Buy Ice Cream Here--Derosiers Market

First Winner of a big Thumbs Up: Derosiers Market in Freeport, Maine. I've been getting ice cream here at Derosiers since I was about five years old. My Dad just kept stopping there. Guess what I'm doing every time I drive through Freeport?

Yup, stopping for ice cream at Derosiers.

This most recent trip, the gal scooping the scoops was smart enough to downsize the kid's scoop sizes, and nice enough to only charge us for one scoop. Because they were small scoops.

And she was a teenager! What gives?

This Gas Staion "Doesn't Have a Bathroom"

View Gas Stations that won't let kids use the bathroom in a larger map

Gas stations that won't let little kids use the bathroom have always irritated me. Especially after I fill up the tank with $45 worth of gas. It just seems like a basic hospitality issue.

"Restrooms are for customers only" is fine. But after you fill the tank, and unstrap your three year old from the kid seat, and they walk in having to pee really bad and the man (or lady as in the most recent case) says something like "No, we don't have a bathroom." Right. Like the employees pee out back. Can't they just let one little girl pee?

That bothers me.

Doesn't it always work out that when one tank is empty, the other is full? So it seems like common decency that "service" providers recognize this and accommodate their customers with full-service. Please let us pee!

We at Familyroadtrippers.com have started a Google map of these types of gas stations. I think anyone can contribute to the map (at least I checked a box that seemed to allow it), let's, as a family of family travelers, revolt against these un-feeling hoarders of relief. It's in the name of our kids, not us; heck, we can hold it, right? At least till we get out back.


So here's the first entry on the map of shame: Mort's Grocery in Spofford, New Hampshire:


If you're unable to add to this map, add your stations of shame to the comments section, and I'll add them to the map.

Children's Museum, West Hartford, CT

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On a day off from school recently, Tinsley found herself with two kids to entertain and no help from Dad (I had to work, it's good Friday, not great Friday). She decided to spend the day at the Children's Museum in West Hartford. She didn't bring a camera as she already had her hands full, but we did convince Tom to write it up for our blog.

Here's Tom's write-up:

In the yard of this really awesome place in West Hartford called the children's museum, I saw and went inside a hollow concrete whale that said facts about its self. But every time I went inside, it fell silent.

Inside the museum there was a room called turtle town. And no wonder! There were turtles everywhere! Turtles! Turtles! Turtles! there were big turtles, little turtles, snapping turtles, box turtles, tortoises, every one you could think of! Eventually we had to leave turtle town.

In the next room, I almost fell down -- practically every thing was made of LEGOS! Boy did I have a fun time in there! But, sadly, we had to leave; my annoying sister convinced us to go back to turtle town.

After that, I got to pet a snake with really scaly skin. I didn't miss my turn! Later on there was this really awesome thing where I saw a scorpion underneath an ultraviolet light. (It looked white.)

After a while something even cooler came to my eyes. I actually saw a fake dinosaur that moved and roared! The last room was the gift shop. I bought a little lizard, a “grabit”, and a rock called snakeskin. They were all awesome! I sighed.

On the way home I had quite some fun thinking about all of the fun stuff I did at the museum. It was really fun, and I wish I could go there again.

Sounds like a good time.
Here are a couple of tips from Tinsley:

• Bring hand sanitizer to swab the kids down with after they pat the turtles and snakes and swarm the LEGO pit.
  
• Parking can be a little difficult in west Hartford, so looking for lunch before going to the museum may be challenging. I recommend the Subway on Farmington Avenue.

A Scenic New Hampshire Drive

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Yankee Magazine featured a loop around Mount Monadnock recently.

The Many Views of Monadnock: A Driving Tour
There's a slower pace and evidence of bygone eras in southwestern New Hampshire.



We haven't road tested this route yet, but we will soon enough.
Have you road tested this route?
Download the directions here

Places to go in The Granite State

Here's a user-generated map of things to do in New Hampshire from Yankee Magazine's web site.

Seadog Brewing Company: Best. Sandwich. Ever.

Maybe the best pit stop in mid-coast Maine. Nay, the Best. Pit stop. in Mid-coast Maine.

Most of the way through an eight hour drive to Belfast, ME we stopped for dinner. Where you get off I-95 for Rt. 1 is Topsam, ME. A little over a mile from the exit is The Seadog -- a comfortable kid-friendly brewpub restaurant offering many yummy local brews, yummy burgers, yummy fish and chips and dining on the deck next to the Androscoggin River.

When we go there, which is oftener and oftener, I typically get a burger. Because I like a burger and a beer. But Tinsley always opts for the Tuna steak sandwich because it's on the menu. And she would feel foolish ordering a burger when she could have the tuna steak sandwich with radish sprouts and wasabi mayo. She likes it as rare as possible so that it's almost a sushi sandwich. Usually she's delighted with the sandwich. This time she said "Absolutely, the Best. Sandwich. Ever."

But what do you really think, Tinsley?

Dinosaur State Park: A Good Pit Stop

Stop in for a picnic lunch and explore the museum, craft room, and more than two miles of nature trails through the Dinosaur Park State Arboretum.

In Rocky Hill, CT, just a wee bit south of Hartford you’ll find a geodesic dome built over an expanse of sedimentary rock with one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America. Inside, you’ll see life-size Jurassic and Triassic period dioramas depicting life in prehistoric Rocky Hill, Connecticut and you'll also see actual dinosaur skeletons, dinosaur footprints, fossils, and learning exhibits.




Five hundred footprints is nothing to sneeze at
The footprints were discovered in 1966 when excavators were digging out to set a foundation for a new state building. The workers found 2,000 footprints (500 of them are on display under the dome, the rest are buried for preservation). The tracks were laid down 200 million years ago.

Did dinosaurs eat walnuts?
In the early dinosaur days, most of the plants we see today were already established: conifers (cone-bearing), ferns, horsetails and ginkos. Missing were the flowering plants, whose pollen first appears in the fossil record about 140 million years ago, and who were prolific by 90 million years ago. The same Laurel, magnolia, sycamore and beach species that we have today were growing back then at the end of the Cretaceous period. Walnuts, barberry, elm and mulberry were prevalent then, and there’s a good chance some species of dinosaur ate walnuts, but there’s no evidence that dinosaur children played All Around the Mulberry Bush. The arboretum has more than 200 conifer species, including such exotics as cedar-of-Lebanon, giant-sequoia, incense-cedar, and monkey puzzle tree.

Cost: $5 for adults, $2 for kids ages 6-12, free for kids under 6.

Open daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Trails close at 4 p.m.



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Decompress on a Train through the West

Ride the American Orient Express through the west's most beautiful National Parks.

We haven't taken this train ride, but we read about it a while back, and have been dreaming about it ever since. While this could be fun with kids, it seems more like a romantic getaway for parents while the kids are in summer camp. Partly because it's expensive, partly because train rides offer a little less flexibility than is optimal when traveling with kids.

The trip takes nine days to wind through Grand Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Grand Teton National Park. On the way, the train stops in Salt Lake City, Utah, Las Vegas, Nevada, Sedona, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The accommodations are classic, yet modern. The fully restored vintage streamliner carriages have individual controls for air conditioning and heat, and most of the cars have a private shower and toilet. Also aboard are (of course) lounge and dining cars and a domed observation car with 360-degree views, which ought to make some great photography opportunities.

With prices beginning at over $5,000 per person, this is not a cheap trip, but it may make a great anniversary vacation. Click here for more information.

Has anyone out there ever taken this trip?

A Little Chunk of the Natchez Trace Trail

This 445 mile scenic drive through the heart of the south is quick and beautiful with lot's of side loops to explore. Many places to jump on and jump off means easy access too.

I went to New Orleans last week for the Traditional Building Show and Convention. While I was there, I took a few extra days to explore the wreckage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In heading to Mississippi’s Gulf coast, I took a little detour: north out of New Orleans to Natchez, Miss, so that I could drive a little piece of the Natchez Trace Trail. This historic scenic road was a way home for farmers who had floated their wooden boat down the Mississippi from Ohio, Kentucky, and other farming states to sell their crops. They’d typically sell the boat too, buy a horse and ride it home. The trail goes from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee.

I’ve wanted to drive this road ever since Tinsley and I lived in Nashville. Our friend, Michael Evans, told us what a wonderful drive it is, but we never were able to take the trip. One of these days when we’re visiting her folks in Nashville, we’ll take a side trip down the Natchez Trace Trail for a family vacation to Planet New Orleans. For now, I’ll write about the chunk I covered last week.

The southern portion of this road is fantastic -- smoothly paved; curvy enough to be a fun drive, but not so curvy that the passengers will puke; and laid out to allow a reasonable pace -- 50 or 55 mph. This is better than the Blue Ridge Parkway, where you’re limited to around 40 mph (faster than 40 and the passengers will, you know, puke). And it wasn’t crowded at all (unlike the Blue Ridge). The 25 measly miles that I covered were a wonderful introduction. In fact, I seriously considered changing my plans from visiting the Mississippi coast and then flying out of New Orleans, to skipping the gulf coast, driving straight up to Nashville and flying home from there.

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My trip-let started in Natchez, and I drove up to the Windsor Ruins, stopping at the Mount Locust Inn and Plantation on the way. The Inn and plantation consists of is dog trot style cabin, some slave’s quarters, a four room, two story annex out back known as Sleepy Hollow (not related to the headless Horseman), and a couple of cemeteries. Because I was racing the light to the ruins (in order to get photos, see the top photo), I wasn’t able to really explore the Inn but I did snap a few photos of the main house (the light was great). The Mount Locust Inn was one of two or three that provided a place for travelers to sleep under a roof, get a hot meal, and stock up on a few supplies for the long trip. There were about 20 "stands" along the way that offered no sleeping quarters, just the bare minimum of supplies and food.

More Natchez Trace installments as we cover them…

Have you ever been on the Trace?

More Leaf-Peeper Drives in New England

New England's fall foliage is the best in the country. And it's just starting to pop. Usually the peak is around early to mid October, but if you miss it in one area, just drive a bit south and look there.

Try this 85 mile loop beginning in Torrington, CT:
Don't miss the covered bridge in Cornwall.


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And a 185 mile loop in northern Maine, beginning and ending in Skowhegan (You'll probably want to stop over at Moosehead lake for a night or two):


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There are many web sites for tracking the progress, here are a few of them:
www.yankeefoliage.com
www.maine.gov/doc/foliage
www.foliagenetwork.com

Fall Foliage Drives in Vermont

From Yankee Magazine. here are a couple of American Backroads that offer nice foliage. Both up in the north west corner.
a southern loop, about 42 miles, which takes you through Smuggler's Notch:


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and a connected northern loop, about 46 miles:


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Yankee Magazines suggests these places to stay:
Edson Hill Manor, Stowe, VT
From $199 including breakfast

The Governor's House, Hyde Park, VT
From $95 including breakfast

The Green Mountain Inn, Stowe, VT
From $169
800- 253-7302

The Smuggler's Notch Inn & Village Tavern, Jeffersonville, VT
From $89
802-644-6607

Smuggler's Notch Resort, Jeffersonville, VT
From $154
800-451-8752


Sterling Ridge Log Cabin Resort, Jeffersonville, VT
Lodge from $180, cabins from $99
800-347-8266

Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, VT
From $105
800-826-7000

American Backroads: Bridgeport, CT to Camden ME

Back roads through Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. During the summer, it's almost always wise to avoid Interstate 95 in New England. The Maine Turnpike, the Mass Pike are two more to skip. These back roads may take longer if there's no traffic on the interstates, but they'll be quicker on the week ends during summer. And there are more hometown places to stop for a bite to eat and sights to see.


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City Guide: Camden, Maine

Mid-coast Maine (Penobscot Bay in particular) is the most beautiful part of the state. Camden is family friendly town with loads of recrfeational and photo opportunities within a short drive.


Where the mountains seet the sea, Camden is a popular destination. The harbor, the architecture, the landscape, and recreational features are vast and varied; and the food is pretty darned good too (hint: Cappy's Chowder House).

With a river running through town and emptying into the harbor as a waterfall, there are some great photography choices (hint: footbrige in early evening). Many of the shops and boathouses are built on pilings that are set into the water.

There are parks within walking distance to town as well as a short drive away, where you'll find warm water fun on the many lakes and ponds.

You can also hike or drive, up one of the mountains in Camden Hills State Park for sensational vistas (hint: bring a tripod, and go during leaf-peeper season).


Camden is also especially dog-friendly
Ol' Ralf can swim, chase balls (or sticks) in the inner harbor, and get fresh water at one on many dog bowls put out by local businesses along the sidewalks. Poop-bag dispenser boxes are conveniently scattered around the parks, and there are even a couple of doggie boutiques.

The two hotels that are down town, the Lord Camden Inn and the Camden Riverhouse Inn and Suites, each have dog policies.

Other photo oportunities are numerous and varied too. Morning and evening light in the harbor and parks can be magical (I don't say that things are magical very often; it's just not a word I normally use, but the light at thosae times is pretty cool). The wiki map below shows some of the places we like (give me a few more days to get little photos in the map please), you can add your favorites too.

Things to do with kids:

Play in a park or on the beach -- At Camden's inner harbor is a grassy park great for exploring the beach, picnicing, relaxing, or burning off steam. There are also lot's of ducks here. You can also head south on Bay View Street and you'll get to a little park on the left with swingsets, playground, and a semi-sandy beach great for swimming, sunbathing, or exploring intertidal sea life.

Walk the breakwater out to Rockland light house
This 1 mile round trip is a fun way to get a little excercise after dinner, a good photography opportunities, and a popular fishing spot. Kids love to run along breakwaters on top the rocks, and when they run this one, you can bet they'll be tired enough to go to bed without much guff!

Swim at Lincolnville Beach -- a sandy beach on the rocky coast. There's a good little seafood stand down by the ferry terminal and there are some stores for kids to pick up souveneirs, sodas, and sweets. At low tide, you can walk way, way out and look for sand dollars.

Ride the ferry to Islesboro -- board at Lincolnville beach, north of Camden. Get some fried clams at the clam stand while you wait.

Visit Camden Hills State Park -- Auto road up Mount Battie, trails up Bald Rock Mountain and Maiden's Cliff, camping in the campground.

See the National toboggan Championship races at Camden Snow Bowl (or ski there)

Cruise the Bay on a Schooner! book passage on the waterfront.

Places to eat:

Cappy's Chowder House -- You've got to eat at Cappy's at least once. A great lunch or dinner spot (tip: try the chowder). Kid's meals come in big cardboard classic cars. It's crowded, but in the off hours, seating isn't such a problem. Bloody Marys got greast reviews from the folks I sat next last.

Camden House of Pizza has the best pizza; at least if you like traditional pizza. Good for eating in the room while doing laundry and packing the night before leaving for home.

Su Casa -- A great Mexican restaurant opened by two guys: one from Corpus Cristi and the other from Ecuador via Seattle. The salsa is fresh pico de gallo, and the entrees are fantastic. The margeritas are nothing to shake a stick at either.

Camden Deli -- good sandwiches, good coffee, enclosed sun room seating overlooking the harbor. A little congested up front, but there's plenty of room in the back.

Mariner's Grill -- A kid-friendly restaurant with "The best haddock sandwich I've ever had!" says Tinsley. And the cole slaw was "to die for". A nice quiet peaceful place to get away from the mob; the service was fast and friendly. The blueberry pancakes are awesome as well. And there's a deck overlooking the harbor.

Peter Otts Tavern has been the traditional fine dining choice in Camden, but reviews of this placu under its new ownership haven't been great.

Places to stay:
Camden Riverhouse Inn and Suites -- our favorite for the homey one bedroom suites.
Norembega Castle -- great place for a second (or first) honeymoon.
Lord Camden Inn -- haven't stayed there, but the balconies look over Main Street and the harbor. It could be a nice place to stay.

Weekend Philly Trip

Philly is a very walkable city with great architecture, food, and nice folks. In short, Philly is Phantastic!
(sorry, I couldn't resist)



I wanted to drop in on the Congress for New Urbanism conference in Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to meet some of people who were speaking there, so I really only needed to take a couple of hours on Saturday and again on Sunday to listen to their presentation and then schmooze afterward. As a roadtrip-addicted family, we used the opportunity to have another FamilyRoadtripper weekend adventure.

We had never really been to Philly before and we were happily surprised at how cool it is. We'll be back, early and often!

As usual, we took back roads
We try to avoid interstates unless we're truly in a hurry, or if it's night time and there is nothing but dark to see out the windows. We took 84 west to Port Jervis, and then hopped onto the back roads whittling our way to Route 611 along the Delaware River (a great American back road) and right into the heart of Philly (see the map below). The road ended three blocks from our hotel, so in addition to being a scenic route, it was a direct route too.

Before going, I went to Fodor's forum to ask advice about kid-friendly places and activities. As usual, the Fodorites had a handful of tips and tactical advice.

At the top of the list was the Reading Terminal Market
What a great place. Almost everything you need under one roof. I say almost because we didn't actually explore the whole place enough to be sure that something was missing, but just about everything I need was there: Mexican food, sushi, Greek food, Philly Cheese Steaks, jalepeno hummus (!), beer garden, wine store, bakery, ice cream restaurant, bee store (bees wax, honey, etc), toys, post cards, beer garden, fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, meats, flowers, coffee, did I say beer garden?

Needless to say, we started the days at the public market, and ended them there as well. We went to the Liberty Bell and the Independence Mall, taking the advice of PaulRabe not to stand in line to see the Liberty Bell because you can see it through the window, and the kids can play on the mall.

China town was right there by our hotel, and Tinsley found herself in seventh heaven when she noticed a Chinese dollar store. All of the kitchy little Chinese lanterns and budahs and dragons that you see in Chinese restaraunts for a buck. It so happened that this weekend was Lilly's second birthday, so Tinsley bought a bunch of party supplies (noisemakers, silly hats, a mask for lilly...) and we had a birthday party up in the hotel room, then Lilly got a birthday bath and went to bed!

Below is a little map with our stops:

Kid-Friendly Guide to New York City

New York City is a great place to goof around with kids. Let them choose the pace and you'll all have a ton of fun. There are many kid-friendly attractions in and around Central Park; use this as a home base and you'll always have a bench close by to relax on while kids to burn off excess energy. Just don't forget to pack the snacks!

We feel strongly that family travel should be fun but educational, so we look for one or two aspects of an area to learn about and then choose our itinerary based on that.
Read also the first installment of city guides for kids for overall strategy advice; and please, add to this wiki-map by clicking "Contribute to This Map" below.

The points on this map came personal experience and some discussions at Fodor's Forum about taking kids to NYC. the below info is aditional advice from the Fodorites.

"Here's a long list of Central Park stuff.
After goofing around in Central Park and its adjacent attractions (and a decompression session back at the hotel) plan an early dinner along with an evening boat ride past the Statue of Liberty lit up for the evening. This is a nice way to wind down an event-filled day (also a good photo-op for little photographers). "

"Before you leave check for free kids events:
NY Magazine and gocitykids.com"

"In May & June NYC streets are filled with fairs and festivals. Check to see if the Big Apple Circus is in town, or something else of that nature..."

"Blue Man Group is still a favorite of 5 year olds."

"Kids love just looking around NYC -- allow time for the kids to experience New York - a hot dog or pretzel from a street vendor, lots of subway rides, Times Square, Central Park, the excitement of all the big buildings in the Times Square area and Downtown (Wall Street area)."

A Great Drive in Western, MT

The Annaconda-Pintlar Scenic Route from Polaris, MT:
I used to have a cabin on top of a mountain a little north and west of Drummond. The Pintlar mountains and the Deer Lodge Valley was the view from my living room. It was nice. And so is this drive (created in response to a question at Fodor's message board aboiut what to do while in Polaris, MT).


More stuff to do:

• Elkhorn Hot springs
• Jackson Hot Springs
• Bannack Ghost town
• Virginia City (sort of a ghost town, but really, not such a ghost town)
• Clark Canyon Recreation Area
• If you like to fish, you can lose yourself in the Bighole River. Great trout fishing.
• There's an Arnold Palmer designed golf course in Anaconda, the Old Works course.

Great Eastern Drives: Portland, ME Lighthouses

Lighthouses played an important role in American maritime history both during peacetime and war. There are also architectural lessons to be had...

“Dad?”
“Yes Tom?”
“Can we go on a road trip soon?”

It’s not often that a six year old asks that question. So I set one up; a quick trip to Portland, ME to scout a couple of job sites for photo shoots (I'm an editor and photographer for a residential construction magazine).

“I have you in a non smoking king room for three nights, is that correct?”
Looking down at Tom, I asked the desk clerk to switch us to a room with two doubles (I figured I'd upgrade Tommy from the pull-out couch to a big bed so he could stay up late and watch Letterman with me). When we got up to the room, Tommy promptly dragged a blanket off one of the beds and climbed under the desk.

“Dad, can you put the blanket over the table so I can have a sleeping fort?”
I should have kept the king bed. But the sleeping fort did a good job: Tommy slept in ‘til around 8:00 each morning. After a late breakfast at the hotel, a visit to the jobsite from around 10 to 11, and lunch at a chowder house (Gilbert's Chowder House has extremely good clam chowda), we went off in search of light houses in the afternoon.

The job site visits worked out well, one had a big dirt pile covered with snow. Tommy put on his snow pants and had a blast while I talked with the builder and scouted photo angles. The other site had a gravel basement and the architect told Tommy he could throw rocks at the wall all he wanted.

We were able to visit four light houses all together:

Portland Breakwater Light

Portland Head Light

Spring Point Ledge Light

and Cape Elizabeth Light

We also saw Ram Island Ledge Light, but because it’s on an island, we weren’t able to visit this time, maybe next time.

The weather was cold and windy. Very cold and windy!

You can see Tommy hiding behind the sign on the way to the Portland Breakwater Light (known locally as Bug Light) to get out of the wind. I didn’t really expect to walk out there, but he just kept on walking, so I followed. As it turns out, this light house was built in 1855, but there was no keeper’s house built. The poor guy had to scamper over the breakwater in winter against the wind, over the ice and getting slapped with the spray. Just like we did. That keeper kept scrambling until 1889 when a keeper’s cabin was built out there.

Tip: Visit lighthouses in June or July, not February

Bug Light is a really cool light house. It’s short, only 26 feet tall, but its design is beautiful. A cast iron tower with fluted Corinthian columns. Apparently, its design is based on a Greek Monument built in the fourth century B.C., the Choragis Monument of Lysicrates (good opportunity to teach a little about classical architecture).

Commissioned by President George Washington in 1790 Portland Head Light is the oldest lighthouse in Maine.

It’s also likely the most famous light house in Maine, and certainly the most famous in our family as my Dad was unknowingly photographed as he sailed past it back in the 1970s and the photo was reprinted on postcards, calendars and placemats. The tower is 80 ft. tall. Portland head light has a museum that's open to the public from May through October. The lighthouse also adjacent to Fort Williams Park, an old army fort that never saw action, although it was fully manned during WWI.

Spring Point Light is at the end of a long breakwater

which was built to cover the underlying ledge that the lighthouse marks. Completed in 1897 and located in Fort Preble Park, a war of 1812 fort which also saw some action during the Civil War when some Rebs tried to raid Portland Harbor. There is a playground at the park, so it’s a good destination in warm weather.

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse is actually two lighthouses, the twins.

But they’re not twins. Nor are they both visible in my photo at the far right. Located on private land they’re best viewed from an amazing beach accessible from the parking lot of a nice seafood restaurant (eat there). Built in 1874, the two 65-foot towers served as range lights for the ship captains. Because one was due west of the other, mariners approaching Portland Harbor would line them up to verify their course.

(The comments section of this blog has plenty of room, so c'mon in!)

Great drives in the West: Route 66 Arizona

Ever seen the Pixar movie Cars? Did the kids love it?
Wanna see the real Radiator Springs?

It's actually called Peach Springs and it's along the wide bend of road pictured below.


View RT. 66 in Arizona in a larger map

"...and they come into 66 from the tributary side roads, from the wagon tracks and the rutted country roads, 66 is the mother road, the road of flight."
-- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

Route 66 was created on paper in 1925 when Congress decided to join the local roads between Chicago and Los Angeles. By 1938 it was continuously paved. America's Main Street linked small towns in the west to Chicago and Los Angeles.

Because the weather in the American southwest was warm (or hot), dry, and relatively stable a lot of military training took place there. Big bases were built and Route 66 became a strategic highway during WWII for transporting equipment and personnel to and from the bases. After the war many of the GIs migrated back to the American southwest between Texas and California.

By the 1960s Route 66 turned into a family travel destination, rather than just a travel artery. In fact apopular television series, Route 66, starring Martin Milner and George Maharis boosted the popularity of the road despite (or perhaps because of) it's looming end. Because of the post-war popularity and heavy truck traffic during the war America's first major attemt at paving a cross country road showed signs of disrepair. Actually, she was in bad shape. President Ike had wanted to upgrade after seeing Germany's Autobahn during the 1940's, and the Mother Road's disrepair presented an opportunity.

And so the beginning of the end began for an America national icon. Congress wrote the Federal Aid Highway Bill of 1956 and began the process of decommissioning Route 66 in favor of four lane Interstate Highways. By 1970 most of Route 66 had been bypassed and by the 1980s the Interstate system made the old national highways obsolete.

"Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything."
--Charles Kurault

There are many learning opportunities for the kids along The Mother Road...
American history -- Cowboys drove cattle up to Kansas City, where they loaded cows onto trains to Chicago where the meat processing plants were. (Tip: don’t read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle to the kids while you’re making the trip). The story of Route 66 takes you from the 1930’s through the 1960’s. The arch at ST Louis sets up a great chance to talk to your kids about the Oregon Train and westward expansion

Native American history -- The ancient people came to the southwest around 12,000 years ago; the Anasazi and Hopi among the better known groups. Many of the ancients moved down from the mountains to the desert floor and built pueblos about 700 years ago when newer tribes such as the Navajo came along. The Spaniards came along around 450 or 500 years age and coined the term ‘pueblo’. Since then, these peoples were referred to as Pueblo People.

Food -- Chicago: sausage, steak, and deep dish pizza. Follow the barbeque trail St Louis through Kansas City to Texas. And while you’re in Texas learn that chili is a dish served without beans. You can buy bread baked in outdoor ovens at many road side stands in pueblo country. And New Mexico green chiles are something that no one should have to go without (harvest time is in the fall -- look for road side stands).

Music -- Texas swing (Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Asleep at the Wheel, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark), western folk music (Woodie Guthrie, Guy Clark) Chicago blues (Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, Howlin’ Wolf, Koko Taylor, and The Blue Brothers -- among others), St Louis blues (Chuck Berry, Jelly Roll Anderson, Albert King), Native American drumming (go to pow wows), West coast swing (Woody Herman, Bunny Berrigan) spawned the jitterbug, which evolved into rock and roll which morphed quite a lot between the 50’s and the 60’s, (the Beach Boys, the Doors), and into whatever it is that kids listen to these days.

Geology -- Wind and water can do a lot to rocks. Especially id the rocks are made with sand. Visit the Grand Canyon and look for rock formations such as Camel Rock.

Biology -- It’s pretty hard to make a living in the desert. Especially is you’re a plant or an insect. There are lot’s of fascinating examples of cactus which have co-evolved with particular birds, bees or bats to assure pollination. Many insects have fascinating adaptations to the extreme scarcity of water in the desert.

Paleontology -- Dinosaurs are everywhere in the west!

...and you can load up your iPod with versions of the Bobby Troup song:
Nat King Cole
Chuck Berry
Manhattan Transfer
3 Men and a Melody
Street Sounds
Acoustix
Asleep at the Wheel
Depeche Mode
Bing Crosby
Four Freshmen
Heart to Heart
Quintessence
Nightlife
Pieces of 8
Frank Sinatra
Toxic Audio
Women's Chorus of Dallas
The Cheetah Girls
Van Morrison
Justin Guarini
Brian Setzer Orchestra
The Rolling Stones
Dr. Feelgood
The Replacements
The Cramps
Perry Como

Route 66 Links:
Route66university.com
Legendsofamerica.com
Historic66.com
National66.org


Have you gotten your kicks on Route 66?
Tell us about it.

Ghost of Road Trips Past: Missoula, MT to Homer, AK Loop

Twenty-five hundred miles in a little under three weeks.
Pretty good for a hitchiker!


I decided to hitchike to Homer, Alaska to work on the slime line in a cannery. It was to make enough money to pay for another year of college in just a couple short months. I also decided to bring my German Shepard, Nik, along with me. And a guitar. And enough food for a long time because I didn't have very much money.

I ended up staying outside of Seattle for a week. Nik and I got picked up by a drywaller named Charlie Decker. I hung drywall with Charlie for a week to earn a little more cash for the trip. After I got paid , I did what ant sensible college kid with a guitar and a dog who was hitchiking to Alaska would do: I bought a banjo at Al's Guitarville.

Nik and I caught the Alaska Marine Highway to Haines, AK. Nik had to ride in a travel cage, one of those big plastic boxes, which I had brought with me. Have I mentioned that I didn't used to travel light? So Nik had to be below deck in her cage and I was up on deck in a tent.

In Hanes I got picked up by a guy who lived in town, he wasn't going anywhere, but he was having a cookout with his family and he invited Nik and I over for hamburgers. He had started a fishing charter service called Harts Charter Service (looks like he's still in business). The next day, I Nik and I got an early start sitting by the side of the road hoping for a ride. One guy picked us up and drove us about ten miles out of town, which at least seemed like it would be a better place to sleep if need be. Nik and I sat by the side of the road 10 miles outdside of Haines for the next four days. There's not a whole lot of traffic going through Haines, AK. Ferry traffic from Haines is about it, and there was one ferry per day.

Finally we got picked up by a guy in a big U-Haul headed for Soldotna, which is just a wee bit north of Homer, our destination. Nice guy, he was moving the family up to Soldotna because he was the new Public Defender. The rest of the family was still in Seattle. He was hoping to pick up a hitchiker to help him unload that U-Haul. Did I mention that Nik found a dead bear carcass to roll in the day before? She did, and she stunk. Even though I had washed her three or four times in the ice cold creek with my last bar of soap. Lucky for us this guy needed help unloading his truck.

Eventually Nik and I made it to Homer. We had twenty dollars in my pocket, so we bought a big bag of inexpensive dog food and some peanut butter, cheese, and bread. I got a job at the cannery and only had to wait for two weeks until I got paid. Luckily Nik had plenty of food and there were plenty of cookies in the breakroom. Nik didn't like her food though. I knew this because I would fill her dish with food when I went to work in the morning and she would fill her dish with sand while I was gone. The food was still there -- under the sand. After a couple of weeks, things were a lot better.

At the end of the summer I bought a '73 Chevy pickup and Nik and I drove home to Missoula along with a couple of friends.

Banff and Jasper parks are really worth the visit.

Questions? Comments?

Kid-Friendly City Guide to Washington DC

Washington DC is a fantastic place to visit with or without kids. During bad weather there are many indoor museums to visit (most of them with kid-focused exhibits); for better weather there are outdoor monuments, boat rides, and crab shacks. The Zoo has places to visit during all types of weather.

DC, with it's well thought out Metro system, is a great place to visit with kids. In fact, there is so much to see in DC that it’s impossible to see it all on a week end trip. A great strategy for places with a plethora of stuff is to choose some sort of theme and pick activities based on that. We feel strongly that family travel should be fun but educational, so we look for one or two aspects of an area to learn about and then choose our itinerary based on that.
See also City Visits: Keep Your Sanity While Your Kids Have a Blast!

Here is a list of fun stuff from our own experience ans well as stuff gleaned from Fodor’s Talk forum (in no particular order):

FDR Memorial is the kid-friendliest monument: There is a lotta watta, space to run, and places to sit.

Bull Run Campground outside of DC in Manassas is huge with playground, picnic areas, stables, disc golf, pools, wildlife trails, and other stuff. If traveling without a car, take a cab from the metro station. A great place for kids to burn off energy.

and maybe a night tour of the monuments...

why not go to a foreign restaurant in the area near Dupont Circle. For example, DC is one of the few places in America where you can eat at an Ethiopian restuarant -- and everybody I know who tried it, loved it. Also Japanese, Greek, Indian, .... There are lots of different restuarants in a small area. Do a little research and make a short-list of places within your budget.

Check washingtonpost.com for free entertainment in the city--there are often free concerts in the lobby at the Kennedy Center or at various government buildings, and the KC is another spot with a killer rooftop view.

The National Spy Museum really did look fabulous and people affiliated with the CIA and KGB contibuted to creating it.

The “Goes without Saying” section:
The Smithsonian: the Smithsonian website also has info on the other DC museums in order to help kids get more out of them.
The National Zoo -- Pandas!
The National Gallery
Air and Space Museum

Please comment on this blog and/or add to the wikimap with your own suggestions.