At the end of the school year, most teachers say goodbye for the summer. But Boonton Township science teacher Bob Fordyce is getting ready for his 16th annual vacation with his students.

Mr. Fordyce—the kids call him Doc—is the one teacher that everyone remembers from Rockaway Valley School (www.rvsnj.org). He happily shares his hobbies and his vacation with his extended family.

The Fordyce classroom colorfully reflects his passion for sports (football, auto racing) and is stuffed like a jungle with plants, lizards, and all things dissectible. He runs the school’s athletic program. And every summer, he drives cross country for a camping expedition with a dozen or so kids he invites to join him. Another teacher accompanies. The parents foot the bill.

We caught up with Mr. Fordyce at six on Tuesday morning. The four-week journey was about to start. He checked the tents, food, and other provisions that were carefully packed atop the commuter-type van. The students, ten of them, posed for pictures, said goodbye to their parents and boarded.

Why does he do it? He likes to drive, he says, besides “it’s a great summer job. It pays a lot of bills.”

This trip is shorter than some, only 7,000 miles. That’s because it includes a special Cataract Canyon rafting trip, which lasts four days.

Families and friends waved goodbye as the Fordyce Ford pulled out of the driveway. They would drive 700 miles Tuesday, heading for Indiana, then the swing through the southwest.

It’s a trip the kids will remember all their lives. With a teacher that doesn’t say goodbye for the summer.