Family Vacations

Trips / Travel

1. Family Trips
Del
Judy
Del Carstens Family

2. Recent Travels
Hawaii 2003 Cruise Fanning Island
Summer 2003
Panama Canal Cruise 2001

Vacations and trips today far exceed any experiences either of us had as children.

Del remembers a family camping trip during the 40's when everything needed for a week including a tent was on top of the car. He remembers being rained out of the tent and sleeping in the car all night.

Insert picture car with tent top.

Most of our family trips were back to Beatrice, Nebraska where the other brothers and sisters of my parents lived. Most of them on the farm on Mother's side of the family. Dad's family mostly lived in the city of Beatrice.

Judy remembers loading up all the goodies for a tent out camping trip with her two brothers. They pulled the wagon about a mile and 1/2 to Grandparents home which was on 23 acres of land and forest area. There near the house, but in the woods grandpa Ben Haag helped to set up a tent, and that is where the three of them slept for the night and ate the picnic lunch food that mother had helped to prepare before leaving home. An outhouse was close to where they camped, and they hauled water from grandpa's house.

"Only two travels took place outside Wisconsin or Iowa with my family," says Judy. When 12 I rode in a studebaker with Mother, Dad, and Grandma Haag to Westfield, Massachusettes where they went on a business trip. It was fun being the only child along. I remember driving all night, and in the daytime we cooled off with the windows open and our feet up on the backseat. What I remember is the sides of the highways were littered with garbage. Boston, Springfield, New York, Niagra Falls, and Canada stand out if my mind as special.

After moving to Sioux City, Iowa,When I was 13, our family took our first trip together to Colorado by way of The Black Hills where we saw the Presidents at Mt. Rushmore.
Only a shack with an old man was there at the time, and he gave us the history of the carvings of the Presidents heads.
Beth and John lived out in the country in an old school house. That is where we stayed a few days, sleeping on the floor on air mattresses. Uncle John was there & drove us around in the area looking at birds and natural surroundings. Mother cooked a bit in the small kitchen which had once been the teacher's living quarters. An outhouse was on the premises, and I remember that my mother hated that. (Aunt Beth was not there. Visiting in Steamboat Springs with friends we were told.)
A month after returning home we received a surprise phone call telling us that we had a cousin born to Aunt Beth. They had kept it a secret. Bryce came into the world announced at a business meeting to which my Dad and Grandmother were attending in Minneapolis. Beth and John had been married 16 years so it was a big surprise!

Del Carstens Family: Del, Judy, Wendy, Cindy, Jon, Minh Nguyen, Minh Hai

Trip to Eau Claire, Wisconsin from Swedesburg, Iowa 1976

Mom & Dad, Wendy, Cindy, Jon, Minh N,
& Meung Lo

One trip home to Gma's In Wisconsin was made in ^1976.We were ⁷in the car & it was a tight squeeze with all adult like bodies in our 4 door car.
An 8 hour drive and mighty glad to get to Eau Claire and unfold.

1960
Quick Trip to Colorado from S.C. Iowa and Fremont, Ne in brother Ron's Buick special car.
6 Adults & 3 children to Denver.

We thought, we would never be able to do this again. We did not!

Ron and Merle were newly married.

Judy & Del in Seminary with Wendy Jo, almost 3..

Sandy & Ken lived in Denver & Sherry 2½& Julie just a year old. Three large adult men in the front and 3 gals in the back with the 3 children on our laps.
A Memorialble ride. We had a great time and were still young & flexible.????

1965 Our first Trailer camping Trip to Black Hills and Estes Park in Colorado We rented a trailer which was very heavy carrying a full size apt. size propane range. Couch made into bed. Wendy was 7. Cindy was only 2½. What helpers they were!	We stayed in a National Forest Campground. Hauled our water, and picked up sticks and wood for fire. See the girls carrying wood or water? Loved helping Dad.
Campsite which we were lucky to find was in a National Campground in Estes Park. We were so close to our neighbors that we could touch the next camper as we went out our door.

Today in 2003 We Camp a bit differently:

Love traveling in our Winnebago Adventurer 35' Motor Home.
We have made trips to the Northwest, Central USA, to Michigan and Home. Have covered many states and have kept cool in the Summer Months when it becomes our home.

Lakeside Arizona in National Forest Campground

Cruising Hawaii and The South Pacific on the Norwegian Star March 2003

Cruising Around Hawaii on The South Pacific FanningIsland

Cruising Caribbean and Panama Canal 2001

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