Eight girls from Girl Scout troop 2116 tagged along with five parents to make the summer of 2014 one to remember. Together they crammed into two cars, with a third car for gear, and made this the bonding experience of their teenage years. Current junior Rachel Cutright was talking with her fellow Girl Scouts when they came to the consensus that they had to do something huge for a bonding experience.

“We said all together ‘let’s go to Virginia and stay the night on the beach,’” Cutright said.

However, a trip like this needs funding. According to Cutright, they had been planning the trip for a long time and raised money for it over the span of three years. Together they worked together to sell cookies and luminary bags, which are bags with sand and a candle inside, just to make the bonding experience possible for them. According to Cutright, it was worth it in order to make the journey possible.

“We wanted to do something fun for our last year of Girl Scouts,” graduate Morgan Hill said. “It was the closest beach and it had a lot of cool things to do down there.”

When they finally had the funds, they were ready to make the drive down. But with only two vehicles and 13 people occupying them, it was very packed. Rachel did benefit from the tightly crammed car because the girls were able to bond very well.

“It sure made us feel cooped up,” Cutright said. “When we got to Virginia, we were so happy to be out of the car.”

During the road trip, the group made several stops along the way. In West Virginia, they stayed at a Girl Scout campsite for the night for a rest. The next day they continued on to Virginia and when they made it, many of the girls wanted to relax on the beach with their fellow Scouts.

“My favorite part was staying at the beach and just having a good time,” Hill said.

The troop visited many historical sites which was very interesting to a lot of the members of the troops as well as the parents. Karen Basford, a parent volunteer for the troop, recalls the Cape Henry Lighthouse as one of the most historical pieces of the trip because it was one of the first lighthouse’s commissioned in the U.S.

“I really loved the lighthouse. It was a very inspiring to touch a piece of our country’s history. A lot of our trip revolved around that history. When we went to Jamestown it was very awe-inspiring to be immersed in that.”

One of Cutright’s most enjoyable moments on the trip was the stop they made in Williamsburg. She loved the atmosphere and what many of the residents had to offer. The culture and people there were very interesting to her.

“My favorite part of the trip was Williamsburg,” Cutright said. “Everybody is an actor there, and they have people outside doing things. We stopped at a diner only lit by candlelight and people were playing music. It was really cool.”

Another destination on the trip was Chimney Rock in North Carolina. This was notable for its many hiking paths and trails for the scouts to explore. Cutright was able to get past many of the obstacles through the encouragement of her fellow scouts in her troop, which showed her how great the bonding experience was for her. The view was one of her most memorable experiences she had on the trip.

“I was deathly afraid of climbing the rock,” Cutright said. “ The elevation was 315 feet, but it was a lot of fun. At first I was like ‘Oh gosh, this is really scary,’ but my friends said I had to come. At the top you could see the lake and it was really pretty.”

Both Hill and Cutright agree that road trips like this with groups of friends and

companions are beneficial and a great experience. They both highly recommend it to those who haven’t had a trip with multiple spots, sights and destinations to do so.

“When you do a road trip you get to see things you don’t get to see in an airplane,” Basford said. “ You gain memories from conversations and the sites you see. That’s how I grew up. I’m hoping our family could go on a road trip again in the coming year.”