August 11, 2025 • 20 mins
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In this silly story, Toby's dad suprises the family by telling them they're going on a road trip. Toby and his sisters aren't too happy when they find out they'll be stuck in a car all day. It gets worse when their dad tells them they're not allowed bringing their tablets along. Family sing-a-long, anyone?
Warning: this goofy story for kids may result in smiles, snorts, and possibly some LOLs. Listen at your own discretion.
To see if the shout-out list is open, visit: lolstorytime.com/shoutouts
Visit lolstorytime.com for merch and other... stuff.
In this silly story, Toby's dad suprises the family by telling them they're going on a road trip. Toby and his sisters aren't too happy when they find out they'll be stuck in a car all day. It gets worse when their dad tells them they're not allowed bringing their tablets along. Family sing-a-long, anyone?
Warning: this goofy story for kids may result in smiles, snorts, and possibly some LOLs. Listen at your own discretion.
To see if the shout-out list is open, visit: lolstorytime.com/shoutouts
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hellol story Time is really not a glory time. Rabbis,
stand and you'll be fine. Follow the whole storyline, Hellol
story Time.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Might you live at least one time?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hell Time?
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Hello and welcome. You're listening to Hello Well story Time. Today,
I'll be telling you a silly story called road Trip,
which features a character named after Toby from New Zealand
who listens with his dog Spice. If you happen to
be listening to this episode while on a family road trip,
let's just hope your road trip is nothing like the
one in this story. Before we begin, a shout out
(00:35):
to the following listeners. Rashaan from New Zealand, Ray, Michelle,
Elise and their nanny Jordan from Philadelphia, Yates from Dublin
who sometimes listens with his cat, Essie. Ryland from Stockholm, Sweden,
Asher and Silas from Buffalo, New York. Sarah Rosstam from
the UK. Is the Eugene Elsa and their dog Scotchy
(00:56):
from Wisconsin, Connor from Claire, Ireland, McCay an Arrow from
New Hampshire and Eli from the United States. More shaffs
to come next time, but for now let's get into
the story. This is the story of the time Toby
(01:19):
was forced to make memories with his family. The poor
little guy. His dad had come in real hot one day,
as if he was about to tell Toby the most
amazing thing in the world. Toby, it's happening, and it's
happening right now. Toby looked up from the TV. Dad,
Is this something that can wait? Because I kind of
(01:39):
just started watching something. Toby's dad was grinning from ear
to ear. He picked up the remote control and turned
off the TV. Listen, Son, I'm gonna tell you something
that will make you want to throw that TV in
the garbage. By the end of today, you'll be complaining
about how boring TV is. Dad, This better be good.
(02:00):
Toby's dad told him to sit tight while he rounded
up the remaining members of their family. Is this for real,
grumbled Toby. Couldn't he have done that before turning off
my TV? His dad returned a little while later with
Toby's sisters and mother. No one looked thrilled to be there.
All right, Dad said, Toby, what have you got?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
If he's not telling us that we're getting a swimming pool,
then I'm going back to bed shot.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Toby's eldest sister, Toby's dad chuckled, Oh, you kids, with
your TVs and your backyard swimming pools. What I'm about
to tell you was so much better than that. You
might even find it hard to believe. It's something I've
been dreaming about doing with you guys since I did
it when I was a kid. You see, when I
was a kid. Dad, Just tell us already, what are
(02:49):
we doing? They looked at their mom, who just shrugged
as if to say whatever was happening had nothing to
do with her. She looked like she was wishing she
was still in bed sipping her coffee. Oh you guys, okay,
here it is we as in all of us are
going on a road trip. After no one started jumping
(03:09):
up and down or doing the happy dance, their dad
repeated himself, a road trip. He now looked baffled as
to why he wasn't having to quiet them down. A
road trip, whine Toby's middle sister, Where are we going?
Toby looked at his dad with hope in his eyes.
Maybe we're going to the store so we can get
some snacks for the TV show him about to turn
(03:31):
back on. I'll wait for you guys, here, I trust
everyone's judgment to pick out some tasty snacks on my behalf.
Once again, Toby's dad just chuckled. You kids sure know
how to make me laugh. Could you imagine a road
trip to the store, talk about the most boring road
trip of all time? What I'm talking about is a
real road trip, kids. We're driving to Lake Oogie Woogy
(03:54):
lug Bug. Toby's mother spoke up for the first time.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Carl, where on earth is like Ugi woogy uugh Bug.
I've never even heard of that place. It appeared as
though Toby's dad was doing some sort of slow motion
happy dance. Nancy, kids, the reason you may not have
heard of Lake Ugie Woogi ug Bug is because like
Ugi Woogie Ugbuog is really far away. This road trip
is gonna take us.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
The entire day. The whole family collectively groaned. But Dad,
this was not how Toby had wanted to spend his day.
He'd already made plans, and none of those plans involved
a visit to Lake Ugie Woogi Ugboog. But then Toby
remembered he could just watch TV in the car. Between
(04:42):
the vans built in TV and the two tablets of
sisters owned. They wouldn't even have to fight over which
shows to watch. Maybe a day in the car on
the way to Lake Ugi Boogie what's it called wouldn't
be the worst thing. After all. They also didn't have
to do any packing. Their dad had been up all
night excitedly getting everything ready and loading the van. Seat belts. Everyone,
let's go, let's go. We've got to stay on schedule here.
(05:05):
I planned this trip down to the minute. As the
kids were climbing into the van, their dad stopped them. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You weren't planning on bringing tablets, were you? Cause? I
know you wouldn't want to spoil a family road trip
by staring at a screen the whole time, right, Toby
quietly laughed at his sisters. Yeah, put those tablets away, girls,
(05:27):
What were you thinking? I'm only watching shows on the
TV that comes with the van the proper way. Toby
wasn't too happy when his dad announced that even the
van's built in TV was off limits during this trip.
There will be no technology on this road trip. Even
your mother and I will be leaving our phones behind.
Toby's mother went bug eyed, as this was the first
(05:48):
time she was hearing this. Come on, guys, you have
to trust me on this one. We're doing a road
trip the old fashion away, just like my parents did
when I was a kid. Back then, cars didn't have
to and there were no screens you could bring along.
We made our own fun together as a family, and
do you know what, that was one of the best
(06:09):
trips of my life. It's one I still remember vividly
to this day. But weren't your parents worried? Asked Toby.
Worried about what? Worried that your old fashioned car might
get trampled by a herd of dinosaurs. Everyone except Toby's
dad laughed at that one. Come on, I'm not that old,
(06:29):
and this is gonna be great. I bet in twenty
minutes you'll have forgotten all about your precious technology. Toby
and his sisters weren't so sure about that. After twenty
minutes had passed, Toby felt like he was forgetting something,
but it wasn't technology. He'd have done anything to be
watching TV right then, Does anyone else feel like we're
(06:50):
forgetting something? Toby asked? One of his sisters giggled, Oh.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
What, Toby, did you forget? To put on underwear today.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Toby. He knew his sister was teasing, but he's still
decided the chick just to be sure. Fortunately, his other
sister changed the subject.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Mom and Dad, we've already done like half an hour
without looking at a screen. Shouldn't we celebrate with just
a little bit of screen time?
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Like?
Speaker 1 (07:16):
How about one show? Just give us one. It could
be an old black and white silent movie, so it
feels more authentic for dad.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Hey, come on now, I told you already, I'm not
that old. Toby suggested turning on the radio, so at
least they could have something to listen to. No radio either.
If we want to have fun, we've got to make
some fun ourselves. And if it's music you're after, it
can be our own music. Toby wesh. She had kept
(07:45):
his mouth closed after what happened next, Old McDonald had
a farm ee ei. Oh everyone this time, Dad groaned
one of Toby's sisters. We're too old, he singing, Old McDonald,
this is so embarrassing. Their dad did not look embarrassed
(08:05):
at all. Oh, Kydoki, Well, we can do any song
you like. Is it the tailor swafft or the Bruno
bars or the Lady googoo, you kids are driving to
these days. The thought of their dad singing Lady Gaga
was even more off putting than hearing him sing Old McDonald. Actually, Dad,
the car engine has this nice little beat to it.
We can just continue listening to that. If only the
(08:28):
kids had been so lucky. For the next hour they
had to listen as their parents sang romantic duets. It
was some real mushy gooshy, lovey dovey stuff. In the
middle of what felt like their fiftieth song, Toby interrupted them, Ah,
I just remember what we forgot the dog. Somehow, Toby's
family had driven an hour and a half without noticing
(08:48):
their dog, Spice, was not with them. Dad, we have
to go back and get Spice. Toby's dad continued driving.
Are you sure about that? Like? Spice will figure out,
won't she, Dad? There's no one at home to feed her.
Carl showed no sign of trying to turn the van around.
Plenty of food in the fridge. Dogs can open fridges, can't.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
They, Dad. She also needs someone to let her outside
to pee.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Carl was beginning to realize this was not going to
go in his favor. Do you kids mean to tell
me you taught this dog of yours how to shake
a paw. It had never occurred to you to teach
her how to use one of the three toilets in
her house. There was no cheerful singing this time. While
driving back home. It was just the sound of Carl muttering,
it's just a wee little setback. It's just a wee
(09:36):
little setback. It's just a wee little setback. When they
returned home, Toby found Spice curled up on the couch,
sound asleep. She hadn't even noticed she'd been left behind.
Come on, girl, we're going for a ride.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
In the van.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Trip of a lifetime apparently. As Toby and his dog
climbed into the van, Carl tried starting the engine, but
it wasn't turning on. He tried several times more, but
the engine just made a sad sound, like it was
too tired to turn back on. There was a glimmer
of hope that this might be it the perfect excuse
to stay home. Well, dad, just be glad this happened
(10:11):
here and not at Lake. Oogie, woogy, hugbug. Now, if
anyone's looking for me, I'll be inside hugging the TV.
Toby's dad told them they were switching vehicles, which seemed
like a strange thing to say. The other car was
a sedan with five seats. They were a family of
five with a dog. They didn't go places together as
a family in the car. That was the whole reason
(10:31):
they had a van. Now, what would that teach you
if I were to just give up on this trip
right now? Huh. We're not the kind of people to
quit when things get hard. This is just another wee
little sitback. I was easy for him to say. He
wasn't the one sitting in the back seat, squished between
his two sisters with a dog sprawled across his lap.
When they eventually got back on the road, they were
(10:53):
now three hours behind schedule. Is everyone cozy back there?
Should we start singing again? Shouted no. Instead, they quietly
listened as Karl reminisced about his childhood and the time
he went to like Oogi Uughbug. He told them all
about the beautiful nature there and how he even got
to see a moose. He then tried describing the smell
(11:14):
of the forest, but smells are kind of hard to describe,
so we quickly moved on to telling them about the
sounds of nature, also hard to describe. There's, like, you know,
the bird noises and the sounds of the bugs doing
their thing. There's a lot of nature there, so it's
actually kind of loud, but oddly enough, it almost feels
peacefully quiet at the same time. After a while, the
(11:36):
kid stopped listening and began daydreaming about screens, the look
of screens, the smell of screens, even the sound of
the tiny built in speakers on the screens. At a
certain point, Karl began looking noticeably worried. Hey, Nancy, could
you on pass me that map beside you? Toby's mom
handed over a map, a very large paper map. Toby
(11:59):
was about to ask his dad wasn't using the GPS
for directions, when he realized the computerized map system probably
counted as technology, and his dad seemed determined to make
this trip way harder than it had to be. His
dad began unfolding the giant paper map, but it was
so big it blocked his view of the road. The
car kept weaving in and out of its lane. It
didn't help that Toby's mom kept shaking Carl's arm.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
What are you doing?
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Watch the road.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Pay attention. Put that map away. You're driving like a maniac.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Toby's dad pulled over to the side of the road.
He spent a good ten minutes carefully studying the map. Finally,
he looked up, Well, it looks as though I may
have taken a wrong turn somewhere when I was trying
to find a shortcut. I thought I could make up
for some of the time we lost back there. Toby's
mom rubbed Carl's shoulder.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Dear, maybe we should just head home. I'm worried it's
going to be dark by the time we get there.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Oh no, no, no, began Carl. We can still get there, guys.
It's going to be totally worth it. Besides, we're having fun,
aren't we. There's a turn just up ahead that will
get us back on track. This is just a wee
little setback, a wee little setback. Toby was worried if
they got set back any further, they might start traveling
(13:12):
back in time. Pretty sure, this new way, we'll have
plenty of exciting things to look at. Keep an eye
at the window, kids. After an hour of staring at cornfields,
Toby began to question if his dad even knew what
the word exciting even meant. But then something exciting did happen.
Behind them were some flashing lights in a siren. Dad,
(13:33):
why is the police car pulling us over? Carl's face
was turning red. Ah, kids, I may have been driving
a teeny bit too fast. Their mom was shaking her head.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Well, there's day ever, and.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Toby's dad rolled down his window to talk to the
police officer.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Good afternoon, I clocked you driving well over the speed limit.
What seems to be your hurry?
Speaker 3 (13:59):
The officer noticed the kids in the back seat. Wait,
is this a family road trip? Toby's dad nodded. Wake,
oogie woogy ug bug. They seem to please the officer. Oh,
I love that place, beautiful nature. Haven't been there since
I was a kid. Then the officer's face turned back
to Sirius, that's an awfully long drive with three kids
(14:21):
and a dog jammed into the back seat. Don't you
know that's why vans were invented. Anyway, I'm not gonna
give you a ticket, but I will show you a
bit of a shortcut if you follow me. I'm guessing
you're trying to make up for lost time, aren't you
that's why you were going so fast. One of your
kids probably forgot their favorite stuffy at home and you
had to go back for it. Is that it, Carl
(14:41):
forced a smile, Yeah, something like that. It was cool
enough that the police officer offered them their very own
police escort. But it was even cooler when the police
officer invited Toby and his dog to ride in the
back seat of the police car. Oh wow, I've never
been inside a police car before.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Do you have any TV in your car?
Speaker 3 (15:01):
At one point, another car was driving alongside the police car,
and a little girl looked over at Toby. Her mouth
hung open so wide her chin was practically on her lap.
She couldn't believe a kid her age had done something
so naughty to end up in a police car. After
twenty minutes or so, the officer pulled into the parking
lot of a diner. Together, he and Toby walked over
to where Toby's dad had parked. All right, Carl, all
(15:24):
you need to do now is just take the ninety
five the rest of the way, even at a safe
and responsible speed, you should be able to make it
there before nightfall. Toby's dad thanked the officer while The
two sisters grumbled about having to make room again in
the back seat for Toby. Ew, why couldn't the police
officer have taken you to jail for the rest of
the road trip. It also wasn't a surprise that Toby's
(15:47):
dad was not willing to stop for a bite to
eat at the diner. But dad, the police officer told me,
this is the best place to eat for miles around,
and we're hungry. Carl kept his eyes locked on the road.
Come on, kids, we're finally making good time again. We
can't stop now, aren't you guys? Itching to see all
the beautiful nature I told you about. He grabbed a
(16:08):
box of crackers and tossed it into the back seat.
Spice the dog, was the only one who seemed interested.
To Carl's credit, he was now driving far more sensibly.
He was obeying the speed limit and keeping his eyes
on the road. He even took a break from blobbing
about his childhood memories of the road trip. And since
Nancy no longer felt the need to keep a close
eye on Carl, she had fallen asleep and was now
(16:30):
loudly snoring. The kids weren't sure what was worse the
sound of their mother's snoring, or listening to their parents
sing mushy love songs. Dad, is it okay if we
roll the windows down back here? I think these crackers
are making Spice a little gassy. But as one of
his sisters rolled down her window, that's when Toby saw it,
a wonderful sight, just like his father had promised. Finally, Wow, Dad,
(16:56):
you were right. Look at that moose over there. It's
so big and beautiful. Moose. That's not good. Please tell
me it's not heading this way. As Carl was saying that,
the moose stepped onto the road right in front of
their car. Carl swerved to avoid hitting the moose, but
the car flew right off the road. Now they were
driving through a farmer's field, bumping wildly up and down.
(17:18):
Toby's sisters were screaming, which woke up their mother. She
opened her eyes just in time to see that they
were about to hit something, so she started screaming as well.
Fortunately it was only a clothesline hung next to the
farmer's house. As they drove through, various articles of clothing
fell onto the windshield, making it impossible for Carl to see.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Somebody moved that shirt out of my way. He swerved again,
which cleared most of the clothing off the car and
also got them back on the road. All that remained
was a giant pair of underwear stuck to one of
the wiper blades, waving around like a flag. For the
next five minutes, no one spoke a word. Then Carl
broke the silence, as if nothing had happened. Well, there's
(17:59):
a sign for legoogie woogie ugbug. We made it, and
with a free pair of underwear. Isn't that nice? They
pulled into a very large parking lot. Huh, I don't
remember this parking lot being here last time. He pulled
up to a small booth where a man was selling
parking passes.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Are you guys here to visit the convention center?
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Carl explained that he was here to visit the lake
and see the beautiful nature. The parking attendant looked confused.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Well, there isn't much to see here rather than the
convention center, and of course this nicely maintained parking lot,
but there is a television and gaming expo happening inside.
If your kids love screens, they are gonna love it here.
This has to be a mistake, thought Carl, But after
parking their car, it became obvious that the beautiful place
(18:48):
he once remembered visiting was no more. In his place
was a newly built convention center with a concrete parking lot.
The kids, however, lit up like little fireflies when they
saw all of the technology inside, giant televisions and VR
headsets of all kinds, with opportunities to try out games
that hadn't even been released yet. Dad, look at all
the screens. Thank you so much, this is the best
(19:11):
road trip ever.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Well, Toby's sisters ran off to go play. Toby stayed
behind for a moment. His dad wasn't looking too well. Dad, Sorry,
your trip didn't work out as you had hoped. I
just wanted you kids to experience this trip the way
I had experienced it. I wanted you guys to have
a trip that you'd remember for the rest of your lives. Dad,
(19:34):
I wouldn't be able to forget this trip if I
tried the terrible singing, the police car, the underwear flag,
and now this cool place. You didn't need to perfectly
recreate your old trip. You just needed to make new
special memories with your family and that's exactly what you've done.
Thanks Dad, Toby gave his dad a big hug.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Dad. I'm gonna go check this awesome place out now, kay,
I have a.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Feeling we're gonna be here all well, if you see
your sisters, let them know. It's getting late and this
place closes in five minutes. Besides, we've got to get
back on the road if we're going to make it
home by morning. We've got a schedule to follow. Now,
it was Toby who wasn't looking too well. Not only
had he forgotten that they still had to do the
entire trip all over again to get back home, but
(20:20):
had his dad seriously not considered booking them a room
in a hotel for the night.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Come on, who does that?
Speaker 3 (20:28):
The end? That's the story, And here is your question
of the week. If you were in charge of planning
a road trip for your family, where would you go
and what would you do? Well, that's a wrap on
this week's episode. I'll catch you on the next one.
Hellol story Time is really not a glory time. Rabbis,
stand and you'll be fine. Follow the whole storyline, Hellol
story Time.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Might you live at least one time?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hell Time?
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Hello and welcome. You're listening to Hello Well story Time. Today,
I'll be telling you a silly story called road Trip,
which features a character named after Toby from New Zealand
who listens with his dog Spice. If you happen to
be listening to this episode while on a family road trip,
let's just hope your road trip is nothing like the
one in this story. Before we begin, a shout out
(00:35):
to the following listeners. Rashaan from New Zealand, Ray, Michelle,
Elise and their nanny Jordan from Philadelphia, Yates from Dublin
who sometimes listens with his cat, Essie. Ryland from Stockholm, Sweden,
Asher and Silas from Buffalo, New York. Sarah Rosstam from
the UK. Is the Eugene Elsa and their dog Scotchy
(00:56):
from Wisconsin, Connor from Claire, Ireland, McCay an Arrow from
New Hampshire and Eli from the United States. More shaffs
to come next time, but for now let's get into
the story. This is the story of the time Toby
(01:19):
was forced to make memories with his family. The poor
little guy. His dad had come in real hot one day,
as if he was about to tell Toby the most
amazing thing in the world. Toby, it's happening, and it's
happening right now. Toby looked up from the TV. Dad,
Is this something that can wait? Because I kind of
(01:39):
just started watching something. Toby's dad was grinning from ear
to ear. He picked up the remote control and turned
off the TV. Listen, Son, I'm gonna tell you something
that will make you want to throw that TV in
the garbage. By the end of today, you'll be complaining
about how boring TV is. Dad, This better be good.
(02:00):
Toby's dad told him to sit tight while he rounded
up the remaining members of their family. Is this for real,
grumbled Toby. Couldn't he have done that before turning off
my TV? His dad returned a little while later with
Toby's sisters and mother. No one looked thrilled to be there.
All right, Dad said, Toby, what have you got?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
If he's not telling us that we're getting a swimming pool,
then I'm going back to bed shot.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Toby's eldest sister, Toby's dad chuckled, Oh, you kids, with
your TVs and your backyard swimming pools. What I'm about
to tell you was so much better than that. You
might even find it hard to believe. It's something I've
been dreaming about doing with you guys since I did
it when I was a kid. You see, when I
was a kid. Dad, Just tell us already, what are
(02:49):
we doing? They looked at their mom, who just shrugged
as if to say whatever was happening had nothing to
do with her. She looked like she was wishing she
was still in bed sipping her coffee. Oh you guys, okay,
here it is we as in all of us are
going on a road trip. After no one started jumping
(03:09):
up and down or doing the happy dance, their dad
repeated himself, a road trip. He now looked baffled as
to why he wasn't having to quiet them down. A
road trip, whine Toby's middle sister, Where are we going?
Toby looked at his dad with hope in his eyes.
Maybe we're going to the store so we can get
some snacks for the TV show him about to turn
(03:31):
back on. I'll wait for you guys, here, I trust
everyone's judgment to pick out some tasty snacks on my behalf.
Once again, Toby's dad just chuckled. You kids sure know
how to make me laugh. Could you imagine a road
trip to the store, talk about the most boring road
trip of all time? What I'm talking about is a
real road trip, kids. We're driving to Lake Oogie Woogy
(03:54):
lug Bug. Toby's mother spoke up for the first time.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Carl, where on earth is like Ugi woogy uugh Bug.
I've never even heard of that place. It appeared as
though Toby's dad was doing some sort of slow motion
happy dance. Nancy, kids, the reason you may not have
heard of Lake Ugie Woogi ug Bug is because like
Ugi Woogie Ugbuog is really far away. This road trip
is gonna take us.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
The entire day. The whole family collectively groaned. But Dad,
this was not how Toby had wanted to spend his day.
He'd already made plans, and none of those plans involved
a visit to Lake Ugie Woogi Ugboog. But then Toby
remembered he could just watch TV in the car. Between
(04:42):
the vans built in TV and the two tablets of
sisters owned. They wouldn't even have to fight over which
shows to watch. Maybe a day in the car on
the way to Lake Ugi Boogie what's it called wouldn't
be the worst thing. After all. They also didn't have
to do any packing. Their dad had been up all
night excitedly getting everything ready and loading the van. Seat belts. Everyone,
let's go, let's go. We've got to stay on schedule here.
(05:05):
I planned this trip down to the minute. As the
kids were climbing into the van, their dad stopped them. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You weren't planning on bringing tablets, were you? Cause? I
know you wouldn't want to spoil a family road trip
by staring at a screen the whole time, right, Toby
quietly laughed at his sisters. Yeah, put those tablets away, girls,
(05:27):
What were you thinking? I'm only watching shows on the
TV that comes with the van the proper way. Toby
wasn't too happy when his dad announced that even the
van's built in TV was off limits during this trip.
There will be no technology on this road trip. Even
your mother and I will be leaving our phones behind.
Toby's mother went bug eyed, as this was the first
(05:48):
time she was hearing this. Come on, guys, you have
to trust me on this one. We're doing a road
trip the old fashion away, just like my parents did
when I was a kid. Back then, cars didn't have
to and there were no screens you could bring along.
We made our own fun together as a family, and
do you know what, that was one of the best
(06:09):
trips of my life. It's one I still remember vividly
to this day. But weren't your parents worried? Asked Toby.
Worried about what? Worried that your old fashioned car might
get trampled by a herd of dinosaurs. Everyone except Toby's
dad laughed at that one. Come on, I'm not that old,
(06:29):
and this is gonna be great. I bet in twenty
minutes you'll have forgotten all about your precious technology. Toby
and his sisters weren't so sure about that. After twenty
minutes had passed, Toby felt like he was forgetting something,
but it wasn't technology. He'd have done anything to be
watching TV right then, Does anyone else feel like we're
(06:50):
forgetting something? Toby asked? One of his sisters giggled, Oh.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
What, Toby, did you forget? To put on underwear today.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Toby. He knew his sister was teasing, but he's still
decided the chick just to be sure. Fortunately, his other
sister changed the subject.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Mom and Dad, we've already done like half an hour
without looking at a screen. Shouldn't we celebrate with just
a little bit of screen time?
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Like?
Speaker 1 (07:16):
How about one show? Just give us one. It could
be an old black and white silent movie, so it
feels more authentic for dad.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Hey, come on now, I told you already, I'm not
that old. Toby suggested turning on the radio, so at
least they could have something to listen to. No radio either.
If we want to have fun, we've got to make
some fun ourselves. And if it's music you're after, it
can be our own music. Toby wesh. She had kept
(07:45):
his mouth closed after what happened next, Old McDonald had
a farm ee ei. Oh everyone this time, Dad groaned
one of Toby's sisters. We're too old, he singing, Old McDonald,
this is so embarrassing. Their dad did not look embarrassed
(08:05):
at all. Oh, Kydoki, Well, we can do any song
you like. Is it the tailor swafft or the Bruno
bars or the Lady googoo, you kids are driving to
these days. The thought of their dad singing Lady Gaga
was even more off putting than hearing him sing Old McDonald. Actually, Dad,
the car engine has this nice little beat to it.
We can just continue listening to that. If only the
(08:28):
kids had been so lucky. For the next hour they
had to listen as their parents sang romantic duets. It
was some real mushy gooshy, lovey dovey stuff. In the
middle of what felt like their fiftieth song, Toby interrupted them, Ah,
I just remember what we forgot the dog. Somehow, Toby's
family had driven an hour and a half without noticing
(08:48):
their dog, Spice, was not with them. Dad, we have
to go back and get Spice. Toby's dad continued driving.
Are you sure about that? Like? Spice will figure out,
won't she, Dad? There's no one at home to feed her.
Carl showed no sign of trying to turn the van around.
Plenty of food in the fridge. Dogs can open fridges, can't.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
They, Dad. She also needs someone to let her outside
to pee.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Carl was beginning to realize this was not going to
go in his favor. Do you kids mean to tell
me you taught this dog of yours how to shake
a paw. It had never occurred to you to teach
her how to use one of the three toilets in
her house. There was no cheerful singing this time. While
driving back home. It was just the sound of Carl muttering,
it's just a wee little setback. It's just a wee
(09:36):
little setback. It's just a wee little setback. When they
returned home, Toby found Spice curled up on the couch,
sound asleep. She hadn't even noticed she'd been left behind.
Come on, girl, we're going for a ride.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
In the van.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Trip of a lifetime apparently. As Toby and his dog
climbed into the van, Carl tried starting the engine, but
it wasn't turning on. He tried several times more, but
the engine just made a sad sound, like it was
too tired to turn back on. There was a glimmer
of hope that this might be it the perfect excuse
to stay home. Well, dad, just be glad this happened
(10:11):
here and not at Lake. Oogie, woogy, hugbug. Now, if
anyone's looking for me, I'll be inside hugging the TV.
Toby's dad told them they were switching vehicles, which seemed
like a strange thing to say. The other car was
a sedan with five seats. They were a family of
five with a dog. They didn't go places together as
a family in the car. That was the whole reason
(10:31):
they had a van. Now, what would that teach you
if I were to just give up on this trip
right now? Huh. We're not the kind of people to
quit when things get hard. This is just another wee
little sitback. I was easy for him to say. He
wasn't the one sitting in the back seat, squished between
his two sisters with a dog sprawled across his lap.
When they eventually got back on the road, they were
(10:53):
now three hours behind schedule. Is everyone cozy back there?
Should we start singing again? Shouted no. Instead, they quietly
listened as Karl reminisced about his childhood and the time
he went to like Oogi Uughbug. He told them all
about the beautiful nature there and how he even got
to see a moose. He then tried describing the smell
(11:14):
of the forest, but smells are kind of hard to describe,
so we quickly moved on to telling them about the
sounds of nature, also hard to describe. There's, like, you know,
the bird noises and the sounds of the bugs doing
their thing. There's a lot of nature there, so it's
actually kind of loud, but oddly enough, it almost feels
peacefully quiet at the same time. After a while, the
(11:36):
kid stopped listening and began daydreaming about screens, the look
of screens, the smell of screens, even the sound of
the tiny built in speakers on the screens. At a
certain point, Karl began looking noticeably worried. Hey, Nancy, could
you on pass me that map beside you? Toby's mom
handed over a map, a very large paper map. Toby
(11:59):
was about to ask his dad wasn't using the GPS
for directions, when he realized the computerized map system probably
counted as technology, and his dad seemed determined to make
this trip way harder than it had to be. His
dad began unfolding the giant paper map, but it was
so big it blocked his view of the road. The
car kept weaving in and out of its lane. It
didn't help that Toby's mom kept shaking Carl's arm.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
What are you doing?
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Watch the road.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Pay attention. Put that map away. You're driving like a maniac.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Toby's dad pulled over to the side of the road.
He spent a good ten minutes carefully studying the map. Finally,
he looked up, Well, it looks as though I may
have taken a wrong turn somewhere when I was trying
to find a shortcut. I thought I could make up
for some of the time we lost back there. Toby's
mom rubbed Carl's shoulder.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Dear, maybe we should just head home. I'm worried it's
going to be dark by the time we get there.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Oh no, no, no, began Carl. We can still get there, guys.
It's going to be totally worth it. Besides, we're having fun,
aren't we. There's a turn just up ahead that will
get us back on track. This is just a wee
little setback, a wee little setback. Toby was worried if
they got set back any further, they might start traveling
(13:12):
back in time. Pretty sure, this new way, we'll have
plenty of exciting things to look at. Keep an eye
at the window, kids. After an hour of staring at cornfields,
Toby began to question if his dad even knew what
the word exciting even meant. But then something exciting did happen.
Behind them were some flashing lights in a siren. Dad,
(13:33):
why is the police car pulling us over? Carl's face
was turning red. Ah, kids, I may have been driving
a teeny bit too fast. Their mom was shaking her head.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Well, there's day ever, and.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Toby's dad rolled down his window to talk to the
police officer.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Good afternoon, I clocked you driving well over the speed limit.
What seems to be your hurry?
Speaker 3 (13:59):
The officer noticed the kids in the back seat. Wait,
is this a family road trip? Toby's dad nodded. Wake,
oogie woogy ug bug. They seem to please the officer. Oh,
I love that place, beautiful nature. Haven't been there since
I was a kid. Then the officer's face turned back
to Sirius, that's an awfully long drive with three kids
(14:21):
and a dog jammed into the back seat. Don't you
know that's why vans were invented. Anyway, I'm not gonna
give you a ticket, but I will show you a
bit of a shortcut if you follow me. I'm guessing
you're trying to make up for lost time, aren't you
that's why you were going so fast. One of your
kids probably forgot their favorite stuffy at home and you
had to go back for it. Is that it, Carl
(14:41):
forced a smile, Yeah, something like that. It was cool
enough that the police officer offered them their very own
police escort. But it was even cooler when the police
officer invited Toby and his dog to ride in the
back seat of the police car. Oh wow, I've never
been inside a police car before.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Do you have any TV in your car?
Speaker 3 (15:01):
At one point, another car was driving alongside the police car,
and a little girl looked over at Toby. Her mouth
hung open so wide her chin was practically on her lap.
She couldn't believe a kid her age had done something
so naughty to end up in a police car. After
twenty minutes or so, the officer pulled into the parking
lot of a diner. Together, he and Toby walked over
to where Toby's dad had parked. All right, Carl, all
(15:24):
you need to do now is just take the ninety
five the rest of the way, even at a safe
and responsible speed, you should be able to make it
there before nightfall. Toby's dad thanked the officer while The
two sisters grumbled about having to make room again in
the back seat for Toby. Ew, why couldn't the police
officer have taken you to jail for the rest of
the road trip. It also wasn't a surprise that Toby's
(15:47):
dad was not willing to stop for a bite to
eat at the diner. But dad, the police officer told me,
this is the best place to eat for miles around,
and we're hungry. Carl kept his eyes locked on the road.
Come on, kids, we're finally making good time again. We
can't stop now, aren't you guys? Itching to see all
the beautiful nature I told you about. He grabbed a
(16:08):
box of crackers and tossed it into the back seat.
Spice the dog, was the only one who seemed interested.
To Carl's credit, he was now driving far more sensibly.
He was obeying the speed limit and keeping his eyes
on the road. He even took a break from blobbing
about his childhood memories of the road trip. And since
Nancy no longer felt the need to keep a close
eye on Carl, she had fallen asleep and was now
(16:30):
loudly snoring. The kids weren't sure what was worse the
sound of their mother's snoring, or listening to their parents
sing mushy love songs. Dad, is it okay if we
roll the windows down back here? I think these crackers
are making Spice a little gassy. But as one of
his sisters rolled down her window, that's when Toby saw it,
a wonderful sight, just like his father had promised. Finally, Wow, Dad,
(16:56):
you were right. Look at that moose over there. It's
so big and beautiful. Moose. That's not good. Please tell
me it's not heading this way. As Carl was saying that,
the moose stepped onto the road right in front of
their car. Carl swerved to avoid hitting the moose, but
the car flew right off the road. Now they were
driving through a farmer's field, bumping wildly up and down.
(17:18):
Toby's sisters were screaming, which woke up their mother. She
opened her eyes just in time to see that they
were about to hit something, so she started screaming as well.
Fortunately it was only a clothesline hung next to the
farmer's house. As they drove through, various articles of clothing
fell onto the windshield, making it impossible for Carl to see.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Somebody moved that shirt out of my way. He swerved again,
which cleared most of the clothing off the car and
also got them back on the road. All that remained
was a giant pair of underwear stuck to one of
the wiper blades, waving around like a flag. For the
next five minutes, no one spoke a word. Then Carl
broke the silence, as if nothing had happened. Well, there's
(17:59):
a sign for legoogie woogie ugbug. We made it, and
with a free pair of underwear. Isn't that nice? They
pulled into a very large parking lot. Huh, I don't
remember this parking lot being here last time. He pulled
up to a small booth where a man was selling
parking passes.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Are you guys here to visit the convention center?
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Carl explained that he was here to visit the lake
and see the beautiful nature. The parking attendant looked confused.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Well, there isn't much to see here rather than the
convention center, and of course this nicely maintained parking lot,
but there is a television and gaming expo happening inside.
If your kids love screens, they are gonna love it here.
This has to be a mistake, thought Carl, But after
parking their car, it became obvious that the beautiful place
(18:48):
he once remembered visiting was no more. In his place
was a newly built convention center with a concrete parking lot.
The kids, however, lit up like little fireflies when they
saw all of the technology inside, giant televisions and VR
headsets of all kinds, with opportunities to try out games
that hadn't even been released yet. Dad, look at all
the screens. Thank you so much, this is the best
(19:11):
road trip ever.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Well, Toby's sisters ran off to go play. Toby stayed
behind for a moment. His dad wasn't looking too well. Dad, Sorry,
your trip didn't work out as you had hoped. I
just wanted you kids to experience this trip the way
I had experienced it. I wanted you guys to have
a trip that you'd remember for the rest of your lives. Dad,
(19:34):
I wouldn't be able to forget this trip if I
tried the terrible singing, the police car, the underwear flag,
and now this cool place. You didn't need to perfectly
recreate your old trip. You just needed to make new
special memories with your family and that's exactly what you've done.
Thanks Dad, Toby gave his dad a big hug.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Dad. I'm gonna go check this awesome place out now, kay,
I have a.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Feeling we're gonna be here all well, if you see
your sisters, let them know. It's getting late and this
place closes in five minutes. Besides, we've got to get
back on the road if we're going to make it
home by morning. We've got a schedule to follow. Now,
it was Toby who wasn't looking too well. Not only
had he forgotten that they still had to do the
entire trip all over again to get back home, but
(20:20):
had his dad seriously not considered booking them a room
in a hotel for the night.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Come on, who does that?
Speaker 3 (20:28):
The end? That's the story, And here is your question
of the week. If you were in charge of planning
a road trip for your family, where would you go
and what would you do? Well, that's a wrap on
this week's episode. I'll catch you on the next one.
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