Road Trips
I love road trips and especially ones that are spur of the moment. I have driven 5 hours on a teasing invite from my sister to have pizza with her. 5 Hours later, I was knocking on her door at 2AM wondering why the party had broken up and where is the pizza.
My sister and I made a trip to Vermont a year ago to view the fall colors, and we opted to travel without reservations. The only agenda was a general destination for that day or the next. The days were unplanned, and we would look for dinner and a place to stay at 5PM for that night. If you know falls colors in Vermont, you already are surmising that we may have slept in the car or on a park bench at least one night.
Saturday morning dawned bright, clear, crisp and an excellent day for adventure. Our itinerary had us in Central Vermont, touring the Shaker Villages and ending the day, according to our plans in the Woodstock area. Our next day’s itinerary was to place us in Waterbury touring Ben and Jerry’s. At 5, we pulled into a motel and asked about availability, and were told that all rooms were booked or reserved, but they would gladly check out the web for other possibilities. After a minute, they came back and said everything in central and northern Vermont was booked for the weekend. We next tried a B&B, and were again told the same thing. As we headed back to the freeway, my sister’s husband asked if he should turn south towards Manchester, or go north. We both replied that our original destination was north and we will trust that all will work out.
Barr was our next stop and once again, there were not any rooms to be had. We decided to continue to Montpelier as there is a good eating establishment there we wanted to dine at. The place is the Vermont School of Culinary Institute, and the food is just fantastic. The chefs are all in training and serve as wait staff as well. We arrived there, and were seated after a 20 minute wait and the time was now 8PM.
On the table was a magazine of Vermont, and my sister opened it to the center and there was an article about the fall colors in Vermont as well as a motel add for a place in Stowe, Vermont. We talked about calling as we had tried everyplace else in the area, we might as well try there also. Besides it was within 20 minutes of Waterbury. I called, and said we wanted 2 rooms with 2 queen sized beds in each, a good shower, and an iron in each room. The response back from the clerk was that they close at midnight and how did we want to hold the rooms!
My sister and I did a “high 5” and her husband said you two are just unconscious. You pull into a parking lot expect to find “your” parking place, and it is there just where you want it, and now you find a place to stay for the night just where you desired it to be.
We checked in a couple of hours later and found nice, clean, comfortable rooms. The next morning, when we opened the curtains we were greeted by another surprise. The place was nestled in a valley, and all around us were fall colors of the master painter on the hillsides. The views were awesome.
Another time, I headed out on a road trip, only to have this feeling that we needed to turn around. It never let up, and finally two hours later, we turned around to go back home. The next morning, there was a knock on the door, and it was a neighbor offering me a job with his company. Since, I was unemployed at the time; it was just what was needed.
I like traveling without specific plans and just a general destination. Tomorrow, I leave on another road trip for Texas, to pick up a race car body and chassis. My friend, Crash, asked if I would like to travel with him to Dallas, Texas and back. Crash used to be a stock car driver, and now he owns and teaches Drivers Ed at a local school as well as doing his own business; Interstate Truck Driving School
I am bringing my camera, and will be snapping pictures as we drive, talk, laugh and just enjoy the trip. See you all next year!
How do you travel? Do you plan in details, or just go for the fun of seeing and experiencing life?
I love road trips and especially ones that are spur of the moment. I have driven 5 hours on a teasing invite from my sister to have pizza with her. 5 Hours later, I was knocking on her door at 2AM wondering why the party had broken up and where is the pizza.
My sister and I made a trip to Vermont a year ago to view the fall colors, and we opted to travel without reservations. The only agenda was a general destination for that day or the next. The days were unplanned, and we would look for dinner and a place to stay at 5PM for that night. If you know falls colors in Vermont, you already are surmising that we may have slept in the car or on a park bench at least one night.
Saturday morning dawned bright, clear, crisp and an excellent day for adventure. Our itinerary had us in Central Vermont, touring the Shaker Villages and ending the day, according to our plans in the Woodstock area. Our next day’s itinerary was to place us in Waterbury touring Ben and Jerry’s. At 5, we pulled into a motel and asked about availability, and were told that all rooms were booked or reserved, but they would gladly check out the web for other possibilities. After a minute, they came back and said everything in central and northern Vermont was booked for the weekend. We next tried a B&B, and were again told the same thing. As we headed back to the freeway, my sister’s husband asked if he should turn south towards Manchester, or go north. We both replied that our original destination was north and we will trust that all will work out.
Barr was our next stop and once again, there were not any rooms to be had. We decided to continue to Montpelier as there is a good eating establishment there we wanted to dine at. The place is the Vermont School of Culinary Institute, and the food is just fantastic. The chefs are all in training and serve as wait staff as well. We arrived there, and were seated after a 20 minute wait and the time was now 8PM.
On the table was a magazine of Vermont, and my sister opened it to the center and there was an article about the fall colors in Vermont as well as a motel add for a place in Stowe, Vermont. We talked about calling as we had tried everyplace else in the area, we might as well try there also. Besides it was within 20 minutes of Waterbury. I called, and said we wanted 2 rooms with 2 queen sized beds in each, a good shower, and an iron in each room. The response back from the clerk was that they close at midnight and how did we want to hold the rooms!
My sister and I did a “high 5” and her husband said you two are just unconscious. You pull into a parking lot expect to find “your” parking place, and it is there just where you want it, and now you find a place to stay for the night just where you desired it to be.
We checked in a couple of hours later and found nice, clean, comfortable rooms. The next morning, when we opened the curtains we were greeted by another surprise. The place was nestled in a valley, and all around us were fall colors of the master painter on the hillsides. The views were awesome.
Another time, I headed out on a road trip, only to have this feeling that we needed to turn around. It never let up, and finally two hours later, we turned around to go back home. The next morning, there was a knock on the door, and it was a neighbor offering me a job with his company. Since, I was unemployed at the time; it was just what was needed.
I like traveling without specific plans and just a general destination. Tomorrow, I leave on another road trip for Texas, to pick up a race car body and chassis. My friend, Crash, asked if I would like to travel with him to Dallas, Texas and back. Crash used to be a stock car driver, and now he owns and teaches Drivers Ed at a local school as well as doing his own business; Interstate Truck Driving School
I am bringing my camera, and will be snapping pictures as we drive, talk, laugh and just enjoy the trip. See you all next year!
How do you travel? Do you plan in details, or just go for the fun of seeing and experiencing life?
7 comments:
One of the most fun trips Mr Pop and I ever took was just like yours, no plans. We started at the southwest part of the florida coast and went all the way to the end of the state's panhandle. We drove till we were tired or wanted to stop to see something. We sure did have a great time.
GREAT story!!! If we travel overseas, we plan in advance (of course). But here? Oh no. We just take off. And find the NEATEST places and meet the BEST people. Get your friend to bring you down to the Hill Country while you're in Texas. Dallas in nothing but the plains. Ugly as sin.
But here in the Hill Country close to Austin? Heaven on earth.
Pat,
Say hi to Fred and Pops. I have been to Florida once, and that was to build a condo in Naples.
I love traveling thru the country rather than flying over it. If, I am in a rush, I tend to fly. Not this time.
HCG,
I have been to Dallas a few times for conferences. Nothing really good there, except over in Fortworth, there are several good spots by the stockyards to visit.
We should be in Dallas tomoorrow night sometime. Straight thru driving for this leg.
I loved reading this post! With my work schedule, it doesn't allow for me to just take off and do anything on a whime. How I would love to if I could.
happy new year!!
Hope you're enjoying your trip.
HNY!
i tend to plan trips, but i always daydream about "winging it"...have a safe and happy trip! happy 2007!
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