MERCER COUNTY AREA — We all know gasoline costs are putting the crunch on the budgets of many potential vacationers this year. Are economic worries causing you to re-think your vacation plans this summer? There are things you can do to ease the costs. They just take a little ingenuity and planning.

Food for thought



One great way to save money on a road trip is to take along your own snacks and drinks. Fresh fruits are great snacks — grapes, apples and bananas are good travelers. Dried fruit is another easy snack to take on the road — raisins, banana chips, apricots, cherries, cranberries, etc. Bottled water is an option, although that can get expensive in itself and certainly adds to the trash that must be disposed of on stops; another option is to invest in Thermoses or drink bottles/boxes for each family member and refill them from gallon jugs you bring along — either water or juices.

Take it one step further and take along a packed lunch and picnic at a roadside rest, or shop for your lunch items at a store or farmer’s market in one of the towns along your route and lunch at a park or town square there. It gives everyone a chance to stretch and relax away from the car for awhile. A good romp often leads to an afternoon nap — for the kids! — once you hit the road again.

Consider, too, taking along the makings for one to two meals a day while on vacation — breakfasts, snacks and one other meal work great — and use the money saved for some greater adventure than a fast-food stop. Cereal, snack bars, granola, fresh and dried fruits, raw carrots, nuts, seeds, nut butters, crackers, rice cakes, tortillas, pita pockets, sandwich buns and bread all pack and travel well. Look for places to stay that offer refrigerators in the room, and you can keep milk, lunch meats, cheeses, and lettuce, too. Just don’t forget to pack something to eat all that food with: plates and/or bowls; spoons and knives; cups; and napkins — a roll of paper towels works great, too. Pack your dinnerware in a plastic storage container — complete with lid — along with some dish liquid in a travel shampoo container, and your travel utensils will be reusable, and thus “green.”

Think local



If long trips are out of the question, why not check out the sights that draw all those tourists to the area where you live? You know, the stuff you never go to because it’s, well, so familiar. Look at it all with new eyes; remember all the reasons why you thought it would be a great place to live and raise a family.

Check out the museums, historic places, downtown areas, independently owned shops, music and art festivals, theater offerings, and more that can be found in your own community and those nearby. Check out your county visitor’s bureau and community newspapers for a wealth of information on places to go and things to do.

William Least Heat-Moon devoted a whole book to traveling the “Blue Highways” on the map: the slower-speed, lesser-traveled roads that take you through the hearts of towns and cities. Grab a local map and check out the “blue highways” in your area (they’re the “red” roads on maps, now), and discover the gems that surround you. There’s something to be said for life in the slow lane, and it’s a real treat to drive somewhere you’ve never been and meet some of your fellow travelers on life’s highway.

Stop at the farms that have signs touting their “Fresh Eggs” or with vegetable stands outside. Go to the places that offer “pick your own” fruits and vegetables. Check out the offerings of small-time craftsmen who work out of their homes. You’ll help support your local economy, glimpse a different way of life, and maybe even make some new friends.

Backyard adventures



But, if even small trips are out of reach this year, consider vacationing right at home, in your own back yard — literally.

When was the last time you took in the night skies from your own back yard? Sleep out in a tent or in sleeping bags under the stars. Take along a telescope, some star charts and a few of the great books about the night skies that can be found at your library for a memorable family experience.

Check out the life that lives within your little corner of the world: birds, bugs, animals — all creatures great and small. Watch the little ones in your life and learn a thing or two from them. As “big people,” we tend to overlook those things. Buy or check out some books from the library and learn a bit more about all that breathes and grows around you. Get in touch with the rhythm of the Earth. Get up with the birds and go to sleep listening to the sounds of the nightlife around you. Explore local parks or wooded areas near you. Some great adventure may be just a walk — or under a rock — away!

Plan a “Pioneer Weekend” — a couple days living as close to the pioneer experience as you can muster. This one takes a bit of planning. A great place to start is by reading the “Little House” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her writings vividly portray life at a time when the possibilities of this country and the individuals who shaped it seemed endless. Then, plan your meals, activities, food supplies and living quarters and spend a few days living a pioneer life. A huge dose of imagination will go a long way in making your weekend memorable: Your “covered wagon” may be a tent in the back yard; your kitchen may be a section of the tent or a back patio or porch; your “prairie chicken” will have to be “hunted” from the refrigerator.

You’ll need lots of wood and a place cleared for a fire, which you will need to keep burning — you’ll need to cook all your meals over it and heat water for washing dishes and clothing and selves. Plan some pancakes or corn meal mush for breakfast, “prairie chicken” and “jack rabbit” (beef or pork) and vegetables for suppers. Iron skillets are a great help to this weekend, and an iron Dutch oven is great for cooking a pie over coals. Plan some activities true to the period — chop the wood for your fire, tend a garden, quilt, and even make butter using a small container of whipping cream you buy at the grocery store, a marble, a Mason or canning jar and a whole lot of shaking. (Take turns and watch the magic unfold.)

Dressing the part is optional, but provides an extra layer to the experience. (For instance, it really is cooling to wear a long-sleeved, light-colored shirt when it’s 70-plus degrees.) You can even go so far as to set up a “privy” in your back yard: a sheltered corner, a large, 5-gallon bucket and a sheet for privacy will do the trick. (Be warned: this one’s not pretty, and go ahead and empty the bucket each night; even a day’s worth of use is more than enough to make every family member appreciate that particular modern convenience.)

No phones; no computers; no electronics. Get up with the sun and go to sleep with the birds. Spend time working and talking together. Keep a journal of everyone’s thoughts and feelings each night. This adventure will be one they just might ask for again.

A pool and a tent in the back yard can offer a great escape. Just make sure to let your answering machine or service take all your calls and you might want to let everyone know ahead of time that you’ll be “going on vacation” that week, to minimize the chances of anyone calling or dropping by.

Shop for all your food supplies the week before, so you won’t have to leave the yard, if you don’t want to, and make some great-tasting foods ahead of time. Lots of fresh salads and fruit, easy-to-grill foods like burgers (be they the meat or veggie variety), made-ahead or bought pizzas (wrapped in foil and placed in the freezer) are a snap to heat on the grill or above the glowing embers of a wood-based fire. An old Boy Scout trick is to double-wrap some raw ground meat, a quartered potato, a peeled and cut-up carrot and spices to taste in some foil, bury it beneath the coals, wait about 20 minutes, retrieve, open and enjoy a wonderful hot meal.

Buy some cookies or the ingredients for “s’mores” for desserts, or even your favorite frozen confection. Try making your own ice cream or frozen yogurt using an ice cream maker — the hand-cranked kind, the electric kind or even a cool ball-shaped ice cream maker that makes the making part of the treat and gets everyone involved.

No matter which “vacation” experience you choose at home, remember to keep it simple — less work means more fun and makes it feel like a vacation for everyone. Let the laundry and work pile up, just like on a vacation spent away from it all. You’ve recovered from vacation cleanups before and you’ll do it again. Only this time, you’ll get maximum time spent vacationing — no long trip to get there and no long trip to get back home.



Judi Swogger, a former Herald editor and reporter, lives with her husband, Joe Pinchot, twin daughters Natalie and Siri, 11, and son Uriah, 2, in Brookfield.