I have mentioned before that I was active in 4-H in the 1970's. In addition to the County Fair, the other highlight of that was an exchange program. One summer we hosted a group 4-H members from Colorado, and the next summer a bus load of us went to Colorado for 10 days. Tis a long bus ride from eastern Michigan to just outside of Colorado Springs. The group from Colorado rode the train cross country, a sensible way to travel, we chartered a bus, the one and only long distance bus trip of my life.
My host family had a 2,000 acre farm. They had a dairy operation, milking about 200 cows, and about 1,000 acres of wheat. I spent a day driving a massive four-wheel drive tractor preparing ground for planting.
It was fun, and expanded my horizons.
Did you do any long distance group trips growing up?
First, you have my respect for even doing the bus. Friends of mine wanted to do a cross country trip once on a bus, and I'm like girls, I DO NOT DO the bus you obliviously have me mistaken for Miss Rosa Parks!
ReplyDeleteTo confining for me. Give me the train or plane baby. My Canadian trips were quite long.
Terrific reference, Miss Noxema!
DeleteI knew one of you would get it!
DeleteI never have. I don’t know that I had the temperament to do a long trip with my peers. Yours sounds like an exceptional experience that I would enjoy now... but not then.
ReplyDeleteage 15 - went with some of my high school to europe. switzerland, france, england, italy. only other group trip was a bus tour of new england fall foliage right before I met todd.
ReplyDeleteNo long distance trips, per se. However, I do remember when I was about 9 or ten, General Dynamics sponsored a trip to Disneyland for "gifted" children at my school. I was one of them. Really. I was! I was excruciatingly shy and had no friends who were gifted, so I was on my own on a chartered bus. It was kind of awesome since it wasn't a "school" bus. Two hours from San Diego to Anaheim was a long trip for a kid. The food at Disneyland was paid for by General Dynamics, but I was too shy to order anything, so I went without. I hung out with a teacher the whole time. We had KFC (before it was KFC) on the bus ride home. I had a helluva time trying to figure out what the honey packet was for. Wow, that memory is a punch in the face!
ReplyDelete