The great road trip debate - part 2
Yesterday, I shared with you my parents' desire to go to Boston on vacation. If you didn't catch yesterday's post, scroll down and read it because today picks up where yesterday left off.
Sure, parts of California can be as far away as Boston, but I believe the drive really is not as bad. The trip east can be a hard drive with all the cities, etc. you have to go through. I've been Vegas back to Texas, which is a good chunk of the California drive, and it just doesn't seem like as hard of a drive.
"Uh, OK. What part of California are we thinking?" I inquire.
"Oh, we don't know," my father replies.
I get out the atlas to examine things and have a real conversation. The phone rings, and my mom disappears for a little while.
"OK, I just have to ask, what part of California do you want to go."
"Well, I think you have to do LA."
"OK, I'm with you. Here's another question for you. Could you go within 60 miles of the Grand Canyon, and not go see it."
"Oh, yeah. I'm not into nature. I don't care anything about seeing the Grand Canyon. And I don't do heights. I'm not going to go out and look over the edge." (Yes, Dad, I remember you not doing heights, there was that time we went to the Sears Tower and when the guy asked you if you were going up, you replied "do you have a gun?... because that's the only way you will get me up there." I still can't believe you a security guard in the tallest building left in North America that. Looking at the security guard's face, neither could he.)
"OK, another question for you. Could you go within 90 miles of Las Vegas and not see the strip."
"See, no, I want to see Las Vegas."
Shortly thereafter, Mom comes back in the room.
"OK, Mom, where do you want to go in California?"
"I don't care about going to Los Angeles." Oh, brother. (I think she wants to do San Francisco which I am on board with.)
"Could you go within 60 miles of the Grand Canyon and not take a detour?"
"No, I want to see the Grand Canyon." Notice a trend beginning?
"Could you go within 90 miles of Vegas and not go see the strip?"
"I don't want to go Las Vegas."
Just shoot me now. I've been both places and could take or leave either stop, but mediating my parents' vacation desires has to be my #1 least favorite part of taking a trip. For Pete's sake, I gave up the Wizard of Oz museum last year because Mom noticed how far off the path we were taking the museum was, complaining how far out of the way it was. Besides, we wouldn't make it by closing time because Dad just had to visit Boot Hill in Dodge City, KS.
This is about the time I decide I need to head on home and try to get some things done or watch "America's Least Talented" or something.
The next day... (Now that Dad cooks every night, I better show up or get guilt tripped about not coming to eat what he fixes.) Mom announces she's found us another place we can go.
I think I've just lost my appetite.
"Uh, huh..." Gulp.
"There was a woman that came in to register her car today that just came back from Greenville, SC."
"Didn't we go through there once?" I inquire.
"Through the edge on the way back from Tennessee, that time," answers Dad.
"It must have been just the very edge. She said it was really neat town and had this scavenger hunt thing where they have these little statues around town."
"Little statues like that Brer Rabbit statue we just had to see in Georgia?" I ask.
"Probably," my Dad replies. (This thing was the big deal advertised for the town that was the home to the author of the Uncle Remus books. The rabbit statue on the courthouse square was literally about 2-3 ft. tall on a concrete slab and is the butt of every vacation joke we have.)
"Probably," my mom agrees. "And something about bridges..."
"Not covered bridges, I hope," I dreadfully ask, not really wanting to know the answer.
"Maybe," both of my parents chime in.
Both trips I have made through or to South Carolina involved a search for a covered bridge my mother wanted to see. We never found the first one on that trip from TN through SC. It was supposed to be off this road we went searching for, but we gave up. The second time, was outside of Atlanta on our Savannah/Charleston trip (the same one we went searching for Brer Rabbit). We asked the hotel staff who had no clue what we were talking about even though it was in the tourist books. We found it, but that bridge had only been built a few years before, max.
We've not talked about it much since then. I tried suggesting Kansas City for a possible quick trip this week. I looked up a place not 1600 miles away in my 1000 Places to See in the US and Canada Before You Die. That died, especially with Mom, before it had a chance to take a breath.
Dad did say tonight that we did need to go somewhere in October and start planning since we aren't venturing anywhere this week. I told both parents that they just needed to make a list and go from there. When Dad asked where I wanted to go, I just replied, "I don't know." I think I'm afraid of the continuation of the discussion.
Sure, parts of California can be as far away as Boston, but I believe the drive really is not as bad. The trip east can be a hard drive with all the cities, etc. you have to go through. I've been Vegas back to Texas, which is a good chunk of the California drive, and it just doesn't seem like as hard of a drive.
"Uh, OK. What part of California are we thinking?" I inquire.
"Oh, we don't know," my father replies.
I get out the atlas to examine things and have a real conversation. The phone rings, and my mom disappears for a little while.
"OK, I just have to ask, what part of California do you want to go."
"Well, I think you have to do LA."
"OK, I'm with you. Here's another question for you. Could you go within 60 miles of the Grand Canyon, and not go see it."
"Oh, yeah. I'm not into nature. I don't care anything about seeing the Grand Canyon. And I don't do heights. I'm not going to go out and look over the edge." (Yes, Dad, I remember you not doing heights, there was that time we went to the Sears Tower and when the guy asked you if you were going up, you replied "do you have a gun?... because that's the only way you will get me up there." I still can't believe you a security guard in the tallest building left in North America that. Looking at the security guard's face, neither could he.)
"OK, another question for you. Could you go within 90 miles of Las Vegas and not see the strip."
"See, no, I want to see Las Vegas."
Shortly thereafter, Mom comes back in the room.
"OK, Mom, where do you want to go in California?"
"I don't care about going to Los Angeles." Oh, brother. (I think she wants to do San Francisco which I am on board with.)
"Could you go within 60 miles of the Grand Canyon and not take a detour?"
"No, I want to see the Grand Canyon." Notice a trend beginning?
"Could you go within 90 miles of Vegas and not go see the strip?"
"I don't want to go Las Vegas."
Just shoot me now. I've been both places and could take or leave either stop, but mediating my parents' vacation desires has to be my #1 least favorite part of taking a trip. For Pete's sake, I gave up the Wizard of Oz museum last year because Mom noticed how far off the path we were taking the museum was, complaining how far out of the way it was. Besides, we wouldn't make it by closing time because Dad just had to visit Boot Hill in Dodge City, KS.
This is about the time I decide I need to head on home and try to get some things done or watch "America's Least Talented" or something.
The next day... (Now that Dad cooks every night, I better show up or get guilt tripped about not coming to eat what he fixes.) Mom announces she's found us another place we can go.
I think I've just lost my appetite.
"Uh, huh..." Gulp.
"There was a woman that came in to register her car today that just came back from Greenville, SC."
"Didn't we go through there once?" I inquire.
"Through the edge on the way back from Tennessee, that time," answers Dad.
"It must have been just the very edge. She said it was really neat town and had this scavenger hunt thing where they have these little statues around town."
"Little statues like that Brer Rabbit statue we just had to see in Georgia?" I ask.
"Probably," my Dad replies. (This thing was the big deal advertised for the town that was the home to the author of the Uncle Remus books. The rabbit statue on the courthouse square was literally about 2-3 ft. tall on a concrete slab and is the butt of every vacation joke we have.)
"Probably," my mom agrees. "And something about bridges..."
"Not covered bridges, I hope," I dreadfully ask, not really wanting to know the answer.
"Maybe," both of my parents chime in.
Both trips I have made through or to South Carolina involved a search for a covered bridge my mother wanted to see. We never found the first one on that trip from TN through SC. It was supposed to be off this road we went searching for, but we gave up. The second time, was outside of Atlanta on our Savannah/Charleston trip (the same one we went searching for Brer Rabbit). We asked the hotel staff who had no clue what we were talking about even though it was in the tourist books. We found it, but that bridge had only been built a few years before, max.
We've not talked about it much since then. I tried suggesting Kansas City for a possible quick trip this week. I looked up a place not 1600 miles away in my 1000 Places to See in the US and Canada Before You Die. That died, especially with Mom, before it had a chance to take a breath.
Dad did say tonight that we did need to go somewhere in October and start planning since we aren't venturing anywhere this week. I told both parents that they just needed to make a list and go from there. When Dad asked where I wanted to go, I just replied, "I don't know." I think I'm afraid of the continuation of the discussion.
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