Florals & Musings

I got my sense of adventure from my dad.

Now if you ask him if that’s true, he’ll tell you no; that I’ve traveled more than him. But I can’t pretend that I didn’t get my love (and borderline obsession) with travel from him.

The first time I remember actually traveling somewhere is when I was 14. It was my Dad’s turn for vacation and we had no idea where to go.

Now, I had the usual millennial vacation experiences growing up; every year we went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This was great and I have many amazing memories, but I’ve always been an adventurous person who wants to see more than one place.

So, Dad and I (both roller coaster enthusiasts) decided to head to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey to ride what was, at the time, the tallest & fastest roller in the world: the Kingda Ka.

And ride we did. Twice. It was amazing. Then we still had five days to fill before we had to be home.

“Well we rode the fastest roller coaster, want to go ride the first one?” Asked Dad.

Of course I did. So we found a Brooklyn hotel in the phone book (this was 2005, the pre-smartphone era), called and booked a room. Then onto NYC we went.

You know what? It was a blast. We rode the first roller coaster ever made, located at Coney Island (which has since been torn down and I am so grateful for those memories). We ate hot dogs at Nathan’s and found ourselves lost a couple times but made memories I still cherish.

Then, after two days, it was time to check out of our room. Were we to head home? Of course not! This adventure wasn’t finished yet.

“Well since we’re in New York City, want to drive up to Niagara Falls?” Asked Dad.

Of course. So we once again found a hotel room in the phone book and booked it. We loaded all of our stuff into my Dad’s Jeep and headed north to Niagara Falls. We ended up having to stay on the American side (the Canadian side has much grander views) but it still was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.

While exploring the falls, we rode on the Maid of the Mist next to the falls, took a tour behind the falls, and just marveled at the natural beauty in front of us. I was even able to see them at night all lit up and it’s a sight I’ll never forget.

Unfortunately then it was time to pack everything up and head back home, but I was grateful for the amazing trip I had and the memories I made with my Dad.

Very little of this trip was planned before we left and it ended up being one of the trips I cherish the most. It was the first time I really traveled somewhere to see the local sights. It was my first real road trip, where you jump in the car with little planned. It’s what made me fall in love with traveling and why I’m traveling now. It’s how I learned not to plan every second of a trip because we found that the spontaneous moments provide the best memories.

That’s why for our first wedding anniversary on October 2020, my fiancé Gary and I are planning on jumping into my GTI, and driving out west with only the end point planned. A road trip is how I really traveled for the first time and it will always hold a special place in my heart.