The past few days have been fairly good. Christmas is coming closer, the cool weather feels good, and I have not seen one inch of Catherine Heigl on TV. This is not to say she is a horrible person. Goodness gracious, I think the name Heigl could have been used on every episode of Hogan's Heroes! Alas, she, and other actors and movies out there nowadays, just don't do it for me like they used to. I began a list of movies I actually looked forward to seeing at the theater, based on the draw of previews and TV ads...and perhaps visions in my head. Last I saw we'd completed 1986. Now, this list of movies does NOT include films I was dragged to by my parents because I was a dateless nerd (was? my wife muses regarding the nerd part). No, I was DRAWN to these movies somehow....and some of them were indeed mutant magnetic attractions that died soon after the films started. So...on to 1987!
1987- I am ashamed of none of these!
Dragnet- I still love this one! Dan Aykroyd as the new generation of Sgt. Friday is classic. Tom Hanks was, well, Tom Hanks and we liked him that way then...I kind of wish he'd revert now and then.
Three Men and a Baby- Still a cute movie, and its not too dated.
Stakeout- Emilio Estevez in a mustache 2 years after "Breakfast Club...nuff said
The Untouchables- Still a classic! Sean Connery made this movie work.
1988
Beaches...NOT! NEVER! Just checking alertness
Biloxi Blues- Still like this one, kind of like I still love An Officer and a Gentleman and Stripes, basic training movies, comedy or drama, always engage me. Matthew Broderick in basic training is, well, different.
Coming to America- Still funny, but less so 23 years later.
The Great Outdoors- once again, classic Candy. I didn't enjoy this one as much as others like Summer Rental, but its still good cable fare.
Scrooged- Still a favorite! Carol Kane beating up Bill Murray is still fun to watch.
Twins- Less funny now given Schwarzeneggar's political years and latest scandal, but still amusing.
Working Girl- Saw this with a childhood friend even though we were under 17.....to this day I think Melanie Griffith is hotter than Sigourney Weaver
Actually, 1988 was fairly lame in terms of movies I wanted to see.....so let's move to the end of the Reagan era with
1989
Batman- Still a favorite! The only good one of that particular series, in fact. One of Nicholson's best.
The Burbs- Disappointment! Tom Hanks should be ashamed of this one, but since his track record was pretty good to this point, I can forgive him.
Disorganized Crime- Still good! Fred Gwynne tried for years to shed Herman Munster, and was beginning to succeed with this.
Ghostbusters 2- I don't like it much now, but it was funny then. Too much time had passed from the first one and the magic was just gone.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade- Sean Connery and Harrison Ford.....you couldn't pair up 2 bigger names and come up with a classic like this! Still a fave to watch!
Lethal Weapon 2- Still good! Can't say much else.
Look Who's Talking- Still funny, but Travolta playing lovable but dumb New York punk at 35 is a stretch.
Major League- Funny funny funny! Still watch it when its uncut and unedited. Great baseball flick!
Star Trek 5 The Final Frontier- Thankfully it wasn't the final one for the original crew because they wouldn't want to go out on this one! Bad script and Shatner's bad directing made this one ripe for Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Tango and Cash- Cheesy, bad, tasteless.....but I bought it for $5 anyway.....all movie collections need a balance
1989 was a MUCH better year for must-see flicks apparently.
Coming soon, 1990-95
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Coming soon....look out!
Last Saturday, my wife and I went to a movie for the first time in several months...and it may be a longer time, based on what we were forced to see before our movie even started! If it were not for 2 free movie passes we got last Christmas (am I allowed to say that without being assaulted for sensitivities violations?), we would have stayed at home to battle ants. And that plotline sounds better than the ones in the previews we were "honored" with. Let's see, another goofball comedy about CIA agents battling over a girl, I'm pretty sure there was a romantic comedy there somewhere, and some travesty with Catherine Heigl (the only fun thing about her is making new pronunciations of Heigl with a Nazi salute). I am afraid that, with rising popcorn and soda costs, we will be using on-demand more often in the next several months. What I want to know is....WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DAYS OF CRAP WE COULDN'T WAIT TO SEE???
Seriously, from my childhood through the early 2000s, a range of about 35 years, there was almost always what they called a "blockbuster" summer, where they poured steaming hot crap onto celluloid that looked pretty good! At least one movie every year came to mind, and many were good and rewatched today. So, I've compiled a list going back to 1983, and ending in 2002, of movies I looked forward to seeing (and more often than not, did) at the theater.
Note- This list is only movies I looked forward to seeing from previews and TV ads. Movies my parents dragged me to see and I ended up liking anyway don't count. Some of these were worth it...and others were, well, forgettable at best.
1983
1. Return of the Jedi- Hands down, a disappointing conclusion, but I waited 3 years to see it...the green lightsaber rocked! Ewoks just an inch from being gremlins.
2. Superman 3- Mixing Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor was a disaster, but the Good vs Evil Superman scene was pretty good.
3. Wargames- Computers starting World War 3....gave me fantasies about rigging my Atari 2600! Incidentally, saw this one at the long-defunct Shillington one-room theater.
1984
1. Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock- The Wrath of Khan made this one a necessity, and I still like it. Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon (shortly after Taxi!) is priceless!
2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- If it weren't for Kate Capshaw's 2-hour scream, this movie may have been redeeming.
3. Splash- Was a favorite then, a favorite now
4. Ghostbusters- Same as Splash in terms of being a favorite. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is always a classic!
5. Johnny Dangerously-I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but it looked funny...note: I have it on DVD, meaning I value it above today's Heigl crap
1985
1. Back to the Future- It still rocks to this day...goes to show that retro rules no matter what decade you're in!
2. Fletch- Loved it, then read the books. I still like it, but now feel Chevy Chase wasn't what the author had in mind.
3. Explorers- Pure, total crap! River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke still had promising careers despite this.
4. Summer Rental- good, average John Candy flick, which is a good thing, may he Rest in Peace
5. European Vacation- The Griswold's were stale here, but redeemed themselves years later for the holidays
1986- a fairly fruitful year
1. Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home- a fun movie my wife and I like to watch from time to time
2. Karate Kid 2- Daniel-San beating that Okinawan bully's face with his fists is still a favorite climax!
3. Ruthless People- looked stupid, was stupid...and it's funny nonetheless!
4. Every Time We Say Goodbye- Just kidding! Tom Hanks wasn't ready for his Oscar drama years just yet.
5. The Mosquito Coast- I love Harrison Ford, but this was a downer at the end, and no 13 year old wants a downer...haven't seen it since!
6. The Fly- yes, a horror flick with Jeff Goldblum. One might argue that all of his films are, but this was a nice remake of a classic (as remakes go!)
1987-1990 coming soon
Seriously, from my childhood through the early 2000s, a range of about 35 years, there was almost always what they called a "blockbuster" summer, where they poured steaming hot crap onto celluloid that looked pretty good! At least one movie every year came to mind, and many were good and rewatched today. So, I've compiled a list going back to 1983, and ending in 2002, of movies I looked forward to seeing (and more often than not, did) at the theater.
Note- This list is only movies I looked forward to seeing from previews and TV ads. Movies my parents dragged me to see and I ended up liking anyway don't count. Some of these were worth it...and others were, well, forgettable at best.
1983
1. Return of the Jedi- Hands down, a disappointing conclusion, but I waited 3 years to see it...the green lightsaber rocked! Ewoks just an inch from being gremlins.
2. Superman 3- Mixing Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor was a disaster, but the Good vs Evil Superman scene was pretty good.
3. Wargames- Computers starting World War 3....gave me fantasies about rigging my Atari 2600! Incidentally, saw this one at the long-defunct Shillington one-room theater.
1984
1. Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock- The Wrath of Khan made this one a necessity, and I still like it. Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon (shortly after Taxi!) is priceless!
2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- If it weren't for Kate Capshaw's 2-hour scream, this movie may have been redeeming.
3. Splash- Was a favorite then, a favorite now
4. Ghostbusters- Same as Splash in terms of being a favorite. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is always a classic!
5. Johnny Dangerously-I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but it looked funny...note: I have it on DVD, meaning I value it above today's Heigl crap
1985
1. Back to the Future- It still rocks to this day...goes to show that retro rules no matter what decade you're in!
2. Fletch- Loved it, then read the books. I still like it, but now feel Chevy Chase wasn't what the author had in mind.
3. Explorers- Pure, total crap! River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke still had promising careers despite this.
4. Summer Rental- good, average John Candy flick, which is a good thing, may he Rest in Peace
5. European Vacation- The Griswold's were stale here, but redeemed themselves years later for the holidays
1986- a fairly fruitful year
1. Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home- a fun movie my wife and I like to watch from time to time
2. Karate Kid 2- Daniel-San beating that Okinawan bully's face with his fists is still a favorite climax!
3. Ruthless People- looked stupid, was stupid...and it's funny nonetheless!
4. Every Time We Say Goodbye- Just kidding! Tom Hanks wasn't ready for his Oscar drama years just yet.
5. The Mosquito Coast- I love Harrison Ford, but this was a downer at the end, and no 13 year old wants a downer...haven't seen it since!
6. The Fly- yes, a horror flick with Jeff Goldblum. One might argue that all of his films are, but this was a nice remake of a classic (as remakes go!)
1987-1990 coming soon
Friday, August 19, 2011
We'll be right back, hopefully!
I am sitting with my wife on the couch watching "Golden Girls". It's not one of my favorite shows from the past, but with all the junk that's on anymore, I will watch an oldie, ANY oldie. And a show about 4 oldies just seemed appropriate.Did I enjoy watching it? HECK NO! Don't get me wrong, I had no problem with the program, at least WHEN THEY SHOWED IT! I swear, every five minutes there was a commercial break that lasted almost as long as the show segment that preceded it. If Golden Girls was originally a half-hour program that had a runtime of about 22 minutes, we did NOT see 22 minutes of this show, it felt like 10-15!
Of course, this all depends on the TV channel one happens to be watching. If I turn to Hub to see "Batman" (and I mean classic Adam West here), little to none of the show is cut! I actually enjoy watching that as opposed to when the show was on FX, Family Channel, and TVLand. Those channels put cuts in the show to make time for ads. I do understand when a buck has to be made, but why the heck does the viewer have to suffer? I guess my question is, bottom line, why air the show at all?
Here's another example: one of my favorite shows growing up was "WKRP in Cincinnati." It was funny and had Loni Anderson, what more can a growing boy ask for? The reruns in syndication were not cut. After they took it off for a VERY long time, one cable channel brought it back. I watched it and still liked it, but something was very different....they used to have rock riffs playing in the background and scene segues...and they were now replaced with elevator music pieces! They tried to sell the first season of the show in that state, but it must not have sold well because no other seasons were on sale!
Here is one more example: Warner Bros. cartoons! Growing up, I was subjected to a lot of horrible, non-PC cartoons from this studio, and I was psychologically damaged as a result! Well, at least the powers that be believe so. Personally, I thought I was watching a lot of funny stuff that I could relate to with friends. The truth is, I WAS NOT DAMAGED! We watch Warner Bros. cartoons at home, and while some of the shorts are good, Cartoon Network consistently airs a lot of the same LAME ones. They haven't even shown any Pepe LePew! Is that because the lovable skunk is regarded as anti-French? Well, many of us are anyway, what's one cartoon character going to damage?
So, I guess in this not-so- brand -new century, we have not moved so forward as we thought we would. Back in the day (I'm nearly 40, I can say back in the day!) we thought there'd be smellevision, video games would be mind-controlled, there'd be colonies on the moon AND Mars, two guys named Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest would be career dishwashers, and nothing would be cut on TV for "sensitivities."
OK, commercial break is over....I'll be back in 3 minutes.
Of course, this all depends on the TV channel one happens to be watching. If I turn to Hub to see "Batman" (and I mean classic Adam West here), little to none of the show is cut! I actually enjoy watching that as opposed to when the show was on FX, Family Channel, and TVLand. Those channels put cuts in the show to make time for ads. I do understand when a buck has to be made, but why the heck does the viewer have to suffer? I guess my question is, bottom line, why air the show at all?
Here's another example: one of my favorite shows growing up was "WKRP in Cincinnati." It was funny and had Loni Anderson, what more can a growing boy ask for? The reruns in syndication were not cut. After they took it off for a VERY long time, one cable channel brought it back. I watched it and still liked it, but something was very different....they used to have rock riffs playing in the background and scene segues...and they were now replaced with elevator music pieces! They tried to sell the first season of the show in that state, but it must not have sold well because no other seasons were on sale!
Here is one more example: Warner Bros. cartoons! Growing up, I was subjected to a lot of horrible, non-PC cartoons from this studio, and I was psychologically damaged as a result! Well, at least the powers that be believe so. Personally, I thought I was watching a lot of funny stuff that I could relate to with friends. The truth is, I WAS NOT DAMAGED! We watch Warner Bros. cartoons at home, and while some of the shorts are good, Cartoon Network consistently airs a lot of the same LAME ones. They haven't even shown any Pepe LePew! Is that because the lovable skunk is regarded as anti-French? Well, many of us are anyway, what's one cartoon character going to damage?
So, I guess in this not-so- brand -new century, we have not moved so forward as we thought we would. Back in the day (I'm nearly 40, I can say back in the day!) we thought there'd be smellevision, video games would be mind-controlled, there'd be colonies on the moon AND Mars, two guys named Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest would be career dishwashers, and nothing would be cut on TV for "sensitivities."
OK, commercial break is over....I'll be back in 3 minutes.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Happy anniversary!
This year, my wife and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. I have loved Vickie for about 9 months longer than that. When it comes to deciding how to celebrate it this year, we are not sure what we will do yet. However, we will make sure it is fun for us, and hopefully include our little girl. In other words, it will be a truly happy occasion.
On the other hand, there will be a 10th anniversary of a different nature this year, and I am dreading it. I think a lot of other people are as well...yes, the 10th anniversary of the 4th season of "Charmed" is upon us! No, seriously, I am of course referring to the day that has shaped government policy and spending, not to mention the impact on American people's lives, loss of privacy and, for many out there a fear that the enemy was on our soil. There is no sense in denying that September 11, 2001 was a crippling day for our nation. My question is, why relive it?
Now, I am only 38, and therefore I have seen what I consider to be a small amount of historical experiences when compared to the experiences of others older than myself. In my lifetime, I have seen a President shot, a near-World War 3 panic when a Korean airliner was shot down by the Soviets, my favorite weatherman Jim O'Brien killed in a parachuting accident (my PA friends should remember that time!), the shuttel Challenger exploding, the Iran-Contra hearings that interrupted my game shows in 1987, the Berlin Wall coming down and later the fall of the Soviet Union, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait that ended decent gasoline prices forever, the retirement of Johnny Carson, the cancellation of the Tempestt Bledsoe talk show and, in 2001, the destruction of the twin towers in New York City as well as a secondary crash into the Pentagon. I later got to enjoy the capture of Saddam Hussein and death of Osama Bin Laden.
OK, I guess I've seen a lot after all, and will experience more events that shape our world. If I really wanted to be smarmy, I'd claim that I saw Watergate unravel before my eyes, but since I was an infant and toddler at the time, I don't recall, and that's what my lawyer told me to say! No, actually, my world view began around the time Reagan was elected and the hostages in Iran were released.
This September, I am sure there will be dedications, speeches, new walls erected, and other memorial efforts to make sure we do not forget 9/11. How can we forget? Ask anyone about to fly on a commercial jet if they forget 9/11 as they are being strip-searched because a nail clipper was found in their carry-on bag. Chances are, they have a good recollection. Ask our beloved soldiers (and I do mean that sincerely) if they have forgotten that day.
Let me be clear right now: I know that loved ones were lost in that tragedy (and to call it a tragedy is a severe understatement), and I will never demean their memories. If we lost our daughter, it would be a permanent hole in our hearts that could never be healed. It has occurred to me, however, especially when the smoke cleared, that there were probably some people who lost their lives that were not good people. This was Wall Street, after all. It is quite possible that some dishonest traders lost their lives prior to losing clients' life savings. It does not make the deaths justified, but I bet that never dawned on anyone but maybe a dozen or so people besides me (I always fall into that minority!).
I guess the real question on 9/11/11, in my mind anyway, will be this: have we moved on as a nation? Have we banded together as a whole to conquer the evil that struck us and emerge victorious? Sadly, the answer is no. People are going crazy out there. Lost jobs, home foreclosures, military families separated from their loved ones, and an endless barrage of Federal fighting amongst themselves in D.C. are turning people against their neighbors and sometimes loved ones. I'm scared, to be honest! I could go to the store tomorrow and get broadsided by a car driven by a person who just lost their home.
So, I'll stay home and watch some "Gunsmoke", or maybe "All in the Family" (I do stick to classics). Whatever tragedies happen on these shows, they are usually resolved and rarely if ever spoken of again. To throw another ball from left field, look at Japan. We nuked them twice in 1945. I wonder if they memorialized those bombings every year or ten years? I suspect they didn't. I listen for their stories on my Japanese-made stereo or watch for them on my Japanese-made TV. I think, somehow, they moved on economically and spiritually.
To conclude, let 9/11/11 be a day where we can vow as a nation to move to the future together instead of looking back in rage just to have an excuse to be angry. Happy Anniversary! I mean it!
On the other hand, there will be a 10th anniversary of a different nature this year, and I am dreading it. I think a lot of other people are as well...yes, the 10th anniversary of the 4th season of "Charmed" is upon us! No, seriously, I am of course referring to the day that has shaped government policy and spending, not to mention the impact on American people's lives, loss of privacy and, for many out there a fear that the enemy was on our soil. There is no sense in denying that September 11, 2001 was a crippling day for our nation. My question is, why relive it?
Now, I am only 38, and therefore I have seen what I consider to be a small amount of historical experiences when compared to the experiences of others older than myself. In my lifetime, I have seen a President shot, a near-World War 3 panic when a Korean airliner was shot down by the Soviets, my favorite weatherman Jim O'Brien killed in a parachuting accident (my PA friends should remember that time!), the shuttel Challenger exploding, the Iran-Contra hearings that interrupted my game shows in 1987, the Berlin Wall coming down and later the fall of the Soviet Union, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait that ended decent gasoline prices forever, the retirement of Johnny Carson, the cancellation of the Tempestt Bledsoe talk show and, in 2001, the destruction of the twin towers in New York City as well as a secondary crash into the Pentagon. I later got to enjoy the capture of Saddam Hussein and death of Osama Bin Laden.
OK, I guess I've seen a lot after all, and will experience more events that shape our world. If I really wanted to be smarmy, I'd claim that I saw Watergate unravel before my eyes, but since I was an infant and toddler at the time, I don't recall, and that's what my lawyer told me to say! No, actually, my world view began around the time Reagan was elected and the hostages in Iran were released.
This September, I am sure there will be dedications, speeches, new walls erected, and other memorial efforts to make sure we do not forget 9/11. How can we forget? Ask anyone about to fly on a commercial jet if they forget 9/11 as they are being strip-searched because a nail clipper was found in their carry-on bag. Chances are, they have a good recollection. Ask our beloved soldiers (and I do mean that sincerely) if they have forgotten that day.
Let me be clear right now: I know that loved ones were lost in that tragedy (and to call it a tragedy is a severe understatement), and I will never demean their memories. If we lost our daughter, it would be a permanent hole in our hearts that could never be healed. It has occurred to me, however, especially when the smoke cleared, that there were probably some people who lost their lives that were not good people. This was Wall Street, after all. It is quite possible that some dishonest traders lost their lives prior to losing clients' life savings. It does not make the deaths justified, but I bet that never dawned on anyone but maybe a dozen or so people besides me (I always fall into that minority!).
I guess the real question on 9/11/11, in my mind anyway, will be this: have we moved on as a nation? Have we banded together as a whole to conquer the evil that struck us and emerge victorious? Sadly, the answer is no. People are going crazy out there. Lost jobs, home foreclosures, military families separated from their loved ones, and an endless barrage of Federal fighting amongst themselves in D.C. are turning people against their neighbors and sometimes loved ones. I'm scared, to be honest! I could go to the store tomorrow and get broadsided by a car driven by a person who just lost their home.
So, I'll stay home and watch some "Gunsmoke", or maybe "All in the Family" (I do stick to classics). Whatever tragedies happen on these shows, they are usually resolved and rarely if ever spoken of again. To throw another ball from left field, look at Japan. We nuked them twice in 1945. I wonder if they memorialized those bombings every year or ten years? I suspect they didn't. I listen for their stories on my Japanese-made stereo or watch for them on my Japanese-made TV. I think, somehow, they moved on economically and spiritually.
To conclude, let 9/11/11 be a day where we can vow as a nation to move to the future together instead of looking back in rage just to have an excuse to be angry. Happy Anniversary! I mean it!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Yosemite...in less than a day!
Is it possible? Can what is possibly the greatest national park in, well, our nation, be done in a day? It sure can! All you need is a guide to the park's best activities or attractions, pick 2, and stick with them. It also helps to have flight reservations at either Reno or San Francisco airports for the next day to motivate your speed!
Did I put my own family through this? Absolutely not! However, my dad did a long time ago. Around the mid-80s, my father's engineering firm in Reading, Pennsylvania was running out of work for him in the office, so they sent him on out-of-town assignments that went for weeks or even months. In the summer, he would make up lost time to my sister and me by taking us to the towns where he was working, stick us in a motel room together for the day, then take us to dinner and show us the sights.
He had the best intentions in the world. However, there was one fact he forgot: my sister and I made for the worst roommate combo in the history of the earth (well, not exactly, there was one year in the college dorms I will discuss at another time). Putting it simply, keeping us cooped in one room for a day was like keeping a Lions fan and a Bears fan in a cage together...not a pretty picture!
The first year my dad tried this experiment was in Homosassa Springs, Florida (it's as pretty as it sounds!), about 50 miles north of Tampa. I'd say the best part of this trip was seeing Back to the Future at the local theater. Apart from that, it was less than satisfactory. Florida in the summer is a practice in patience for any traveler.
The second experiment was a year later, but in Berkeley, California. At least we got to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Sausalito, and other Bay Area attractions. Apart from the hotel room confinement, I had a much better time than in Florida. However, my dad had a surprise for us at the end. After wrapping up his work in the morning, he took us in the rental car, a state-of-the-crap Chevette, out to the Central Valley (akin to taking a pet for a "drive to the country") and into the Sierra Nevada Mountains for a little taste of Yosemite National Park.
As reservations inside the park are made decades in advance, we were lucky to find shelter at the Yosemite View Inn, just outside the park entrance. It was actually just right for the 3 of us. The next day, my dad had a plan: pick 2 activities in the park, do them, and leave for the Bay Area where we had flight reservations for the next day. All-righty then! We first rented some bikes and rode around the valley for about an hour. Then, we did some rafting on the Merced River. This was where I ran into some conflict with my dad. I wasn't an experienced rafter, much less rower. Yet, he wanted me to row a strong and as fast as I could, as though we were rowing to the airport!
Somehow, we made it to the end of the course, hopped into the Chevettemobile, and took the windy way back to the Bay Area. The next day, my sister flew down to San Diego to continue her vacation while Dad and I flew home. What made up for that wacky experience was that the whole family went to Yosemite the next year and spent about a week there. Luckily for us, the Yosemite View Inn held our reservations for a whole year! I think they were anticipating their closure at the time just to humor us, but they were indeed open the following summer.
What also makes up for that experience is that, like many other family memories that weren't quite so fun at the time, it is truly laughed about today! I hear the horn, so I'd better go. My Chevette doesn't like to be kept waiting!
Did I put my own family through this? Absolutely not! However, my dad did a long time ago. Around the mid-80s, my father's engineering firm in Reading, Pennsylvania was running out of work for him in the office, so they sent him on out-of-town assignments that went for weeks or even months. In the summer, he would make up lost time to my sister and me by taking us to the towns where he was working, stick us in a motel room together for the day, then take us to dinner and show us the sights.
He had the best intentions in the world. However, there was one fact he forgot: my sister and I made for the worst roommate combo in the history of the earth (well, not exactly, there was one year in the college dorms I will discuss at another time). Putting it simply, keeping us cooped in one room for a day was like keeping a Lions fan and a Bears fan in a cage together...not a pretty picture!
The first year my dad tried this experiment was in Homosassa Springs, Florida (it's as pretty as it sounds!), about 50 miles north of Tampa. I'd say the best part of this trip was seeing Back to the Future at the local theater. Apart from that, it was less than satisfactory. Florida in the summer is a practice in patience for any traveler.
The second experiment was a year later, but in Berkeley, California. At least we got to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Sausalito, and other Bay Area attractions. Apart from the hotel room confinement, I had a much better time than in Florida. However, my dad had a surprise for us at the end. After wrapping up his work in the morning, he took us in the rental car, a state-of-the-crap Chevette, out to the Central Valley (akin to taking a pet for a "drive to the country") and into the Sierra Nevada Mountains for a little taste of Yosemite National Park.
As reservations inside the park are made decades in advance, we were lucky to find shelter at the Yosemite View Inn, just outside the park entrance. It was actually just right for the 3 of us. The next day, my dad had a plan: pick 2 activities in the park, do them, and leave for the Bay Area where we had flight reservations for the next day. All-righty then! We first rented some bikes and rode around the valley for about an hour. Then, we did some rafting on the Merced River. This was where I ran into some conflict with my dad. I wasn't an experienced rafter, much less rower. Yet, he wanted me to row a strong and as fast as I could, as though we were rowing to the airport!
Somehow, we made it to the end of the course, hopped into the Chevettemobile, and took the windy way back to the Bay Area. The next day, my sister flew down to San Diego to continue her vacation while Dad and I flew home. What made up for that wacky experience was that the whole family went to Yosemite the next year and spent about a week there. Luckily for us, the Yosemite View Inn held our reservations for a whole year! I think they were anticipating their closure at the time just to humor us, but they were indeed open the following summer.
What also makes up for that experience is that, like many other family memories that weren't quite so fun at the time, it is truly laughed about today! I hear the horn, so I'd better go. My Chevette doesn't like to be kept waiting!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Road Trip Part 2...more grievances than reminisces
Last week my family and I took a few days away from hot, blazing Las Vegas to see some friends in sunny but cooler Santa Rosa, California. Along this trip, I encountered a sad truth in today's society: small children tend to be discriminated against even now. So do desert drivers.
We got started on a Thursday afternoon (since we were not on a time crunch, we could leave at our leisure). It always seems like leaving Las Vegas is an impossibility in itself. If you look at the travel brochures, there are excellent airfare and hotel offers for people to come to Vegas, and the "black hole" does suck in many people to further suck out their money. I'd say, let the local Chamber of Commerce be honest, and instead of putting the pictures of showgirls on the signs and brochures, put Dracula, an aardvark, or a leech on the signs so long as they are all diamond-studded (we do have an image to keep here). For Vegas locals, the escape is not easy. Traveling from Vegas to another city usually takes more expensive airfare, and leaving by car is not easy, either, at least for us. Our daughter Natalie is the gravitational force holding us here. Even though California is just 50 miles away, her diaper and juice needs require sudden pull-offs from Interstate 15. Only after we get past Primm (motto: "Last chance to be sucked in") does she quiet down in dignified defeat.
Having lived in Nevada for nine years, I have done a lot of driving on desert highways, and I have to say now that it is truly for the birds...particularly vultures and buzzards! Seriously! Services are sparse and generally more expensive once one leaves the relatively cheaper confines of the Vegas Valley.
This is sadly true in the small village of Baker, California, a town seemingly designated to be no more than just a stop. It grants access to Death Valley, which is over 110 miles away via a 2-lane state highway. The gasoline prices are high in the center of town (about 70 to 80c per gallon higher than Vegas), though tend to lower as you drive west to meet up with I-15 once more. Restaurant prices are slightly higher at some places, also. Baker does boast the "World's Biggest Thermometer", one I hope is not used on me if I'm sick! There also used to be the presence of the Bun Boy restaurant and motel, which were advertised miles before town in either direction. Sadly, hard times forced the sale of the restaurant to Big Boy. I am not sure if the motel still functions, but I suspect the lack of cars in the lot on any given day indicates the negative view.
However, Baker does provide a stop for weary travelers. Driving through the desert is a drudgery (how's that for alliteration?) that only a good stock of beverages, snacks, and appropriate music can take care of. There are mountains, sure, but they tend to be just there without the majesty of other mountain chains. There are long straight stretches of road in the desert, and there is danger in that. Highway rest stops are needed for those who simply want to pull off and rest for a spell. Interstate 15 in California needs more stops like this. Currently there are only 2, and they are both within a half hour of Baker! Another stop in that first 100 miles would be good, as well as one between Barstow and Victorville! If one looks at I-15 in Utah, there tends to be a rest stop every 20-30 miles, aided by signs for the weary traveler to stop if they are indeed tired. That's what I call care for the traveler.
Let's see, we've passed Baker, with a poor choice of snack at a non-air-conditioned Dairy Queen, we've reached Barstow...ah, we are now on California route 58. This road makes my wife nervous because there are several 2-lane stretches for the first 40 miles, and it is indeed more desert to contend with for 70 miles. Once we pass Mojave, things change for the better drastically. 58 climbs gently into the southern foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, thereby blocking the sunlight in the evening. As we leave the Sierras 40 miles later, we are graced by a beautiful orange-tinted sun ready to set. Natalie thought it was the moon, but how can one argue with a 23-month old? We do not get this orange beauty in Vegas. I am guessing that the higher humidity levels in Bakersfield, coupled by the smoggy air quality, dim the harsh light. I do not know how many people find Bakersfield to be a place of beauty, and I certainly do not, but at that time of night, it was.
Unfortunately, our awe of natural wonders segued into a long nightmare. We had reserved a motel room at a national chain which I can't even rhyme an alias to but can give a subtle hint about (EoL), and expressed the need for a crib for Natalie. Well, we got there and there were none left! Apparently Bakersfield is such a happenin' place that one family decided to stay an extra night. Being the intelligent people with a backup plan that Vickie and I were, we decided to...see if Natalie would sleep in a bed. Unfortunately, our little girl was not going to be that accommodating (moreso than the motel, however), and refused to lay down. We ended up leaving EoL with them keeping our money at 4:00a.m!
In Fresno 105 miles later, a motel rhyming with Lambada was extremely accommodating with a very basic crib that Nattie could sleep in. We even stayed at a Lambada on the way home and got the same great treatment. My point here is that hotel cribs seem fairly cheap to invest in, and changing stations easy to install. If these national businesses want to present themselves as family-friendly, they need to include all family members, especially the ones wearing diapers. I hate it when people give you a sour or disapproving look when you change your child's diaper at the booth or table in the restaurant. I already have back problems from changing her in the car at times, so these disapproving old biddies need to write to Congress to make a law so that I don't disrupt their meal because their wandering eyes just can't help but look!
Ok, ok, the shower gel is back on the shelf. With a huge lack of sleep, we trudged the next day to Santa Rosa. After a few days of watching toddlers play and talking old times, we headed back. The return trip was fairly uneventful, and my wife even let me play my iPod for part of the way home. The Lambada Inn in Bakersfield was good, we got home the next day safe and sound, and life was good, and we got Nattie to the changing station, er table on time.
We got started on a Thursday afternoon (since we were not on a time crunch, we could leave at our leisure). It always seems like leaving Las Vegas is an impossibility in itself. If you look at the travel brochures, there are excellent airfare and hotel offers for people to come to Vegas, and the "black hole" does suck in many people to further suck out their money. I'd say, let the local Chamber of Commerce be honest, and instead of putting the pictures of showgirls on the signs and brochures, put Dracula, an aardvark, or a leech on the signs so long as they are all diamond-studded (we do have an image to keep here). For Vegas locals, the escape is not easy. Traveling from Vegas to another city usually takes more expensive airfare, and leaving by car is not easy, either, at least for us. Our daughter Natalie is the gravitational force holding us here. Even though California is just 50 miles away, her diaper and juice needs require sudden pull-offs from Interstate 15. Only after we get past Primm (motto: "Last chance to be sucked in") does she quiet down in dignified defeat.
Having lived in Nevada for nine years, I have done a lot of driving on desert highways, and I have to say now that it is truly for the birds...particularly vultures and buzzards! Seriously! Services are sparse and generally more expensive once one leaves the relatively cheaper confines of the Vegas Valley.
This is sadly true in the small village of Baker, California, a town seemingly designated to be no more than just a stop. It grants access to Death Valley, which is over 110 miles away via a 2-lane state highway. The gasoline prices are high in the center of town (about 70 to 80c per gallon higher than Vegas), though tend to lower as you drive west to meet up with I-15 once more. Restaurant prices are slightly higher at some places, also. Baker does boast the "World's Biggest Thermometer", one I hope is not used on me if I'm sick! There also used to be the presence of the Bun Boy restaurant and motel, which were advertised miles before town in either direction. Sadly, hard times forced the sale of the restaurant to Big Boy. I am not sure if the motel still functions, but I suspect the lack of cars in the lot on any given day indicates the negative view.
However, Baker does provide a stop for weary travelers. Driving through the desert is a drudgery (how's that for alliteration?) that only a good stock of beverages, snacks, and appropriate music can take care of. There are mountains, sure, but they tend to be just there without the majesty of other mountain chains. There are long straight stretches of road in the desert, and there is danger in that. Highway rest stops are needed for those who simply want to pull off and rest for a spell. Interstate 15 in California needs more stops like this. Currently there are only 2, and they are both within a half hour of Baker! Another stop in that first 100 miles would be good, as well as one between Barstow and Victorville! If one looks at I-15 in Utah, there tends to be a rest stop every 20-30 miles, aided by signs for the weary traveler to stop if they are indeed tired. That's what I call care for the traveler.
Let's see, we've passed Baker, with a poor choice of snack at a non-air-conditioned Dairy Queen, we've reached Barstow...ah, we are now on California route 58. This road makes my wife nervous because there are several 2-lane stretches for the first 40 miles, and it is indeed more desert to contend with for 70 miles. Once we pass Mojave, things change for the better drastically. 58 climbs gently into the southern foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, thereby blocking the sunlight in the evening. As we leave the Sierras 40 miles later, we are graced by a beautiful orange-tinted sun ready to set. Natalie thought it was the moon, but how can one argue with a 23-month old? We do not get this orange beauty in Vegas. I am guessing that the higher humidity levels in Bakersfield, coupled by the smoggy air quality, dim the harsh light. I do not know how many people find Bakersfield to be a place of beauty, and I certainly do not, but at that time of night, it was.
Unfortunately, our awe of natural wonders segued into a long nightmare. We had reserved a motel room at a national chain which I can't even rhyme an alias to but can give a subtle hint about (EoL), and expressed the need for a crib for Natalie. Well, we got there and there were none left! Apparently Bakersfield is such a happenin' place that one family decided to stay an extra night. Being the intelligent people with a backup plan that Vickie and I were, we decided to...see if Natalie would sleep in a bed. Unfortunately, our little girl was not going to be that accommodating (moreso than the motel, however), and refused to lay down. We ended up leaving EoL with them keeping our money at 4:00a.m!
In Fresno 105 miles later, a motel rhyming with Lambada was extremely accommodating with a very basic crib that Nattie could sleep in. We even stayed at a Lambada on the way home and got the same great treatment. My point here is that hotel cribs seem fairly cheap to invest in, and changing stations easy to install. If these national businesses want to present themselves as family-friendly, they need to include all family members, especially the ones wearing diapers. I hate it when people give you a sour or disapproving look when you change your child's diaper at the booth or table in the restaurant. I already have back problems from changing her in the car at times, so these disapproving old biddies need to write to Congress to make a law so that I don't disrupt their meal because their wandering eyes just can't help but look!
Ok, ok, the shower gel is back on the shelf. With a huge lack of sleep, we trudged the next day to Santa Rosa. After a few days of watching toddlers play and talking old times, we headed back. The return trip was fairly uneventful, and my wife even let me play my iPod for part of the way home. The Lambada Inn in Bakersfield was good, we got home the next day safe and sound, and life was good, and we got Nattie to the changing station, er table on time.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Road Trips...part 1
All right, I'm a nerd. Not that this is a total surprise to anyone, especially my wife. When she sees me with a road atlas, she smiles, kindly keeps her eye-rolling to a minimum, then goes back to playing Farmville. At any rate, the nerdiness I am referring to is my fondness for road trips and recalling the ones I have taken in my life, either by myself, with a friend, or with my family in the old days. My memories of the more recent ones are clearer than the old ones, so I will start with an old classic first....the famous drives from Pennsylvania to Michigan.
A little background...I was born in the Detroit area in the early 70s. We had a lot of family there. In fact, my two sets of grandparents lived a 5-minute walk away from each other. Since not all of my critical brain synapses were firing at the time, I didn't quite understand the state of depression that hard-working Michiganders like my father were in. Luckily, he found a way out and moved us all to Pennsylvania when I was 3. As my father's mother was suffering from cancer, we found ourselves traveling to Michigan fairly frequently for the next 5 years.
I never really considered the long drive officially beginning until we got to the toll booth to get our ticket for the Pennsylvania Turnpike. That state is very proud of their long toll road. They let you know five miles in advance of the road's access point and when you get there, there is a big sign telling drivers exactly where to turn. I was always amazed that there was not an armed escort leading each and every traveler to the toll booth...from which there was no turning back. I suspect these days there are credit checkers to tell drivers how many miles they are allowed to drive as dictated by their credit rating.
The first 86 miles of the drive takes the driver through some very beautiful farm country. As a kid I could either take or leave the scenery, I was more interested in reading every milepost that we passed, as well as all of the exit reminder signs and the occasional billboard if it looked interesting enough. I think my dad wished there was a serial sign stealer on the loose in the state, just so he wouldn't have to hear me every mile! Of course, in those days the speed limit was 55, so he didn't hear me every minute on the dot.
The excitement for a young boy really started with the first of 4 tunnels as the Turnpike entered the Appalachian Mountains. I still remember them clearly: Blue Mountain, Kitatinny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, and Allegheny Mountain. Blue and Kitatinny were less than a quarter mile from each other, so we dubbed them "the double tunnel." These tunnels were fairly short, no more than a mile long, but the thrill of the tunnel's special sound, the bright lights, and the "light at the end", so to speak, truly made my day. On an historical note, there were once 7 tunnels,as the legend goes (meaning from my dad's mouth), but upgrades to the road and better engineering made 3 of the tunnels obsolete. Personally, I'm glad they kept the 4, they are part of the Turnpike's magic.
Somwhere around Tuscarora's tunnel, we had passed the 100 mile mark. I do not know about other families' traditions, but we had a fairly stupid one: 100 miles before breakfast. Actually, in our case it was more like 120 miles, since there was no restaurant placed just for our benefit at the 100-mile mark. The wait was well worth it, though. Our stop was the Sideling Hill Rest Area, the only place on the Turnpike where east- and west-bound travelers had access. We would get our food in cafeteria style at the Howard Johnson's, which operated all Turnpike rest stops in those days. After eating, my sister and I would get a snack for the road, get our personal duties done, then head out on to the road again. I think what made these stops so special was that my dad hated stopping! It was not unusual for us to not stop again until after the Ohio line when the car's gas gauge began flashing. Occasionally, he would stop for one of us if we agreed to give up a certain agreed-upon percentage of our inheritance in exchange for a bathroom break. Incidentally, when I was adult and single, the 100 mile rule was still in effect just for tradition's sake. After I got married, new traditions were in effect.
The rest of the Turnpike was for the most part uneventful. There was one more tunnel after breakfast, along with some very beautiful mountain and valley vistas. I still read all of the signs, making my dad give back the 30% inheritance fee in exchange for my silence. If it was wintertime, the Turnpike could be a treacherous road. My dad usually had snow tires installed for those particular drives, especially the Christmas trip.
I got excited as the mileposts counted down from 10, followed by two toll booths spread a few miles apart. The first was to collect the drivers' retirement funds, especially if they drove the entire 360 miles of the road. Since we only drove 286 of it, my dad was allowed to keep some of his savings. The second toll booth confirmed our presence in Ohio. All new billboards advertised such attractions as the Pro Football hall of Fame in Canton and soon-to-be-passed sites in Youngstown. The mileposts had also reset, with 241 being the first number once we passed the Ohio line. There was also a rest stop close by where we refilled our gas tank to get us the rest of the way to Michigan.
Ohio was not quite as eventful. Its turnpike was fairly hilly up to the Cleveland area, before it entered Midwestern farm country. There were a couple of tall bridges, but they were not as exciting as tunnels. My mom pleaded with my dad often to turn on the radio on this stretch, just to hear something besides my verbal mile progress reports. My sister ignored all of it and read whatever book she was reading.
As well as reading mileposts and exit signs, I also memorized exit numbers, and knew our turnoff was exit 5 at milepost 72 in Ohio. This was HUGE to me! We were getting off the Turnpike! We were on the last big stretch to my grandparents' house! We had one more toll booth! To a kid like me, there was something grand about how we exited. There was a long ramp that took us off the Turnpike, then onto an overpass that crossed the Turnpike. My dad paid the toll, which was not too bad because we only went 169 miles on the road. Since there were not any big service stops in upcoming Michigan, we generally made one more stop on the Turnpike before getting off.
There was not much excitement about I 280. It was farmland for about 7 miles, and I was getting fairly tired of farms. Once we went through Toledo, there was a pretty cool drawbridge over the Maumee River, but that was about it. 280 ended soon after, merging with the most dangerous road I'd ever encountered: Interstate 75! It was not so dangerous because of bad drivers as it was for the bad condition the road was in. There were always potholes on 75, a condition brought on by constant winter snow and ice and the cold-warm-cold patterns that killed the road. From what I hear, not much has changed in over 30 years.
I 75 enters Michigan with all sorts of advertisements for Detroit and other attractions. It also counts up in mileposts like 280 did. To me it been been fun doing the countdown, not the countup, and as I was fairly tired of being in the car, I was quieter on this last stretch. 75 in southeastern Michigan was not very exciting, although its signs made it clear that Detroit was a big deal, and it was in those days.
After about 30 miles, 75 entered the southwestern burbs of Detroit. It didn't mean much except that exits were practically every mile, leading drivers to Taylor, Allen Park, and other commuter towns. The smells certainly got interesting as we passed the River Rouge Auto Plant for Ford Motors. One more interesting stretch was ahead for me. Since Turnpike exits were pretty uniform in appearance, the series of differing freeway to freeway interchanges got my attention! I 75 spun off I 96, then curved off for U.S. 10 and I 375 in downtown Detroit. If we were going through there at night, all of the big city and freeway lights made my day! There were further freeway meetings with I 94 and I 696 before we got off on 12 Mile Road in Royal Oak.
It was just a few more miles to my mom's parents' house. That was more often than not our destination, but we did stay occasionally at my dad's parents' home. I suspect the reason for this was that my dad's mom was sick and his dad worked a lot, so there wasn't a lot of time to make up the house for guests to stay, whereas my other grandparents' house always felt inviting, at least to me.
The trip back was never as exciting. We even broke our 100 mile rule and ate breakfast at a hotel just before the Ohio Turnpike entrance. I didn't count the signs as much. What was the point? We were only going home. My dad always built up the idea of sleeping in our own beds that night. I guess that was true, and I definitely appreciate that idea more as an adult.
As a kid I have my fond memories of these drives. I don't know how my sister felt about them, she was generally quiet and into a book. For my parents, these trips were stressful. My dad never knew if he was going to see his mom or his dad for the last time, and that put a big strain on my mom as well. I have to say this, though, my parents always built the trips up for me, and hid their stress as best as they could.
As the years went by, our Michigan trips became less frequent. My dad's mom went to heaven in 1981, so our Christmases were at home from that year on. We generally went in the summer after that so that my dad could play in the father-son golf tournament with his dad. That was a tradition until 1987, when my dad's dad passed away. A year after that, my mom's dad died and two years after that, her mom remarried. That 1990 wedding marked the last of our visits to Michigan as a family. We made a stop on the way home to check out a possible college for me for the next year in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
A lot had changed between 1976 and 1990. The turnpikes offered fast food choices, any of us could tune out the drive with our portable music devices, and sometimes my sister drove for stretches as my dad nagged her here and there just to be dad. I know it sounds sad and trite, but I wish I could hop into Doc Brown's DeLorean and set it for 1977.
A little background...I was born in the Detroit area in the early 70s. We had a lot of family there. In fact, my two sets of grandparents lived a 5-minute walk away from each other. Since not all of my critical brain synapses were firing at the time, I didn't quite understand the state of depression that hard-working Michiganders like my father were in. Luckily, he found a way out and moved us all to Pennsylvania when I was 3. As my father's mother was suffering from cancer, we found ourselves traveling to Michigan fairly frequently for the next 5 years.
I never really considered the long drive officially beginning until we got to the toll booth to get our ticket for the Pennsylvania Turnpike. That state is very proud of their long toll road. They let you know five miles in advance of the road's access point and when you get there, there is a big sign telling drivers exactly where to turn. I was always amazed that there was not an armed escort leading each and every traveler to the toll booth...from which there was no turning back. I suspect these days there are credit checkers to tell drivers how many miles they are allowed to drive as dictated by their credit rating.
The first 86 miles of the drive takes the driver through some very beautiful farm country. As a kid I could either take or leave the scenery, I was more interested in reading every milepost that we passed, as well as all of the exit reminder signs and the occasional billboard if it looked interesting enough. I think my dad wished there was a serial sign stealer on the loose in the state, just so he wouldn't have to hear me every mile! Of course, in those days the speed limit was 55, so he didn't hear me every minute on the dot.
The excitement for a young boy really started with the first of 4 tunnels as the Turnpike entered the Appalachian Mountains. I still remember them clearly: Blue Mountain, Kitatinny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, and Allegheny Mountain. Blue and Kitatinny were less than a quarter mile from each other, so we dubbed them "the double tunnel." These tunnels were fairly short, no more than a mile long, but the thrill of the tunnel's special sound, the bright lights, and the "light at the end", so to speak, truly made my day. On an historical note, there were once 7 tunnels,as the legend goes (meaning from my dad's mouth), but upgrades to the road and better engineering made 3 of the tunnels obsolete. Personally, I'm glad they kept the 4, they are part of the Turnpike's magic.
Somwhere around Tuscarora's tunnel, we had passed the 100 mile mark. I do not know about other families' traditions, but we had a fairly stupid one: 100 miles before breakfast. Actually, in our case it was more like 120 miles, since there was no restaurant placed just for our benefit at the 100-mile mark. The wait was well worth it, though. Our stop was the Sideling Hill Rest Area, the only place on the Turnpike where east- and west-bound travelers had access. We would get our food in cafeteria style at the Howard Johnson's, which operated all Turnpike rest stops in those days. After eating, my sister and I would get a snack for the road, get our personal duties done, then head out on to the road again. I think what made these stops so special was that my dad hated stopping! It was not unusual for us to not stop again until after the Ohio line when the car's gas gauge began flashing. Occasionally, he would stop for one of us if we agreed to give up a certain agreed-upon percentage of our inheritance in exchange for a bathroom break. Incidentally, when I was adult and single, the 100 mile rule was still in effect just for tradition's sake. After I got married, new traditions were in effect.
The rest of the Turnpike was for the most part uneventful. There was one more tunnel after breakfast, along with some very beautiful mountain and valley vistas. I still read all of the signs, making my dad give back the 30% inheritance fee in exchange for my silence. If it was wintertime, the Turnpike could be a treacherous road. My dad usually had snow tires installed for those particular drives, especially the Christmas trip.
I got excited as the mileposts counted down from 10, followed by two toll booths spread a few miles apart. The first was to collect the drivers' retirement funds, especially if they drove the entire 360 miles of the road. Since we only drove 286 of it, my dad was allowed to keep some of his savings. The second toll booth confirmed our presence in Ohio. All new billboards advertised such attractions as the Pro Football hall of Fame in Canton and soon-to-be-passed sites in Youngstown. The mileposts had also reset, with 241 being the first number once we passed the Ohio line. There was also a rest stop close by where we refilled our gas tank to get us the rest of the way to Michigan.
Ohio was not quite as eventful. Its turnpike was fairly hilly up to the Cleveland area, before it entered Midwestern farm country. There were a couple of tall bridges, but they were not as exciting as tunnels. My mom pleaded with my dad often to turn on the radio on this stretch, just to hear something besides my verbal mile progress reports. My sister ignored all of it and read whatever book she was reading.
As well as reading mileposts and exit signs, I also memorized exit numbers, and knew our turnoff was exit 5 at milepost 72 in Ohio. This was HUGE to me! We were getting off the Turnpike! We were on the last big stretch to my grandparents' house! We had one more toll booth! To a kid like me, there was something grand about how we exited. There was a long ramp that took us off the Turnpike, then onto an overpass that crossed the Turnpike. My dad paid the toll, which was not too bad because we only went 169 miles on the road. Since there were not any big service stops in upcoming Michigan, we generally made one more stop on the Turnpike before getting off.
There was not much excitement about I 280. It was farmland for about 7 miles, and I was getting fairly tired of farms. Once we went through Toledo, there was a pretty cool drawbridge over the Maumee River, but that was about it. 280 ended soon after, merging with the most dangerous road I'd ever encountered: Interstate 75! It was not so dangerous because of bad drivers as it was for the bad condition the road was in. There were always potholes on 75, a condition brought on by constant winter snow and ice and the cold-warm-cold patterns that killed the road. From what I hear, not much has changed in over 30 years.
I 75 enters Michigan with all sorts of advertisements for Detroit and other attractions. It also counts up in mileposts like 280 did. To me it been been fun doing the countdown, not the countup, and as I was fairly tired of being in the car, I was quieter on this last stretch. 75 in southeastern Michigan was not very exciting, although its signs made it clear that Detroit was a big deal, and it was in those days.
After about 30 miles, 75 entered the southwestern burbs of Detroit. It didn't mean much except that exits were practically every mile, leading drivers to Taylor, Allen Park, and other commuter towns. The smells certainly got interesting as we passed the River Rouge Auto Plant for Ford Motors. One more interesting stretch was ahead for me. Since Turnpike exits were pretty uniform in appearance, the series of differing freeway to freeway interchanges got my attention! I 75 spun off I 96, then curved off for U.S. 10 and I 375 in downtown Detroit. If we were going through there at night, all of the big city and freeway lights made my day! There were further freeway meetings with I 94 and I 696 before we got off on 12 Mile Road in Royal Oak.
It was just a few more miles to my mom's parents' house. That was more often than not our destination, but we did stay occasionally at my dad's parents' home. I suspect the reason for this was that my dad's mom was sick and his dad worked a lot, so there wasn't a lot of time to make up the house for guests to stay, whereas my other grandparents' house always felt inviting, at least to me.
The trip back was never as exciting. We even broke our 100 mile rule and ate breakfast at a hotel just before the Ohio Turnpike entrance. I didn't count the signs as much. What was the point? We were only going home. My dad always built up the idea of sleeping in our own beds that night. I guess that was true, and I definitely appreciate that idea more as an adult.
As a kid I have my fond memories of these drives. I don't know how my sister felt about them, she was generally quiet and into a book. For my parents, these trips were stressful. My dad never knew if he was going to see his mom or his dad for the last time, and that put a big strain on my mom as well. I have to say this, though, my parents always built the trips up for me, and hid their stress as best as they could.
As the years went by, our Michigan trips became less frequent. My dad's mom went to heaven in 1981, so our Christmases were at home from that year on. We generally went in the summer after that so that my dad could play in the father-son golf tournament with his dad. That was a tradition until 1987, when my dad's dad passed away. A year after that, my mom's dad died and two years after that, her mom remarried. That 1990 wedding marked the last of our visits to Michigan as a family. We made a stop on the way home to check out a possible college for me for the next year in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
A lot had changed between 1976 and 1990. The turnpikes offered fast food choices, any of us could tune out the drive with our portable music devices, and sometimes my sister drove for stretches as my dad nagged her here and there just to be dad. I know it sounds sad and trite, but I wish I could hop into Doc Brown's DeLorean and set it for 1977.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tragedy turned tragic
I will be straightforward: I do not like child killers. Who does? Even Mr. Wilson would not harm a hair on Dennis's head. Here is another straightforward opinion: I do not like child killers' (or alleged, to keep me away from lawsuits that would take away...let's see...a leased car and a rented apartment, and a teacher's paltry salary)images and videos all over my TV. It really cuts into my Bugs Bunny hour on digital cable!
CNN Headline News has really taken this case to the extreme. Every time we finish watching something on the DVR, CNN HL is the default channel for some reason. For the past week, America (meaning the residents of my apartment, at the very least) has been subjected to every detail of the Casey Anthony saga. I really do not know if she killed her little girl, and I do hope she did not. I am sad that a child's life was taken away unnecessarily. I do not know Casey Anthony personally, and quite frankly, neither does 99% of the American population.
My point is this: the American population is being stirred up by a very tragic occurrence. This may be a ruse to take our minds off the economy and never-ending Middle East situation. Hey, a good old Warner Brothers cartoon does it for me, and also episodes of "Cops". What bothers me is that there are other moms and dads who have definitely neglected and/or killed their children for selfish reasons, yet they were not equally vilified in public.
Today I saw another Headline News update about Ms. Anthony: she will be released soon and may be looking to go to another country. Not to darken an already dark cloud, but I do not believe she will make it that far. There are so many whackos out for "justice", as they say, who will gladly take the law into their own hands during this "media event".
Do I really need to paint a picture here? What's more, we will never hear the end of it. Headline News will be so full of opinionated heads in jars that the media will make use of the Emergency Alert System....you know, those annoying scrolls on your TV when there's a flood, tornado, hurricane, or a senatorial sneeze approaching. They are sometimes accompanied by static bursts and the classic frightening-to-little-kids-like-me beeps just for nostalgia. I can just see it now: "Emergency Alert Message: Anthony's killer protesting sentencing to Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail, lawyer protests client's pink wardrobe"
In closing, I have my opinions about Casey Anthony. So does my wife. We all have them. Now let's move on! The Road Runner is on next!
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