The year was 1952, I was 8, my brother was 4, my grandfathers and his much hated new wife Hazel and their adopted daughter was 9 when Granddaddy asked and my mother decided it was a good idea to take a trip by car, with 3 adults and 3 children.
Said trip started in Savannah, Ga and took us all the way north to Niagara falls, with many stops on the way. As you can see on the map above, today it is over 1200 miles. back then there were no interstates. Also we went by way of Rock City, on Lookout Mountain in Georgia. Really? 6 people, 2 weeks in a car like one of these? forget the MILES, think TWO Weeks.
I hate riding in cars, don't like sleeping away from home, and also have FEARS of all things. Since Birth until now. MY MOTHER KNEW THIS... here are my memories...….most of which involved me crying or screaming or getting paddled for crying or screaming.
Fat Man Squeeze, Rock City GA Grand daddy was 6'5" and REALLY BIG... I just knew he would be stuck in the rocks and not be able to get out. FEAR of tight places. Screams!
In that same place, we went in the caverns, the guides were carrying blazing torches. Deep in the belly of the caves, he said do you want to see what BLACK dark is? SCREAMS and Crying when they put out the torches. They lit them quickly.
Washington DC.... spanking in front of Lincoln Memorial for sitting down and refusing to climb the steps... spanking at the Washington Memorial for crying and whining about wanting to go home.
NEW YORK City..... 20 floors up, hot summer, no AC, open windows, with no screens . LOUD Crying when Fear of Heights kicked in.
Niagara Falls...… NOOOOOO I screamed when they wanted me to ride on the gondola over the falls, Mother stayed behind with me and I screamed louder when Granddaddy rode over the falls.
The only two memories I have that are not related to my fears.... Martha and George Washington in the Smithsonian and giant planes hanging in the ceiling.
Mother learned her lesson well. When we moved a 12 hour drive away from Savannah to Pineville, KY, and they had to listen to me whine and cry for 12 hours driving there, she let me stay with friends each time they went back to visit family in Savannah over the next 5 years. The only time I went back to Savannah, was the year I was 15 and we moved back. Yes, I cried so much at leaving my friends Daddy threatened me with his belt if I cried another tear...
I have to say, one reason I hated riding is the dreaded motion sickness that keeps me off planes and boats, also keeps me out of the back seat of cars. If I laid flat on the seat and read books or comic books, I did not get sick.
I am 74, I still do not like road trips, do not like tight places, will go no where near heights. What were they thinking???? Everyone then and now, knows I don't do DARK.... Just reading this makes me want to CRY.... 😁😁
19 comments:
Good GRIEF, this is an absolute horror story. The entire trip was torture for you. You must still have nightmares about it to this day. When we cry from fear, we are not being BAD, we are just frightened. So spanking is for sure terribly unfair. But back in those days it was like my mom used to say "If you don't quit crying, I'll give you something to cry for"
Hari Om
The really sad part about this memory... dealt with less harshly, it is entirely possible that you might actually have overcome your childhood fears - or at least most of them. Car sickness can't be got over. I get that if I ride too long in the back as a passenger - it's physiological. YAM xx
Car sickness? Oh yes. Back seat, dust, pine equals that when I was a kid.
Hello,
Sorry, a trip of a lifetime should have been fun not torture. I love driving and road trips. When we go somewhere, I have to drive. Happy Monday, enjoy your day! Have a great new week ahead!
What a horrible trip for you. I imagine it wasn't too pleasant for your mom either.
Fears are fears.. and are deep down in our minds.
I recall a road trip in to West Virginia the early 1950s in a Black Chevy (looked like a gangster car). No seat belts my Annie Ma and I in the back mamma and daddy in the front. All those curvy mountain roads. Luckily I don't get car sick. I too have fear of heights. BUT I'm also fearful of fires. So should I be in the pent house in a fire...the question is would I jump?
Hugs Cecilia Thank you for sharing this story
Do you ever wonder why you have so many fears? I always feel like we are what we are, but I then wonder why I am that way. Like I am a worrier...always trying to prepare for the worst...and God has it all. and I know that...and I think I am doing better with it. Just have setbacks.
Seems like I live so much based on fear of one thing or another. And I hate being that way.
And the sickness in cars! Roger always talks about his childhood...his parents smoked, his grandparents smoked...they would all get in the car to go somewhere and everyone light up a cigarette and then wondered why he got sick! It is maddening in ways.
What a picture you've painted! Like Yamini, I wish the frightened child that was you had been hugged v. admonished. Then again, I don't recall from my own early childhood a lot of 'coddling' going on; so sad, they didn't know any better.
Summer road trips - usually from New Mexico to Florida and/or Minnesota - were a normal part of my childhood: Mom with her cigarettes, daddy with his cigar and me with my comic books, sitting on the floor in the back. I don't know if automobile air conditioners had been a thing yet; but, we wouldn't have been able to afford it. Dang. We're we tough?!
What an awful trip!!! I remember heading for vacation every year with the station wagon loaded up with my parents, us four kids and our two aunts and all the luggage, etc.! My Dad would make us kids spaces between the luggage to sit and lay - lol!!! No seats belts back then, no air conditioner, no movies or radio in the back and no windows that rolled down!!! LOL! Crazy! I could not stand it 9 hours let alone living through 2 weeks!!!! UGH! Annster's Domain
Those are most definitely not pleasant memories. That is too bad.
It really makes me sad to think of the absolute horror of those trips for you.
Fear really can consume .
I wish I was there to hug and comfort that poor little girl.
The big wide wonderful world can be so inviting...I wish I could go there with you.
I understand EXACTLY what you are talking about - something very similar happened to me - going south from Chicago to Miami! What were they thinking? I am sure they were thinking of you and what a nice trip it would be for you. lol
I'm so sorry you had to experience all this. Didn't your family understand about motion sickness, fear of the dark? And I agree, I would never ride over those falls either. I didn't see any gondolas when I was there in the mid 1960s.
Where did you all sleep? I hope it wasn't in the car. The thing that would have been a disturbing experience for me would have been the torches being put out in the caverns so that you were left in pitch darkness. I like the pics of those 1950s cars.
I'm sooo sorry you had to go through this...
Oh my goodness Sandra! I can't believe you mentioned Fat Man Squeeze. I went to Rock City with my family when I was a little girl and I remember being hysterical and crying uncontrollably when they tried to make me walk through there. I absolutely refused! I must have been about 8 too. It was awful. I wonder if it's still there.
I read this post out loud to my hubby and we laughed. I hope that won't get us a paddling! It's amazing to look back and realize we have the same fears that we did as a child. I'm going to have to think about this awhile. It may explain some of my phobias! Lots of hugs...now stop crying!!!
Road trips are clearly not for everyone, Sandra, and you certainly had a miserable time on that one so many years ago especially recalling it. I do not mind road trips and as you know we took a 6-week one cross-country last summer. That said, we did not drive all day and night and made sure to take time to relax and, of course, we were older than you were on your first. I agree with you about dark places, heights, and I can't read on anything that moves which is why I am thankful I never had to be a commuter when I was working.
That had to be so hard on you and you certainly didn't get any compassion from your parents. Sorry that you suffer from those things.
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