Interesting Places You've Been to and Things You've Done

[MelroseHawkins]

Really though if you met the guy you’d think he’s completely normal, and to be honest he is. He just has zero desire to do any sort of traveling or to experience anything other than NW Iowa.

He thinks I’m an idiot driving 5 hrs to Iowa City 15 times a year for football and wrestling and he’s probably right.

Yea, I was throwing out the extreme. I've met people like that. Very normal within their home region.

I could see my dad being like that. He's gone to a few places over his lifetime but I don't think it would really bother him if he didn't. I think if he's asked he may go but never initiates anywhere to go. I think he thinks it's kind of a pain in the azz and he really dislikes driving in large cities.

 

[Fryowa]

I don't understand how someone can raise kids without getting them some experiences. That's one of the best parts of having kids.

Agreed. I’ve never been out of the country and neither has my 15 y.o., but he’s been around the block a bunch in the US. I try to do stuff with him anytime we can. He’s been to DC a couple times, all over the New England and Pennsylvania region, all 3 9/11 memorials, we’ve spent ten days in a tent above 6,000 ft in the Black Hills on two occasions, we rode an Amtrak from Omaha to Philly with a sleeper room a few years back. He’s been to a shitload of Hawk football, baseball, wrestling, and basketball games. A hundred other trips that I’m forgetting…

As an aside, a couple years ago when he took a friend to a Hawks game with us I really started to think. His buddy had never been anywhere cool in his life—no football game bigger than a shitty 2A high school Friday night—and when he walked into Kinnick for the first time I thought he was gonna shit himself. Totally speechless and he just stood there and stared at everything taking it all in. Mind blown. My own kid now walks around Melrose and Kinnick like it ain’t no thang, and I don’t know how I feel about that. I remember being blown away like my kid’s buddy the one time my dad took me to a Hawks game in ‘91, and to think that it’s old hat for my son is weird. We’re not wealthy by any stretch, but there’s definitely some privilege there that he’s not aware of. I actually talked to him about it because I think it’s important that he understands what he’s got.

Our kids (yours and mine, and others) are fucking spoiled, man. I never did any of that stuff with my old man or parents. Not even a little. I remember taking 2 vacations in my childhood life, one to Disneyland one summer, and one to the Grand Canyon. And I was damn glad to have ‘em. My folks couldn’t afford to do the shit I do with my kid and I don’t resent them for it a bit. But I want my own kid to know how many opportunities and experiences he’s had that most of his friends probably don’t ever get to do.

 

[uihawk82]

Given all the negative news lately including high gas prices that may be curtailing travel plans, what are some interesting places you've been and done. List your favorite 5 to 10. Bet there are some interesting things.

Anyone game?

My wife and I like to look and visit nature and natural settings. As someone said, Niagara Falls is just amazing, the power of water, the roar. We finally have been to a lot more national parks the last 15 years. Yellowstone, the Utah parks are just an amazing work of art by nature, the Grand Canyon, what a great piece of work. And Meteor Crater is is just out of this world. The Big Island is big in everything, volcanoes, lava flows pouring into the Pacific, lava tubes, huge greenery. One day on the Big Island we went for an early swim in the ocean, you drive through the lush vegetation down low, we drove up to a semi-arid reserve about 3000 feet up, then drove to 10,000 feet on Mauna Kea to the Telescope Visitor Center, great views and so many biomes in such a relatively short drive. We didnt go to the peak even though we rented a 4 wheel drive jeep because my wife was feeling the thin air at the Visitor Center.

We also like history and science museums. A really good one was the NASA Apollo 11 tour traveling exhibit we went to St Louis to see with kids and grandkids. So many great museums. I have been a rocket NASA outer space nut since Sputnik and I finally went to Cape Kennedy/Canaveral to visit there a couple of days and to watch the last launch of the Shuttle Discovery, AWESOME. I still do not know why I didnt twist my brothers arm to go to an Apollo launch. Great museums in Chicago and DC.

Taking the kids to Wrigley and Busch stadiums was always fun.

 

[okeefe4prez]

I have been a rocket NASA outer space nut since Sputnik and I finally went to Cape Kennedy/Canaveral to visit there a couple of days and to watch the last launch of the Shuttle Discovery, AWESOME. I still do not know why I didnt twist my brothers arm to go to an Apollo launch. Great museums in Chicago and DC.

Oh, that reminds me of one of the coolest thing I ever saw. We did a cruise out of port canaveral and our motel was right next to Kennedy. We saw them explode the SpaceX rocket. That was awesome.

And that lunatic tightrope walker guy who walked from that building on wacker to marina city in Chicago on a tight rope was a few hundred feet out of my office window. Watched that thing live from damn near eye to eye level. What an absolute madman.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Agreed. I’ve never been out of the country and neither has my 15 y.o., but he’s been around the block a bunch in the US. I try to do stuff with him anytime we can. He’s been to DC a couple times, all over the New England and Pennsylvania region, all 3 9/11 memorials, we’ve spent ten days in a tent above 6,000 ft in the Black Hills on two occasions, we rode an Amtrak from Omaha to Philly with a sleeper room a few years back. He’s been to a shitload of Hawk football, baseball, wrestling, and basketball games. A hundred other trips that I’m forgetting…

As an aside, a couple years ago when he took a friend to a Hawks game with us I really started to think. His buddy had never been anywhere cool in his life—no football game bigger than a shitty 2A high school Friday night—and when he walked into Kinnick for the first time I thought he was gonna shit himself. Totally speechless and he just stood there and stared at everything taking it all in. Mind blown. My own kid now walks around Melrose and Kinnick like it ain’t no thang, and I don’t know how I feel about that. I remember being blown away like my kid’s buddy the one time my dad took me to a Hawks game in ‘91, and to think that it’s old hat for my son is weird. We’re not wealthy by any stretch, but there’s definitely some privilege there that he’s not aware of. I actually talked to him about it because I think it’s important that he understands what he’s got.

Our kids (yours and mine, and others) are fucking spoiled, man. I never did any of that stuff with my old man or parents. Not even a little. I remember taking 2 vacations in my childhood life, one to Disneyland one summer, and one to the Grand Canyon. And I was damn glad to have ‘em. My folks couldn’t afford to do the shit I do with my kid and I don’t resent them for it a bit. But I want my own kid to know how many opportunities and experiences he’s had that most of his friends probably don’t ever get to do.

Lulz. Fucking same. We did two family vacations. Disneyworld (the one in Orlando?) and my dad got sent to a conference in Denver so we drove to Denver and went to some of the stuff around there, like Estes Park and Pikes Peak. That was it. But we did spend our summers with our cousins and my uncle in the Upper Peninsula near one of the nuke strike airbases from the Cold War. That was fun, but it wasn't a family vacation, it was just my parents foisting us off for summer. In defense of my parents, my brother and I were absolute little shits and I can't fathom trying to drive us around circa 1985 before the electronics revolution. And flying cost a metric fuckton back then.

My kid has a world map and a US map and he's marked where he's been. He wants to go to every state and every country. His school does a 7th grade trip to China for two fucking weeks and he's already talking about that because his class fund raising drive starts in second grade and he just finished kindergarten. I told him he's on his own because I ain't going.

He was disappointed they had to move their trip to Japan so he missed the family reunion up in Dodge because he has never been to Kentucky or Indiana and he was excited to drive through them. He was stoked to drive up there. I want him to understand just how enormous the US cornfield is. We'll make it sometime.

 

[HawkGold]

My wife and I like to look and visit nature and natural settings. As someone said, Niagara Falls is just amazing, the power of water, the roar. We finally have been to a lot more national parks the last 15 years. Yellowstone, the Utah parks are just an amazing work of art by nature, the Grand Canyon, what a great piece of work. And Meteor Crater is is just out of this world. The Big Island is big in everything, volcanoes, lava flows pouring into the Pacific, lava tubes, huge greenery. One day on the Big Island we went for an early swim in the ocean, you drive through the lush vegetation down low, we drove up to a semi-arid reserve about 3000 feet up, then drove to 10,000 feet on Mauna Kea to the Telescope Visitor Center, great views and so many biomes in such a relatively short drive. We didnt go to the peak even though we rented a 4 wheel drive jeep because my wife was feeling the thin air at the Visitor Center.

We also like history and science museums. A really good one was the NASA Apollo 11 tour traveling exhibit we went to St Louis to see with kids and grandkids. So many great museums. I have been a rocket NASA outer space nut since Sputnik and I finally went to Cape Kennedy/Canaveral to visit there a couple of days and to watch the last launch of the Shuttle Discovery, AWESOME. I still do not know why I didnt twist my brothers arm to go to an Apollo launch. Great museums in Chicago and DC.

Taking the kids to Wrigley and Busch stadiums was always fun.

The Utah parks are fantastic. Camped at Grand Canyon last December. Lots of room. Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and Delaware are the states I haven't been to. Been in Canada from Yukon, BC going east through Quebec (not Nunavut). I'll have to check out the meteor crater, thx. Haven't been to a MLB game in awhile. Cards are much less stressful to see due to traffic. In and out not much trouble.

 

[HawkGold]

Agreed. I’ve never been out of the country and neither has my 15 y.o., but he’s been around the block a bunch in the US. I try to do stuff with him anytime we can. He’s been to DC a couple times, all over the New England and Pennsylvania region, all 3 9/11 memorials, we’ve spent ten days in a tent above 6,000 ft in the Black Hills on two occasions, we rode an Amtrak from Omaha to Philly with a sleeper room a few years back. He’s been to a shitload of Hawk football, baseball, wrestling, and basketball games. A hundred other trips that I’m forgetting…

As an aside, a couple years ago when he took a friend to a Hawks game with us I really started to think. His buddy had never been anywhere cool in his life—no football game bigger than a shitty 2A high school Friday night—and when he walked into Kinnick for the first time I thought he was gonna shit himself. Totally speechless and he just stood there and stared at everything taking it all in. Mind blown. My own kid now walks around Melrose and Kinnick like it ain’t no thang, and I don’t know how I feel about that. I remember being blown away like my kid’s buddy the one time my dad took me to a Hawks game in ‘91, and to think that it’s old hat for my son is weird. We’re not wealthy by any stretch, but there’s definitely some privilege there that he’s not aware of. I actually talked to him about it because I think it’s important that he understands what he’s got.

Our kids (yours and mine, and others) are fucking spoiled, man. I never did any of that stuff with my old man or parents. Not even a little. I remember taking 2 vacations in my childhood life, one to Disneyland one summer, and one to the Grand Canyon. And I was damn glad to have ‘em. My folks couldn’t afford to do the shit I do with my kid and I don’t resent them for it a bit. But I want my own kid to know how many opportunities and experiences he’s had that most of his friends probably don’t ever get to do.

Everyone should go to a developing country one time. We didn't travel much as kids and until I went to Alaska hadn't been beyond Iowa, IL, and MO. We took a few vacations with my dad after my parents gave up on their relationship. Not divorced, but lived separate lives.

 

[uihawk82]

Oh, that reminds me of one of the coolest thing I ever saw. We did a cruise out of port canaveral and our motel was right next to Kennedy. We saw them explode the SpaceX rocket. That was awesome.

And that lunatic tightrope walker guy who walked from that building on wacker to marina city in Chicago on a tight rope was a few hundred feet out of my office window. Watched that thing live from damn near eye to eye level. What an absolute madman.

That is just evil knievel stuff, get in a rocket car and try to jump a canyon, I think they are close to proving that super daredevils have something different going on in them.

 

[Dadman]

Did a Germany France vaca about 14!years ago. French were kinda dicks, Germans much more hospitable. They know how to brew beer in Germany without a doubt. My wife and i went to a hofbrau house in Germany and partied with 3 old codgers who couldn’t speak english and we couldn’t speak any german beyond the basic courtesies, but we did have a good time!

 

[kicker22]

Did a Germany France vaca about 14!years ago. French were kinda dicks, Germans much more hospitable. They know how to brew beer in Germany without a doubt. My wife and i went to a hofbrau house in Germany and partied with 3 old codgers who couldn’t speak english and we couldn’t speak any german beyond the basic courtesies, but we did have a good time!

Everyone's fluent in the language of drunk.

 

[eyekwah]

I got a few years on me and I existed before the creation of the Interstate Highway System. Probably the first 14 years of my life I never was more than 50 miles from home. I had a HS friend that moved to Iowa from Ohio. When his family went back once a year I got to go along. The Oasis over the Interstate in Chicago was fascinating for a 16 year old. In the days of HS class trips I was able to see Chicago for the first time up close. I made the boys state basketball tournament trip as a senior. I really felt lucky because travel was pretty much a luxury in the 50's and early 60's.

I got to travel occasionally for work so I got to see many cities. We would take family vacations when the kids were old enough to travel some distance. The first time I ever was out of the country was to cross Ontario to Niagara Falls and then on to Boston. I've done a cruise to Mexico cities and will be doing a cruise next winter that goes as far south as Columbia with stops in Panama and Costa Rico.

I like history and nature so any vacation involving either is great. Of the places I've been the Holocaust museum in DC and the Minuteman Museum in S Dakota are my favorites. My favorite nature spot is the Devils Tower in Wyoming. Yellowstone is also a great memory. Covid wiped out an Alaska cruise. My travel days of traveling are diminishing as my wife has early sign of dementia and I have to exercise patience which can be frustrating.

For 10 years I spent winter in McAllen Tx. I met so many locals that had never been more than 50 miles from it. San Antonio is the nearest large city and 4 hours away. Most of the locals never will drive north of San Antonio.

I still hope to make a trip to the British Isles and Northern Germany. I would like to visit Fehmarn Island where my grandmother was born and the area around Lubeck where my grandfather's family emigrated.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I got a few years on me and I existed before the creation of the Interstate Highway System. Probably the first 14 years of my life I never was more than 50 miles from home. I had a HS friend that moved to Iowa from Ohio. When his family went back once a year I got to go along. The Oasis over the Interstate in Chicago was fascinating for a 16 year old. In the days of HS class trips I was able to see Chicago for the first time up close. I made the boys state basketball tournament trip as a senior. I really felt lucky because travel was pretty much a luxury in the 50's and early 60's.

I got to travel occasionally for work so I got to see many cities. We would take family vacations when the kids were old enough to travel some distance. The first time I ever was out of the country was to cross Ontario to Niagara Falls and then on to Boston. I've done a cruise to Mexico cities and will be doing a cruise next winter that goes as far south as Columbia with stops in Panama and Costa Rico.

I like history and nature so any vacation involving either is great. Of the places I've been the Holocaust museum in DC and the Minuteman Museum in S Dakota are my favorites. My favorite nature spot is the Devils Tower in Wyoming. Yellowstone is also a great memory. Covid wiped out an Alaska cruise. My travel days of traveling are diminishing as my wife has early sign of dementia and I have to exercise patience which can be frustrating.

For 10 years I spent winter in McAllen Tx. I met so many locals that had never been more than 50 miles from it. San Antonio is the nearest large city and 4 hours away. Most of the locals never will drive north of San Antonio.

I still hope to make a trip to the British Isles and Northern Germany. I would like to visit Fehmarn Island where my grandmother was born and the area around Lubeck where my grandfather's family emigrated.

Sorry to hear of your wife's health problem. Good luck to both of you.

 

[HawkGold]

I got a few years on me and I existed before the creation of the Interstate Highway System. Probably the first 14 years of my life I never was more than 50 miles from home. I had a HS friend that moved to Iowa from Ohio. When his family went back once a year I got to go along. The Oasis over the Interstate in Chicago was fascinating for a 16 year old. In the days of HS class trips I was able to see Chicago for the first time up close. I made the boys state basketball tournament trip as a senior. I really felt lucky because travel was pretty much a luxury in the 50's and early 60's.

I got to travel occasionally for work so I got to see many cities. We would take family vacations when the kids were old enough to travel some distance. The first time I ever was out of the country was to cross Ontario to Niagara Falls and then on to Boston. I've done a cruise to Mexico cities and will be doing a cruise next winter that goes as far south as Columbia with stops in Panama and Costa Rico.

I like history and nature so any vacation involving either is great. Of the places I've been the Holocaust museum in DC and the Minuteman Museum in S Dakota are my favorites. My favorite nature spot is the Devils Tower in Wyoming. Yellowstone is also a great memory. Covid wiped out an Alaska cruise. My travel days of traveling are diminishing as my wife has early sign of dementia and I have to exercise patience which can be frustrating.

For 10 years I spent winter in McAllen Tx. I met so many locals that had never been more than 50 miles from it. San Antonio is the nearest large city and 4 hours away. Most of the locals never will drive north of San Antonio.

I still hope to make a trip to the British Isles and Northern Germany. I would like to visit Fehmarn Island where my grandmother was born and the area around Lubeck where my grandfather's family emigrated.

What did you think of San Antonio?

 

[eyekwah]

What did you think of San Antonio?

It's a mild weather city except in the summer when it is too hot for me. It's considered to be part of Texas Hill country. It is able to bring in many events so it has a decent convention and entertainment business. The Alamo and the River Walk are the two prominent attractions to do while you are there. There is a high concentration of military personnel in the area. The USAF uses Randolph AFB for basic airman training. It isn't far to Austin. The growth along I-35 from Round Rock to San Antonio never seems to stop. There are many retirees living in the area. Overall it's on the order of a Kansas City in my estimation.

 

[Seth53]

Retired Navy officer here. Never thought I'd make it out of my hometown, much less Iowa, much less the USA.

I've been fortunate through the military and other means, to travel to all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and twelve other countries (Germany, Italy, Ireland, Morocco, Malta, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Austria to name a few).

I've walked through the Sistine Chapel, skiied the alps/rockies, fed a kangaroo/Koala, among a whole host of other activies while serving, and pre/post-retirment in 2010 (served for 21 years).

I've been blessed to have seen my beloved Hawks play probably 80 times in person, been in all B1G stadiums (sans Nebby), six bowl trips, B1G champ game in 2015, countless tailgates and etc.

Not bragging. Just sharing. I've been blessed to have had the opportunity to live an eventful life.

 

[Fryowa]

…been in all B1G stadiums (sans Nebby)…

You ain’t missing a goddamn thing other than 90,000 inbred shit stains and an absolute dump of a stadium—with a field that bears the name of a football coach who covered up felony sexual assaults and gun charges for his players.

The fans suck, the town sucks, the stadium sucks, and there’s no tailgate scene. Save yourself the gas.

 

[HawkGold]

You ain’t missing a goddamn thing other than 90,000 inbred shit stains and an absolute dump of a stadium—with a field that bears the name of a football coach who covered up felony sexual assaults and gun charges for his players.

The fans suck, the town sucks, the stadium sucks, and there’s no tailgate scene. Save yourself the gas.

You are biased (understandably). Lincoln actually is a pretty nice place except for Husker fans.

 

[Fryowa]

You are biased (understandably). Lincoln actually is a pretty nice place except for Husker fans.

I’ve spent a bunch of non sports-related time there, unfortunately. The time I’ve spent there for sports is almost nonexistent compared to the time I’ve spent there for work and visiting friends. It is, in fact, a shit hole.

It’s pretty much the equivalent of taking a 10,000 person city and making it into 280,000. You have a bigger-ish city with none of the history, charm, culture, or excitement of comparably sized cities.

 

[HawkeyeHypnosis]

I have been to Equador. Stayed in Quito for a few days then took a bus trip into the Andes mountains for a white water rafting trip. We got to stay along the river in real small jungle motels. On the way out of Quito we had to stop at the hospital because our whole group, minus a couple of us, were violently sick (mainly from the water) and made for quite an interesting trip. Was once in a lifetime type of trip and it was interesting and exciting. Beautiful country.

 

[HawkGold]

I have been to Equador. Stayed in Quito for a few days then took a bus trip into the Andes mountains for a white water rafting trip. We got to stay along the river in real small jungle motels. On the way out of Quito we had to stop at the hospital because our whole group, minus a couple of us, were violently sick (mainly from the water) and made for quite an interesting trip. Was once in a lifetime type of trip and it was interesting and exciting. Beautiful country.

Getting sick overseas is no fun. I did get to meet President Correa when he was in office.