn’t really a far road trip, but a fun one. My husband was out of town, so I put the kids (age 2,4,6) in the minivan and drove into Canada. We stopped in this little park and my littlest found a giant pile of mud and just made a mess. We had to re-cross the border with him in just his diaper and all kinds of mud in his hair. I hoped the authorities weren’t going to be called.
Thanks for this post!
I once made a 29-hour round trip to pick up a rifle. Drove for 12 hours, napped in the car in a parking lot for a few hours, met the seller, then drove back. I was more than a bit tired by the end of it.
everyday tips, the authorities have kids too, so you’d probably be let off with nods of sympathy, lol.
Jason, was the rifle worth it? My mom loves hers.
Your road trip sounds awesome! We’re planning our first road trip with our newborn son in a month or so. We’re only heading down to Monterrey which is a 3 1/2 hour trip, but that will be a stretch with the little guy. But I’m so looking forward to getting out!
The rifle wasn’t actually for me. I was just an alternate driver. My friend has been really happy with it. And I get to tell stories about that trip 10 years later.
Mrs. Frugal, I hope you have a great time! Monterrey sounds fun!
Jason, that’s hilarious! I once took a 10 hour road trip with a friend just so she’d have company while driving into Louisiana from Houston to drop off her kids at her mom’s house and back in one night…we left at 7pm and got back at 5am…I was sooooo exhausted…
I have fond memories of a road trip we took when I was a child, from Florida up to Quebec City. It was quite a trip, and I remember being fascinated at a young age at how the landscape and culture changed along the way as we traveled. Regardless of the aspects of it that were annoying at the time, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Great memories, that I hope to provide for the next generation as well.
Growing up my family always drove every for our vacations; never flew because it was so expensive. We had family in Minnesota so we would stop there first (from Jersey), then make our way out to Colorado or wherever else we were going. Those are some of the best memories I have. Not just the vacations, but driving everywhere and getting to see the country that way.
Squirrelers, that is one heck of a trip! The longest road trip was Houston, TX to Washington D.C…your trip must have been spectacular!!!
Rob, I am surprised about how many people seemed to enjoy the driving part of road trips. My little sisters and I made the driving part suck for my parents…we usually fought every hour or so…I’m pretty thankful that my mom never actually killed me…
BFS – don’t get me wrong, my brother and I certainly had our disagreements and I’m sure my parents got annoyed at us now and then. But overall they were great trips.
Rob, that’s a good perspective. Our trips had bad moments, but in general, they were a lot of fun.
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