When I was a kid, and we traveled on vacation by car, there were no interstates. We actually had to learn to read maps to get where we were going.
To this day, I prefer driving thru the little towns, and I stay off turnpikes and interstates. I would tell my husband, the moment we leave the house, we are on vacation, not when we get where we were headed. I want to see the little towns, diners, main streets; look at the shops and see the sights. I don’t care how long it takes us to get there. You see so much more that way.
Your threads have brought all those trips in my lifetime back to life.
Thank you again!
Oh! I do remember traveling like that ... and the maps. All the streets were on the maps and one could actually navigate using them! We would be sorry as the interstate slowly bypassed town after town. It killed a lot of small towns. In very many was it was a better life.
I remember using Rand McNally maps when I was a kid. I was the navigator for family trips.
Never could get those maps to fold back correctly.
Nezt month, I’ll be taking a road trip from Nashville to St. Louis; third time in 3 years so I’ve already routed myself on the back roads. From there I’ll be taking Route 66 to Bloomington IL, so I’ll be going through lots of little towns.
My favorite way to travel!
Your family vacations sound so familiar. With no Interstate highways there were never any gas stations found on State Highways open all night. Couldn’t count how many times we slept in the vehicle at the station pump in a small town, waking up to the roosters in the area in the dawning hours. Our country was seen from coast to coast; border to border by highways. It was seen and to quote another “it was spectacular!’ There is nothing comparable in the world. America is to be treasured.
re: vacations through small through towns
I so agree with you. I loved eating in those small local diners and best of all reading the local newspaper.
Where else would you learn about “Miss Garlic” or “Miss cherry blossom” or that the little league team is going to the County Championships or “Fred’s Plumbing” won the Wed Men’s Commercial Bowling League for the 3rd time. Obits were lengthy and sincere and wedding announcements fun, too.
And always home-made local berry pie!!!!
Before we had children my hubby and I would go for drives just to look at things, always off the beaten path. So many memories.
We did travel a lot with our kids but we all had things going on so harder to get away as much as we did before.
That is a neat story. I am a bit like that myself, though it is more in the interest of avoiding the stress of heavy traffic at high rates of speed that sends me to seek out the routes that amble through countrysides and small towns.
It drives my husband bonkers. He can’t bear red lights.