You guys have all had some amazing trips to some wonderful places, I have been stuck in the states since I was born, My older sister was fortunate enough to live in Germany when she was little. ( it was after the war, but I won't reveal her age.............
) Lets just say it was after the war, before the Berlin Wall came down and "The Black Market" was in full swing. My sister was having a birthday party and one of the party favors was Hersheys Candy bars. Back then Chocolate was a luxery for most Germans and the children who were not smart enough to eat them before they got home, most likely lost that sweet goodness. I was told of at least one or two children who lost their candy bars and the parents took them to the Black Market for trade on something like a pair of shoes or for some food that would go a lot farther. Chocolate was mostly a commodity back then, and my father still in the Military had access to things the general public didn't.
I was born here in the states so never had the chance to see where my Great Grandparents came from, ( ON my Father's side.my Grandmother is full blooded Native American...another story.) Anyway, I missed out on Germany, so my vacations are all childhood memories. My favorites are the old standby, Disneyland and Yosemite National Park. It was a tradition every year when my father got his vacation, for us to load up the station wagon and take the trip to Disneyland. Whether we lived in Kansas or California, it was allways Disneyland. When I was about 8, we made the trip from Kansas to Disneyland, via The Grand Canyon, and also visiting Yosemite National Park. Disneyland was allways fun and you could never see everything or go on all the rides even in two days! My favorite rides back then were The Matterhorn, ( loved going through the inside of the mountain and almost going over the edge of the open part of the mountain where there is a waterfall, and back into the darkness..I also loved the Fantasyland rides, Peter Pan, Dumbo flying Elephants and It's a Small, Small World was allways wonderful. ( This was way before Pirates of the Carribean or any of the computer images rides.)
Oh, the Jungle Cruise was fun with hippos and crocodiles right at the side of your boat...and my brother and I allways had fun going to Tom Sawyer's island where you go on the raft to cross over on a raft and get out and just run and play on an island , all rocks, etc, Of course the Steamship ,I think it was called the Mark Twain was fun to ride too, Oh, and there was a train ride that went past an indian village, goes on and on, Everything was fun when I was a kid. Oh, one more, Bear Country Jamboree. Lots of fun singing and Dancing Bears, where you sat in a outdoor arena area and ate and the Country Bear Jamboree played music and sang, lots of fun still thinking about it..
When I was a kid, those were my favorite vacations, mostly because they bring back so many happy memories and my family, both mom and dad have been gone for decades, memories is all I have of my parents and a happier time. When my kids were born I promised them and myself I would take them to Disneyland, but it never materialized for many reasons so the second best thing that we could do for vacation, was to take a bus for a weekend trip to San Francisco to see a baseball game between The San Francisco Giants and The Los Angeles Dodgers. Both my son and daughter were Giant Fans and I have allways been a Dodgers fan, so we all enjoyed the trip, I do not drive and it was a long trip on Greyhound , spending half the time we had just getting there and coming back from the game, but we all enjoyed it. ( this was 1988 when the Dodgers were riding high right before The World Series which they won, and I got to see my fave players and my daughter got to see Will Clark the Giants First Baseman who see loved!
)
One other vacation or trip I took as an adult was when I moved from where I am now in the Redwoods to see if I could find work in Montana where my sister lives. I quit my teaching job here, packed everything up and my daughter and our two dogs left with my sister and brother in law while I finished packing and finishing other stuff here, and I took the bus to Montana with our BoxTurle, Myrtle in a bag with me on board. It was the most beautiful pristine place I have ever seen outside of the Redwoods, but no jobs to be found. Snow, did I mention Snow, Snow in July and sometimes even August!
That and walking to the High School which was a two mile walk to work in the cafeteria , in the dead of winter where it can be 50 below zero!
NO public transportation back then, mountain lions, elk, deer and even bears a common site on that walk brought me back to reality, I did not belong in MOntana when I did not drive. or could not catch a bus, there were no buses! So after a sharp jab in my backside with what reality is.. I decided I needed to return to CA, and the REdwoods, where at least it was not
50 degrees below zero in the winter, and I could walk to work , or catch a bus, and there were not mountain lions or bears to cross my path if I had to walk to work.( Though one time two blocks from our house, my husband and I both saw a big black bear cutting through a barb wire fence on the side of the road to escape through a empty field , hiding who knows where.( a minute later a police car pulled us over asking if we had seen a bear..hopefully they did not shoot that poor bear, it was just hungry and was looking for some berries or scraps to eat..) One good thing that came out of Montana was I leaned to ski, even if it was only on the Bunny Slopes...
Sorry for the rambling, childhood memories took over and memories of happier times. I wish my children were still little and I could do all the things I wanted to do with them and take them to all the places they deserved to see and hopefully my grandchildren will get some of those memories as well. I would recommend Montana as it is one of the last places anywhere that is prinstine and something like 80% of it is just land, no people, Glacier National Forest, part of it is in Montana, part of it is on the Canadian side is a 10 out of 10, sheer beauty, If you like the cold and snow, and wild open places, Montana is your ticket. Disneyland, I think everyone in the world has a inner child, and if I can recommend only one place to save up to visit, it is Disneyland, I could spend days there and still not see everything and it is allways adding new things. If you want a place to just let go of all your worries and be that child you remember, then Disneyland is at the top of my list, whether you are 10 years old or 100 years old, Disneyland is the Ultimate Vacation and fun Spot!
RWM
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Topic: Favorite Vacations or Trips (Read 5992 times)