Road Trips!
I think some of my favorite memories of friends are made during road trips. Randi and I went to Maryland to visit Kelly and Quiz to surprise Kelly for her birthday. (Kelly is Randi's roommate before me, Quiz is Kelly's boyfriend and fellow Wingate alum; his real name is Justin) . We got there about 2 a.m. Friday morning, surprised a very sleepy Kelly, slept until about 11, then spent the day checking out the little mountain town where we were staying.
We even tagged along with Quiz for a story he was doing on a little boy with cancer. Quiz is a reporter for the NBC station there, but even though he's TV, he's not obnoxious. The little boy was getting a Thomas the Tank Engine birthday party aboard a train run by the local scenic railroad through Make a Wish, and we got to go along--cuz, y'all know I never have an opportunity to ride a train! :)
The next day we headed to Baltimore, a first for both Randi and I. We toured the inner harbor (very dirty water), checked out some shops at Fells Point (apparently the arts district), ate dinner at a very good but expensive seafood place, then made use of free passes we got from the Water Taxi to go to Larry Flynt's Hustlers Club. My first experience in a strip bar, and it was, well, interesting. I didn't realize they used the poles quite so much.
Anyway, you are all probably getting tired of my lists, but I'm doing another one. Please add your own. My favorite road trip moments, not all of which involve alcohol:
Touring the harbor in Charleston.
Getting drunk in a Charleston motel room the next night because it's been raining all day and there's not much else to do.
Watching Gabe and Quiz nearly have heart attacks trying to get paddle boats to move more than five feet--we ended up renting a motor boat instead.
Seeing Gabe in a ten-gallon hat, ready to go horse-back riding, then seeing Gabe get assigned the largest horse at the stable, who pretty much made his own trail. Quiz didn't have much more luck with his horse.
Thinking Randi and I would have to rescued from the side of a mountain on stretcher, because there was serious doubt we would be able to complete the return trip after hiking down to the bottom of White Water Falls, near Sapphire Valley, N.C.
Getting drunk at the mountain house playing a Donald Trump-inspired drinking game.
Chasing down the tow truck that had just pulled Shavonne's friend Jessica's car out of the mud, because the car then wouldn't start. Make that chasing the truck down along winding, mountain roads at night.
Getting drunk at the mountain house and pole-dancing on the bannister along with my blog sisters.
Pretending to be drunk in Greenville to get away from too-young military guys.
Getting my photo taken with the guy handing out Trojans at Mardi Gras.
Riding back to the hotel from Bourbon Street with a Puerto Rican couple who found our "antics" amusing.
Watching Gabe get a stocking from my mom when he went home with me for Christmas.
Checking out the grease-covered-train-guy-with-nice-lips Matt with Randi at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
posted by Misty @ 2:51 PM
2 Comments:
Favorite road trip moments, huh? I have been very fortunate to have great moments and wonderful stories on every trip I’ve taken so here’s a quick list. (I’m trying to put who was there because friends definitely make the trip.)
Finding a container full of Kati’s cookies under the seat of the van on our way back home from a media conference in St. Louis (six of us high school girls).
Confusing Kati by bringing another Mario back to our tent at Woodstock ’99 (Lisa and the first Mario were there too.).
Aquarium mentality during Spring Break in Chicago with Jen.
Drinking, playing strip poker and walking out of a bar without paying for drinks in Chicago with Jeff and Dougie.
“Getting moist” on the ferry and singing “California Love” outside an Irish pub in Savannah with Kim, Jeff and Nick.
Getting hit on by an Asian businessman and Manhattan chiropractor at the Windsor Casino, Canada. (Witnesses: Jen, Lauren, Nate, Eric, James and a few other people.)
Piling 6-8 people in Chin’s car to get out of the rain at a car show in Michigan. (Jen, Lauren, Nate, Eric, Chin and Jackie)
Riding the Ferris wheel on Navy Pier, Chicago in the cold with Shannon.
And since I’ve been in the South…
Doing everything we weren't supposed to at the mounatin house.
Meeting minor-league athletes in Charlotte with Mandy and Caroline.
Ditching guys with Misty and Caroline in Columbia, NOT Greenville. (We also had a quick chat with a cop along the road on the way there and met a guy who worked for the IRS who bought us dinner.)
Finding a cheap room at the Hyatt overlooking Tiki Bob’s with Mandy.
EVERYTHING about the trip to Bowling Green last summer.
The people (including Diego, Seamus, Martha and Justin) and the food (including Asian fusion, clam chowder and sushi) on my trip to California to visit Jeff.
There are many, many more that I'd tell you about but then we'd be here forever.
Oops, my bad. It was Columbia. And I completely forgot about the guy who bought us dinner.
I have two more to add to my list, one that Tasha helped me remember and one that Randi reminded me of last night:
Getting "knighted" as the photography editor in Harrisburg on my high school journalism conference, then all piling into our adviser's hotel room later that night to watch the episode of ER when Susan left Chicago (yes, there were tears).
Learning that Maryland smells bad as we were driving to see Kelly and Quiz and this aroma that Randi described as what would happen "if a Gabe fart and a Winnie fart got married" filled the car. Now we can warn each other of gas issues just by saying, "I smell like Maryland."
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