This page will be a place that we update regularly during our Coast-to-Coast roadtrip. Our hope is to disconnect as much as we can and many places we will be visiting have limited cell service. So if pictures and text are not well formatted, we’ll get around to that when we have more time.

Most recent adventures are listed first so if this is your first time visiting, start at the bottom and scroll your way up.

Great American Road Trip Map

Day 30

Little Rock, Arkansas

Today was going to be our last day with just the 4 of us as going forward, we would be with family members in Indiana and on our way home to Boston.

The previous night we went to a wonderful brewery in Little Rock called Lost Forty Brewing. The beer was excellent, food fantastic and we learned that Arkansas is where cheese dip was created - so that was a great #FunFact and excuse to get the cheese dip.

Our first stop on this day was to visit the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. I will most likely be writing a separate post about this visit in the future as the story of Elizabeth Eckford is one that touches my soul deeply. As we entered the site a park ranger greeted us and shared some of the details about the Little Rock Nine and their efforts to integrate Central High School. He concluded the remarks by telling the story of Elizabeth, who is the subject of the Pulitzer Prize winning photo from that time.

Each time I hear or read about Elizabeth Eckford, tears emerge and something in my being stirs. I’m not quite sure what it is, but there is something about the weight these kids had on their shoulders and the courage they had to stand up to the evil they encountered. Unfortunately, these stories are all too common in our country’s history and for me - Elizabeth’s courageousness captures me. I’ve been to many national historic sites - Little Rock Central High School will remain on my list of must visits.

Next on our places to visit in Little Rock was the Clinton Presidential Library. I’m sure it comes as no surprise that my 20 years of working in Republican politics made this an “interesting” visit. I haven’t visited many Presidential libraries and hope to visit more. However, after visiting the Clinton library, I’ve started to form a few opinions on what makes a library “good.” These ideas are still in their infancy and I will need to visit a handful more in order to develop them.

I do think that the Clinton library did what they did well. For example, they have the line by lines from each day of the Clinton Presidency and you can look them up. I did not remember that on my birthday the Camp David peace accords happened - so that was really neat to discover. The library is also beautifully set up. Modeled after the long room in Ireland’s Trinity Library - it is very beautiful and does give the vibe that this is a place that is for research. I felt that in the displays there was much missing. Of course I understand that the controversies wouldn’t be included, but I was bummed that there was introspection on events like - losing the House.

For me the highlight was observing that this was the 2nd time that in a cabinet room, Jack picked the Secretary of State’s chair to sit in. Seeing how I’m a huge Madeline Albright fan - this was great! The library also had a temporary dinosaur exhibit so Jack was a huge fan of that! This will probably be his favorite presidential library for that reason alone.

We concluded the day with more time in the hotel pool and packing things up before the next day’s long trip to Indiana where we were looking forward to spending time with family.

Day 29

Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hot Springs National Park and Little Rock, Arkansas

We heard about a playground in Tulsa call the Gathering Place which is a must visit place for anyone who has able-bodied kids. It’s an impressive place that is a highlight of our trip for Jack. We spent a good amount of time there and could have spent more! We learned that it was privately funded by a foundation and is considered the largest gift to community park. I just wished that in developing the playground they would have figured out a way to incorporate more accessibility features to allow for all kids to have a place to play.

After Jack had some time to play, we decided to check out the memorials to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. This is a story, I believe needs to be known by all Americans and I know I need to learn much more about the details of this tragedy. To see the tributes was meaningful and I’m grateful we had the opportunity.

As we left Tulsa, we stopped at our final Route 66 spot which is the Blue Whale of Catoosa. This was a wedding anniversary gift of a zoologist to his wife in the early 1970s. At times it’s future has been in doubt but fortunately the community continues to rally around the whale and ensure it remains an iconic site for travelers on the mother road.

We then left Oklahoma and headed to Arkansas and specifically the National Hot Springs National Park. We had been warned that it is not a typical National Park and we ended up discovering what people mean by that. The national park is a collection of historically restored turn of the century spas. In the first half of the 20th Century people would travel to Hot Springs to take into the healing properties of the water. Today you can visit the spas, hike trails and take home some water that comes out of the source at 140 degrees. Before we left Hot Springs, we stoped by Bill Cilnton’s boyhood home, which is not a national historic park - rather it is the house where he was born in Hope, Arkansas.

Day 28

More Route 66, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma

The previous day, we learned that the landscape in north Texas is flat and bland. This made driving difficult and tiring. We knew that today was going to be more of the same - but wow! It was a lot of nothing. We found a gem of a spot on Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas with a restored Conoco station. It was very well done and has a diner which was unfortunately closed when we stopped by. It was a great way to conclude our time in Texas.

We then went on to Oklahoma City where we saw both the tribute to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing as well as a tribute to the 1889 Oklahoma land run. Unfortunately, the day was hot - really hot - over 100 degrees hot! So getting Jack out of the car was difficult but he eventually got out a bit to walk around. We noticed that there was a minor league baseball game going on and have total respect for the fans who were attending the game.

We ended the day in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was a long, hot day full of lots of land. We made it but definitely not one of the easiest days. Thankfully we had gas stations that had popsicles and ice cream to motivate Jack. One unique gas station was a gem on Route 66 that is known for having an abundance of soda pop. My dad is a huge fan of orange soda so we made our way to that section, which was impressive! We picked him up 12 selections and that was only a fraction of options available!

Day 27

Los Alamos, Nevada, More Route 66 and Amarillo, Texas

We knew this was going to be a long day, but were super excited about what was in store. Originally we had planned to check out Taos on this day, but quickly decided that would be a bit too much. Come to think of it- we probably had too much planned, but we survived and had a day full of memories - mostly positive!

Our first stop was Los Alamos which is a significant location with regards to the Manhattan Project and development of the nuclear bomb. With the Oppenheimer movie recently released (full disclosure - we haven’t seen yet), it was a timely visit. In addition, one of the scientists who passed away because of the research, Hans Bethe, was an alum of Sean’s university so we wanted to visit his house as well. There is much to reflect upon with regards to this time in history. We had visited the Truman Presidential library earlier in the trip. I hope for years to come, people will continue to visit these sites, learn about the history and grapple with the questions that are raised.

As I mentioned, we skipped Taos - pledged to come back to New Mexico and made our back to the Mother Road - Route 66. MidPoint Cafe is known to be a diner that Flo’s V8 Cafe from the movie Cars was based. Located at the in the middle of Route 66 between Chicago and Santa Monica, guide books say that the women who run the cafe are national treasures and we experienced this first hand. We arrived just as the cafe was closing. However, seeing Jack and learning how he was hoping for some ice cream, they kindly put together some apple crisp complete with ice cream. Once again - we see what beautiful people make up our country.

After some full bellies of delicious goodness, we went back on Route 66 with Amarillo, Texas as our final destination. As we crossed the Texas border, we were amazed by the amount of windmills that peppered the landscape. Texas may be the land of oil and gas, but wow! the amount of windmills show that wind energy is produced in Texas as well.

Of course, we stopped at Cadillac Ranch which is an iconic art installation just west of Amarillo. Ten Cadillacs are placed vertically in the ground for passers by to spray paint. Initially, I had Jack take some kid friendly sidewalk chalk to leave his mark. However, a fellow artist insisted on Jack having his own bottle of black paint. Probably against our better judgement we allowed him to learn the joy of spray painting. Thankfully no spray ended up in his eyes, just on his skin. We learned soap and water doesn’t get spray paint off skin, but just give it time!

On to Amarillo, Texas where we had dinner at the Big Texan. It is famous for allowing diners to have a 72 oz. steam for free if they can eat it (as well as a variety of side dishes) in an hour. We certainly did not attempt to accomplish this feat. I thought my 8 oz steak was plenty big as it was! However, while we were thing a young patron did receive his 72 oz steak for free!

Day 26

Santa Fe, New Mexico

This was our second day in Santa Fe and we were looking forward to have another day discovering more of the city. We grabbed breakfast at a great place. I am a huge heurvo ranchero fan and we found a charming breakfast spot known for this dish. Of course I was asked if I wanted to have my food red, green or Christmas - I chose Christmas. We had a wonderful time eating, spending time together in a wonderful courtyard.

The weather was rather hot (although dry) so we opted to spend time at the hotel pool. Jack was really starting to get the hang of swimming…. specifically floating so we wanted him to keep swimming as much as he can! I also took the opportunity to schedule a massage at the spa and we had a great afternoon relaxing a bit.

For dinner we went to a taco shop which included a lovely walk through Santa Fe. We happened to be in town during The Burning of Zozobra which is a yearly event in Santa Fe. Pretty much it is a huge marionette that is burned - it represents getting rid of worries, anxieties and troubles. As we were walking to dinner, it was great to see the many families walking to the park where it would be burnt. We were tempted to go, but the burning didn’t happen until after 9:00 pm and since we had a long day ahead, we opted to pass. Maybe we should have pushed through and done it - but maybe it will give us another excuse to come to Santa Fe!

Day 25

Santa Fe, New Mexico

We fell in love with Santa Fe. When we were originally planning this trip, we wanted to check out New Mexico but for some reason didn’t expect it to be that big of a deal, but from the moment we entered into the city we discovered how special it was. Isn’t that often how life goes when you keep expectations low? Even if we had high expectations - Santa Fe would have exceeded them.

As was often our routine in the morning, Sean would take Charley for a walk outside our apartment. In Santa Fe he was gone longer than was typical in other areas. He came back sharing how great the park around the church was as well as the square with trees, monuments and shops around the perimeter. Some dear friends of ours (h/t Lacey and Jake!) told us that The Shed was a must visit spot. It is a third generation owned restaurant in with a beautiful outdoor eating area complete with colorful umbrellas. Jack wanted to eat indoors - so we did! It was here that we were first asked: Do you want Green, Red of Christmas? After a brief explanation from our server we learned this was to determine which kind of chili sauce we wanted our meal prepared.

After a fantastic lunch, we meandered around the square and the artisans who had their creations available for purchase. Jack was fascinated by all of the jewelry and picked out a beautiful necklace for me. Needless, to say this is will be a treasure I have the rest of my life.

The rest of the day we spent at our hotel pool, relaxed a bit and ate our hotel restaurant. Both Sean and I were struck by the collection of cultures in Santa Fe - the history of the indigenous people, Spanish and white settlers lends the city to have such a unique combination of art, food and culture.

Day 24

Meteor Crater and Petrified Forrest National Park

On this day we packed up our hotel room in Sedona, which was a Residence Inn that impressed us a great deal. The previous night we went to a pizza restaurant by Lisa Dahl - Pisa Lisa. Chef Dahl has a remarkable story as to why she left the fashion industry for the restaurant industry. If you find yourself in the area, looking up her restaurants is highly recommended. Sedona was great and we look forward to returning.

Our first stop for the day was Meteor Crater which Sean remembers going to when he was in elementary school. By way of background, over 50,000 years ago a meteor landed in rural New Mexico and made a giant crater. For a long time, it was assumed that the crater was created by a volcano. However, in the late 1800’s people started to say - “Nope! this is made by something else.” You can read about it by clicking here (thank you wikipedia!). Eventually, these scientists were proven correct and it was determined that a meteor created this crater and it is one of the best preserved craters on the planet. It is privately owned and well preserved. The museum is great and a major perk was an air conditioned dog kennel for Charley (apologies for a lack of a picture of this).

After this, we made our way to some classic Route 66 sites. We stood on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. I remembered this being such a fine site to see from a church trip I took when I was in High School in the early 90’s. Since then, the town has done such a great job highlighting “the corner” beyond being a few tourist shops. It is really a fun place - there is even a flatbed Ford in permanent residence. After Winslow, we took a short trip to Holbrook, Arizona which is where the Wigwam Motel is. This motel can easily be confused with the Cozy Cone Motel from the Cars franchise. Both places are such great places to visit that are full of Americana vibes.

I know this probably shouldn’t come as a surprise, but taking a four-year-old red head to the Petrified Forest National Park in 100 degree weather is not a good idea. For some reason he didn’t want to get out of the car! We were able to get him out for a 10-ish min walk on a trail behind the Southern Visitor Center, but other than that - the National Park was enjoyed from the inside of our air conditioned car. Sean and I tag teamed and were able to get out and see the various places we each wanted to see.

I remember seeing a picture of the petrified wooden bridge as an elementary student and loved seeing it in person! There were also some impressive petroglyphs that were easy viewed using binoculars. In addition, the coloring of the dessert hills was stunning in a very hot type of way!

We concluded the day by driving through New Mexica to our final destination for the day - Santa Fe. What has become a common narrative of our road trip - we were continually surprised by the stunning landscape we were driving by. What we had prepared to be a desolate land of tedious monotony became a landscape that awed us around every bend. It did not take long for us to realize that New Mexico would become a place we want to visit again!

Day 23

Slide Rock State Park, Sedona, Arizona

When one is traveling with a child, it is easy to think, “Am I doing more harm than good?” Travel throws any type of routine out the door. In addition, for us - screen time and ice cream become effective bribes (something we don’t do at home). It is hard to know if the benefits outweigh the challenges. This was a day that I will always remember as the reason why we travel with Jack.

We went to the Slide Rock State Park in Sedona, Arizona. It is famous for it’s river that is a popular swimming hole and has a rock one can slide down. Jack is still learning how to swim so we were curious how much he will be able to do. Fortunately, this location was perfect. The river had a variety of depths and levels. Of course, Jack wanted to rock jump with the “bigger kids” but we were able to explain this just wasn’t possible until he learned how to at the least float!

The slide rock was a different matter. Every rational thought screamed for us not to do it. However, against our better judgment, Sean took Jack down the slide rock, and WOW! I can not express how full my heart was seeing the two of them go down. Jack was holding onto his dad with the biggest smile on his face and I could tell Sean was having the time of his life.

Experiencing this moment is one I will cherish from this trip. Jack trusts his dad and Sean loves his son. The red rocks were only a background to witnessing the beauty that is a father-son relationship. Back home - Schedules can wait. Sugar can be regulated and screen time can be limited. On this day, Slide Rock showed us that all the questions we had, were answered with a definitive - Jack is okay!

Day 22

Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Route 66 and Sedona, Arizona

After a long day on the road we slept in a bit and took our time getting ready to leave. Sean had never been to Las Vegas before and since it was a Sunday morning, we decided to drive down the strip so he could see all the casinos. It was the perfect time to do so as there was no one on the road!

I had been to Las Vegas three times prior and had a fantastic time each visit. However, none of my traveling companions ever wanted to go see the Hoover Dam! So I finally got to check off what could have been the nerdiest item on my bucket list. There is a newly built and impressive pedestrian bridge one can take to see the dam. I’m not the best with heights but Sean insisted that I go - for which I’m very grateful as it was fantastic to finally see the dam. We also took time to visit Lake Mead and see the concern about its water levels.

After the dam we began making our way to Sedona, Arizona by traveling on Historic Route 66. We stopped at the Hackberry General Store, the Snow Cap as well as saw an abundance of dinosaurs and plenty of old cars. Our final destination for the day was our hotel in Sedona, Arizona and once again, we were amazed by the landscape we were witnessing during our drives. This really is a stunningly beautiful country!

Day 21

Bodie State Park, California and Las Vegas, Nevada

This was a day that did not go as planned - at all! But ended up being one of our most memorable of days. This was going to be our longest and most anxiety-inducing day. We were going to leave Lake Tahoe and visit the Manzanar National Historic Site and then drive through Death Valley National Park to spend the evening in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, access to Manzanar was significantly limited and Death Valley was entirely closed because of the significant rain fall the area received due to a hurricane in Southern California.

In figuring out an alternative plan we discovered Bodie Historic State Park, which is a preserved ghost town that was inhabited up until the 1940s. The town exists as the people left it and the only changes made are to preserve the structure of the buildings. This state park was such a highlight that I wrote an entire blog about it. Click Here to read more!

The drive to Las Vegas ended up being much more beautiful than we expected. The landscape of Nevada greatly surprised us with its diversity and beauty. We made it to Las Vegas that evening happily worn out and grateful the day went as well as it did. The worst part was as we were leaving Lake Tahoe, we had an hour delay because President Biden was in the area and the secret service had shut down our road. This was frustrating, but something we look forward to telling Jack someday!

Day 20

Lake Tahoe, California

After enjoying a much-needed day of resting at our beautiful hotel in Lake Tahoe, we decided to make the trip around the Lake and discover all that Lake Tahoe has to offer. I don’t think this will be our last time visiting. We went for a pleasant drive around the lake and then returned to the hotel for an afternoon at the pool. I got a massage at the spa which was fantastic as the whole driving hours on end hasn’t been the best thing for my back! We had a delicious dinner at the restaurant and of course, ended the evening with “chocolate and fire” - what Jack calls making S’mores.

One of the craziest experiences of the trip was later at night while we were putting Jack down, I was on the balcony of our room and people were below enjoying some drinks around the fire. I saw in the distance what appeared to be a rock moving - which seemed odd, so I looked further. It happened to in actuality be a bear hanging out near the pool bar! I called Sean and of course, Jack and Charley followed. We notified the group below and as you would expect they started recording the bear with their phones while a few other people went to let the staff know what was going on. We learned that Charley doesn’t like bear whistles and of course it would be true that we saw more bears at our hotel than in Yellowstone National Park!

Day 19

Lake Tahoe, California

Welcome to the halfway point of our trip - We made it this far! This is how we spent our day…

Day 18

Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lake Tahoe, California

After picking up some donuts at a charming drive through donut shop in Klamath Falls, Oregon, we began our trip to Lake Tahoe which is the location of our half-way point.

Our primary stop of the day was Lassen Volcanic National Park - which is the site of the 2nd most recent volcanic explosion (St. Helen’s is the first). Between 1914 and 1917, Lassen errupted and there are some pretty wild photographs displayed throughout the park during this time period. In addition, despite the park being severely impacted by the Dixie forrest fire two years ago, Sean and I both enthusiastically put this park on the list of most underrated national parks (Here’s looking at you Conagree National Park who is also included on this list).

We were able to still have a fun day for Jack as we played some hide and seek, ate a picnic lunch by a river and he experience hydrothermal pools for the first time along with it’s stinky smell.

After visiting the park we made our way to Lake Tahoe while Jack slept (a rare occurrence!). The drive was stunning and through a part of California we knew we wouldn’t have the chance to see very often. The landscape was beautiful with the mountains on both sides and ranches and farms peppering the views. We finally made it to Lake Tahoe in a rather travel-weary state.

In planning this trip we knew at this point we would be exhausted and decided to splurge and get a room at the Ritz Carlton. Little did we know that they would upgrade us to a suite that is bigger than our Boston apartment and included a tent and lion stuffie for Jack. We were ready to relax.

Day 17

Crater Lake National Park

The prior day we had a a great time of resting where we resolved to go at a bit of a slower pace. Fortunately (but a bit unfortunately) Mother Nature (or climate change) helped us with this resolution as we made our way to Crater Lake National Park. Sean had been before and I had not. We knew the roads to the park would be back roads and provide a great scenic drive for us.

In addition, a friend had visited the day before and sent us photos of the lake with a little bit of forest fire haze and suggestions on what we should do - like take the boat ride. We quickly learned how the weather can change things around in the time span of a day. As we were driving to the park, the haze was becoming thinker and thinker. We were very bummed as we knew it was going to make the view of the lake very anti-climatic. As we were driving to the park we also saw a great amount of damage to trees from previous forest fires. In addition, the temperature dropped significantly and I had packed Jack’s jacket deep in the trunk of our car. So all of these ingredients created a recipe for a dreary day.

This day was clearly not going as we had hoped. But, I tried to see the positive in that we got some rather unique post-apocalyptic type photos of the lake - I mean everyone posts pictures of Crater Lake’s pristine water and clear blue sky - how boring is that? Another positive is that it seems as though we’ll need to visit this beautiful part of the world again. Finally, it also forced us to have a bit of a slower day, which we are learning is a good thing.

Day 16

Pacific City, Oregon

The prior day was not one of the best for the Godbout family. Sparing the unpleasant details, it was clear we needed to take a break and especially allow Jack to have a day that was just for him. We had just experienced two brutal travel days and then another day full of activities that were not Jack’s favorite. In addition, we were staying at a beautiful lodge on the beach of a charming surfing town, so we decided to take advantage of all Pacific City had to offer.

We learned that the community takes pride in dory fishing which consists of dory boats launching into the water directly from the beach and landing on the beach after being out to see. Early in the morning an army of trucks pulling boats came to the beach outside our lodge and fishermen launched their dories into the water. It was a sight to see. You can click here for an Oregon Public Television segment on this type of fishing in Pacific City.

For lunch, we proceeded to get pizza and then came back to our room for a marathon viewing of Octonauts. After calling the guest services of our lodge and discovering they do have beach toys we can borrow - we all went to the beach for an afternoon of sand castle building and destroying. After a lovely dinner at the lodge’s restaurant - complete with ice cream for Jack, we made our way back to our room to watch a bit more Octonauts before going to bed.

This was a day full of reminders that we ask a lot of Jack. He is a good kid and puts up with a lot, but moving forward, on this trip Sean and I committed to move at a slower pace. Maybe instead of 5 things to do, we only do 4 - It is good for not only Jack - but also good for us!

Day 15

Astoria and Oregon Coast

Disclaimer: Everything you are about to read is a distortion of reality.

We have a policy to not post anything online about Jack that we wouldn’t frame and hang on our walls or write anything about Jack that does not highlight the best of his character. Day 15 makes that policy very difficult.

Ecola State Park which overlooks Haystack Beach was made famous by the movie Goonies. It was also a filming location for the carnival in Kindergarten Cop (hands down Arnold Schwartzeneger’s best movie)

Then we headed up to Astoria, checked out their farmer’s market (it was good, but Des Moines was way better), and grabbed some food truck Thai food at a brewery.

After lunch we went to the Lewis and Clark National Historic Site which is great. Once again - the park rangers impressed me so much. The way they interacted with Jack and answered his “questions” make them a national treasure in my opinion.

So my favorite #FunFacts that I learned at the park was how about how much the Lewis & Clark expedition loved Sacagawea. She was smart, charming and a great asset for trading (specifically for horses). They also loved her son Jean Baptiste - she was pregnant when she and her husband were hired for the expedition. Her husband was a French fur trader and the expedition really didn’t like him except for his cooking abilities and of course his wife. I fully support Greta Gerwig’s next movie to be a bio epic on Sacagawea. How has this not already been done?

In addition, I also left the site wanting to learn more about York who was an enslaved person on the expedition. The park is making his contributions to the expedition more prominent and I hope his story will become all the more prominent.

We then ended our day at the Tillamook creamery where we stood in a ridiculously long line to get ice cream. As a 20 year resident of New England, and a native of the Midwest, I will happily go on record that the only ice cream worth waiting in line for is Ben & Jerry’s and Jenni’s. Disagree if you wish, but that’s my opinion!

Day 14

Oregon Trail, Columbia Gorge and The PACIFIC OCEAN!

So this is the second of our two brutal travel days. We woke up in a great Residence Inn in Boise, Idaho and our first plan of attack for the day was to get Charley to a dog park and get his pent up energy out from the prior day. I found a fantastic city park which has a dog park on an island! It was huge and super impressive! Then I went to pick up some donuts to start Jack’s day off in a good mood.

With everyone seemingly happy we began our day hoping in the evening we would be on a beach with our toes in the Pacific Ocean. Along the way we stopped at a state park that had an exhibit on the Oregon Trail. We took the little trail which was a nice way to stretch our legs and read some signs about the trail. My take away from the experience was that I would have died.

I was on day 14 of a cross country road trip with my lower back aching and I’m fairly certain those wagons didn’t have any better lumbar support than our rented Nissan Rogue.

We continued our journey and were looking forward to driving through the Columbia Gorge, which both Sean and I had previously done. Unfortunately, wild fire haze prevented much of our view. Apocolyptic type smoke descended and although it was impressive to see the dams that have been created along the river, it would have been nice to see some of the surrounding landscape.

Despite the haze we decided to stop and see Multnomah falls and the waterfalls surrounding it. Fortunately the haze did not prevent this and it was a nice stop before our remaining 2 hours.

We had thought about stopping in Portland, as we had heard from friends that Portland has a lot of homelessness, drugs, good food and good bookstores. This sounded a bit too much like our home so we decided to drive through the Portland traffic (just like Boston!) and make our way to Pacific City where we would FINALLY set foot in the Pacific Ocean.

After long last, we checked into our room and immediately went down to the beach. As we were walking down, with an iconic Oregon haystack in the water - I looked and Sean and experienced a rush. We had done it - Traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific with a 4 year old and puppy AND we not only still talking, but still having fun. What a celebration.

In my state of elation, Sean reminded me that - our plans require us to do this again as we do want to go home! I will have years to journal and process how this trip has changed me, but this is a moment I will cherish forever. Travel is a privilege and to travel with the ones you love is a blessing.

Day 13

Craters of the Moon and Boise, Idaho

This day began the first of two brutal travel days for our crew. We knew this wasn’t going to be pretty when we started and kept our expectations low. To make the next day bearable, we wanted to make it to Boise, Idaho by the evening. Knowing this, we wanted to make sure Jack was in a good mood before we got in the car. So we had a morning at Under Canvas with plenty of coloring with their box of 40 Crayola markers and enjoying their almond butter, banana and jelly sandwich. We finally got on our way around 9:00 am and said goodbye to the beautiful Paradise Valley while vowing to come back.

To break up the long day we decided to stop at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. On the way there we drove through Arco, Idaho. While passing through we noticed many signs boasting that they were the first city in the world to be lit by atomic power. I’m all about small-town pride and am happy for Arco. However, I have to wonder - I think I’d rather not live in the first city to be lit by Atonic Power… maybe a city that waited for 10-12 communities to prove it was safe.

So off to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve - Jack has recently gotten into The Floor is Lava television show so we thought seeing lava fields would be of interest to him. Wrong! Apparently, the show makes kids scared of lava! After trying to explain to him that this is lava from thousands of years ago failed, we told him that this is what people thought the moon was like. He didn’t really care about this either!

Fortunately, Jack fell asleep so Sean and I each took the time to walk up the Inferno Cone. We couldn’t go up together because dogs weren’t allowed and Jack was asleep in the car. After Sean came down I began my ascent and this quickly became a highlight of the trip. Two years ago, I’m not sure if I could have physically made it up the cone to see the amazing view. Since the pandemic, I’ve been committing to personal training which has been time-consuming as well as exhausting. However, going up the cone with just a little bit of physical exertion made all of this work worth it. As I was coming down, Jack came to meet me as he had woken up from his nap. By all accounts, I’m an older parent and I sure hope that I will be able to do these types of experiences with Jack as he grows up.

Fortunately, there are some “Jack size cones” that he got to hike and his fear of lava seemed to subside!

Day 12

Yellowstone National Park

So our original plan for this day was to take a bit of a breather and enjoy the Under Canvas location. However, for a number of reasons we decided this wouldn’t be the best - namely the heat and lack of air conditioning in the tent (fyi - Under Canvas has a partner location that does have air-conditioned tents - we are already planning when we will stay at that location!). Although we plan to bring Jack back to Yellowstone when he is older and can better appreciate the park, we opted to still “go in.”

We had heard nightmare stories about the abundance of visitors in the park and prepared for the worst and began making our way to the North Entrance. The drive from our campsite to the park was extraordinary. We were driving in a valley and the mountains on our left and right were breathtaking. Prior to entering the park, we picked up some sandwiches and snacks at a market. We thought at the least we could find a picnic table and enjoy the north loop of the park. This was a great suggestion we got as it was perfect. The north is not as “popular” and we were able to meander and enjoy the views. The northeast part of the drive/park really allows one to experience the elevation of the mountains. Although I had visited Yellowstone twice before, I had not visited this part of the park and it really is fantastic.

We made our way back for a final night at Under Canvas. After enjoying dinner, Jack coloring with a box of 40 Crayola markers that were provided for guests, a game of bean bags (aka corn-hole) and of course S’mores, we made our way to our tent for an early night. Little did we know that a massive wind storm was going to hit around midnight. Fortunately, Jack and Charley slept right through while Sean and I kept telling ourselves “this is normal. this is normal? this is normal!” We made it through dry, safe and sound and all the more impressed with the Under Canvas tents!

Day 11

Devils Tower, Battle of Little Bighorn, and Paradise Valley

As I was packing up the car to hit the road for another car ride to another destination, I heard some rustling near my foot and looked to see Charley - who I thought was safely confined in our tent. Apparently one of the zippers was loose and he escaped - fortunately his destination was to find me which was a huge relief. This could have ended much differently. Traveling with Charley has been fun. He’s a needy little guy and is happiest when he is sleeping on the bed or sitting on the lap of the person in the front seat passenger.

With a sigh of relief that all four of us were safely secured in the car along with our luggage, we began our day heading towards Devils Tower National Monument. The first aspect of the tower that I observed was how it just creeps up - the first view of the tower is breathtaking, such a surprise. Surrounding the tower’s landscape are large formations of red rocks - this makes the distinctive gray of Devil’s Tower all the more distinctive. I never thought I would say this, but the more I see on this trip - the more curious I am about geology. I hope that Jack takes an interest and can do some projects that teach me more!

The next stop on this trip was to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield (often referred to as Custer’s Last Stand). As I have previously mentioned, learning about our country’s history as it relates to indigenous people is a priority for me on this trip. I had visited, this site back in 2015 with a group of friends and was impressed with the presentation of the events as well as the memorial to the indigenous people who fought in the battle. I was excited for Sean to experience it for the first time.

Rightly so, dog are not allowed out of the car so Sean took Jack to watch the movie, see the battlefield and hear the park ranger’s presentation while I took the time to clean out our car (it was much needed by this time). Of no surprise, Jack did not make it through the entire movie so he came back to the car while Sean walked around. When he returned we proceeded to drive the battlefield road and remark on how impressed we continue to be with the National Park Service. I do not envy their job during this politically heightened time in our country. This is a story where there does not seem to be a “good guy” or a “bad guy.” Leaving a place like Battle of Little Bighorn with more questions than answers, for me, is evidence that the story was well told.

After a long day of driving, while also experiencing a great mount of haze from forrest fires, we arrived to Under Canvas’ newest location in Paradise Valley, Montana - which is about an hour north of the Yellowstone National Park Entrance. The location had only been opened for a little over a month and it was impressive to see all they have done to make the site extraordinary. After a great meal, time spent on the river and some ice cream, we finally went to bed!

Day 10

Custer State Park, South Dakota

I need to make a confession. I’m a National Park snob. So in the past when I heard that Custer State Park is amazing, I didn’t really take the accolades seriously. I was wrong.

Custer State Park is Amazing!

Fortunately, the park was close to our campsite so we made our way early in the morning. We learned this is a good thing to do if you want to see wildlife. We arrived on the earlier side of mid-morning and experienced a buffalo heard crossing our road.

Fortunately (and a bit surprisingly) Charley didn’t viciously bark to defend his people from the inside of the car from the buffalo outside his window. Yay for not having to fill out an accident report - we still have 27 days left in our trip at this point, so here’s hoping!

To celebrate Charley’s keeping calm under pressure, we made our way to The Purple Pie place. Several years ago I went with a group of girlfriends when we were visiting Mount Rushmore as one of the traveling friends is obsessed with all things purple (and I’m obsessed with all things pie).

Both Sean and I were spoiled by our fantastic pie-making moms, so I purposely did not oversell the pie to Sean - but this place is amazing. Sean ordered this piece of pie that was rhubarb, raspberry, and jalapeño - we’ll definitely try to recreate it at home. Of course, we had the classics apple and blueberry as well. Seriously, if you need are short on time when visiting the Black Hills and need to decide between going to Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, or the Purple Pie Place - don’t go to Mount Rushmore.

After a delicious lunch of pie and ice cream, we went back to Custer State Park. Sean and Jack spent some time in a lovely lake while Charley and I walked up to see the lake from above. We drove around to see the scenery which was wild. Both Sean and I remarked how the rock formations reminded us of rocks we saw in the Seychelles and a road full of switchbacks reminded us of a road trip we experienced in the Atlas Mountains. This world is really an amazing place. The more we travel it’s incredible to see how similar yet different places are. What a privilege to experience.

We concluded our stay in the Black Hills by doing a quick drive by the Crazy Horse sculpture and spending a nice evening in our tent. Jack created a bed on the porch of the tent and then we went to get S’mores.

It’s a good life!

Day 9

Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park

We started this day by waking up in our king-size bed in our Under Canvas tent, which for me is a dream come true. I’ve been frequenting Under Canvas “resorts” for several years now and they have only improved in their guest experience. I can’t recommend them enough and the Under Canvas Mount Rushmore was simply wonderful. Our morning consisted of having breakfast on a deck with a view of Mount Rushmore.

After our breakfast, we made our way to get a closer view of Mount Rushmore. Like most national parks, Mount Rushmore is figuring out what to do with dogs and they limit their access to the mountain. Since I had already visited, I stayed back with Charley, while Sean and Jack went to experience the view.

As I was waiting with Charley, another couple had a dog and I offered to hold it while they went to get a closer look together. Funny thing - their dog was also named Charlie (but had a different spelling). After hanging out with the new friends for a bit, the couple came back and we proceeded to chat a bit. They were from British Columbia and were doing a coast-to-coast trip as well and their Atlantic Ocean destination was Salem, Massachusetts. Needless to say, after living across the harbor from Salem for 12 years the couple and I became fast friends!

Eventually, Sean and Jack came back, we took a quick selfie at a dog-approved spot and we were off on our next adventure

So Badlands National Park was next on our places to visit. Again, like most parks, they are rightfully limiting what dogs can do. Fortunately, a ranger told us about a gravel road which is a great place to walk dogs and has excellent views. So we headed that way. Jack and Charley got out and we were able to have a great time taking in the views of what can only be described as otherworldly. We then proceeded to make our way to a prairie dog community and were able to observe quite a show! I can see why people think these creatures are super cute, however, I still think they should be called prairie rats.

The Badlands are a good distance from our camping site so we made our way back for a nice dinner, game of Scrabble, scores, and block building before heading to bed. A very fun, hot, and full day!

Day 8

Traveling along the Mass Pike in South Dakota

So prior to this trip, I had visited Sioux Falls and Mount Rushmore but hadn’t discovered the in-between of these two places. I had heard stories of legend about this section of the country from my parents, who once lived in South Dakota, as well as a handful of very proud South Dakotian friends (btw - what do you call people from South Dakota?). As we got on the Mass Pike (what Interstate 90 is called by people where I’m from) - we knew we were in for a treat.

The treat started in Mitchell, SD with The Corn Palace. I’ll admit, my expectations were very low and I had imagined a very kitschy type of place. Wow. Was I ever wrong (being wrong about South Dakota becomes a general theme for the next few days). Not only is The Corn Palace a celebration of corn - it is an active arena. Imagine Hoosier basketball gyms like Hinkle field house, but with corn and it’s dog friendly. The Corn Palace is a treat even better than kettle korn! Needless to say, we bought a ton of corn things so we can remember this gem of Americana (Jack got a corn stuffy which has become a loyal travel companion).

So we then got back in the car and while we were on the road, Shelbi, one of our most proud South Dakotian friends, called and asked where we were - we said, the mass pike. She then proceeded to tell us about a must-stop location called Dignity of Earth and Sky. We put it in the GPS and our handy Car Play system told us that we had not yet passed it - Yay!

One goal of this trip for me is to learn about parts of our nation’s history that I confess - I’m ignorant of. At the top of the list is the experience of indigenous people. There is so much that I don’t know and I don’t know where to begin learning. I don’t know what questions to seek answers. I want to know how I can better show my respect and gratitude for their contributions despite the injustices they have experienced, but feel as though it is a quagmire of information. Visiting the Dignity of Earth and Sky is one, of what I hope to be many, stops on this trip that helped me begin to ask questions as I seek to understand this part of our history.

Naturally, the next stop on our, learn more things about American History tour, would be stop at Minuteman Missile National Historic Park. Growing up in the 80s, I was aware that we had nuclear bombs and that they were somewhere in the middle of nowhere. But this didn’t really register, it was more theoretical. Ya - I worked on Capitol Hill and in politics for 20 years, this shouldn’t be a theoretical idea to me, but until I saw a decommissioned nuclear silo in person - the reality that “OMG! There were once nuclear bombs all over our country - including super close to the Mass Pike in South Dakota” never really sank in.

So why did we have all of these nuclear bombs? - to protect the American way of life! Like The Corn Palace and our next stop - Wall Drug. I had heard a great deal about this tourist attraction and I remember my dad once showing me a picture from a business trip to Amsterdam where there was a mile marker sign to Wall Drug. In my mind, I thought this would be the South Dakota version of South of the Border a dreadful tourist trap along I-95 in South Carolina.

Once again I was wrong (sensing a theme here?). It is a tourist trap, but it isn’t as bad as South of the Border. For one, it has donuts, for two it has ice cream, for three there is a train engine across the street and for four, it has a bookstore. Even though it has more Made-in-China tchotchkes than South of the Border, you get a free bumper sticker - so obviously Wall Drug is so much better. Yay America!

There was so much to this crazy day that I will remember. I’m sure I’ll blog about it someday. We concluded by doing a quick drive-by through the Badlands (the next day is all Badlands!) and on our way to where we were staying that evening we passed through countless sunflower fields. Of course, I couldn’t help but get nostalgic over the ’90s sunflower perfume so I googled to see if it is still a thing - it is! and of course, there were influencers doing their influencer photo thing in the sunflower fields - so Sean and I joined them. We just took pictures of the sunflowers though - I didn’t have a flowy dress on (or makeup).

Day 7

Iowa, Omaha, Nebraska and Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Okay, I know that I was in Iowa, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that I stumbled on the most amazing Farmers Market that I’ve ever experienced while giving Charley his morning walk. We decided to call an audible and delayed our departure to enjoy just a fraction of the Des Moines farmer market. Donuts, German pastries, slushies, iced coffee, custom stationary, and a train made out of barrels? All amazing gems that we enjoyed.

After we enjoyed the farmers market we made our way to Omaha and stopped at some Iowa gems. I come from a family of Cleveland sports fans so stopping to see the tribute to Bob Feller - the Heater from VanMeter was a must. Having a bookstagram account means that we NEEDED to stop at one of the remaining bridges of Madison County (even though I haven’t read the book or seen the movie). Sean’s dad was a huge John Wayne fan so we stopped to see his hometown as well.

All of these stops allowed us to go through various small towns and it was a highlight to see such well-deserved small-town pride. I will certainly write more about this at a later time, but seeing the pride of people in their communities, no matter the population is inspiring and something that I really value about our country.

So we went to Omaha, another hometown where I lived when I was young. We stopped by the house and ate lunch at a park down the street while Jack played on a playground. We also enjoyed the wonder of two of the greatest engines of the Union Pacific Railroad. As you enter Omaha, the two engines, one a steam engine and the other a diesel, are perched a top of the highway in a park and are quite an introduction to the city.

We finally made our final destination for the day - Sioux Falls, South Dakota in plenty of time to check out their namesake waterfalls. What a fantastic conclusion to a long but super fun day.

Day 6

Des Moines, Iowa

On this day, we headed to Des Moines, Iowa which was one of the priorities of mine when planning this trip. I was able to enjoy a handful of later elementary years in Iowa and I look back on those times very fondly. Having Sean experience a bit of Iowa was something that I was looking forward to.

But first, as we left Kansas City, we stopped at Amelia Earhart’s birthplace in Atchinson, Kansas. This town was idyllically set on the Missouri River and her home had a beautiful overlook of the river. It was all very charming and was a great way for us to play the game “What do you remember about Amelia Earhart?” and at least gain the knowledge of a 5th grader as it relates to American Aviation heroes. One interesting aspect of the museum is that it is maintained by the Ninety-Nines which is an international organization of women pilots of which Amelia was its first President.

After paying homage to a great American hero, we left to go to Des Moines, Iowa and our hotel allowed us to have a super early check-in (Thank You Residence Inn!). This enabled us to go to The Living History Farms without Charley in tow. As lovely as it would have been to have Charley with us, Sean got to more accurately experience what 5th-grade Minde adored! My dad and I were regulars at Living History Farms and I couldn’t get enough of how they presented the history of agriculture in Iowa. (If you were wondering when my nerd tendencies began - at least 4th grade!)

Having Jack experience the farms was such fun. He got to discover how Ioway (Indigenous people of Iowa) people gardened, the tools that early settlers used and the horses and cows at the turn of the century farm. All of these activities I distinctly remember - including Jack getting scolded for playing with the water pump (like mom, like son). This was one of the rare times that memories from childhood kept their luster.

After rescuing Charley from his crate in the hotel room, we made our way to see my childhood home and Jack played on the updated playground in the neighborhood. After enjoying some ice cream at the place we went after softball games, we ordered some fantastic take-out from a local joint and had some much-needed downtime in our hotel.

Day 5

Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas

On our 5th day, our road warriors woke us up a bit earlier than we had wished. In addition, we had a day full of indoor activities which meant that Charley was going to spend more time than we all wish in the crate. So we started the day by discovering a pretty fantastic donut place - Lamar’s Donuts & Coffee, took Charley to a dog park for a bit, addressed the bugs on our windshield issues by giving our car a “hairy monster attack” (car wash h/t Bluey) and then going to the World War I Memorial which had a fantastic view of the city. All of this was done before 9:00 am - Sean and I knew this was going to be a long day!

Then we were off to check out the Truman Presidential Library and Museum - every 4-year-old’s dream right? Despite making sure Jack wasn’t terrorizing the place, I was able to experience the exhibits and contemplate the implications that President Truman had on the post-war years. His Presidency was controversial and his popularity was low when he left office - yet upon reflection, I was surprised by how consequential his leadership proved to be. His decision to drop the nuclear bombs will be debated for all time - as it should be (of note, we visited the day after the anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing). Other issues the library addressed were the beginning of the Cold War, recognition of the State of Israel, and the House Un-American Activities Committee. Personally, I enjoyed the display on the Berlin Blockade which highlights the story of the Candy Bomber (a story I remember hearing as a kid). If you want to read more, I highly recommend David McCullough’s Truman book.

After the Presidential Library and Museum, we took Jack to the Hallmark Visitor’s experience (#FunFact1 - Hallmark is Headquartered in Kansas City and #FunFact2 - Hallmark owns Crayon Crayons) and then a super duper kid-friendly restaurant where trains deliver your food.

After some downtime at the hotel and letting Charley have some time out of his cage, we made our way to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. There are many reasons to visit Kansas City. It’s a great town. However, this museum is a stand-alone reason to visit. In the historic neighborhood of 18th & Vine, this museum which is adjacent to the American Jazz Museum, tells the story of the Negro Baseball Leagues. This is a story that needs to be told for so many reasons - and not just for people who love baseball. The museum begins with a movie narrated by James Earl Jones and allows each visitor to begin their story in conflict - awe for the prominent characters in the league and sadness for the loss of opportunity. I became a fan of Satchel Paige by reading the book Our Team by Luke Epplin and he is featured prominently among the many other exceptional players in the league. (you can read more about my love for baseball by reading this blog)

We concluded this remarkably long day with dinner at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. I am hard to impress when it comes to BBQ, but - WOW! This place is the real deal and the fact that it is in a gas station where you can actually pump gas makes it all the more iconic. In addition, Anthony Bourdain was a huge fan - more about that later.

Day 4

Pullman National Historic Park, Route 66, Hannibal and Marceline, Missouri

As we were leaving the hotel in Chicago, I looked at Sean and said - I’m really looking forward to today. It was a day that we put together a collection of sites as we traveled from Chicago to Kansas City. One of the goals of this trip was to visit attractions that were difficult to get to as well as places that address topics that we know little about. This day had all of those components.

We started at the Pullman National Historic Park which is right outside of Chicago. I fully admit that United States Labor History is a topic of which I know very little. We arrived before the park opened and because we had a toddler and puppy in tow, we settled for walking around the site while reading the signs and placards -which do a great job telling the story of the Pullman facility and surrounding neighborhood. I left wanting to know more (which I find to be a sign of a good National Park) and I highly recommend anyone who lives in or is visiting the Chicago area to check it out.

Is any road trip across the United States complete without traveling Route 66? We answered this question with a “no” - however, we are not driving it straight through. Nor will we drive the whole Mother Road - although when possible, we will drive the road and stop at some of the iconic sites. This day we were able to experience the Gemini Giant (and the closed “Launching Pad” diner which is next to it) as well as Funks Maple Sirup (spelling intentional).

As we were planning this day, Sean realized that we will be driving through Hannibal, Missouri. So with my love of all things literary travel, stopping to see the Mark Twain boyhood home was a must. Of course, I have seen his home in Hartford, Connecticut (click here for my favorite literary sites including Twain’s Hartford, CT house), and seeing the Hannibal historic sites connects many dots regarding Mark Twain. In addition, the town of Hannibal is proud of its heritage and everything is so beautifully presented. Any fan of American literature would love to visit and any fan of Americana should visit the Main Street of Hannibal.

We were experiencing a long travel day, but decided to still stop and check out Marceline, Missouri which is one of the childhood homes of Walt Disney and claims to be the inspiration for Disney’s “Main Street USA.” It was a super quaint town that also included an impressive Santa Fe Steam Engine in their town square. It was a great way to begin the end of a long day as our final destination of Kansas City.

Day 3

Chicago, Illinois

We enjoyed another day in Chicago by taking Jack to the Museum of Science and Industry. This was really special for a number of reasons.

1) I remember going as a kid with my family and experiencing many of the exhibits that still exist.

2) Almost a decade ago my dad and I took one of my nephews to Chicago which included a trip to the Museum. This was my first time experiencing the museum after spending many years living in New England.

3) I was able to experience the museum through the eyes of my son who is the most New England member of our family (he was born at Massachusetts General Hospital which automatically makes one a wicked New Englander)

Having Jack experience the trains, coal mine, space exhibit, tractors, and the show-stopping submarine was really special. It is no secret that there are currently many misunderstandings between “the coasts” and “the flyover states.” As someone who was born and raised Midwesterner yet has spent the majority of my life in New England - I regularly experience these misunderstandings.

And if I were to say that a reason why I am proud of my Midwestern roots is because of the region’s contributions to science - it would be misunderstood. For example, if I were to say that there are more people who have walked on the moon from the Midwest than from New England - a typical response of a New Englander (namely my husband) would be something like: they wanted to get out of the Midwest so bad they were willing to go to the moon.

The Museum of Science & Industry is a place that shows off the many accomplishments in technology and innovation that were birthed in the Midwest. In addition, the museum is located near the University of Chicago, along the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan, and adjacent to what will be the Obama Presidential Library. If a visitor enters the museum with curiosity, they will possibly learn a few things and experience many moments of awe. Midwesterners are a proud bunch - and this museum provides evidence that they should be.

A final highlight of our time in Chicago was seeing the city through Sean’s camera lens. He hasn’t spent a lot of time in the city for reasons other than work, so it was great that he was able to spend time walking the sites and taking some fantastic pictures.

Day 2 -

Sandusky, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois

Our second day started in Sandusky, Ohio with taking Charley to a fantastic dog park at Osborn Metro Park. After getting plenty of puppy energy out (despite being almost 3), we went to a lovely children’s forest which had a brilliant teeter-totter.

We then made our way to Chicago. Sean has really only spent time in Chicago for work and I remember going as a kid, so being able to visit with both of them was really special.

Since the city is still cleaning up from the Lollapalooza festival that was held over the weekend so we couldn’t meander through Grant Park, but fortunately Millennium Park was open, and most importantly the Enchanted Playground. After countless hours in the car, Jack was finally able to do something - just for him, while I swatted mosquitos (ughhh! Welcome to the Midwest!)

As proud tourists - we went and got Giordano’s Pizza and of course, concluded the evening with a photo-op at the Bean.

Day 1

Travel Day

Our first day was primarily a travel day. We went from our home in Boston to Sandusky, Ohio. We didn’t stop except for gas and breaks as we have made this journey countless times to visit family.

We did pick up Wegman’s sandwiches (#IYKYK) to eat at our favorite rest stop along this route (the Pennsylvania Welcome Center). It has a beautiful view of grape vines and Lake Erie. However, Mother Nature had other plans and we ate the sandwiches in our car to prevent getting rained on.

The rain got to be rather torrential just east of Cleveland but once we got to the city of rock ‘n roll the rain stopped and let the sunshine in. We didn’t stop so the pic left much to be desired!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Why did you decide to do a Domestic trip rather than an International trip?

A: Charley. When we leave Charley (our four-legged best friend) for even a week it is traumatic for everyone involved. Even though he has quite a squad caring for him when we leave (h/t Amy, Judy and Lucy), we just couldn’t bring ourselves to leave him for this trip. In addition, someday we may consider traveling internationally with him, but this is not the time!

Q: Do you have everything planned?

A: For the most part yes. We have dog-friendly reservations booked for each night, although they can all be canceled with minimal penalties. In addition, we have an idea of what we want to do each day, but we’ll see how it goes!

Q: Have you done a trip like this before?

A: Never done coast to coast. But I have done many very long road trips with girlfriends prior to meeting Sean (Click Here for a post on my first Great West Road Trip with friends). In addition, I have fond childhood memories of long road trips to visit family - like Iowa to New York. Not sure my brothers and parents would agree - but I liked them!

In addition, since the pandemic, we have gone on many long trips to visit family. The maximum we’ve done in a day has been 15 hours and we do not wish to repeat that. Right now our max days are 10 hours of driving and we only have a handful of those days planned. (Click Here for Charley’s travel stats as of his first gotcha day).

Q: Will you be renting an RV?

A: Definitely No. I told Sean that if we use an RV, I don’t want to ever empty it and Sean said he didn’t either. So we crossed “RV-ing across America” off our bucket list. Honestly - it never was on our bucket list.

Although the RV life is great for many people, it is not appealing to us. We have heard too many stories of vehicles breaking down and the difficulty to fix them while on the road. If we are dealing with a breakdown, we’d rather deal with getting a rental car fixed.

In addition, we have also noticed that getting space to park an RV can be challenging and costly.

And finally, we like cities, and driving an RV in downtown Chicago is a bit terrifying to me.

Q: Will you be camping?

A: Another Definite No. Unless you consider staying at Under Canvas Resorts as camping - we are planning on staying at two during this trip. You can click here for a post that shares a bit more about an Under Canvas that we stayed in while visiting Acadia.

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Our Great American Road Trip