I hope that I am safe in assuming that most people went on family vacations/trips when they were young. Well, this time of year always used to get exciting for me because I knew that our annual camping trip would come in August.
Our yearly trip consisted of at least four families, sometimes six or seven depending on who's schedule would allow for it. We were all like one huge family. A very loud, disorderly, somewhat obnoxious, fun loving, big family. All of the adults were long time friends and all of us kids pretty much grew up together. I of course was usually the only girl, not that that mattered, seeing that I acted more like a boy at that age.
We camped at the same campground every year, and always had the same site. Our site was a huge open space by the pool because we needed the room for all of the tents. Think tent village here people ;0). Our trip always coincided with a charity event in the town which was called the "Fanny Float". It sounds funny, but all it really was was mass amounts of people tubing down a section of the Susquehanna river. I think the charity was Muscular Dystrophy or Multiple Sclerosis. You made donations or bought t-shirts and floated down the river.
Floating down the river was always the high point of the trip, and was always on the last day. It took a few hours to do, and everyone would tie their tubes together, so it was basically a big party on the river. People would have coolers strapped to the tubes, filled with beer, or soda and food.
I don't think the event runs anymore which is really a shame. We went for 10 years straight, ever since I was a year old. I never got to enjoy the "adult fun", but had such a blast as a kid playing in the river, camping, roasting marshmallows on the fire, and all that good stuff. The weekend was a big party for the adults.
I couldn't find much online about it to back me up so you guys don't think I'm nuts, but I do have pictures. I will try to get some on tonight. Sorry for the long post, but I really enjoyed remembering those times ;0)
So, what kind of trips/vacations did you take with the family as a kid? If it was somewhere different all the time, did you have a favorite place?
Have a happy Thursday!!
5 comments:
They used to do this thing called the "Tube Races" (lots of thought went into that name...) near where I am from...same thing...charity, lots of fun, beer, food, etc.
To my knowledge they don't do it anymore...one bad apple had to go and ruin it!
That sounds like fun!
I used to go camping with our neighbors every summer--good times.
Family vacations were always to different places--Disneyland, Denver, Louisiana for Mardi Gras (mom, why is that man naked? heehee), those are just a few memorable ones. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Yeah Rockdog, that's all it takes, one person to screw it up ;0(
Nanette, those all sound like fun...especially the naked man...:0p
We took a family vacation every year, but they were nothing extravagant. We'd usually just drive somewhere within the midwest, but I still always looked forward to them.
My husband is one of 12 kids, and his stories of family "vacations" are pretty hilarious. They packed all the kids into a station wagon somehow and would drive to Iowa of all places, stopping to make sandwiches along the way. Ugh.
The fanny float sounds like marvellous fun! The BEST memories are ones like this one of yours.
Do hope you find the pictures - or better tell us more!
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