The Food & What I learned

My parents bought all our food as we were traveling across the country.  It would take four days to drive from Oneonta, New York to Kaysville, UT.  Every morning my dad would get out the Coleman Stove, and cook eggs and bacon.  We would also have cold cereal.  This was a real treat because we never had cold cereal at home.  Often we would get the cereal in the little rectangular prism boxes.  We would be able to eat it right from the box.  Another treat was milk!  When we traveled across the country, we had store bought milk.  So, so much better than powdered milk.  We loved the taste of the cold, but not very cold milk in paper cups.  For lunch, we would stop at a rest stop.  I remember Nebraska had the best rest stops.  They had fun places to explore, clean bathrooms, and we got to eat at picnic tables and eat our lunch. We mostly had sandwiches. Usually we would be at the campsite for dinner.  I can't remember the menu for dinner, but I didn't really like food back then.  We could play on the campground swingsets, sometimes evey go swimming, and of course, sleep in the tents.  Two people would also sleep in the car, on the platform bed. Now my memory might be faulty here, but it seemed to be Anne and Jennie that always slept in the car.  Not that I minded, I loved sleeping in the tent.  We always had a food box underneath the platform with perishable items.  Sometimes we would also get fig newtons.  We hardly ever had store bought cookies at our home.  Fig newtons weren't a treat for me, but my dad loved them! When it was really hot, we would go into a McDonalds for ice cream and try to cool down.  We would go to Ponderosa as our last meal on the way home.  I am sure my parents needed it more than we did.

I was just thinking about what these trips taught me:

1. Family was very important!  My parents saved for these trips across the country, and worked really hard so they could do it in the most economical manner possible. 
2. Even when things can be really stressful for parents (i.e. a car breaking down) it can be a great memory for kids.  i.e.: being able to watch movies at the Independance visitor center.  Seriously, the trip wouldn't have been as much fun for me if the car had worked!
3. Enjoy the journey: my parents always would stop at different places and take different routes to see different parts of the country.  We saw Niagra Falls, Yellowstone Nationale Park, Tetons, Mount Rushmore, Badlands, Nauvoo, and Indendance, MO.
4. You don't need electronics to stay entertained in the car.  We would do the alphabet game, hypnotize each other, read, and use our imaginations.  We learned how to read maps, navigate, and learned the order of the states as we crossed through each one.
5. My favorite part of the trip was playing and being with my Hollist cousins for an entire summer!  We had such a great time.  In the Rushforth's basement, we played murder in the dark and blinds man bluff for an entire summer.  At my grandmother's house, we would play in the irrigation ditches, pick fruit, make fruit leather, put on plays, go into the closet closet for our club meetings.  It was at my grandmother's house that I first learned about my long lost brother George.  He was even older than Kevin!

The Layout of the Car

Our first VW bus was red.  With two little windows on the side.  They wouldn't always stay open, so we would put our feet in the window to hold them open.  Sometimes my dad would work up a system to keep the windows open.

I love this diagram of the interior.  The back on the bus was the engine.  Where number 7 is we would pile up the sleeping bags and pillows.  It was fun to go in the back.  Jennie said she would pretend it was the inside of a genie bottle.  It was the hottest part of the van.

The middle seet was taken out, and a platform was built  (look at the picture below to get an idea)   My dad built a platform and then put a big piece of plywood over the platform.  Underneath the master packer, would put all our suitcases, food box, tents (two) and last but not least our shoes.  We would have foam pads on top.  It was a great place to play and hang out.  We had plenty of room, except  when my dad was in the back.  He would always sleep on the diagnal.  We would only have two triangles to hang out in.

This gives an idea of the bed like situation of the van. 

Now you might think the passengers seat was the best seat, but at your feet you had the coleman cooler.  We used this cooler for many, many years.  It worked like a charm--until the bears got it, but that is another story. 

The water jug sat inbetween the drivers seat and passengers seat. 

Who do you like? Who are you going to marry?

While driving across country, we oftn would try an hypnotize each other.  Martha was the best, at being hypnotized and hypnotizing.  She would ask the question, "Who do you like, and Who are you going marry?"  Her answer was always: Ace. 

My Hero!

We always had wet ones in the car when we traveled across country.  I recently bought some, and they just didn't seem the same.  On a hot day, a grabbed a wipe--and the smell overcame me with memories.

I would take a dry wet one and folded it in a fan, pinched it in the middle, then told a story.

"You must pay the rent!" The wet one became a mustache, and my voice became very sinister.
"But I can't pay the rent!" The wet one became a boy, and my voice was high and sweet.
"You must!"
"I can't!"
"You must!"
"I can't!"
"You must!"
"I can't!"

"I'll pay the rent!" The wet one became a bow tie, and my voice was handsome and kind.
"My hero!"
"Rats foiled again!"

Driving across country in a lemon of a car!

We drove across country about every two to three years.  So my parents would pack up the car, and we would leave the day after school got out, and come home the day before school got back.  We had so much fun visiting our cousins.  We would pick raspberries, apricots, play in the irrigation ditches.  It was always a summer of fun, fun, fun!!!!

The Car: always a VW. First we had a Bus, then in 1981 we got a VW Vanagon.  Oh what fun.  We had no air conditioning, only the side windows.  When it got hot, we would suck on ice, put cold washcloths on our heads, and stare longingly out the window at cars with their windows rolled up.  Once it was so hot, we stopped at a McDonalds for ice cream--and relief!!!!  

Now my dad was a master packer! He would pull out the middle seat of the bus, and place a platform in the car.  It was basically a piece of plywood the was on risers--underneath we would store our clothes, camping equipment, and food.  We were only allowed a 1/2 suitcase of clothes for the entire summer.  The last thing we would put in the car before closing the door was our shoes.  I used to worry that a shoe would fall out, or maybe one did, and I would be without shoes for the entire trip.  On top of the risers we would place two foam mats--and we would basically sit on the mats with no seatbelt.  In the way back, (above the engine) we had  the piles of sleeping bags and pillows.  When I sat in the way back, I would look out the back window at watch the clouds and their shapes.

One year--we had a lemon of a car.  It seemed like everytime we stopped, we would have to wait at least two hours before the car would start again.  Starting the car might take a push to get it started.  When we finally made it to Utah, the car went into the shop--and we thought it was fixed, but was it.  No!!!!!  On the way home, we got stuck in Independance, MO.  My mom, brother Joseph, sister Jennie, and I were at the Independance visitor center.  The missionaries took us under their wing, and we watched movie after movie in their theater.  I loved seeing The Three Witnesses, Momon Adds, and Windows of Heaven.  They were truly kind to us.  We were so glad when we drove into our home.  We kept the car for awhile longer.  The next time we drove across country it wasn't in the Orange VW Bus, but in the Vanagon!  It was so much better--but still it lacked air conditioning. 

Journal entries from trips across the country

July 11, 1982

Today is Sunday, we went to church at Welsburrow.  It was SO boring.  I miss Oneonta Branch. We are on our way to Utah.  We're listening to the Annie Movie tape of songs.  It's raining outside hard right now.  I brought a lot of things to do and writing in my journal is one of them.  We don't have any school till Sept.  I just wrote a letter to Sister Brisco, my nice primary teacher.

July 12, 1982
Today we travelled through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.  Right now we are looking for a campsite.  I hope we find one.

Today when we crossed the Mississippi, Martha said, "Oh Milky!"  Dad was holding her when she said that and we all laughed.

I slept an hour before we crossed the Mississippi River, so I had a nap.

July 13, 1982

Last night we found a campsite, I was so glad at 10:00 last night.  It's 15 minutes to 4:00 and we are in N e b r a s k a.  I wrote it so long because its so long.

If you don't know why I'm writing each state.  It's because we are going across country to Utah where our cousins live.

We have a car converter that hooks up to the cigarette lighter so we can listen to tapes. We're listening to Annie that Jonathan got for his birthday.  Next we are going to listen to Songs for a Mormon Child.

We also brought Star Child, Pageant Music from the Hill Cumorah, My Turn on Earth, & The Muppet Show.

Anne and Larry are home working.

July 14, 1982

Today is Wednesday. We went through Nebraska and are going through Wyoming.  We will arrive in Kaysville, Utah today.  I can't wait.

I just wrote to Diane Rudolph, my best friend in chruch.

It is 11:35 and I'm bored so I'm writing in my journal.

I hope this doesn't sound boring.  We left at 7:15 this morning, 45 minutes before we usually do.  It seems like we are an hour behind, so I keep looking at my watch.

My New Project

As many of you might know--two years ago I graduated with my masters degree.  I have so many ideas floating around in my head--I have to get them out.  I started a new blog. 

I will share my Suzuki Game ideas and anything else I come up with.  I would love to have some followers--just to increase my traffic.  I will still post here--but probably only quarterly.  Most of my time and energy will be going into this new creation.

www.ateacherwithoutaclass.com