The Great American Family Vacation

In classic Griswold fashion, my parents loaded my brother and me into the wood-paneled station wagon for a three-week, cross-country trek.

It was August of 1987, making this the 20 year anniversary of one of the most endearing childhood memories I have. To bring perspective to how long ago this actually was, check out my brother's boom-box, tucked neatly under his arm.

From our starting point in Seattle, we headed due east, passing by Grand Coulee Dam and then moving through Idaho. Our first major stop was in Yellowstone National Park, where we enjoyed this spectacular view out of our window in the Old Faithful Inn.

My mom was a master vacation planner. Armed with her AAA highlighted map of the U.S., she made sure this expedition contained fun for all. Specifically for my benefit, she planned two separate days of horse riding adventures. Here is the first one, in Yellowstone Park. I believe this picture graced our 1987 Christmas card.

Upon leaving Yellowstone, we made our way through parts of Montana, with our next major goal being South Dakota. More specifically, Wall Drug and Mt. Rushmore. If you've ever driven rural America toward this destination, you undoubtedly came across several clever little signs encouraging drivers to stop off at Wall Drug. It makes driving through Big Sky Country a little more entertaining. What we were unaware of, however, at the time of this particular leg of our journey, was that we were about to inadvertently partake in the 64th Annual Harley Davidson Convention in Sturgis, South Dakota. Finally reaching Wall Drug, we found ourselves surrounded by 80,000 pony-tailed and tattooed motorcyclists. They were quite jovial, but unfortunately occupied every single hotel bed within a 60 mile radius of the city. After driving through the Badlands at 1am, we finally resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be bedding down in the wagon that night, watching the severe thunder storm and listening to fire alarms sound all night long.

In a cafe enjoying lunch, we overheard one of the bikers tell his woman that he'd like to go see the "guys on the hill" later that day. We decided to see the "guys," too.

A large priority on this adventure was to take in as many Major League Baseball parks as was humanly possible. This was primarily for my brother's benefit, but really it was very much enjoyed by all of us. Here, the Twins are playing in the inflated Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

While in Minnesota, my mom arranged to have a family reunion for many of her Aunts, Uncles and Cousins that live in the area. I especially enjoyed meeting my second cousins and seeing where my blonde hair came from. Finally my brother was the odd man out.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, we cheered as the Brewers beat the Rangers in Milwaukee County Stadium.

Reaching Illinois, where my mom spent her early childhood, one of the highlights (pun intended) was the view from the top of the Sears Tower.

Chi-Town enjoys two MLB teams, so, of course, we took them both in at their historic ball fields: The White Sox at Comiskey Park, and The Cubs at Wrigley Field.

It was due time for another day on horseback.

Making the big turn and heading back toward the west, we took in the breath-taking St. Louis Arch.

Then, back to the ballpark it was! We watched the Phillies visit the Cardinals here at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.

The next day, the next baseball game. Royal's Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, was, by far, the most beautiful of its day, despite the searing heat.

To add to the excitement of the journey, we endured a few days of monsoon-like, record-breaking rainfall and flash-floods. The wagon stood firm through it all, unlike my mom, at times.

My mom absolutely lost it, though, on the death-defying drive to the summit of Pike's Peak in Colorado. She was very certain that my dad was going to send us plummeting over the un-guarded edge to our deaths.

We made it, however, and enjoyed the gorgeous views.

Colorado also exposed us to some stellar caves where we learned the differences between stalactites and stalagmites.

Heading back west through Utah, my brother needed to check and make sure that the Great Salt Lake was living up to its name.

After a quick stop in Bend, Oregon, we finally returned home to the greatest city of all, Seattle.

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Armed with unimaginable memories and American trivia learned first-hand, this vacation remains among the best we'd ever had. Despite my love of flying, I realize that there is no substitute for watching this great land unfold right out of the backseat window at 65 mph. And certainly the greatest benefit of a vacation of that nature is the inevitable family bonding. No time spent with family is wasted time.

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I will treasure these memories for as long as I live, and Ben and I are working toward providing our two girls with their own stockpile of treasured family memories.

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Where did you go on your favorite family vacation? I'd encourage you to take a stroll down memory lane. It's a great feeling. Thanks for joining me in my stroll!