<p>Saw a preview for this yesterday - a new movie to be released in March called "College Road Trip" about a father (Martin Lawrence) who takes his daughter on a road trip to look at colleges. Also stars Donny Osmond.</p>
<p>Ironically, I was with my daughter and my mother, reliving three years ago when the three of us did our college road trip.</p>
<p>LOL - my road trip with my gal should have been made into a movie - 8 schools in 6 days in 6 states between MA and FLA - a visit with Gramma - 3 flights - 1500 miles driven - 1 emergency stop at a hospital - 1 hurricane!! :D</p>
<p>Made for great memories tho :D</p>
<p>How funny!!!! The idea of going away alone with my teenage daughter is somewhat frightening, although my coworker assures me from her experience that long hours in a car together will lead to meaningful bonding.</p>
<p>I did think (when we were doing our road trips) that it was good fodder for a Chevy Case type of movie...Our favorite part was getting a flat tire, on a Sunday, on a rural highway in the middle of nowhere Virginia. And our course, our spare was one of those little bitty things that got us to a small town where almost everything was closed. You had to laugh...no point in doing anything else.</p>
<p>Hahaha. What memories.</p>
<p>''I wouldn't have traded it for the world'' - sounds like a song LOL - but oooo soooo true - talk about a bonding experience!!! :D We had had a pretty tough year prior to doing this wacko trip - it sure changed things between me and my gal - all for the better tho. Talk about one on one time ROFL - we still laugh about the craziness of it.</p>
<p>One of my neighbors took her 2 daughters to rural Pa. She told me that she got so lost that she just pulled into a gas station and cried. She is used to having her husband along for these adventures. She is also not used to putting gas into her own tank, since it is illegal to do so in NJ. She learned quickly, I guess.</p>
<p>Our funny story was on the morning that we were supposed to leave to move in (not the college road trips), we discovered our headlight was out. We first had to go to our auto repair place to get it fixed. At least they open up earlier than most other retail businesses!</p>
<p>The most entertaining for me was looking at the outfit one of the boys had on who was going to be interviewed by admissions. I could not believe the attire (gym shorts, flip-flops, t-shirt with writing on it, clean but unkempt- and it was not even hot out, and we were in New England).</p>
<p>I wouldn't trade it for anything either--car keys on the rental locked in to the car at Pomona was a highlight.</p>
<p>My guy did his own road-trips - usually with his sport he would check out the school he was at - or close by. THE important one tho - let's see - he totled his car the night before he was to leave - so we leant him grandaddy's car/boat LOL - off he went with his best friend - 800 miles away.</p>
<p>He gets home - all smiles - loved it - then proceeded to tell us about the trip itself - lets see - ran out of gas - got lost - car towed - digging in the seats for a toll - begging for coffee when broke - all in all - a very successful trip I would say - only school he appled to - and off he went by himself :D</p>
<p>Our cute story was sitting in a pizza joint along the way, and some darling little kid starts talking to my D. D says she's going to visit colleges. Little tot asks, "Why?
Do they get lonely?"</p>
<p>Northeastmom, why don't they let you pump your own gasoline in New Jersey?
Do they brush your hair there, too? I don't get it.</p>
<p>Cuz it's illegal to pump your own gas in NJ - my gal stopped in NJ on her way home once - being used to pumping her own out she gets and starts to reach for the pump - the guy comes running out yelling at her - poor thing LOL (she finally figured out why her pal from NJ didn't know how to pump gas when they were taking a little trip)</p>
<p>LOL, It is too dangerous for untrained people to pump gas. This is supposed to protect people from potentially lethal accidents. I do get to brush my own hair though. I can even drive the car that could potentially aslo be lethal. Actually, I have no problem with it, but it is funny when I need to pump my own gas outside my state. Jeepmom, pumping gas is still novel for me, LOL.</p>
<p>p3t</p>
<p>That's really funny.</p>
<p>I had no idea that lay persons couldn't pump gas in NJ. I like that law.</p>
<p>Can't pump your own gas in Oregon either. Instead of self-serve they have "mini-serve" - they pump your gas only and don't wash your windshiled or check your oil. I guess the theory is that only a trained and dedicated pro (usually some teenager) is qualified to safely pump gasoline. We amateurs can't handle it.</p>
<p>Funny- I grew up in NJ and remember driving to Williams for a college visit and not knowing how to pump my own gas!! NJ also has great prices on gas, in addition to being mandatory full serve.</p>
<p>The first time I went to Pennsylvania and pulled into a gas station, I stood for 10 minutes waiting for someone to come out and pump the gas. Then I went into the store/food area and they explained I had to do it myself.</p>
<p>NJ passed a law around 30+ years ago (when the entire country used to have people pumping gas - especially teenagers) that made pumping your own gas illegal. The reasoning behind the legislative decision was to prevent teenage unemployment since it would eliminate jobs for high school students. Today, most HS students don't want these jobs and they are usually done by new immigrants...</p>
<p>D and I visited Amherst last March. We are from Southern California and our visit happened to coincide with a record breaking cold snap. I guess I was a bit disoriented by all the snow. As we tried to find the admissions office, we somehow ended up driving around the freshman dorm area on what turned out to a sidewalk. Fortunately I found a way out to the road which did not involve having to drive down steps! </p>
<p>We were impressed by the laid back attitude of the the students. No one really seemed to notice our predicament. I guess they've seen it all.</p>
<p>Washing windows, checking oil?? Do they still do that somewhere??</p>
<p>I loved the college visits with my first two and am looking forward to some trips with number 3. Our most exciting was driving to Vermont (during my college daughters SPRING break) during a snowstorm. Fortunately it stopped snowing once we crossed the VT state line. I think we all liked thinking of the possibilities at the different colleges.</p>
<p>This wasn't during a road trip but I put a flat tire in my mom's lexus at Stanford....didn't know until the right front side of the car started sinking. I was like, "oops". I called Lexus Roadside Assistance and they sent an AAA guy to come in and change out the tire within a half an hour....</p>
<p>Turns out I drove over a screw the size of my fingernail.</p>
<p>kathiep-as a matter of fact, I have had my windshield washed at New Jersey gas station recently and they did ASK about checking oil, but I wasn't sure of the tip protocol, so declined. We try to find reasons to go to New Jersey just for the gas station experience!!!</p>