Last summer, Jo Anne and I enjoyed a month-long road trip, traveling thousands of miles through 10 states. Some time was spent on the famed and nostalgic Route 66 in New Mexico and Arizona. Those miles prompted me to reminisce on family vacations of yesteryear.
Station wagons and sedans, many with car top carriers, hauled families and gear on America’s narrow 2 lane highways in the 1950s. We’d see stalled vehicles, hood raised, steam spewing from a radiator, or a flat tire being changed. Our 1952 Oldsmobile lacked air conditioning, power windows or seats, cruise control, and seat belts. The frequent static on the car radio was irritating. There were no interstate highways or fancy rest areas, just simple roadside parks with 1 or 2 picnic tables. The gas station attendant routinely checked the oil and tire pressure, washed the windshield, and offered free road maps. Everything was paid in cash.
I remember playing car bingo with my siblings, laser-focused on spotting different colors of cars or out-of-state license plates. We passed the time by counting train cars, semi-trucks, red barns, and cows in the field. Occasionally, Mother would surprise us with a Holloway Slo Poke sucker, and sometimes when we stopped for gas, Dad would give us a nickel to buy a treat. Eating at small ma and pa restaurants and staying at modest family-owned motels or cabins made our vacations adventurous.
Many family road trips today are taken in luxurious SUVs with reclining leather seats, numerous cup holders and storage pockets, individually adjustable AC and heating vents, armrests, footrests, headrests, tinted windows, and radios with surround-sound speakers, and unlimited stations. Kids don’t need to look out the window because they are entertained with smartphones and video games that they charge in many convenient ports. Being glued to electronic devices can make 100 miles of highway pass quickly. Families patronize the same fast-food restaurants and chain stores they have at home, and the franchised motels and self-service gas stations have cookie-cutter monotony. Where is the adventure in that?
I wish today’s kids could experience at least one old-fashioned family vacation typical of yesteryear. Hopefully, the simpleness of the trip would generate wide-eyed enthusiasm and life-long memories, just like I experienced decades ago.
