Road trip when and why

[mxz800]

My son just went on a road trip with some of his work friends to Tennessee from Maine. They rented a van, and headed to buc-ees, and a few distilleries.

That reminded me of the last minute road trip I took with a couple of friends back in the early 80's. We decided on third shift on a Friday after work we would grab some clothes and drive to Virginia.

What a trip, we had a lot of fun. We took my 78 Camaro, the three of us all over 6ft crammed into that car.

 

[1o1proof]

I wish I understood why people are so infatuated with bucees. I know people that plan their vacation routes to visit them?? It’s an oversized convenience store, with the same stuff for sale in multiple places. To each his own but, I just don’t get it.

I will give them that getting gas is easy and traffic flows nicely.

 

[KennethS]

I wish I understood why people are so infatuated with bucees. I know people that plan their vacation routes to visit them?? It’s an oversized convenience store, with the same stuff for sale in multiple places. To each his own but, I just don’t get it.

I will give them that getting gas is easy and traffic flows nicely.

I agree. Lived in the area in the 90s when they had a bait shop / convenience store / gas station on the way to the jetties, then later an ice house that was the happenin place. Didn’t know they had expanded so massively until I saw online posts about it And thought WTH?

 

[Somberke]

There's something special about hitting the road with friends and seeing where it takes you. Your 78 Camaro must've been the perfect ride for those late-night drives through Virginia! Speaking of travels, I once found myself planning a trip from Tampa, Florida, checking out all the cruise timetables. It was like stepping into a world of endless possibilities, imagining the adventures awaiting at each port.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

In about 2007 my brother and some friends flew out to southern California, did some skate boarding for a couple days and then drove home in an 85ish Ford Bronco that he bought on Craigslist for something like $1500.

They did a lot of this.

And then topped it off with a 2 hour search by the highway patrol on the side of I-40 at 3am in western Oklahoma.


My most random road trip was when Oklahoma went to play in the football national championship in Miami while I was in college. I had to fly out there due to timing but I didn't have enough money for a round trip, or to drive back myself. So I hitched a ride with a couple girls I'd gone to high school with and one of their sorority sisters. 24 hours in a S10 Blazer and a night in one hotel room; it didn't go as these things usually do in the movies. I blame it on the fact that we were all depressed from the 55-19 loss to USC.

 

[gasiorv]

Quite a few last minute road trips in my younger years. Loved every one of them. A very memorable one is when a group of buddies in a parents conversion van with a keg in the back pulled up outside my work 30 minutes before quitting time and said jump in we are heading to Unadilla for the mx race. I clocked out, jumped in, and a few hours later was peeing in a funnel with a tube hanging out the van door as we were entering NY state. We arrived early morning and watched the amateurs race and practice laps on Saturday, then the pros on Sunday, and then back home to be at work Monday morning. Another great one was heading to Wildwood, NJ for 4th of July because a buddy of mine knew a girl who may or may not have been there. Amazingly we actually did find her (this was early 90s pre-cell phone days) when her and her friends happened to drive by when we were crossing the street and they stopped. My buddy jumped in the car with the girls and we never saw him again until we were packing up to head back home. I think we may have had more fun than he did because the "hotel" (if you can call it that) was full of college age kids and every room and floor had a party going all weekend long. Happy I grew up prior to all the cell phones, cameras, etc...

I am lucky I have two good boys who aren't like me when I was younger, but these kids today are missing out on some life experiences, happy to hear that your boy and his friends made the trip. Maine to TN is a trip! Who cares for what, Buccees, a girl, a concert, a race, etc... the experience; talking about everything and nothing in the vehicle, stopping for gas and grabbing jerky and other crappy food, counting change to pay for gas (not sure they can do that anymore), everyone taking turns driving and scaring each other doing stupid stuff, staying at cheap motels, eating at a Waffle House at 1am and the waiter who is dipping copenhagen gets in a fight with the cook over the eggs you just ordered, is all worth it!!