What is Your RoadTrip Profile?
In the continuing effort to define whatever a roadtrip is, here is another stab --
Road trip! These two little words conjure dreams of freedom and adventure, yet they mean something different to every person who utters them. Is it a jaunt? A quest? A rendezvous with serendipity? The answers and a few more tidbits can be found on my MSNBC column this week (they left off my byline -- but it is me nonetheless...)
So, what I really want to know is -- What is YOUR RoadTrip Profile?
{Hint: You may have to read the article to properly identify your own profile....}
Mark
I set this one up with you in mind....
Quote:
Originally Posted by lhuff
I don't think that I really fit any one of those categories, yet I also fit several of them. I don't see a category for wild hair to see xyz, after attending the F1 race, but before continuing my quest to see all 50 states within the span of 1 week.
Just kidding... (sort of). Actually, I set this poll up so you can vote for all five if you want. I voted for two... So let's see where you are.
mark
For me -- it's often about the quest
Quote:
Originally Posted by Editor
Is it a jaunt? A quest? A rendezvous with serendipity?
When Megan and embarked on our first long roadtrip (6.5 years in length) we both had the notion that we were "going out to seek our fortune" and maybe even "discover the meaning of life" -- We found it and we are still doing it. All that said, I have never passed a dirt road that was heading off for a distant horizon that I didn't immediately want to follow. Is that the jaunt's siren call or do I just like the risk of not knowing where I am going? Hard to know, but I think these questions are an interesting way to look at the activity that we all love to do.
I am really curious about how Moderator Judy will respond to this poll --since we know she loves her car....
Mark
An "All the above" option needed
I've done all the above but I chose "the jaunt" because most roadtrips are probably for that reason, I guess. Fun, after all, is a must on a roadtrip. But I usually do a little of all of these things on each roadtrip, too. I usually find out something about myself or discover something that brings me great joy so while a quest might not be the major goal, I consider my whole life a quest for enlightenment and personal growth so why shouldn't it happen on a roadtrip? And, well, I do collect magnets (cheap, easy to pack away, and they bring back memories everytime I look at them). And I am always seeking quirky TTT's, Tacky Tourist Traps. I don't think I've ever done a roadtrip without seeking the world's biggest egg or Muffler Men or something else strange and bizarre along the road. So The Challenge kinda fits, too. I don't mind having a goal but I don't like being tied down to an itinerary or reservations if I can help it so, yeah, the Risk Factor fits but it really doesn't feel risky at all to me. And, now, to the car. I do love driving my car. And I think I look quite cute in it going down the road. And the second thing I collect is pictures of my car in front of things. And I find myself feeling sorry for people who aren't traveling in such a fun, little car. So, yeah, while The Vehicle might NOT be King as I've enjoyed roadtrips in less fun/cute cars, it sure does make a difference, imo.
Gosh, how can anyone choose?
"The Quest" and "The Risk Factor"
I convinced my wife to take a trip to the Iowa State Fair in 1996. The last day of the Iowa State Fair was our drop dead date, we had to make it to Des Moines by then. The convincing factor for her was that I promised that we would visit the Mall of America. There were a few stops to make to visit friends that I met, Jim in East Moline, IL and George in Cedar Rapids. We didn't get the chance to see Jim and his wife since she delivered a new son days before, but Jim managed to give us a short boat ride on the Mississippi. There were some must stops on the trip, the Hooters in Davenport since that opened after I left Iowa and the one in Cincinnati that I missed on my move back home.
Paula and I drove to Paducah, KY when we ran out of gas (physical exhaustion) and found a motel, stopping at the Hooters in Chattanooga and Memphis along the way. The next day, Paula asked "Want to go to St. Louis?" and I said "Sure, why not?". So we took a side trip to St. Louis, visited the Arch and had lunch at the Hooters in Union Station. On the way up to Moline, we saw signs of the "Home of Superman" at Metropolis, IL; so we visited Metropolis a bit, visited a few stores and took some pictures.
After Moline and spending the night in Cedar Rapids, it was on to Des Moines for the state fair. The Iowa State Fair is huge! (Much bigger than the South Carolina State Fair) Try finding a vacancy in Des Moines during the state fair. It is impossible! Nothing inside of 50 miles has vacancies, finally in downtown Des Moines, we spotted a vacancy sign at Hotel Fort Des Moines.
The next day, it was onto the Mall of America. We skipped the chain stores, Sears is Sears in Anywhere USA, and even the regional chains. We stopped at the unique stores. On the return home, we stayed at a motel in the middle of nowhere Illinois surrounded by cornfields and made a stop at the Hooters on the river in Cincinnati.
It was a fun trip and none of the trip was planned, no reservations; just one firm date, visit the Iowa State Fair before closing day.
So I reckon that vacation trip was a combination of "The Quest" and "The Risk Factor".
Why Iowa and their State Fair?
I had a short-term contract working in Cedar Rapids, IA from April through October, 1994. I decided to make the most of my stay and visited places in the surrounding area. As a Southerner, used to fresh seafood, I wanted some raw oysters; Red Lobster quit serving raw oysters, then I remembered that Hooters Restaurant serves raw oysters at their location in Columbia, SC; I went on the computer and found there was a restaurant in Des Moines, IA and I drove there for lunch on a weekend.
Then I developed an off-beat hobby, visiting as many Hooters Restaurants that I could. I made a day trip to the Mall of America in Minneapolis, MN. One of my craziest trips was to drive from Cedar Rapids, to Omaha for lunch, then to Kansas City for dinner. I couldn't find a motel room on the return leg, so I just drove back to Cedar Rapids through Des Moines, a 900 mile road trip.
On my moving trip back home, I stopped at the Hooters in Indianapolis, tried to find the one in Cincinnati and decided to press on; spent the night in Lexington, KY and had dinner at the Hooters and had lunch at the Hooters in Knoxville. I also did not want to unload my van on the twisting curves of I-40 or I-26 in the mountains, I put the spare tire in the passenger seat and the jack and lug wrench under the seat.
Since I started my Hooters Restaurant Quest, I have visited 23 Hooters in 14 states. I have an understanding wife and she doesn't mind eating there either.
PS:
I see material in here for a Toastmasters speech.
Ah... Grasshopper -- that is the point!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judy
Gosh, how can anyone choose?
I think that is the primary point that all of these posts are making -- the best roadtrips are those where the motivations are clearly understood and appreciated and, most importantly, embraced --
Quote:
So, yeah, while The Vehicle might NOT be King as I've enjoyed roadtrips in less fun/cute cars, it sure does make a difference, imo.
Gosh, why am I not surprised by that? Actually, maybe the phrase should have been -- the vehicle reigns supreme???
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/jcarter.jpg
Above is Moderator Judy in her beloved roadtrip car "Bilbo."
Mark
