Road Trip

[enigmaMN]

As a recovering Kansan, I have to ask where in Kansas are you going? Maybe I can give you some tips on decent places to eat...

I have to laugh about the earlier comment of fruit stands and farmers markets... LOL. Fruit?? HAHAHA This is meat and potato country we're talking about.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

As a recovering Kansan, I have to ask where in Kansas are you going? Maybe I can give you some tips on decent places to eat...

I have to laugh about the earlier comment of fruit stands and farmers markets... LOL. Fruit?? HAHAHA This is meat and potato country we're talking about.

Topeka. We were going to go to Lawrence for the 4th (love Lawrence!) but now there is drama so I think we're going to Kansas City for the 4th. Which means I will have to drive BACK to Topeka with the drunks, so I might need to discuss that plan with my cousin a bit more. Holiday traffic, in the dark, on an unfamiliar road, ehh... We could probably stay overnight with my cousin but my mom will balk at that. Sigh. Family wears me out.

No, Sphyrna, my 14 year old will not be driving my 2 month old car. But thanks for the suggestion! (They actually let 14 year olds drive in Kansas. But we live in TEXAS.)

 

[rpmdfw]

Topeka. We were going to go to Lawrence for the 4th (love Lawrence!) but now there is drama so I think we're going to Kansas City for the 4th. Which means I will have to drive BACK to Topeka with the drunks, so I might need to discuss that plan with my cousin a bit more. Holiday traffic, in the dark, on an unfamiliar road, ehh... We could probably stay overnight with my cousin but my mom will balk at that. Sigh. Family wears me out.

No, Sphyrna, my 14 year old will not be driving my 2 month old car. But thanks for the suggestion! (They actually let 14 year olds drive in Kansas. But we live in TEXAS.)

Trust me they let 14 year olds drive in Texas, too.

Especially out in West Texas.

It's just not legal until they're older.

 

[Mathfailure]

Allthough it sounds like you have some concerns, I hope you are your son have a lovely bonding time! Memories seem to be made on these trips.

My children have grown up driving 12/13 hours to Lake Simcoe in Canada every year, they have no memory of NOT doing it. Last year with our move to Ohio it onlytook 8 hours. My kids were in shock, they were so happy!

We leave for Canada again on Saturday, it is our regular vacation place, then we do the relative thing around Christmas vacation.

This year we have our last Disney vacation for awhile (college is looming for our daughter) we are taking the kids out of school a few days around Labor Day. They go back way early in August here, but because of a wedding we need to go later.

My first time in a hotel my parents were driving separate cars to a camping place, my Dad had to work in DC for the whole summer and we were going to camp so he could come 'home' at night. Way before cell phones we got separated by a parade in small town USA, and my Mom and my sister and I stopped at a hotel, I did not even know they exsisted before.

This is also before ATM's, on a holiday weekend, and my Dad ran out of money, apparently Mom carried the money and what ever type of credit card they had then. So the 'boys' of the family drove to the camp ground and had no food! We stayed in a wonderland of a place called a hotel!! and ate in a dining room.

Frankly I never looked back, hotels not tents for me

 

[zeitzeuge]

Topeka. We were going to go to Lawrence for the 4th (love Lawrence!) but now there is drama so I think we're going to Kansas City for the 4th. Which means I will have to drive BACK to Topeka with the drunks, so I might need to discuss that plan with my cousin a bit more. Holiday traffic, in the dark, on an unfamiliar road, ehh... We could probably stay overnight with my cousin but my mom will balk at that. Sigh. Family wears me out.

No, Sphyrna, my 14 year old will not be driving my 2 month old car. But thanks for the suggestion! (They actually let 14 year olds drive in Kansas. But we live in TEXAS.)

I LOVE Lawrence Kansas! That place holds so many memories for me. I was a late bloomer as far as leaving home, coming out of the closet, etc. Growing up in Nebraska can do that to a person. I went to KU at Lawrence for Grad School for Glassblowing and Design. It's where I let loose and came out for the first time. I have stories about that town, that could go on for days. After a few years there, I moved to KCMO for a few more years before heading to Dallas.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I LOVE Lawrence Kansas! That place holds so many memories for me. I was a late bloomer as far as leaving home, coming out of the closet, etc. Growing up in Nebraska can do that to a person. I went to KU at Lawrence for Grad School for Glassblowing and Design. It's where I let loose and came out for the first time. I have stories about that town, that could go on for days. After a few years there, I moved to KCMO for a few more years before heading to Dallas.

My cousin who lives in Kansas City is a KU Law grad. She had her degree in HR, but decided that she wanted to go to law school. I guess she started law school when she was about 32 - she is 40 now. They lived in Lawrence while she was in school, then when she got her job with her current firm they moved to KC. We went up to visit them in 2005, and we had a great time in Lawrence! Her dad lives in Lawrence, so we thought we had a really good plan. DS adores her dad - he has never had a grandfather, so he thinks my uncle is the coolest thing ever.

Anyway, we need to tweak our plan now because it turns out her dad is going to be in Topeka for the 4th. Sigh.

Kathleen, I am not sure if there will be bonding or not. I guess we'll find out!

Rob, there will be no driving for DS until he is closer to 17. I have heard the insurance rates don't skyrocket until they are fully licensed, so he will be on a learner's permit as long as we can stretch it out.

 

[PghLybrt]

The owners told the inspector the cats were for personal consumption, that they didn't serve cat to the customers.

The only iPod in our family belongs to DS. The last time I was loading songs for him the PC overheated and crashed, which set off a bunch of e-mails to iTunes support because he paid for songs that didn't load properly. I thought it might be good to load iTunes to my laptop, but I kept getting an error message. I never did figure it out.

So I guess we'll listen to CDs.

As for the cats.... I guess I would stay away from that place, well unless it was yummy! I am kidding!!!

The ipod..... I am not much better. That is why I hire college kids, to fix my computers!


The driving thing, We used to drive everyyear to WDW. My Mom, her Best friend, me, my brother and BF's 2 little girls. What a drive that was! We drove straight , never stopped to sleep! I think it is like a 28 hours car ride. Every year! Then when I got older I drove down because you couldnt rent a car until you were 25! Now I fly, thats it.

I think if you take some back country roads your DS will be fine driving!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I am pretty sure we will NOT be dining anywhere with "cat" on the menu. Or anyplace that looks like the proprietors might enjoy cat in their off time.

I was looking at laptops for DS yesterday. I think I found one, but I think we'll wait until we get back to buy it. I'll have Geek Squad format it for us and get all the virus protection and whatever set up. We have to have Office/Word and whatever added to it, too. My laptop doesn't have that stuff because we really just use it when we travel for pictures and web browsing. It has virus protection, but not the word processing and Power Point and whatever.

 

[enigmaMN]

Topeka. We were going to go to Lawrence for the 4th (love Lawrence!) but now there is drama so I think we're going to Kansas City for the 4th. Which means I will have to drive BACK to Topeka with the drunks, so I might need to discuss that plan with my cousin a bit more. Holiday traffic, in the dark, on an unfamiliar road, ehh... We could probably stay overnight with my cousin but my mom will balk at that. Sigh. Family wears me out.

No, Sphyrna, my 14 year old will not be driving my 2 month old car. But thanks for the suggestion! (They actually let 14 year olds drive in Kansas. But we live in TEXAS.)

Topeka is probably the one area that I don't have a lot of good suggestions - it's not my favorite place. We'll be about 30 mins away from you in Shawnee, KS. It's a KC ''burb. Very near the race track, etc. If you're going to head to KC be sure and check out Legends (the area by the race track) lots of good restaurants and shopping. You might look into a hotel room in the area. We're staying in a hote in Shawnee, but saw lots of good deals around the I-70/435 area - then you don't have to drive back and can have an enjoyable time.

Hope you have more fun than we will - I'm dreading this trip not for the drive, but b/c it's a little too much time with my family. LOL

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Topeka is probably the one area that I don't have a lot of good suggestions - it's not my favorite place. We'll be about 30 mins away from you in Shawnee, KS. It's a KC ''burb. Very near the race track, etc. If you're going to head to KC be sure and check out Legends (the area by the race track) lots of good restaurants and shopping. You might look into a hotel room in the area. We're staying in a hote in Shawnee, but saw lots of good deals around the I-70/435 area - then you don't have to drive back and can have an enjoyable time.

Hope you have more fun than we will - I'm dreading this trip not for the drive, but b/c it's a little too much time with my family. LOL

Yes. Too much family. I know ALLLL about that!

I can't remember if we have been to The Legends or not. I know we went to the big Cabela's. You know, maybe Legends was still under construction last time we were up there. I was in KS 3 times in 2008 when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, but I stayed in Topeka the whole time except for being at the airport.

 

[SanFranciscan]

I know basically nothing about Kansas from personal experience. The only thing I remember about it from the one time that I remember being there is that it was very flat.

However, they apparently do get some tourists. I remember meeting someone from Kansas, in Colorado, who told me that they had "Dorothy's House," as in Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I was amused by her stories about "Pancake Day." It is a race with pancakes. Of course, we have things every bit as silly as "Pancake Day" here in San Francisco because every year on April 1 there is St. Stupid's Day. If the Dorothy House is on your route to your mother's house, there ought to be some decent home-style eats around there because families would be their primary demographic.

 

[SanFranciscan]

Trust me they let 14 year olds drive in Texas, too.

Especially out in West Texas.

It's just not legal until they're older.

Is this in farm communities? I knew someone from Omaha who said that it was not at all unusual to seen ten-year-old's driving tractors down the roads in Nebraska.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Oh, now if you are driving a TRACTOR it is legal for 12 year olds to drive in TX.

 

[jamieandben]

I love Road Trips, Main reason is i don't like to fly.
My dream is to drive from SC to Disneyland.

 

[wallyb]

I love Road Trips, Main reason is i don't like to fly.
My dream is to drive from SC to Disneyland.

You're gonna FLY out with us Mary (Popins)

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Mom and I were just chatting. It is supposed to rain all weekend, and there is construction through Oklahoma where the highway is ONE LANE. Oh, joy.

We have sort of worked out the schedule, so at least that's done.

Mom was all ramped up for me to run willy nilly all over town to make sure I see EVERY relative I have. Um, NO. This trip is for DS to see his grandma. THAT'S ALL. I don't need to see anybody else. My cousin in KC and I are close (so we'll see her Sunday), but I don't ever talk to the others. One of them is on FB but we don't chat and she never posts on my wall so I am not going to knock myself out to make sure I see her.

 

[Sphyrna]

You're already driving so far, why should you have to drive all around to see family when you're there?? If they want to see you they can drive to where you're at! That's what we did when I was a kid. We'd come here to PA to visit relatives and stay at my Grandma's. The majority of my aunts and uncles and cousins would go to Grandma's to see us. There were only a few relatives we had to drive to visit. Made things a lot easier and less hectic not having to run around so much.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

You're already driving so far, why should you have to drive all around to see family when you're there?? If they want to see you they can drive to where you're at! That's what we did when I was a kid. We'd come here to PA to visit relatives and stay at my Grandma's. The majority of my aunts and uncles and cousins would go to Grandma's to see us. There were only a few relatives we had to drive to visit. Made things a lot easier and less hectic not having to run around so much.

Mom offered to host some sort of gathering. BUT I don't want her to mess with having a gathering. Most of the relatives work (well, some of them ) and the days we are talking about are during the week. If I don't see the other 4 cousins who aren't currently on the agenda it is NOT a big deal! Those cousins have kids and some have grandkids, and I don't need to see any of them, either! I was the youngest grandchild on that side of the family until my sisters were born, so I don't have much in common with those cousins.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

OK, after maybe 4 hours of sleep it is time to get ready to go!

I could NOT sleep last night. DH got up and went to work so that was annoying (he is supposed to be off today), the cats were bothering me, it was NOT GOOD! Of course by about 10 AM I will be ready to drop, so that will be fun.

I will be on the lookout for a Waffle House. I will bring some Clorox wipes.

 

[Sphyrna]

Have a good trip!!!