the country drive

[59Lark]

how long has it been since you packed up your family and went for a drive in the country, has the urban sprawl and the life in the hamster cage and wheel. taken over and our you completely forgotten the peace and tranquilty of simply going for a drive in the country slowly down dirt roads and waving at the folks outside and them waving back. the stress of living in this city is starting to wear this family down and we find our selves going for a drive in the country especially in amish areas alot. if we have been angry or fighting we find it calms us down and the children bring books and read. so they are calm as well and we show them the sights. in the last month we saw on our travels after supper, a deer jumping out in front of us out of corn field, a fox travelling through a field just after the straw had been baled, a fella flying over our head with a gas powered parachute device and he waved, amish stooking straw, amish gardening, amish barn building etc. the stress of living in the city and the store and all has been a lot and this is helping last night we took my mother as well and stopped at little drive in that she and dad took me forty years ago for ice cream and i bought her and my family ice cream forty years later. its a miracle its still here and operating, so remember go smell the roses and sometimes the manure as well 59lark :eusa_clap

 

[Foofoogal]

Absolutely, One of my fondest memories was almost every Sunday afternoon my Father would take us for a drive.
Glad to hear the place is still there for you and your family to get ice cream. Yeah..

 

[Flivver]

The Sunday drive after Sunday dinner was a regular occurrance in my family when I was growing up. My parents continued to do it as long as my Dad could drive.

I've never done it on my own...there's always too much to do, it seems. I think the people of my parent's generation were on to something, however.

But my friends who own vintage cars often take drives in the country just to enjoy driving the car. And they often invite me along to ride in the rumble seat. Pure pleasure!

 

[Carlisle Blues]

There seem to be so many who take that "Sunday" drive in my beautiful little town...

 

[Inusuit]

I take a drive in the country about every day. I live there.

 

[dhermann1]

Having spent ten days in western New York State, at Chautauqua Institution, I went on a couple of nice jaunts. We took a great trip to Buffalo, to drop my GF's dad at the train, and took the scenic route back, clinging to the Lake Erie shoreline as much as possible. We were rewarded by finding a small town park in the town of Evans, in the southwestern corner of Erie County. It's called Sturgeon Point. I'm sorry to say we took no pics, so you'll just have to go there. To sum it up, it's a magnificent spot right on the water, with a view across the lake that is breathtaking. You can just barely see the Buffalo skyline in the distance, and the wind was beating the lake into majestic white caps. Spectacular.
On our last trip back to Buffalo to catch the train ourselves, we took a Chautauqua County road called Elm Flat Road. You know with a name like that it's way out there. Again, majestic views of Lake Erie in the distance, and lovely rolling hills filled with woods and meadows. And some impressive Amish farms. Nice.

 

[Paisley]

I took my dog to the mountains last weekend. She splashed around in the stream and at one point, stopped, looked into the water, got out, and barked. I think a fish must have nibbled on her leg.

There were so many flowers in bloom: cranesbill, asters, something that looked like snapdragons. Wild clematis with fuzzy seed heads covered some of the small trees. It was cool and refreshing and beautiful.

 

[Lillemor]

I'm embarrassed to say that I live surrounded by the countryside, yet we haven't gone for many drives or walks this year and we haven't even been on a bicycle ride. It's just been such a chaotic year...

 

[Viola]

Not a fun part of my childhood memories; my poor mom is always drugged to her eyeballs on motion-sickness pills for any drive longer than maaaybe 15 minutes, and my sister was similarly delicate as a child. And I never really saw the point; I wanted to be somewhere, sure, but driving was always not a lot of fun.

Maybe because whenever my family goes anywhere, I have to sit in the middle of the bench seat! I had to as a kid because I was the oldest/biggest and it kept bro and sis from duking it out, and I'd let them sleep on me. I have to now because I'm the smallest - does that seem right to you? lol

I still fall asleep so easily in moving cars, especially at nice soothing highway speeds.

My honey and I do the country drive sometimes and that's more fun (because I get a window, haha!) but I still don't see the point as such - and I'm such a city kid I'm fairly sure I'd be terrified on a dirt road.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The back-road drives I remember were in the wide-open back of my grandfather's rickety old pickup truck -- my cousin and I and a case of Orange Crush. Usually by the end of the ride we'd have more soda on us than in us.

Nowadays, I imagine you'd get pulled over for endangerment if you tried hauling little kids around in the back of a truck, but at the time it was the most fun you could ever possibly have. Especially when there was lots of potholes.

 

[Paisley]

Not a fun part of my childhood memories; my poor mom is always drugged to her eyeballs on motion-sickness pills for any drive longer than maaaybe 15 minutes, and my sister was similarly delicate as a child. And I never really saw the point; I wanted to be somewhere, sure, but driving was always not a lot of fun.

Maybe because whenever my family goes anywhere, I have to sit in the middle of the bench seat! I had to as a kid because I was the oldest/biggest and it kept bro and sis from duking it out, and I'd let them sleep on me. I have to now because I'm the smallest - does that seem right to you? lol

I still fall asleep so easily in moving cars, especially at nice soothing highway speeds.

My honey and I do the country drive sometimes and that's more fun (because I get a window, haha!) but I still don't see the point as such - and I'm such a city kid I'm fairly sure I'd be terrified on a dirt road.

Ugh, I hated road trips with my parents. It was always in the hottest part of summer and they wouldn't use the air conditioner. They wouldn't listen to music, either. And my father in particular didn't like to stop for anything--he liked to get in at least 12 hours per day of driving. Could be why I don't have much desire to travel now.

Now that I go by myself or with my dog, I enjoy a (very occasional) drive.

 

[59Lark]

driving and then there is a road trip.

Seems a lot of folks have differences on the type of driving they like, i do remember the car sickness days. We had a family of five kids, and all piled into my fathers studebakers, then his quite large buick sedans, you seemed lost in a sea of blue upholstery sitting in the middle of the back seat and then the , i am going to be sick came along. SEEMS MY CAP JUST LOCKED ON SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR CUTTING THIS SHORT.59LARK

 

[59Lark]

message continued

my caps lock on this keyboard, so no more capitals for me. my drives in the country now are peacefull and one of the few things that really calm my wife down and make her in peace. that said with the memories of fellow loungers such as paisley the memories of car sickeness and sitting in the middle do come back to haunt me, but the sunday drive after lunch it was. my dad was a farmer and looking at others corn other crops was common, so common to the point he almost and more than once drove off the road and into the ditch and out again. with today cars that might mean rollover and death, but with the road monsters he drove , heck one time he was driving his studbaker commander and flying around a corner the door popped open and out he went all it was hold him to the car was his hands on the wheel and he pulled himself back in and didnt lose control, yes seatbelts are wise. one lounger noted fear of dirt roads, they are the only ones that you can drive at 30 to 40 and not endanger your life, you cant wave and be waved at when you are travelling 60 miles an hour. our goal in two years is to get out of the city and be one of those folks that wave when you go by, but right now with business scratching and my bills , i dont see how. 59lark

 

[Foofoogal]

The back-road drives I remember were in the wide-open back of my grandfather's rickety old pickup truck --

Traveled down a zillion back dirt roads thru muscadine grape laden woods in the back of pickups. (yes, hanging on for dear life sometimes but others with our feet dangling from the tailgate.)lol Stopping at creeks to swing from the vines.
I am eternally grateful for my country childhood. Living in Arkansas and in country now affords me some of my memories revisited after years of being in the city. Not the same places as my childhood but close enough.

( I am trying to get as far away from what others are trying to get to.) been there and done that!

 

[davestlouis]

My grandfather used to pick me up on Saturday mornings, take me to visit our relatives at the cemetery, then White Castle for lunch. I was the only grandkid out of 7 who had an interest, but I always loved that time with Pop. Even today, I find old cemeteries very peaceful, and love walking around.

I also remember trips from Cincinnati to Sanibel FL...one LONG day in the back of a 1969 Olds Delta 88 hardtop, windows down, beach towels spread across acres of green vinyl seats, he'd only stop for potty breaks when he also needed gas, so you better not drink too much. I seem to recall that it was an 18 hour trip, give or take.

I have 7 kids, and I don't dare try to corral all of them for a ride in the country, but I can usually con one or 2 into coming with.

 

[John in Covina]

One drive I have taken Mom (when she was still alive) and Max the Wunderdog for is along Grand Avenue south which leads to Chino a quickly disappearing dairy area. The growth of housing and strip malls is explosive and they are where dairy and regular farms were just a year or two ago.

The smell of dairy farms now is a bit more of a pleasant reminder of my visits to Denmark and rides on 1960's Long Island. Mom being from Denmark associated it with local dairy farms right by her parents home. Max like to bark at the cows! Also the sheep and the goats.

We pass the cows and the other farms and even some farm stands. Eventally I get to either the Galleano or San Antonio Winery shop and see some of the vineyards. The ride takes me almost to where the 10 and 15 interstates meet in the Ontario (CA) area which was much more rural up until about 10 years ago, too. Many of the vineyards there that remain get bulldozed right after their last harvest and a warehouse pad is poured shortly after. The San Antonio Winery shop has a collection of animals and pasture land. Max likes to bark at the farm birds there.

We're lucky in the LA area that so much of the outlying neighborhoods border wildlife areas, parks and national forests so there is a rural scene available for most within a hour or less. But the countryside is disappearing quickly into suburban sprall.

Ah for a drive in the country!

 

[John in Covina]

Rural Art Deco

A quickly disappearing item for Chino are the Milking Sheds and many of the old ones have an Art Deco style front wall that is remenisant of the Art Deco styled Gas Stations along Route 66. Both are a joy to see. As a matter of fact some recent Rte 66 buildings have recreated some of the Art Deco styling of the Route 66 gas station in Glendora!

 

[Caity Lynn]

Hee Hee, I live in a rural area, so, want to see some crazy great sites, just stop on the bridge and stare. It's great to be out of town.

Buuut, I did take a friend home today, and we went an alternative rout down what used to be referred to as "Lovers Lane" Soooo pretty! Made my day.

 

[Paisley]

One drive I have taken Mom (when she was still alive) and Max the Wunderdog for is along Grand Avenue south which leads to Chino a quickly disappearing dairy area.

I'm glad you didn't take her after she was dead, like Aunt Edna in the lawn chair on top of the station wagon.

 

[Emer]

It sounds very soothing, but I've never done it. I've lived in Southern California for most of my life, and any "country side" means driving through twisty winding mountains and that = motion sickness! When we lived in North Carolina (for 3 years), we'd have to make hour long drives through country side to get anywhere, and that just bothered me! I'm not sure if I'm actually the "driving through the country for relaxation" kind of girl. Maybe more of a "picnicking in the country" kind of girl. lol

ETA: We're getting ready for a trip up to Oregon, so maybe I'll have the chance to try out some country drives up there!