Friday, October 30, 2009

OUR ROCKIN ROAD TRIP - DAY UNO - REALLY!!!

We got up Saturday and loaded up the car for our Church History/Chicken Wings Across America Tour.
We usually leave at the crack o' dawn for a long drive,
but there was no hurry to get up because Garrett had to take the ACT first.

We left Denver around 1:30ish for our drive to Omaha, Nebraska.

First, let me just state that road trips are a little bit different today than when I was a kid.
1) Comfort level of the ride


Remember piling into the station wagon WITH NO SEAT BELTS!
You just sat wherever. 
The best seat in the house was in the "way back" facing backwards and rolling into each other each time dad took a curve.......unless facing backwards made you carsick.
Plus, on long road trips, the way back was filled with hard sided suitcases, the cooler full of food and the wooden porta crib.

Sometimes, we would take turns lying on the seat.
When one person was lying on the seat, the other could lie down on the floor.........
but remember how the floor wasn't flat?  It had that hump in the middle.
It wasn't very pleasant to be the one lying on the floor!





Times have changed.
My kids put down the bucket seats in the 2nd row of the Yukon.
Then they climb back to the third row of seats (still two bucket seats) and sit with their legs stretched out on top of the 2nd row.
They call it riding "Limo Style."
They put down the screen and watch DVD's.
Or they put on headphones and listen to their IPODS.
Or they pull out their IPhones and play games.

This ain't the road trip of yesteryear!

2) Options along the way.

My parents used to pack up a cooler with sandwiches and such.
We'd stop at a roadside rest stop and picnic.
Now we can stop at 87 different restaurants along the way and gorge ourselves.
EXCEPT:
Remember that this IS a Chicken Wing Tour!

FIRST STOP-
Ruby Tuesdays in North Platte, Nebraska

The boys ordered the Fire Wings.


They come in normal <- okay it's not called that but I can't remember what it's called, and Spicy.
They went for spicy with cheddar fries.

They were unimpressed.
Parker said, "The spice has a weird after taste."
Garrett, "These aren't spicy."
Thanks boys for the eloquent and descriptive reviews!
They gave the wings a 2 out of 5,
the restaurant a 2 out of 5,
and the people in the restaurant a 4 out of 5 for entertainment value.
Just goes to show, you can't have everthing.

Onward to Omaha!!!

We arrived in Omaha around 9ish.


We stayed in a Fairfield Inn near Creighton University.
The hotel seemed new and was extremely clean and welcoming.


Parker was happy that it was near Creighton.
He's counting it as a "Campus visit" for a bogus school assignment. ;)


Garrett noted the two queen beds:
pointing to the first, he proclaimed,
"Here's your bed Parker."
Pointing to the second,
"Here's my bed."
Pointing to the bathroom,
"And Mom and Dad, you're in the bathroom.  It's paybacks for the time you put my crib in the closet."

Gotta love Garrett!!!

5 comments:

Shirley said...

Love it! Our babies slept in the closet on road trips too. We also miss the days of just throwing the kids in the car and going. Favorite thing to do with old three seat station wagon: Put center seat down and three youngest would stretch out with the sleeping bags and sleep most of the trip. Two oldest took turns getting the floor in the far back.

Unknown said...

I can't wait for day two.

When we used to visit my parents when Thor was a baby we stuck him in the bathroom too - cause it was huge in their old house!

We are road tripping next weekend to Punkin Chunkin with my neighbor and her girls. I'm just hoping no one throws up!

Can I have some cheese fries please?? I'm hungry.

deb@virginia blue said...

your boys are just too funny!
road trips HAVE come a long way, haven't they? hope you guys are having a blast :)

valerie said...

love it! Can't wait to hear the rest. My oldest thinks it is way cool that you are going on a chicken wing trip. Thanks a lot. Now he wan't US to go on one. :)

Tracie said...

My kids have all their gadgets and games in the car and still complain. And fight.