My Co-Pilot! (Photo Credit: Grace Church)
Week #44 – Summer Fun Challenge: “One Tank Trips!”
Greetings Happyness Tribe — and welcome to week five of our Summer Fun Challenge!
I’ve mentioned before that Rob loved long rides. I have his car — and I’m amazed at how many miles he put on it in just a couple of years! That boy LOVED to drive!
Summer is now in full swing — and what better way to satisfy your wanderlust than by jumping in the car and taking a nice long ride?! But where? Before you beat the usual path…get out an old fashioned map (or print one off the web) and draw a couple of circles around your town: a 50-mile radius, a 100-mile radius, and a 150-mile radius.
One Tank Trips are designed to work with your gas tank. The average car can drive about 300 miles on one fill up — 150 miles out, 150 miles back. That could mean 3.0 hours worth of driving though…and an overnight stay. That’s why I recommend a 50-mile (under 1 hour) and 100-mile (under 2 hours) radius, as well.
- 150 miles: These destinations are likely to require a little planning, some advanced preparations, and possibly an overnight stay. Don’t just look to the beach or the lakes…look for parks for camping, mountains for climbing, historic towns for exploring, or amusement parks for a full day of fun. From the Jersey Shore, this covers a radius from West Point, NY to Lancaster, PA to Rehoboth Beach, DE and almost all of Long Island!
- 100 miles: These are your day trips. Think of concerts, antiquing, hiking, swimming, museums, aquariums, and exploring. Again — from the Jersey Shore this includes Coney Island and Jones Beach to the East, Sleepy Hollow and the quaint little towns along the Hudson River to the North, Bethlehem and the Delaware Water Gap to the West, and Cape May and Atlantic City to the South!
- 50 miles: These trips are less than one hour away. Have lunch or dinner at a special place, plan an activity, organize a play date or reunion, attend a fair, pamper yourself, or spend some time on the porch with a friend!
Finally — and these are the fun ones — look in your own backyard! Play tourist in your own town. If a friend visited you — where would you absolutely have to take them?! Where I live — this means a visit to the beach, a walk on the boards, a tour of our little Victorian town, and a romp through historic Asbury Park. Back home, this might include a drive around our beautiful lake — and definitely a stop at Cliff’s for ice cream!!!
Your assignment for the week: HIT THE ROAD! Gas up, stock some snacks, open your windows, and let your hair FLY! (But wherever you go…stay off your phone!) Enjoy the scenery, talk with your travel companions, open the windows and breathe the air of a different place or town. Listen to music…or drive in silence. Get out, explore, stretch your legs — and let the good times roll!
Where would you go on a full tank of gas — and what would be on your playlist?
Spread Happyness — share your One Tank Trip ideas in the comments!!!
7/17/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
PS: Our FUN LIST is still growing! I’ll keep adding your ideas to the list — and pick one at random for each weekly challenge. Keep ’em coming!!!
– “One Tank Trips”
– Surprise trip for spouse or loved one
– Kayaking
– Beach time
– BBQ’s
– Tourist for the day in nearby city
– Walking the boards
– Rock climbing
– Scuba diving
– Touring an estate
– Time with family
– Sitting on the porch
– Watching for rainbows
– Learning to surf
– Gardening
– Writing a book
– Working on a “summer” project
– Moving to a new town
– Planning a spa day (or half-day, or even lunch hour)
– Taking Fridays (or Mondays) off!
– Day at the ballpark (Minor League stadiums are great, too!)
– Outside concerts/music events
– Hot air balloon ride/festival
– Pool volleyball (a Church-family classic!)
– Take yourself or someone you love for ice cream!
– Weed your front yard garden (and talk with neighbors and folks walking by!)
– Lose yourself in wonderful music, either listening or singing
– Play in the grassy backyard
– Play with your dog (or maybe your neighbor’s dog!)
– Sing karaoke
– Explore your town, county, state…through food and drink!
– Visit a farm
– Make plans to see friends you don’t often get to see (or schedule a gathering!)
– Blind-folded Make-overs! (Great for a rainy day! Bonus points if you go out in public after!)
(What are we missing? Send me your ideas and I’ll add them to the list!)