Mine was how big things got.
We went from east coast across the country visiting all the national parks and stuff.
I was 9 and it really changed me.
The usability of the forest with the bed of pine needles when we got to the Rockies the giant cliffs and mountains. It was like being in yogi bear land. Back east the forest was covered in cobwebs and mosquitoes. The feeling of being in the middle of the desert ( isolated) I loved it. It felt so clean even the air.
Also seeing that people lived differently. Some places had way more joy, happy energy.
It was like I was on kids acid.
Anyone have similar experiences?
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 83821368 Stuckey's. I had an almost Pavlovian excitement arise at sight of a Stuckey's sign. It meant sodas, and pecan log rolls, and Stuckey's saltwater taffy, and shelves of those stupid souvenirs that seemed magical as a kid, like corncob pipes with a tourist city's name on it.
As a small kid, I remember everything being varied and different. Wacky roadside attractions and vegetable stands. But that's a thing of the past, it's not the unique, mom and pop owned world any more. Today, road trips are just hours of corporate chain signs passing your window, and you know the Target and Applebee's in Tallahassee are identical to all the rest you'll see between there and Chattanooga.
Speaking of Chattanooga, some of my favorite memories involve road trips where excitement qnd mystery would build with each "See Rock City" sign.
I miss the 1970s and 1980s.
Today, a road trip is ZERO fun...nothing unexpected ever passes by your window.
