Every year about this time, I remember my favorite family vacation. My parents rented a Shasta camper and we headed for wild-sounding places: the Black Hills, the Badlands, the Corn Palace, Wall Drug, and Mt. Rushmore. I could hardly wait to walk in places the Sioux lived and where Presidents heads were carved in a mountain. I’d seen pictures, and now I’d see them for myself.
Mom & Dad drove a Pontiac Star Chief – two tone tan and brown. Even pulling the camper, that car rode like it was floating over the road. Our first stop was a campground called Cactus Flats.
One of my favorite stops on that trip turned out to be a place I’d never heard of: The Needles. Here are some pics of my family from one of the best summer vacations ever:
Highlights of the trip:
- I slept on the kitchen table which folded down into a single bed.
- We sat at my bed when it was a table to talk as a family and I watched a fly land in my dad’s coffee, didn’t say anything, and then, watched him drink the fly. I laughed out loud.
- Took my first ever shower – was terrified of water – and screamed so loud people thought I was being beat – I’m sure it crossed my mother’s mind.
- Used part of my allowance to by a ring with a stone in it called “fool’s gold.” It sparkled and that was enough for me. Cheap rings turn you finger green, but the green washes off.
- Still had to wear pink rollers in my hair at night – that was just the way it was.
- A favorite thing: the air smelled so good
- The Corn Palace is made of corn – really. The whole thing is like a corn mosiac.
- Wall Drug was a place a kid could spend a lot of money there if she had it. . .or if her parents said she could
- The same food cooked at home tastes better in a camper in the Black Hills
- Rapid City, SD is hot in the summer time
- Catus Flats campground wasn’t false advertising. That’s what was there and it was cool in an extremely hot sort of way
- President’s heads carved in a mountain makes one feel very patriotic – my favorite face: Mr. Lincoln
- A Pontiac Star Chief barely fits through the pass on the Needles Highway
- Radiator hoses burst. . .there are kind people in the world and one gave my dad a ride to get a new one and brough him back to us
- The Badlands are so beautiful a 10year old girl can forget she’s hot and her hair is not holding it’s curl
- Reading and sleeping in the backseat is a good way to travel – as long as the windows are rolled down – air conditioning was not one of the extras in our car
- Coca Cola in a glass bottle from a machine is the best drink in the world – I can still hear the bottle dropping into place after the machine accepted my quarter and spitting back a dime
Mom & Dad
Mom & My Brother Jon
Mom & Me
I hope you enjoyed this Legacy Story from my my life – (was it really 44 years ago?!) What did you do on your favorite summer vacation? Tell me your story in the comments!
Joy
You can write the story of your life!
About Joy Dekok
What a lovely reminsiscent post. I really enjoyed it.
Thank you, Holly! It was fun to remember. . .
Thanks for the memories, Joy! I remember the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore before it was turned into a cement structure too. I think it was much lovelier then:) We drove through when I was eleven and on our way to Indiana to live.
I laughed out loud at your fly in the coffee comment. Too funny!
I truthfully can’t remember a real vacation. I don’t think my parents knew you were supposed to take them. My mom and Grandma and me drove from Washington to California one summer though to visit my great grandma and I remember the car had a little portable cooler that you put water in. I thought it was an awesome thing to sit there and let that cool air flow over my face. No seatbelts back then and probably a good thing cause I was a seat bouncer:)
Sometimes the good old days are the best! Thanks for stopping by, Barbara!