Where did you go on vacations as a child?

Sleeping Beauty's Castle still being built in 1970!

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Plane Trips Were Big Deals

My earliest memories of family vacations are focused around long car trips to stay with Grandparents for a holiday, usually Christmas.  When we lived in Kentucky, we traveled to Kansas to see my Father's parents. And, when we lived in Oklahoma, we traveled to Kentucky to see my Mother's family.  Even after my parents divorced and Mom moved to Oregon after remarrying, vacations continued to be trips to visit family, albeit by plane. 

I can remember our first plane trip from Oregon to Kentucky -- my Mother was terrified of flying and was a wee bit tipsy as we boarded the plane!  Oh, and were we dressed up! Dresses and shiny shoes -- a plane trip was a big deal in the late '60s.

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Camping or Theme Parks

I wish I could find some old photos of our family vacations when I was a tween.  You would enjoy how dorky I usually looked when we were camping or the strange fashions my Mom would insist we wear at theme parks. Mom had this thing about girls wearing pants - shorts were okay, for some reason - but I did not own a pair of jeans until after I married your Dad!

My Dad's accident was in 1968 and he spent a good number of months in rehabilitation during 1969. But by 1970, he and Mom were ready to do things as a family.  We camped often with their friends who lived in Lacey, Washington. I cannot remember the campgrounds or parks, but I do remember not enjoying the whole process - hot, sticky, smokey and not enough to eat since we were with a family which included 5 children! And I really did not like sleeping on the ground. Surprising, I know.

The first time we vacationed at Disneyland was in 1970. Dad has just bought his first van adapted so that he could drive and a road-trip was in the works for that summer. My memories of that vacation are good - lots of laughter and warm sunshine. Over the next few years, we visited Disneyland, Six Flags and Knotts Berry Farm each summer -- sometimes with Dad and sometimes just Mom, my Sis and myself.