Vacations

We took a lot of vacations through the years and a good many of them were in New York State and Pennsylvania. We loved Conneaut Lake in Pennsylvania, but my mother and father also thought that we would like: Pymatuning Spillway - where you could throw bread to hundreds of hungry carp ; Pithole - a former oil boomtown and the Runamuck campground.

On many of our trips, we took two cars and this massive trailer. My father was very particular about the trailer and restricted us from using the stove or bathroom, because he was concerned that it would affect the trailer's resale value (He has the same view with cars!). Often, we would get to the campsite and my father would pull out the Turtle Wax and polish things up. He did use the refrigerator a lot though, and we all cherished the moment when he would ask us to put our hand in the refrigerator to see if it were cold yet.

At times, things didn't go as planned and we had to improvise a bit. There was a trip to Cooperstown where my dad and I were lost and he took the trailer up this really steep hill (a shortcut, he claimed). Our 1977 Mercury Cougar was bucking and struggling and I thought we might end up sliding back down the hill. My mother and sister had enough sense to park at the bottom of the hill until we made our way back down. My dad and I ended up trapped in a apartment complex and fortunately for us, this guy put down his trash can and helped us navigate our way out of there.

Another time, we were on the road and traveling West from Syracuse. My father became agitated and pulled over and walked back to my mother and sister's car. He looked a bit confused and he quietly asked my mother where we were going. He had no idea and neither did she! They talked for a while and finally decided on Letchworth State Park.

Then there was the time that my mother noticed an abandoned amusement park and decided that it would be a good idea to investigate. She pulled over as did my dad and before we could get out the cars, a man came over with three dogs and a shotgun. Immediately, my father backed-up, stepped on the gas and drove the heck out of there. In the process, he left my mother and Tammie alone to deal with the man with the large gun.

Once, we went to Niagara Falls and my parents ran out of money, so we walked up and down Lundy Lane and desperately looked for some free museums. As we would discover, there were not many. Fortunately, we did find an inexpensive but awesome car museum and were able to purchase some mexican jumping beans at another little shop.

Tammie loved amusement parks and especially rides that twirled around and moved fast. She took great delight in making her little brother sick and dizzy on these kinds of rides and along with my Dad, she disregarded the many warning signs and relished rocking the Ferris Wheel seats. I would beg and scream, but they would laugh maniacally and carry on! Fortunately for her, my Grandfather Swarthout was also a fan of the fast ride and she never had to ride alone when he was around. Thanks Mom and Dad! We always had a lot of fun on these vacations.