August 25, 2025 • 23 mins
Join me, Shannon, as we journey back to the late ’70s and ’80s for a nostalgic look at road trips—when paper maps, roller-skating rinks, and family adventures ruled the day. I’ll share memories of fried chicken picnics, arcade games, Meramec Caverns, and my girl’s trip with my mom.
But this episode also takes a more personal turn. I open up about my early teen years in Adamsville—the friends who made me feel at home, the roller rink that became my happy place, and the 13th birthday that changed everything when I learned I was adopted.
From high school adventures in Nashville and Atlanta to the start of lifelong friendships, this chapter of my life shaped the woman—and storyteller—I am today.
📌 In This Episode:
- What road trips were like before GPS & smartphones
- The magic of roller-skating and the movie Xanadu
- A deeply personal story about family, identity, and resilience
- Travel tips to make your next road trip smooth & memorable
💌 Want to be a guest? Email me at lamkintravel@gmail.com with your travel story or personal journey.
🎧 Listen & Watch: Available on all major podcast platforms & YouTube.
📺 Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/@LamkinTravel
✨ If my story resonates with you, please like, subscribe, and share. Your support helps me inspire others to travel, heal, and create memories for life.
#TravelPodcast #RoadTripStories #AdoptionStory #TravelTimeStoriesWithShannon #StorytellingPodcast #TravelTips #RollerSkatingMemories #LifeJourney #PodcastLife #InspiringStories
Email: lamkintravel@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Hi everyone and welcome toTravel Time Stories with
Shannon, where I share myadventures, my travel tips, and
my personal story.
Today we're taking a trip downmemory lane.
Literally I'm talking about roadtrips, how they used to be in
the late seventies and eighties,and how they've changed today.
(00:27):
Later in the episode, I'll sharea deeply personal part of my
journey, learning life-changingtruths, and how those years
shaped who I am today.
So grab your favorite beverageand let's get into it.
Long before my adventures on thehigh seas began, the only travel
(00:48):
I was familiar with were roadtrips.
When I was growing up, roadtrips were the way families
vacationed flying, rare andexpensive.
Even road trips could be a bigsplurge, but they were an
adventure full of unknowns,surprises, and moments you
couldn't plan for.
(01:09):
The younger generation, sadly,will never have these types of
experiences.
Back then we had paper maps, noGPS, no cell phones, and a
willingness to get a littlelost.
I miss that today.
Road trips tend to fall into twocategories, your driving to get
(01:31):
to your vacation, so it's allabout speed and efficiency,
quick stops, fast food, and GPSdirections.
Or the road trip is the vacationwith everything planned out,
hotel reservations, setattractions, and your entire
itinerary plugged into yournavigation system.
(01:53):
These both prioritize efficiencyand planned experiences, which
is the opposite of how they usedto be.
Nostalgia really kicks in theolder you get.
What was a typical road triplike?
Back in my day?
Well picture this big stationwagons or a pickup truck with a
(02:15):
camper over the truck bed crankwindows, no AC and no car seats.
Someone better know how to reada map or stop to ask the locals
for directions.
There were also rest stops andsome had welcome centers, which
provided maps and brochures ofthings to see in the local area.
(02:37):
You really had to pay attentionto your gas gauge and you better
refuel when you were close to aquarter tank because the
highways were less developed andfuel stations were few and far
between.
Running out of gas back thencould strand you in the middle
of nowhere for hours or days.
(02:57):
There was no AAA and the nextfuel station could be hundreds
of miles.
Lodging was not something youplanned out and couldn't always
be found.
So sometimes you slept in thecar at a rest area or the side
of the road or found a sidestreet to pull off on.
There was no abundance of fastfood or chain restaurants along
(03:20):
the highways.
Plus eating out was a luxury ora treat, not commonplace like it
is now.
I bet some people are probablythinking that sounds like a
nightmare, but it wasn't.
All of that added to theadventure and the sense of
family togetherness.
It created so many memories andfunny stories that happened
(03:44):
organically.
Not something you have to createto make a funny TikTok.
Our road trips always startedwith the car being packed up the
night before.
The suitcases were loaded in thetrunk or the camper, depending
on what we were taking.
Blankets and pillows, large bagof snacks, maps, color books, or
(04:07):
other such items forentertainment, because we didn't
have tablets, phones, or TVs inthe car, mom would cook fried
chicken and store that in aTupperware container for the
trip.
The next morning we would get upearly and mama would make
sausage biscuits for us to eaton the road for our breakfast.
(04:27):
She would pack up the coolerwith drinks and any food that
needed to stay cool, such as thefried chicken or lunch meat for
sandwiches.
This would get loaded into thecar.
Before we headed out, she alwayshad a bag, which was a homemade
first aid kit with medications,bandages and such.
(04:48):
We would pile in the car and theadventure would be begin.
The only time mama ever drovewas if we were taking a trip
without daddy.
Otherwise, daddy always droveand mama tended to us kids.
My spot was the front centerconsole.
Mama's arm was my seatbelt.
(05:09):
Now I was a talker, and mamasaid she never had to worry
about falling asleep on a roadtrip because I never stopped
talking even though she prayedthat I would, and she would even
try to get me to play the quietgame, but I always lost if we
were taking the truck with thecamper, then us kids would ride
(05:29):
in the camper with the dogs andhave plenty of room to jump
around.
If it was the camper with theover the cab bed, then we would
lay up on the bed and look outthe window as we drove down the
road.
If you had to go to the bathroomand there wasn't a rest stop,
well, let's just say a coffeecan and some roadside creativity
(05:52):
come in handy.
I remember one time there wereno trees or bushes around, so
mama opened the back door andthe front door and I stood in
between them.
So I had some coverage while Ipeed on the side of the road.
In dad's truck, he had a CBradio so we could communicate
with the truckers and getalerted if there were cops or
(06:14):
anything else going on.
Dad would sometimes let me bethe one to get on there and say,
breaker.
Breaker, is anyone out there andwhat's your 20?
Are there any smokies in thearea?
And I even had my own handle orradio name.
We didn't plan our trips, onlyour destination.
(06:36):
We played, I spy sang along tothe radio and stopped at
roadside attractions forentertainment.
Our dogs always traveled withus, and if we stopped for the
night at a motel, we would get aroom that was farthest from the
main lobby so we could sneak thedogs in since pets weren't
allowed back then.
(06:56):
We didn't stop at restaurants toeat.
We would stop at a roadside parkor a nice open area for a picnic
with the food mama brought, suchas the fried chicken or making
sandwiches with the lunch meat.
This gave everyone a break fromthe car.
We got to run around and playfor a bit and walk the dogs.
(07:16):
We would drive until it gotclose to dusk, and then we would
start looking for a place tostop for the night.
No reservations in advance.
You would look for the nearesttown and then we would see which
place had a vacancy sign, or ifthe nearest town was too far
away, we would find a rest stopor place to pull off and sleep
(07:37):
in the car for the night.
I, it wasn't glamorous, but itwas real.
Those little inconveniences, assome would call them, are the
reason I remember these trips sofondly.
My mom had two best friends inher life, something I now share
with her.
Her two friends, grace andStella, were family, and I loved
(07:59):
them both dearly.
Grace lived in Texas, and Stellawas in Missouri.
One of my favorite road tripswas the last one I took with my
mom as a teenager.
It was a girl's trip, just me,my mom, and her best friend,
grace, heading to Missouri tosee her other best friend,
Stella.
It.
(08:19):
We took our time stopping alongthe way at antique shops.
Little roadside farmer stands toget fruits and vegetables,
taking photos of wild flowers,and even had a stop at Meramec
Caverns.
We would laugh and sing along tothe radio, and I learned stories
about my mom.
(08:39):
I'd never heard before.
Mama had brought some tomatoesfrom her garden.
One was bigger than a largegrapefruit.
So that first night at themotel, her and Grace were eating
the tomatoes, and I have apicture of Mama with that large
tomato taking a big bite out ofit, just like an apple and
(09:00):
spraying juice everywhere.
We spent a few days with Stellaand her family in Fulton before
heading down to Branson.
Branson was mama's favoriteplace to visit, and we have been
many times over the years and itstill holds a special place in
my heart.
I always feel like I'm cominghome when I visit there.
(09:23):
There is so much to see and dothat, it never gets redundant
for me.
I have heard some peopledescribe it as the family
friendly version of Vegas, but Idon't feel that's an accurate
description.
It does have a lot of shows withseveral big names, stars who
perform here on a regular basis,but there is so much more than
(09:44):
the shows to explore here.
Mama loved going to the shows,and her favorite one was seeing
Shoji Tabuchi.
He was a Japanese Americancountry music fiddler and
singer.
He had his own theater inBranson and was known as the
King of Branson.
He won numerous awards and wasinducted into the Fiddler Hall
(10:07):
of Fame.
His show was really amazing.
My favorite was always the YakovSmirnoff Show.
He is a Soviet Americancomedian, actor and writer, and
he was big in the eighties andhas his own theater in Branson,
although I think hisperformances now are very
(10:27):
limited.
We would also go see a show atShepherd of the Hills.
Finally, a trip to Branson isnever complete without spending
one to two days at Silver DollarCity.
Hands down, this is the bestamusement park I have ever been
to.
It is not just an amusementpark, but a whole experience.
(10:51):
I know many people are thinking,no way Disney, universal or Six
Flags are the best.
I guess that's true because itdepends on what you like.
For me, I enjoy history,particularly the 1800's, and
this park has an 1880s theme,and it's located in the Ozark
(11:13):
Mountains.
So you're surrounded bybeautiful scenery throughout the
park.
They have craftsmandemonstrations where you can
watch and learn how things aremade.
These include milling the grainto bake bread.
Blacksmith.
Glass blowing candy and candlemaking hand forged knives,
(11:35):
leather, pottery, furniture,wood carving, road foundry,
lathe making, and soap.
The park also has some amazingshows along with some great
rides.
It's the only park that is builtaround a cave, which you can
take a tour of while you'rethere.
(11:55):
Marvel Cave is a wet limestonecave with formations that are
still growing today.
It was opened for tours in 1894,and then in 1960 the theme park,
which has been built around thecave entrance, opened up.
You can still tour the cave andthe price is included in the
(12:17):
park entrance.
You start the tour by descending300 feet below the surface and
you enter the cathedral room,which is breathtaking, and it's
also the largest cave entrancein the United States.
It is a strenuous tourconsisting of a lot of stairs
and ramps, so it's notrecommended for those with
(12:39):
mobility issues, and the tourlasts about 60 minutes.
I have done the tour severaltimes over the years, and if
you're able, I recommend it.
All these memories we made inBranson still feel warm in my
heart all these years later.
Of course, there were funnymoments too, like the time my
(13:00):
mom wore white pants on a waterride, and let's just say when
they got soaked, everyone knewwhat color her underwear was.
She learned a great lesson atthe park that day, and I got the
biggest laugh of my life, and Iwasn't the only one.
Mama's face was as red as thetomato she had eaten the night
(13:20):
before.
Thankfully, mama's best friendGrace came to the rescue with
her jacket to wrap around mama'swaist so we could head to the
souvenir shop and mama could getsome shorts to put on.
Mama never wore white pantsagain, or if she did, she made
sure she didn't have on coloredunderwear.
(13:41):
A couple of other funny momentsfrom past road trips, my mom
fell asleep for the first timeon a trip and woke up to
discover my dad had beendistracted and taken a wrong
turn, and we had been drivingfor hours in the wrong
direction.
Dad's response.
Well, you never would've seenthis if i hadn't come this way.
(14:05):
This became a family taglineevery time someone went the
wrong way.
Another time, mom and I weretraveling alone to Tennessee
when I was very little, and Iawoke in the middle of the night
at the hotel screaming with anear infection.
Mom was trying to pack upquickly to take me to the ER and
(14:26):
accidentally discharged her gunin the room.
Needless to say, we neverstopped at that hotel in
Arkansas again.
Road trips aren't just aboutgetting somewhere.
They're about the memories madealong the way, and I am so
blessed to have so many greatmemories and countless photos
(14:47):
from the road trips done overthe years.
I made sure my own kidsexperienced road trips the old
school way.
No electronics just maps, coffeecans.
Picnic lunches and plenty ofunscripted adventures.
Both my boys loved every minuteof them and learned some great
(15:08):
lessons and skills unlike me,both my boys sleep on road
trips.
Once they're in the car, itdoesn't take long, and they are
both asleep.
They get this from their dad whodoes the same thing.
So I'm left to entertain myselfwhen we do a road trip as a
family.
Thankfully, my Sissy Ann isgreat for road trips.
(15:29):
We talk a lot singing and danceto the radio and fly by the seat
of our pants with no plans, andif we see something interesting,
we stop and check it out.
So here's my question for you.
Do you have a favorite roadtrip?
Memory funny.
Sweet.
Or maybe even a little chaotic.
Share it with me.
(15:50):
Who knows?
You might just end up as a gueston travel time stories.
My travel tip of the day.
Map it out the old fashionedway.
Even if you use GPS, bring apaper atlas.
Tech can fail, but a map neverloses signal.
I once lent a friend my atlasfor a road trip she was taking,
(16:12):
and sure enough she hit a deadzone and had to use it.
She thanked me later, so trustme, it's worth the extra space
in your bag.
Now, I know many of you arewaiting for the story of my life
with David, who I call thedevil, and I promise that's
coming soon.
By the end of my first year inAdamsville, I had learned a hard
(16:34):
truth.
Sometimes the life you think youwant to escape becomes the life
you long to return to.
I'd also learned that even inunfamiliar places, there are
pockets of belonging if you'rewilling to find them.
My life in Adamsville was justbeginning and so was the next
chapter of my story.
(16:54):
During my two years of juniorhigh, I had two close friends,
Kecia and Sarah, and we becamethe three amigos.
When we weren't busy in band,you could catch us at the local
hangout spots, which were themovie theater, bowling alley, or
my personal favorite, theskating rink.
My brother-in-law, Kenny, hadtaught me all of the roller
(17:18):
skating tricks, skatingbackwards.
T stop crossovers, spins, jumps,bunny hop, shoot the duck.
One foot glide, you name it.
I could do them all.
I had custom white skates withpurple pom poms.
(17:38):
'cause purple is my signaturecolor and I love showing people
that big girls can skate too.
The roller rink was lights,music, arcade games, and
pinball.
It was my happy place.
It still makes me sad that mostrinks closed before my kids were
old enough to skate.
(17:58):
One of my favorite movies isXanadu from 1980 with Olivia
Newton John.
It's an American musical fantasyfilm and includes rollerskating.
My favorite song from the filmis Magic.
Do you have a favorite movie orsong that takes you back to a
great memory?
Leave a comment.
I'd love to hear it.
(18:20):
I was just starting to settleinto life in Adamsville when on
my 13th birthday, my mom droppeda bombshell.
I was adopted.
Everyone in the family knewexcept me.
That knowledge cut so deep.
I never saw this coming.
It felt like the wind had beenknocked out of me stunned.
(18:41):
All I could do was stare at her.
She said she had wanted to tellme before now, but could never
bring herself to do it, but shewas telling me now because she
was worried one of my nephews orcousins was going to spill the
beans.
Once the shock wore off, I wasovercome by such intense anger
that I didn't know what to dowith it.
(19:03):
So I lashed out at her with mywords and said very terrible
things to her that I would cometo regret later.
I did ask her about my birthparents.
She wouldn't gimme anyinformation about them.
Said I had to wait till I turned18.
Can you imagine the cracks thiscaused in my psyche?
(19:24):
I was 13.
The age where everything isalready confusing because your
body's going through so manychanges from child to teen and
the hormones are out of control.
I was still overcoming dramaticchildhood issues and a move that
had created fractures and nowI'm hit with this.
(19:47):
And on top of that, you tell meyou can't gimme any information
that might help me process theanger, confusion, and endless
questions stayed with me.
For years, I was told that I waslucky because this meant I was
wanted and the life I had wasbetter than what it would've
(20:07):
been.
It was the beginning of arebellion that would eventually
lead me into the arms of a manwho would destroy my spirit,
strip me of the littleself-confidence I had, and put
me through many forms of abuse.
Ultimately killed our child andalmost succeeded in killing me.
(20:28):
After getting this information,things in my life would change
dramatically.
And this started with steppingaway from the church.
I started having bad moodswings, which convinced my mom I
was bipolar.
However, I was not diagnosedwith that.
She sent me to this group thatwas supposed to help kids with
issues and it didn't helpanything.
(20:50):
It led me further astray, but atleast my friends were there with
me.
Kecia, Sarah, and Alicia wereall part of the group during
high school.
I joined every group I could.
Four H Home Economics.
FFA Spanish Club.
These groups took me toNashville and Atlanta for
(21:11):
competitions.
My first big trips without Mama,there were glass elevators.
Riding the Atlanta subway, whichgoes both above and underground.
Sneaking out past curfew andvisiting my first Hard rock
cafe.
We even qualified for a trip toCalifornia and Disneyland, but
(21:33):
my mama wouldn't let me go.
She said it was too far fromhome.
Freshman year, brought some newstudents to our school.
One was named Tonya.
She lived in a town calledMichie.
She was a tall brunette who wasbold, stylish, and confident I
wanted to be just like her.
(21:55):
I was so lucky that she had someof the same classes, so this
gave me a chance to get to knowher, and we quickly became
friends.
She brought this shy girl out ofher shell.
She went from my best friend tomy sister.
But that's a story for next timefull of Yugo Cars, wild
(22:16):
Adventures and a twist thatchanged both of our lives.
My hope is for everyone to makememories for life through
travel, whether it's a crosscountry road trip, a roller
skating rink in your hometown,or your first time riding a
subway.
Reach out and let me help youmake your next travel memory.
(22:37):
If you enjoyed today's episode,please like or give a thumbs up,
subscribe.
It is free and share on socialmedia so this channel can grow.
Tune in again to learn moreabout me, hear more about each
of my trips, and meet otherpeople in my life as they share
their travel experiences.
(22:57):
If you'd like to be a guest onthe show to discuss travel or
another topic, email me.
lamkintravel@gmail.com With yourtravel story or your personal
story, or whatever you'd like totalk about, do you have a crazy
high school story?
Share it in the comments below.
I might just read it on thepodcast or invite you on as a
(23:20):
guest.
Until next time, keep makingmemories for life.
Hi everyone and welcome toTravel Time Stories with
Shannon, where I share myadventures, my travel tips, and
my personal story.
Today we're taking a trip downmemory lane.
Literally I'm talking about roadtrips, how they used to be in
the late seventies and eighties,and how they've changed today.
(00:27):
Later in the episode, I'll sharea deeply personal part of my
journey, learning life-changingtruths, and how those years
shaped who I am today.
So grab your favorite beverageand let's get into it.
Long before my adventures on thehigh seas began, the only travel
(00:48):
I was familiar with were roadtrips.
When I was growing up, roadtrips were the way families
vacationed flying, rare andexpensive.
Even road trips could be a bigsplurge, but they were an
adventure full of unknowns,surprises, and moments you
couldn't plan for.
(01:09):
The younger generation, sadly,will never have these types of
experiences.
Back then we had paper maps, noGPS, no cell phones, and a
willingness to get a littlelost.
I miss that today.
Road trips tend to fall into twocategories, your driving to get
(01:31):
to your vacation, so it's allabout speed and efficiency,
quick stops, fast food, and GPSdirections.
Or the road trip is the vacationwith everything planned out,
hotel reservations, setattractions, and your entire
itinerary plugged into yournavigation system.
(01:53):
These both prioritize efficiencyand planned experiences, which
is the opposite of how they usedto be.
Nostalgia really kicks in theolder you get.
What was a typical road triplike?
Back in my day?
Well picture this big stationwagons or a pickup truck with a
(02:15):
camper over the truck bed crankwindows, no AC and no car seats.
Someone better know how to reada map or stop to ask the locals
for directions.
There were also rest stops andsome had welcome centers, which
provided maps and brochures ofthings to see in the local area.
(02:37):
You really had to pay attentionto your gas gauge and you better
refuel when you were close to aquarter tank because the
highways were less developed andfuel stations were few and far
between.
Running out of gas back thencould strand you in the middle
of nowhere for hours or days.
(02:57):
There was no AAA and the nextfuel station could be hundreds
of miles.
Lodging was not something youplanned out and couldn't always
be found.
So sometimes you slept in thecar at a rest area or the side
of the road or found a sidestreet to pull off on.
There was no abundance of fastfood or chain restaurants along
(03:20):
the highways.
Plus eating out was a luxury ora treat, not commonplace like it
is now.
I bet some people are probablythinking that sounds like a
nightmare, but it wasn't.
All of that added to theadventure and the sense of
family togetherness.
It created so many memories andfunny stories that happened
(03:44):
organically.
Not something you have to createto make a funny TikTok.
Our road trips always startedwith the car being packed up the
night before.
The suitcases were loaded in thetrunk or the camper, depending
on what we were taking.
Blankets and pillows, large bagof snacks, maps, color books, or
(04:07):
other such items forentertainment, because we didn't
have tablets, phones, or TVs inthe car, mom would cook fried
chicken and store that in aTupperware container for the
trip.
The next morning we would get upearly and mama would make
sausage biscuits for us to eaton the road for our breakfast.
(04:27):
She would pack up the coolerwith drinks and any food that
needed to stay cool, such as thefried chicken or lunch meat for
sandwiches.
This would get loaded into thecar.
Before we headed out, she alwayshad a bag, which was a homemade
first aid kit with medications,bandages and such.
(04:48):
We would pile in the car and theadventure would be begin.
The only time mama ever drovewas if we were taking a trip
without daddy.
Otherwise, daddy always droveand mama tended to us kids.
My spot was the front centerconsole.
Mama's arm was my seatbelt.
(05:09):
Now I was a talker, and mamasaid she never had to worry
about falling asleep on a roadtrip because I never stopped
talking even though she prayedthat I would, and she would even
try to get me to play the quietgame, but I always lost if we
were taking the truck with thecamper, then us kids would ride
(05:29):
in the camper with the dogs andhave plenty of room to jump
around.
If it was the camper with theover the cab bed, then we would
lay up on the bed and look outthe window as we drove down the
road.
If you had to go to the bathroomand there wasn't a rest stop,
well, let's just say a coffeecan and some roadside creativity
(05:52):
come in handy.
I remember one time there wereno trees or bushes around, so
mama opened the back door andthe front door and I stood in
between them.
So I had some coverage while Ipeed on the side of the road.
In dad's truck, he had a CBradio so we could communicate
with the truckers and getalerted if there were cops or
(06:14):
anything else going on.
Dad would sometimes let me bethe one to get on there and say,
breaker.
Breaker, is anyone out there andwhat's your 20?
Are there any smokies in thearea?
And I even had my own handle orradio name.
We didn't plan our trips, onlyour destination.
(06:36):
We played, I spy sang along tothe radio and stopped at
roadside attractions forentertainment.
Our dogs always traveled withus, and if we stopped for the
night at a motel, we would get aroom that was farthest from the
main lobby so we could sneak thedogs in since pets weren't
allowed back then.
(06:56):
We didn't stop at restaurants toeat.
We would stop at a roadside parkor a nice open area for a picnic
with the food mama brought, suchas the fried chicken or making
sandwiches with the lunch meat.
This gave everyone a break fromthe car.
We got to run around and playfor a bit and walk the dogs.
(07:16):
We would drive until it gotclose to dusk, and then we would
start looking for a place tostop for the night.
No reservations in advance.
You would look for the nearesttown and then we would see which
place had a vacancy sign, or ifthe nearest town was too far
away, we would find a rest stopor place to pull off and sleep
(07:37):
in the car for the night.
I, it wasn't glamorous, but itwas real.
Those little inconveniences, assome would call them, are the
reason I remember these trips sofondly.
My mom had two best friends inher life, something I now share
with her.
Her two friends, grace andStella, were family, and I loved
(07:59):
them both dearly.
Grace lived in Texas, and Stellawas in Missouri.
One of my favorite road tripswas the last one I took with my
mom as a teenager.
It was a girl's trip, just me,my mom, and her best friend,
grace, heading to Missouri tosee her other best friend,
Stella.
It.
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We took our time stopping alongthe way at antique shops.
Little roadside farmer stands toget fruits and vegetables,
taking photos of wild flowers,and even had a stop at Meramec
Caverns.
We would laugh and sing along tothe radio, and I learned stories
about my mom.
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I'd never heard before.
Mama had brought some tomatoesfrom her garden.
One was bigger than a largegrapefruit.
So that first night at themotel, her and Grace were eating
the tomatoes, and I have apicture of Mama with that large
tomato taking a big bite out ofit, just like an apple and
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spraying juice everywhere.
We spent a few days with Stellaand her family in Fulton before
heading down to Branson.
Branson was mama's favoriteplace to visit, and we have been
many times over the years and itstill holds a special place in
my heart.
I always feel like I'm cominghome when I visit there.
(09:23):
There is so much to see and dothat, it never gets redundant
for me.
I have heard some peopledescribe it as the family
friendly version of Vegas, but Idon't feel that's an accurate
description.
It does have a lot of shows withseveral big names, stars who
perform here on a regular basis,but there is so much more than
(09:44):
the shows to explore here.
Mama loved going to the shows,and her favorite one was seeing
Shoji Tabuchi.
He was a Japanese Americancountry music fiddler and
singer.
He had his own theater inBranson and was known as the
King of Branson.
He won numerous awards and wasinducted into the Fiddler Hall
(10:07):
of Fame.
His show was really amazing.
My favorite was always the YakovSmirnoff Show.
He is a Soviet Americancomedian, actor and writer, and
he was big in the eighties andhas his own theater in Branson,
although I think hisperformances now are very
(10:27):
limited.
We would also go see a show atShepherd of the Hills.
Finally, a trip to Branson isnever complete without spending
one to two days at Silver DollarCity.
Hands down, this is the bestamusement park I have ever been
to.
It is not just an amusementpark, but a whole experience.
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I know many people are thinking,no way Disney, universal or Six
Flags are the best.
I guess that's true because itdepends on what you like.
For me, I enjoy history,particularly the 1800's, and
this park has an 1880s theme,and it's located in the Ozark
(11:13):
Mountains.
So you're surrounded bybeautiful scenery throughout the
park.
They have craftsmandemonstrations where you can
watch and learn how things aremade.
These include milling the grainto bake bread.
Blacksmith.
Glass blowing candy and candlemaking hand forged knives,
(11:35):
leather, pottery, furniture,wood carving, road foundry,
lathe making, and soap.
The park also has some amazingshows along with some great
rides.
It's the only park that is builtaround a cave, which you can
take a tour of while you'rethere.
(11:55):
Marvel Cave is a wet limestonecave with formations that are
still growing today.
It was opened for tours in 1894,and then in 1960 the theme park,
which has been built around thecave entrance, opened up.
You can still tour the cave andthe price is included in the
(12:17):
park entrance.
You start the tour by descending300 feet below the surface and
you enter the cathedral room,which is breathtaking, and it's
also the largest cave entrancein the United States.
It is a strenuous tourconsisting of a lot of stairs
and ramps, so it's notrecommended for those with
(12:39):
mobility issues, and the tourlasts about 60 minutes.
I have done the tour severaltimes over the years, and if
you're able, I recommend it.
All these memories we made inBranson still feel warm in my
heart all these years later.
Of course, there were funnymoments too, like the time my
(13:00):
mom wore white pants on a waterride, and let's just say when
they got soaked, everyone knewwhat color her underwear was.
She learned a great lesson atthe park that day, and I got the
biggest laugh of my life, and Iwasn't the only one.
Mama's face was as red as thetomato she had eaten the night
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before.
Thankfully, mama's best friendGrace came to the rescue with
her jacket to wrap around mama'swaist so we could head to the
souvenir shop and mama could getsome shorts to put on.
Mama never wore white pantsagain, or if she did, she made
sure she didn't have on coloredunderwear.
(13:41):
A couple of other funny momentsfrom past road trips, my mom
fell asleep for the first timeon a trip and woke up to
discover my dad had beendistracted and taken a wrong
turn, and we had been drivingfor hours in the wrong
direction.
Dad's response.
Well, you never would've seenthis if i hadn't come this way.
(14:05):
This became a family taglineevery time someone went the
wrong way.
Another time, mom and I weretraveling alone to Tennessee
when I was very little, and Iawoke in the middle of the night
at the hotel screaming with anear infection.
Mom was trying to pack upquickly to take me to the ER and
(14:26):
accidentally discharged her gunin the room.
Needless to say, we neverstopped at that hotel in
Arkansas again.
Road trips aren't just aboutgetting somewhere.
They're about the memories madealong the way, and I am so
blessed to have so many greatmemories and countless photos
(14:47):
from the road trips done overthe years.
I made sure my own kidsexperienced road trips the old
school way.
No electronics just maps, coffeecans.
Picnic lunches and plenty ofunscripted adventures.
Both my boys loved every minuteof them and learned some great
(15:08):
lessons and skills unlike me,both my boys sleep on road
trips.
Once they're in the car, itdoesn't take long, and they are
both asleep.
They get this from their dad whodoes the same thing.
So I'm left to entertain myselfwhen we do a road trip as a
family.
Thankfully, my Sissy Ann isgreat for road trips.
(15:29):
We talk a lot singing and danceto the radio and fly by the seat
of our pants with no plans, andif we see something interesting,
we stop and check it out.
So here's my question for you.
Do you have a favorite roadtrip?
Memory funny.
Sweet.
Or maybe even a little chaotic.
Share it with me.
(15:50):
Who knows?
You might just end up as a gueston travel time stories.
My travel tip of the day.
Map it out the old fashionedway.
Even if you use GPS, bring apaper atlas.
Tech can fail, but a map neverloses signal.
I once lent a friend my atlasfor a road trip she was taking,
(16:12):
and sure enough she hit a deadzone and had to use it.
She thanked me later, so trustme, it's worth the extra space
in your bag.
Now, I know many of you arewaiting for the story of my life
with David, who I call thedevil, and I promise that's
coming soon.
By the end of my first year inAdamsville, I had learned a hard
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truth.
Sometimes the life you think youwant to escape becomes the life
you long to return to.
I'd also learned that even inunfamiliar places, there are
pockets of belonging if you'rewilling to find them.
My life in Adamsville was justbeginning and so was the next
chapter of my story.
(16:54):
During my two years of juniorhigh, I had two close friends,
Kecia and Sarah, and we becamethe three amigos.
When we weren't busy in band,you could catch us at the local
hangout spots, which were themovie theater, bowling alley, or
my personal favorite, theskating rink.
My brother-in-law, Kenny, hadtaught me all of the roller
(17:18):
skating tricks, skatingbackwards.
T stop crossovers, spins, jumps,bunny hop, shoot the duck.
One foot glide, you name it.
I could do them all.
I had custom white skates withpurple pom poms.
(17:38):
'cause purple is my signaturecolor and I love showing people
that big girls can skate too.
The roller rink was lights,music, arcade games, and
pinball.
It was my happy place.
It still makes me sad that mostrinks closed before my kids were
old enough to skate.
(17:58):
One of my favorite movies isXanadu from 1980 with Olivia
Newton John.
It's an American musical fantasyfilm and includes rollerskating.
My favorite song from the filmis Magic.
Do you have a favorite movie orsong that takes you back to a
great memory?
Leave a comment.
I'd love to hear it.
(18:20):
I was just starting to settleinto life in Adamsville when on
my 13th birthday, my mom droppeda bombshell.
I was adopted.
Everyone in the family knewexcept me.
That knowledge cut so deep.
I never saw this coming.
It felt like the wind had beenknocked out of me stunned.
(18:41):
All I could do was stare at her.
She said she had wanted to tellme before now, but could never
bring herself to do it, but shewas telling me now because she
was worried one of my nephews orcousins was going to spill the
beans.
Once the shock wore off, I wasovercome by such intense anger
that I didn't know what to dowith it.
(19:03):
So I lashed out at her with mywords and said very terrible
things to her that I would cometo regret later.
I did ask her about my birthparents.
She wouldn't gimme anyinformation about them.
Said I had to wait till I turned18.
Can you imagine the cracks thiscaused in my psyche?
(19:24):
I was 13.
The age where everything isalready confusing because your
body's going through so manychanges from child to teen and
the hormones are out of control.
I was still overcoming dramaticchildhood issues and a move that
had created fractures and nowI'm hit with this.
(19:47):
And on top of that, you tell meyou can't gimme any information
that might help me process theanger, confusion, and endless
questions stayed with me.
For years, I was told that I waslucky because this meant I was
wanted and the life I had wasbetter than what it would've
(20:07):
been.
It was the beginning of arebellion that would eventually
lead me into the arms of a manwho would destroy my spirit,
strip me of the littleself-confidence I had, and put
me through many forms of abuse.
Ultimately killed our child andalmost succeeded in killing me.
(20:28):
After getting this information,things in my life would change
dramatically.
And this started with steppingaway from the church.
I started having bad moodswings, which convinced my mom I
was bipolar.
However, I was not diagnosedwith that.
She sent me to this group thatwas supposed to help kids with
issues and it didn't helpanything.
(20:50):
It led me further astray, but atleast my friends were there with
me.
Kecia, Sarah, and Alicia wereall part of the group during
high school.
I joined every group I could.
Four H Home Economics.
FFA Spanish Club.
These groups took me toNashville and Atlanta for
(21:11):
competitions.
My first big trips without Mama,there were glass elevators.
Riding the Atlanta subway, whichgoes both above and underground.
Sneaking out past curfew andvisiting my first Hard rock
cafe.
We even qualified for a trip toCalifornia and Disneyland, but
(21:33):
my mama wouldn't let me go.
She said it was too far fromhome.
Freshman year, brought some newstudents to our school.
One was named Tonya.
She lived in a town calledMichie.
She was a tall brunette who wasbold, stylish, and confident I
wanted to be just like her.
(21:55):
I was so lucky that she had someof the same classes, so this
gave me a chance to get to knowher, and we quickly became
friends.
She brought this shy girl out ofher shell.
She went from my best friend tomy sister.
But that's a story for next timefull of Yugo Cars, wild
(22:16):
Adventures and a twist thatchanged both of our lives.
My hope is for everyone to makememories for life through
travel, whether it's a crosscountry road trip, a roller
skating rink in your hometown,or your first time riding a
subway.
Reach out and let me help youmake your next travel memory.
(22:37):
If you enjoyed today's episode,please like or give a thumbs up,
subscribe.
It is free and share on socialmedia so this channel can grow.
Tune in again to learn moreabout me, hear more about each
of my trips, and meet otherpeople in my life as they share
their travel experiences.
(22:57):
If you'd like to be a guest onthe show to discuss travel or
another topic, email me.
lamkintravel@gmail.com With yourtravel story or your personal
story, or whatever you'd like totalk about, do you have a crazy
high school story?
Share it in the comments below.
I might just read it on thepodcast or invite you on as a
(23:20):
guest.
Until next time, keep makingmemories for life.
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