Summer is almost half over and this time of year always stirs memories of family vacations. We weren’t quite as bad as the Griswolds from “Family Vacation.” Our adventures often took us out west. One summer we spent a week at a dude ranch. Another time we drove through the mountains. Our goal as a family was to go to places of interest on a limited budget. We’d see Burma Shave signs along with Wall Drug information – lots of cows, sheep and pigs – beautiful farmsteads and ranches. We camped in a tent most of the time, but as years progressed, we decided to pop for a Motel 6.

The time in the car was filled with more entertainment than we saw outside our windows. Silly camp songs like “Comin’ Round the Mountain,” “B-I-N-G-O Was His Name,” “Old McDonald Had a Farm,” were sung with gusto for about a mile. Eventually those songs were no longer fun. Instead, the tunes were replaced with earphones and their own kind of music. I persisted but failed when I began singing theme songs from TV shows.

Our first camping experience in Yellowstone remains one of the highlights or lowlights of our adventure. We set up the tent, got all of our food on the table, began cooking over an open fire, enjoyed the fresh air and noticed signs which said, “Beware of bears in the area.” I have never been an adventurous soul, so the thought of having bears roaming right next to our tent and possibly devouring our food and maybe us, was not an option. I believe I slept with my eyes and ears open. My children and husband sawed enough wood to keep our fire burning for days. I’m not referring to actual wood here. The next morning, we noticed signs of a nighttime visitor. The rubbed off fur on a tree next to our tent was proof. I slept in the van for the rest of the trip.

Visiting famous landmarks like Mt. Rushmore in a dense fog was less than memorable. The Road to the Sun didn’t show any signs of the sun as we ventured to it. We did see some amazing critters along the way. We found the largest ball of string and a few silos that resembled the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We experienced nature to the hilt. Especially when it was miles and miles to the next rest stop.

Some of those memories will live on for a lifetime. Some, you’d rather forget. Making extended excursions like this can be most rewarding. You have a captive audience for a few hundred miles at a time, so you can actually talk to each other. Some of the most memorable conversations are held in a car where the passengers are locked into their seat belts and they can’t escape from a moving vehicle. It is indeed a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other, if you don’t mind the smells, sounds and views going on within the vehicle. After a week or two of togetherness, it’s always good to get back home.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR FAMILY VACATIONS – FOR MEMORIES – FOR ANOTHER DAY.