[growlytummy]

Originally Posted by ILoveDaveLamb

Wow, that is some list, Darrin! I know we all enjoy different trips for different reasons, but what was your and Geoff’s favourite would you say?

Thank you for fixing the links, we will enjoy. Xx

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Oh that's a tough question. We always seemed to "out do" the previous trip with the next one, but they were all special in there way. There are some that are not reported on here due to the period of time (e.g. pre internet!).


Some of my favourites are: "The first time" - our first trip to the USA and to WDW in 1992 (pre Animal Kingdom). First day, MGM Studio's (as it was then - now DHS), watching the Beauty and the Beast stage show. We both cried buckets. Then end of the same day, 5pm, sun going down, sat under twinkling lights in the trees outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre with the park audio playing the theme from the movie "Exodus". I cried again.


1995 - West Coast Road Trip (there is a retro report on here, "Back to the future") - You've not lived until you've been stood next to your RV in Death Valley with a sign on the front that says "Prescilla, Queen of the Desert". That trip also had some tear jerking firsts, like sitting around a camp fire in Yosemite with the moon illuminating half-dome. And our first trip to San Francisco.


2006 - Great train journeys. This wasn't just a fun (and sometimes stressful - you need to read the trippie about Amtrak trains) trip but we saw some amazing sights. Like walking up to the rim of Crater Lake in Oregon. Due to the rise of the land, you don't get to see the crater or lake until you reach the rim and then it's sort of "wham", and in your face. I cried again.


2013 - Japan. Again a trip of firsts. Lots of preconceptions blown away. Probably the worlds most polite and gracious people. And Tokyo Disney Sea is just something else. There is no park like it and the level of service is "Disney, plus 20%".



2014- In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clarke. Now the west coast is a beautiful place, but so many people only do the SF-LA section of it. We'd previously done San Diego north, so it was now time to start in Seattle and work our way south. The Washington and Oregon coastline is amazing, as are the internal parts of these states. In fact, we were captivated so much that we returned to both when we completed our Yellowstone trip in 2016... and ...


2016 - Yellowstone. Wow. Gotta be done. You only need around a week to manage this (we had 6 nights) but unless taking internal flights to Jackson Hole, you need to add on another ton of time to get to and from Yellowstone. The scenery, the nature/wildlife, you'll struggle to find anything like it. It's probably not the vacation for rollercoaster fans.


As I said, so hard to choose. As I said, there is stuff we've not got listed, such as in 1993 after a December week with the mouse we flew up to New England and spent a week in snow-covered Vermont. Every trip has unique memories, laughs, smiles, definitely some tears (for the right reasons) and cannot be duplicated.


Geoff always had a "This is NOT the dress rehearsal" mentality and his passing has not only made me more determined than ever to "get out there" and continue exploring, but at the same time tell other people the same thing. There will always be a room that needs decorating. The car will always need an expensive repair or need replacing. Some people say "I'm not sure how secure my job is". And year after year goes by. Now I'm not suggesting taking silly risks (educated gambles are fine) or borrowing from a loan shark for that holiday.


But I am saying people "can find a way". There are plenty of people on The Dibb, families included, who achieve it. And if they can't manage a long haul to the U.S., every year, they take the family to the beach. The important thing is they are doing something. Experiencing life. And you can either sit in front of the TV and watch someone else doing it, or do it yourself. If you want to watch anything, watch the first 10 minutes of Disney's "UP" and then you'll understand where I'm coming from.