Did Interstates ruin travel in America?
Oct 7th, 2014, 08:49 PM
#41
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"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."
~~~Greg Anderson
In the 60's, we took the "typical 2 week family vacation" split up as 1 week during Easter vacation and the other during Summer when school was out.
We traveled Highways not Interstates. We pulled over at Roadside Tables to picnic and refilled our Coleman water cooler (which had the cup under the lid that we all drank out of) under the faucet where you had to pump by hand.
If we did eat at restaurants, it would be the BBQ place that had the most Truckers. "They know the best places.", my dad would say.
We would stop if we saw something that interested us. Those prairie dogs, talking donkeys and alligator farms were calling our names. It broke up what might have been a long day of travel into what seemed like shorter days.
We had a vw van and my dad always went on about how it was air-cooled and he'd snickered at those pulled over with an overheated radiator. Yet...I remember always having a belt break. (Eventually we carried a spare behind the driver's seat because not every garage worked on vws.) Even this was an adventure to us kids. Gas stations meant we got to put a couple coins in those vending machines. We'd get something from the Lance machine where you pulled the red knob straight outward, then we'd get a soda from the machine that had the holes up and down the side. You'd open that small door and pull out that ice cold bottle. Always had to drink fast so you could leave it in the empty bottle rack because you didn't want to pay the deposit.
Back in the car for sing-a-longs and the alphabet game.
Fast forward to present day and my roadtrips.
I take the road less traveled whenever I can. I have passed on the enjoyment of travel by car to my kids. They are grown now and still want to travel with me any time I go. We still find things to see in small towns. We love to try a Mom and Pop place for breakfast. There are still roadside tables, believe it or not. We enjoy gas station coffee like it's a Starbucks.
There is something that feels right about being off the Interstate. Less road rage. Seeing telephone poles lined along the road and cows in the distance is part of my vacation. I hope my kids pass that along when they have kids. No dvds playing overhead and earphones in the ears. Travel during the day when you can enjoy the scenery. I never understood the night travel so the kids wouldn't cause problems. It's no wonder those kids hate to travel and their parents take the Interstate to get there as fast as possible so they won't have to endure each others company any longer than they have to. Don't they like each other?
I agree that modern travel has killed what we consider a nostalgic vacation, but not in my house, not with my kids. The journey is alive and well
~~~Greg Anderson
In the 60's, we took the "typical 2 week family vacation" split up as 1 week during Easter vacation and the other during Summer when school was out.
We traveled Highways not Interstates. We pulled over at Roadside Tables to picnic and refilled our Coleman water cooler (which had the cup under the lid that we all drank out of) under the faucet where you had to pump by hand.
If we did eat at restaurants, it would be the BBQ place that had the most Truckers. "They know the best places.", my dad would say.
We would stop if we saw something that interested us. Those prairie dogs, talking donkeys and alligator farms were calling our names. It broke up what might have been a long day of travel into what seemed like shorter days.
We had a vw van and my dad always went on about how it was air-cooled and he'd snickered at those pulled over with an overheated radiator. Yet...I remember always having a belt break. (Eventually we carried a spare behind the driver's seat because not every garage worked on vws.) Even this was an adventure to us kids. Gas stations meant we got to put a couple coins in those vending machines. We'd get something from the Lance machine where you pulled the red knob straight outward, then we'd get a soda from the machine that had the holes up and down the side. You'd open that small door and pull out that ice cold bottle. Always had to drink fast so you could leave it in the empty bottle rack because you didn't want to pay the deposit.
Back in the car for sing-a-longs and the alphabet game.
Fast forward to present day and my roadtrips.
I take the road less traveled whenever I can. I have passed on the enjoyment of travel by car to my kids. They are grown now and still want to travel with me any time I go. We still find things to see in small towns. We love to try a Mom and Pop place for breakfast. There are still roadside tables, believe it or not. We enjoy gas station coffee like it's a Starbucks.
There is something that feels right about being off the Interstate. Less road rage. Seeing telephone poles lined along the road and cows in the distance is part of my vacation. I hope my kids pass that along when they have kids. No dvds playing overhead and earphones in the ears. Travel during the day when you can enjoy the scenery. I never understood the night travel so the kids wouldn't cause problems. It's no wonder those kids hate to travel and their parents take the Interstate to get there as fast as possible so they won't have to endure each others company any longer than they have to. Don't they like each other?
I agree that modern travel has killed what we consider a nostalgic vacation, but not in my house, not with my kids. The journey is alive and well
Oct 8th, 2014, 06:20 AM
#42
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In the OP I wrote, "But at what other cost?" and "But travel in what sense?"
Clearly, some people don't seem to have understood what I was getting at with those 2 questions. At what cost does not refer to money, it refers to other kinds of costs like not having the time spent on the journey be as important as the time spent at a destination and travel in what sense refers to is it about the journey or the destination.
I'm glad to hear rjasnumberonefan that you have managed to pass on to your kids how to enjoy the journey.
My favourite travel quote is this one: "Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going." Paul Theroux
Many people can't actually figure out what that means.
Clearly, some people don't seem to have understood what I was getting at with those 2 questions. At what cost does not refer to money, it refers to other kinds of costs like not having the time spent on the journey be as important as the time spent at a destination and travel in what sense refers to is it about the journey or the destination.
I'm glad to hear rjasnumberonefan that you have managed to pass on to your kids how to enjoy the journey.
My favourite travel quote is this one: "Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going." Paul Theroux
Many people can't actually figure out what that means.
Oct 8th, 2014, 06:29 AM
#43
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"Many people can't actually figure out what that means."
At least one person on this thread can't actually figure out that there are different approaches to travel and that no one way is necessary the correct one.
At least one person on this thread can't actually figure out that there are different approaches to travel and that no one way is necessary the correct one.
Oct 8th, 2014, 07:08 AM
#45
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Ah! The tiresome Tourist/Traveler issue rises again.
It is so utterly tiresome.
Clearly, some people don't seem to have understood what I was getting at with those 2 questions.
I think it is clear you weren't actually asking a question but stating an opinion you hold as fact. You simply can't accept that others disagree with you.
It is so utterly tiresome.
Clearly, some people don't seem to have understood what I was getting at with those 2 questions.
I think it is clear you weren't actually asking a question but stating an opinion you hold as fact. You simply can't accept that others disagree with you.
Oct 8th, 2014, 08:39 AM
#46
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In the OP you also wrote: "travel as we know it, was forever changed in America. But was it changed for the better or not? Feel free to express an opinion either way."
If you want other opinions (including ones that differ from yours), kindly refrain from cheering for those that agree with you and disparaging those that disagree.
As for points raised about the merits of travelling back roads and stopping at alligator farms, prairie dog towns and talking donkeys....well some people prefer to spend their time at their destination, not stopping at cheap/tacky tourist traps.
I once drove from Minneapolis to Big Bend National Park in Texas, a drive of 20 hours or so. Most of it was on the interstate or major highways. The purpose of my trip was to spend 9-10 days exploring the national park, including some remote areas that were only accessible with a 4WD high clearance vehicle. Rather than flying and renting a car, I drove my own Jeep Wrangler specifically so I would have access to some of those remote areas.
So I spend 9 days in the park camping, backpacking, driving backcountry roads, exploring old gravesites/cemetaries, abandoned dwellings that were barely visible, and on and on. Half of what I did I could not have visited without my Jeep.
Should I have taken more time to get there and back? And then had less time in the park to explore those remote areas? Would I have enjoyed my trip more had I taken my time getting there, stopping to see talking donkeys and other such diversions? Or would I have kicked myself for wasting my time on tacky touristy things when I could have been in one of the most remote parts of the lower 48 surrounded by nature and exploring whatever I felt like? Trust me when I say that talking donkeys don't hold a candle to what I did.
In fact, I did stop at a prairie dog town. But not some tourist attraction where you have to pay to get in and then dig for change to get a handful of 'food' so you can say you fed the prairie dogs. Instead, I happened along a random stretch of highway where a prairie dog town stretched for half a mile on both sides of the road in the middle of nowhere. I stopped, watched them do what prairie dogs do out in the wild, and then continued on. So what's better, the prairie dog town where you pay to feed fat, mostly tame animals slinking towards your outstretched hand, begging for food OR the one in the middle of nowhere where you can see them in their natural environment doing natural things?
So please, stop with the 'my way is best' garbage. I don't feel the need to stop at a tacky roadside attraction (why do they so often feature animals in crappy conditions??) to validate my travel experience and prove that my road trip was better than someone elses. Nor do I feel the need to stop at a Mom and Pop restaurant or truck stop to eat - and FYI, you'll find both of those along the interstates as well.
P.S. I've had sing alongs and played the alphabet game while driving on the interstate. Those activities are not restricted to the back roads of this nation.
If you want other opinions (including ones that differ from yours), kindly refrain from cheering for those that agree with you and disparaging those that disagree.
As for points raised about the merits of travelling back roads and stopping at alligator farms, prairie dog towns and talking donkeys....well some people prefer to spend their time at their destination, not stopping at cheap/tacky tourist traps.
I once drove from Minneapolis to Big Bend National Park in Texas, a drive of 20 hours or so. Most of it was on the interstate or major highways. The purpose of my trip was to spend 9-10 days exploring the national park, including some remote areas that were only accessible with a 4WD high clearance vehicle. Rather than flying and renting a car, I drove my own Jeep Wrangler specifically so I would have access to some of those remote areas.
So I spend 9 days in the park camping, backpacking, driving backcountry roads, exploring old gravesites/cemetaries, abandoned dwellings that were barely visible, and on and on. Half of what I did I could not have visited without my Jeep.
Should I have taken more time to get there and back? And then had less time in the park to explore those remote areas? Would I have enjoyed my trip more had I taken my time getting there, stopping to see talking donkeys and other such diversions? Or would I have kicked myself for wasting my time on tacky touristy things when I could have been in one of the most remote parts of the lower 48 surrounded by nature and exploring whatever I felt like? Trust me when I say that talking donkeys don't hold a candle to what I did.
In fact, I did stop at a prairie dog town. But not some tourist attraction where you have to pay to get in and then dig for change to get a handful of 'food' so you can say you fed the prairie dogs. Instead, I happened along a random stretch of highway where a prairie dog town stretched for half a mile on both sides of the road in the middle of nowhere. I stopped, watched them do what prairie dogs do out in the wild, and then continued on. So what's better, the prairie dog town where you pay to feed fat, mostly tame animals slinking towards your outstretched hand, begging for food OR the one in the middle of nowhere where you can see them in their natural environment doing natural things?
So please, stop with the 'my way is best' garbage. I don't feel the need to stop at a tacky roadside attraction (why do they so often feature animals in crappy conditions??) to validate my travel experience and prove that my road trip was better than someone elses. Nor do I feel the need to stop at a Mom and Pop restaurant or truck stop to eat - and FYI, you'll find both of those along the interstates as well.
P.S. I've had sing alongs and played the alphabet game while driving on the interstate. Those activities are not restricted to the back roads of this nation.
Oct 8th, 2014, 12:16 PM
#47
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I was born in the 1950s and don't really remember taking "back roads". We lived in central Ohio and visited the relatives in NYC every summer, so we drove along the National Road (Rt. 40), a 4 land divided highway until we got to the PA Turnpike.
Rt. 40 did have some stoplights, wasn't really an interestate like we know today, but I sure wouldn't consider it a "back road". We developed favorite stops along the way, certain diners we knew would have good food or good ice cream. The big treat was a Howard Johnson's that was a mandatory stop for clam boats and mint choc chip ice cream (very exotic for us) or breakfast before getting on the Turnpike. My father did not believe in stopping on the turnpike, so we had to eat, fuel up and bathroom break. Heaven forbid you had to "go" along the way.
I also remember a "car bed", this box like appartus the folks had in the back seat in which to stick my little brother. It was a combo playpen/cradle.
Mom would stock up all year long with coloring books, word games, song books etc, whenever they were on sale. I remember loading the car the night before we left, I was so excited I couldn't go to sleep because we were going on VACATION!!! We would leave the house around 4 a.m. in our pajamas. Mom and Dad would stop around 7-8 a.m. just before the Turnpike at HoJos, wash our faces and dress us in shorts sets.
OMG, the world was so much more innocent then.
Rt. 40 did have some stoplights, wasn't really an interestate like we know today, but I sure wouldn't consider it a "back road". We developed favorite stops along the way, certain diners we knew would have good food or good ice cream. The big treat was a Howard Johnson's that was a mandatory stop for clam boats and mint choc chip ice cream (very exotic for us) or breakfast before getting on the Turnpike. My father did not believe in stopping on the turnpike, so we had to eat, fuel up and bathroom break. Heaven forbid you had to "go" along the way.
I also remember a "car bed", this box like appartus the folks had in the back seat in which to stick my little brother. It was a combo playpen/cradle.
Mom would stock up all year long with coloring books, word games, song books etc, whenever they were on sale. I remember loading the car the night before we left, I was so excited I couldn't go to sleep because we were going on VACATION!!! We would leave the house around 4 a.m. in our pajamas. Mom and Dad would stop around 7-8 a.m. just before the Turnpike at HoJos, wash our faces and dress us in shorts sets.
OMG, the world was so much more innocent then.
Oct 8th, 2014, 01:43 PM
#48
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I can take 95 or US1 everyday to work. I get so tired of 95 and the traffic and stress of the big trucks. If I want to relax a little then I take US1. We have great places to eat and shops along the rt. 95 is fast and chains. Not the real Fl I live in. It is sort of like Ireland. First trip we took we went through all the villages and saw so much. Now it is all bypassed and you feel like you are in a generic place. Get off the main roads and take the back roads. Your family will love it. I have always remember Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan place. It is a paintball place now.
Oct 8th, 2014, 02:57 PM
#49
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What I take from this thread is that whichever way you choose, enjoy it.
My memories of traveling are mostly of the trip getting there. Sure, there were many fine destinations, but do I have fond memories of them? Not really.
I have traveled with my kids alone all these years because my husband had no desire to take a roadtrip. True story. When I mention my childhood travels, he whines about me going down memory lane. I think this stems from the fact that a "vacation" in his family was putting 5 kids in the back of a station wagon in Virginia and telling them to hush and sit still and not have to eat or pee until they got to Alabama. Hit the Interstate and not stop until you pull into Auntie or Granny's house.
He dreams of the Grand Canyon. I've gone many times and joke that I'll bring his ashes there one day as that will be the first he'll get there. (and yes it's a joke. I know you can't throw ashes into the Grand Canyon.) If he goes home to visit relatives now, which is the only time he drives, he dreads the drive and talks about getting it over with. I am opposite and like LBloom, can't sleep with excitement the night before.
It may seem silly to most on this board but I'll share one of my rituals. In the movie Rommey and Michelle's High School Reunion, they are about to embark on their trip and they pop in a cassette tape of Footloose, raise their fist to the sky and yell "Woohoo!"...well, as soon as my ignition turns over I look into the passenger seat at my daughter and we simultaneously re-enact the scene. Every. Single. Trip.
My memories of traveling are mostly of the trip getting there. Sure, there were many fine destinations, but do I have fond memories of them? Not really.
I have traveled with my kids alone all these years because my husband had no desire to take a roadtrip. True story. When I mention my childhood travels, he whines about me going down memory lane. I think this stems from the fact that a "vacation" in his family was putting 5 kids in the back of a station wagon in Virginia and telling them to hush and sit still and not have to eat or pee until they got to Alabama. Hit the Interstate and not stop until you pull into Auntie or Granny's house.
He dreams of the Grand Canyon. I've gone many times and joke that I'll bring his ashes there one day as that will be the first he'll get there. (and yes it's a joke. I know you can't throw ashes into the Grand Canyon.) If he goes home to visit relatives now, which is the only time he drives, he dreads the drive and talks about getting it over with. I am opposite and like LBloom, can't sleep with excitement the night before.
It may seem silly to most on this board but I'll share one of my rituals. In the movie Rommey and Michelle's High School Reunion, they are about to embark on their trip and they pop in a cassette tape of Footloose, raise their fist to the sky and yell "Woohoo!"...well, as soon as my ignition turns over I look into the passenger seat at my daughter and we simultaneously re-enact the scene. Every. Single. Trip.
Oct 8th, 2014, 07:46 PM
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Of course the world was more innocent back in 1950, just five years after the first atomic bomb and almost 50 million died during WWII, and the heart of the Cold War. Ah yes, those sweet and innocent years.
Oct 9th, 2014, 04:06 AM
#51
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Interesting point, IMDonehere, but it's hard to argue that PEOPLE weren't more innocent (call them naive, if you prefer) back then. Maybe because it was so easy to simply look the other way rather than everyone getting involved in the "politics" of things.
Oct 9th, 2014, 05:25 AM
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That's why I included the word naive, travelgourmet. MANY people who discriminated then were very "naive" or even "innocent" that there was anything wrong with doing those things. It was the norm. I'm not saying that's right or their actions were anything but detestable by today's understandings, but I'm saying when people don't know any different or any better, that makes them "innocent" or "naive". But I'm not here to argue that point, it's just my viewpoint of a certain type of innocence or naivete, so no need to rant on and on about how I'm wrong.
Oct 9th, 2014, 06:38 AM
#56
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WhereAreWe, you wrote, "In the OP you also wrote: "travel as we know it, was forever changed in America. But was it changed for the better or not? Feel free to express an opinion either way."
I meant just that, feel free to express an opinion either way. Where did I write I would agree with your opinion? If you disagree with MY opinion which I did say in the OP WAS my opinion, then go ahead and do so. But don't attempt to suggest that I can't disagree with you. I will indeed cheer those that agree with me and disparage as you put it, those who disagree with me.
The trip you describe to Big Bend is a destination trip, not a road trip. I have made many such trips myself. Usually though I fly to the destination. Sometimes I do a road trip that is slow going one way but fast using interstates the other way. No where have I said anyone MUST do one or the other, the question I asked was what affect have the Interstates had.
Let's agree that everyone is free to go slow on smaller roads or go fast on intestates. To each his own. Now, do you think that Interstates have had an impact on the percentage of people who include a rambling journey in their vacation planning? I think it has. I think far less people enjoy the journey than used to. What do you think? Do as many people enjoy the JOURNEY as did in the past? That's really what I am asking for your opinion on.
Funnily enough, your forum name, 'WhereAreWe' and the equally as common, 'are we there yet?' really say a lot about how things have changed. I don't recall as a kid asking my Father either question. We were too busy enjoying the 'here' and not that bothered about the 'there'.
As rjasnumberonefan wrote, "My memories of traveling are mostly of the trip getting there. Sure, there were many fine destinations, but do I have fond memories of them? Not really."
IMDonehere and travelgourmet, please do not bring race and politics into a thread on travel and the impact of Interstates. Thank you.
I meant just that, feel free to express an opinion either way. Where did I write I would agree with your opinion? If you disagree with MY opinion which I did say in the OP WAS my opinion, then go ahead and do so. But don't attempt to suggest that I can't disagree with you. I will indeed cheer those that agree with me and disparage as you put it, those who disagree with me.
The trip you describe to Big Bend is a destination trip, not a road trip. I have made many such trips myself. Usually though I fly to the destination. Sometimes I do a road trip that is slow going one way but fast using interstates the other way. No where have I said anyone MUST do one or the other, the question I asked was what affect have the Interstates had.
Let's agree that everyone is free to go slow on smaller roads or go fast on intestates. To each his own. Now, do you think that Interstates have had an impact on the percentage of people who include a rambling journey in their vacation planning? I think it has. I think far less people enjoy the journey than used to. What do you think? Do as many people enjoy the JOURNEY as did in the past? That's really what I am asking for your opinion on.
Funnily enough, your forum name, 'WhereAreWe' and the equally as common, 'are we there yet?' really say a lot about how things have changed. I don't recall as a kid asking my Father either question. We were too busy enjoying the 'here' and not that bothered about the 'there'.
As rjasnumberonefan wrote, "My memories of traveling are mostly of the trip getting there. Sure, there were many fine destinations, but do I have fond memories of them? Not really."
IMDonehere and travelgourmet, please do not bring race and politics into a thread on travel and the impact of Interstates. Thank you.
Oct 9th, 2014, 06:52 AM
#57
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"IMDonehere and travelgourmet, please do not bring race and politics into a thread on travel and the impact of Interstates. Thank you."
Sojourntraveller, welcome to Fodors. People will turn a thread about favorite ice cream flavors into political arguments. Light, fun threads about travel are strictly forbidden here!
Sojourntraveller, welcome to Fodors. People will turn a thread about favorite ice cream flavors into political arguments. Light, fun threads about travel are strictly forbidden here!
Oct 9th, 2014, 12:41 PM
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Did I say I haven't? Although your interpretation of "nothing" and mine may be quite different, particularly when it comes to trying to explain yourself when being totally misinterpreted. And for the record it is impossible to have a fight involving only one person. It always takes at least two, don't forget. Just like one person can't be "trying to get in the last word", unless someone else is also trying to do that.
