I’m on Spring Break with the family. Vacations are always a bit of an act of faith that the increased productivity of a rested brain will outweigh the pile of work that builds up over the course of your time off. I tend to be reluctant to take a lot of time off for that purpose, but almost always when I do, I end up on the positive side of the ledger.
And, more importantly, spending time with the family. Much gets made over quality time, but quantity time is important. A lot of bonding takes place over the course of a million minor interactions you’d never schedule for but which are crucial nonetheless.
This year, we’re once again paying tribute to the Florida theme parks; Universal versus last year’s Disney. I’m a bigger fan of Universal, turns out. The organization is a little more haphazard and the employees a little rougher around the edges; but the themes of Universal – Harry Potter, Marvel Comics, etc. – are more appealing to me.
We got down here by driving again. For me, the best way to travel is to drive through the night. I know that’s not for everyone; but, podcasts have revolutionized the game. Whereas in years past the graveyard hours were characterized by a struggle to stay awake during the frequent commercial breaks on AM radio – during the Art Bell show if I was lucky; now, I can just load up on Nerdist podcasts and Dan Carlin’s Hardcore history: stuff that engages me with no commercial breaks. Suddenly, once the family has dozed off, we’re 600 miles down the road before the sun comes up. Leave at 4 p.m., arrive in Kissimme at 10 a.m. with a couple of meal stops in between.
The weather was a little rainy on Saturday and Sunday, but since then, bright and sunny. Beach day at St. Pete today.
Anyway, talk about your own family vacation adventures/nightmares or, open thread!
Only one nightmare: our trip to New Hampshire in 2004, where I got sick climbing Mt. Washington and then, a few days later, we were across the hall from a suicide in our hotel. The people were a man and woman from New York. The man had kidnapped the woman and threatened to kill her before shooting himself. This all happened at around midnight. The unlucky people in the room next door had bullets in their room! We just heard the screaming and the shooting.
Wow!
I love the overnight drive. Growing up, we only traveled by car on vacation. My dad would drive through the night while everybody else slept. Everybody but me, that is. I love the quiet of a night time drive. The lights of floating signs in the distance. The dark silhouettes of the mountains.
I consider myself lucky because my own son is the same way. When I drive the family through the night, he stays up and just watches everything that goes by. My daughter, unfortunately, gets a little car sick. I’m hoping she grows out of it. I love the night drive.
For another all-night diversion check out AM Coast to Coast with George Noory. Weirdness done well.
I am a flyer. But is usually just my spouse and me. We like to hike, climb and explore. My step-daughter likes shopping and stuff.
I am like you, Doug, I can only take off for brief periods of time. So I must maximize the hours away.
Enjoy the time off with your family.
I could use some mountain time as well. I did a lot of hiking in the past, but not so much lately: Off the top of my head – Rocky Mountain National, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, La Plata Peak, and Quandary Peak.
But, the kids are now 6 and 8. We went to Disney last year and Universal this year – seems like the right age for that kind of thing.
I’m heading to the Rockies Aug. 4-12 if you’re thinking of heading that way.
Safe travel, and all the best to you and yours.
We’re doing the same thing in two weeks. We’re going to hit Disney for the first time.
I got 4 kids, we don’t fly anymore. Too expensive, too much hassle.
I got the XM in Wifey’s van just for trips like this.
How are the crowds? I hear bad things about Spring Break in Orland, I am kind of dreading it.
Universal wasn’t as nuts as Disney; but the crowds are still significant. Disney manages them probably as well as anyone. But, still, they are big crowds.
Disney crowded over spring break? I can’t imagine why anyone would think that.