It is a pleasure when I get to take time off and travel. During the summer time my dad and I like to travel to a couple of cattle shows. We attend the state show for Hereford cattle and also a national show. In June we had the pleasure of attending the Texas Junior Hereford State Show in Belton, Texas. Just recently we traveled to Louisville, Kentucky for the National Junior Hereford Expo.
What is exciting about these shows is they are the largest of their kind. Texas alone has 300 plus head of cattle just at the state level attending the show in June. This July the national show had over 2000 head. These are exciting and fun events to attend each year. There is a lot of time, effort, blood sweat and tears involved. The shows at the national level require over a year of planning and fundraising by the host state. This years host was Kentucky. They did a great job and had wonderful hospitality.
When traveling any where my Dad and I have a routine we normally go through on a trip. If we are leaving early morning. We make it a point to stop at a Cracker barrel restaurant for breakfast. We almost always pack a cooler in the truck with ice and drinks for our trip. Even if we are going to be back home the same day, this ensures we always have water for me and Diet Coke for Dad. I am pretty sure this is no different than any other group or family set off a trip. It works and we enjoy our time away.
On this trip to Louisville, Kentucky we had some things to take care of before leaving the house. We did not get our Cracker Barrel the first day. We had to wait until the second, which is fine with us. We always make sure the truck is full of diesel and ready to head out. We drive a while and make stops when either nature calls or time for more fuel in the truck. This is a basic system that most people follow in trips.
After we arrived in Louisville we went to dinner with friends, who tell us what happened to them a few days earlier. They had left to go to a local home improvement store to pick up a few items. They went into panic mode when there in-dash navigation and sync system went out as they were about to leave the store. They were honestly freaked out wondering if they would be able to get back to the barns or even on the way home without the navigation system. They would have no music or anything. Luckily the system was just resetting itself and came back on after a little bit of down time. We all laughed at this since they ALL have cell phones capable of all the same operations as their in-dash system. It also reminded me of our trips that Dad and I take together and how they are a little different.
What made this interesting is the next thing I tell the people about Dad and I when we go on trips. We don't turn on the radio. We may on occasion listen to CD's. There were times when growing up when we would play tapes and then CD's while on trips. We normally though traveled without the radio. Everyone was in shock and almost speechless. It was hilarious for Dad and me to witness.
Someone asked what do you do without the radio? I simply replied, we talk to each other. Most people know that my Dad lives with me and they cannot imagine what we would have to talk about on a trip. Especially one as long as Pottsboro, Texas to Louisville. We find plenty to talk about on trips. Dad will tell me stories of when he was growing up or a young man. We talk about past trips we have taken on the same paths. We also ride along in silence as well. I do more of the driving now that Dad is getting older. When he does drive though I will get on my phone and check out a good place to eat on the road or our stop for the night.
I was really surprised how people were amazed that we lived together and still spent time talking on vacation and road trips. If I am not driving I will always have a book I can pull out and read along the way or play a game on my phone. There are plenty of times I will just ride and look out the window pointing out interesting signs, town names or sights. Our great country is full of points of interest and everywhere you go there is a story behind that location. We enjoy remembering times from the past when my nephews were little, or when I was little and my sister and mom were still with us.
This is all interesting when you consider I drive an hour to work one way. I normally have the radio on to listen to music to start my day. When that day is over, I might not have the radio on. I may not want to hear anything but silence. It helps with winding down from work.
Everyone has their own rituals when it comes to road trips. The rituals can change depending on location or who your traveling companions may be on that trip. I would hope on those adventures people don't spend all their time with their heads buried in books, music or on their phones the entire time. Times like these are times to really talk and get to know each other. You need to play games like the alphabet sign game, Slug bug, or any other that you played as a child.
What I think is best about all of this is that I always learn something new about my dad or me on these trips. The stories and times we experience give us memories that will last a life time. We need to all remember that no matter what your road trip ritual might be, you can always make a small change and possible change your life forever. Next time you get on the road. Pull out a standard map, i.e. Rand McNally Map and take a trip. Turn your radio off and turn your cell phones off. See what you learn about yourself and each other.
"A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope." ~ Charles M. Schulz
What is exciting about these shows is they are the largest of their kind. Texas alone has 300 plus head of cattle just at the state level attending the show in June. This July the national show had over 2000 head. These are exciting and fun events to attend each year. There is a lot of time, effort, blood sweat and tears involved. The shows at the national level require over a year of planning and fundraising by the host state. This years host was Kentucky. They did a great job and had wonderful hospitality.
When traveling any where my Dad and I have a routine we normally go through on a trip. If we are leaving early morning. We make it a point to stop at a Cracker barrel restaurant for breakfast. We almost always pack a cooler in the truck with ice and drinks for our trip. Even if we are going to be back home the same day, this ensures we always have water for me and Diet Coke for Dad. I am pretty sure this is no different than any other group or family set off a trip. It works and we enjoy our time away.
On this trip to Louisville, Kentucky we had some things to take care of before leaving the house. We did not get our Cracker Barrel the first day. We had to wait until the second, which is fine with us. We always make sure the truck is full of diesel and ready to head out. We drive a while and make stops when either nature calls or time for more fuel in the truck. This is a basic system that most people follow in trips.
After we arrived in Louisville we went to dinner with friends, who tell us what happened to them a few days earlier. They had left to go to a local home improvement store to pick up a few items. They went into panic mode when there in-dash navigation and sync system went out as they were about to leave the store. They were honestly freaked out wondering if they would be able to get back to the barns or even on the way home without the navigation system. They would have no music or anything. Luckily the system was just resetting itself and came back on after a little bit of down time. We all laughed at this since they ALL have cell phones capable of all the same operations as their in-dash system. It also reminded me of our trips that Dad and I take together and how they are a little different.
What made this interesting is the next thing I tell the people about Dad and I when we go on trips. We don't turn on the radio. We may on occasion listen to CD's. There were times when growing up when we would play tapes and then CD's while on trips. We normally though traveled without the radio. Everyone was in shock and almost speechless. It was hilarious for Dad and me to witness.
Someone asked what do you do without the radio? I simply replied, we talk to each other. Most people know that my Dad lives with me and they cannot imagine what we would have to talk about on a trip. Especially one as long as Pottsboro, Texas to Louisville. We find plenty to talk about on trips. Dad will tell me stories of when he was growing up or a young man. We talk about past trips we have taken on the same paths. We also ride along in silence as well. I do more of the driving now that Dad is getting older. When he does drive though I will get on my phone and check out a good place to eat on the road or our stop for the night.
I was really surprised how people were amazed that we lived together and still spent time talking on vacation and road trips. If I am not driving I will always have a book I can pull out and read along the way or play a game on my phone. There are plenty of times I will just ride and look out the window pointing out interesting signs, town names or sights. Our great country is full of points of interest and everywhere you go there is a story behind that location. We enjoy remembering times from the past when my nephews were little, or when I was little and my sister and mom were still with us.
This is all interesting when you consider I drive an hour to work one way. I normally have the radio on to listen to music to start my day. When that day is over, I might not have the radio on. I may not want to hear anything but silence. It helps with winding down from work.
Everyone has their own rituals when it comes to road trips. The rituals can change depending on location or who your traveling companions may be on that trip. I would hope on those adventures people don't spend all their time with their heads buried in books, music or on their phones the entire time. Times like these are times to really talk and get to know each other. You need to play games like the alphabet sign game, Slug bug, or any other that you played as a child.
What I think is best about all of this is that I always learn something new about my dad or me on these trips. The stories and times we experience give us memories that will last a life time. We need to all remember that no matter what your road trip ritual might be, you can always make a small change and possible change your life forever. Next time you get on the road. Pull out a standard map, i.e. Rand McNally Map and take a trip. Turn your radio off and turn your cell phones off. See what you learn about yourself and each other.
"A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope." ~ Charles M. Schulz
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