Random driving thoughts.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 11:00AM Just some things that crossed my mind during the four full days of driving recently...
Construction zones. I get the point behind lower speed limits when construction is going on. I do. But. When it's the middle of the night and no one is doing any actual road work and the road is totally fine, is it *really* necessary to go 35 in a normally 75 area? Really?
Driving gloves. I'm envisioning something like long ballroom gloves but made from a wicking, spf sort of fabric. I think these could really sell. ;) Okay, maybe not. But I definitely could have used some during the drive. I'm pretty sure my hands and arms got a good bit more tanned just from the drive. Nathan asked if I'd market them to truckers. I think skin colored gloves with tattoos would be a hit, don't you?
Elmer's Fountain. Driving east on I-90, just after Wallace, ID is Elmer's Fountain. We actually noticed it on our way west but didn't stop, as it was on the other side of the freeway. We made a mental note to stop on our way back but then completely forgot. If you happen to be driving that way, stop by and tell is what it's like, okay?
Snack bags. For those wondering if we have any tips on traveling long distances with kids, one of the best ones I have is to make up individual snack bags at the start of the trip. I label three gallon size ziplock bags and fill them each with various goodies...some that are actually good snacks and some that I rarely let the boys have. I usually throw in at least one special treat like a candy bar, though I try to avoid things that will melt. :) This time around, I loaded them for two days and explained to each boy that his bag had to last *both* days. (I repeated this whole procedure on the way home.) Beyond that, they were free to eat from the bag whenever they wanted. (Each boy was responsible for keeping his bag next to his seat.) This eliminates boys whining about being hungry and means we only have to stop for bathroom breaks and actual meals, not to get things out of coolers or boxes and hand them around. It also prevents arguments over who got the last bag of fruit snacks. :)
Trash bags. In conjunction with the snack bags, make sure you have at least a couple trash bags throughout the car and empty them whenever you stop for gas. Further, make it a policy that trash belongs in the bags. ;) (We had one that Nathan, Noah and I could reach and one that Micah and Asher could reach.)
Washington drivers. I know this is a gross generalization. But. Might I please remind Washington state drivers that passing a car need not take all day? Seriously folks. Even when we weren't in WA, the WA drivers we encountered had a great tendency to pull out of the right lane to pass the car in front of them. At this point, where others would simply zip past that slower car and get back into the right lane, they would creep along at roughly the exact same speed as the car they were intending to pass. For minutes on end. And then, maybe, they'd finally get past and then a few minutes beyond that they might remember to move over so that the fuming, crazy Colorado driver behind them could get past them both. ;) Thankyouverymuch.
Wyoming Adopt a Highway signs. Might I also please request that Wyoming change their Adopt a Highway signs so that they do not look just like the big blue signs that signal that a rest area is coming up? Pretty please? It's just cruel to get one's hopes up like that.
Starbucks iphone app. Thank you to the Starbucks iphone app for enabling Nathan to find the nearest Starbucks along our entire route. ;) I think there may have been a day or two that we didn't stop at a Starbucks, but I know there were at least some where we stopped more than once. The boys found the number of Starbucks in Seattle to be crazy. Nathan thought it was wonderful. :)
Okay. I think that was all for now. ;) Thanks for letting me share/vent. ;)
Reader Comments (1)
Great snack idea!! We have always packed up about a gazillion bags of different snack items and then just kept them in a large plastic tub that we wedged in just behind the two front seats and in front of the second row of seats, where Jordan sits. Then either Dean, Jordan or I can reach into the tub and grab whatever. BUT. The tub takes up a lot of room, so I like your idea! We have also kept a small cutting board (for apples or splitting up drive-thru burgers for little ones) small snack bowls, sippy cups and the like. I think in another year or two, when we get beyond toddlerhood, we will make the change to your snack bags idea - thanks for sharing!!