For months before the trip, I pondered and researched and asked everyone I knew for advice on how to pack for this trip. What I ended up with was a plastic set of drawers that we already had and a carry-on size suitcase. This system worked out great. Rodney and I each had our own drawer of clothes and the kids shared a drawer. Each day when we arrived at our hotel, Rodney would check in and bring out a cart for me to load up. I unpacked our dirty clothes into the large laundry bag we kept in the car and packed up a clean set of clothes for the next day. Our pajamas and all our socks and underwear stayed in the bag at all times. We had another bag for all toiletries and a bag with everything we need for swimming. We had 2 big bags of shoes - one for grownups and one for kids. I took out the shoes we would need and any other random things and put those in a reusable grocery bag. By the time Rodney had checked in and checked out the room, I would have the cart loaded and we would head to the room.
One of my favorite packing tricks was this shower bag that I found at Target a few years ago. It held everything we needed in the shower in one place that could be hung in the shower and then simply zipped up in the morning.
Besides gas and bathroom breaks, our only stop today was for our final picnic lunch of the trip.
Our picnics have been really fun and we've found covered or shaded picnic tables almost every day. To make things really simple, the kids have been eating Lunchables and Rodney and I share a bagged salad kit with a bag of cooked chicken strips. I packed a picnic bag that we took out along with grabbing our food from the cooler and our drinks. The bag included a tablecloth, wipes, a paper towel roll cut in half for napkins, plates, plastic silverware, and even scissors to open the bags of salad. When we were done, we stuffed it all back in the bag and loaded up. We ate a picnic lunch every day we were on the road and most of the time we even enjoyed a free scenic view.
Speaking of driving, we traveled 3,320 miles over 14 days. And Rodney drove every single one of those miles. He's my hero. As a passenger, I came prepared with magazines, books, and projects to complete. I did none of that. I never read a single word of any of my books or magazines or worked on any projects. The drive was almost always more interesting than anything I had brought. It was great. I did do some blogging in the car because I otherwise would never have gotten it done, but that was it.
The kids had their tablets, but Morgan went many days without even asking for it or only used it to listen to music while she looked out the window. During all that driving, no one ever said "Are we there yet?". Can you believe it? Caleb would ask how much time was left because he wanted to set a timer, but not to complain about wanting to stop driving. This was a very pleasant surprise.
In fact, their behavior for the entire trip was surprisingly good. I don't care what you say about them, these are some good kids. ;-)
In appreciation for Rodney doing all the driving, I was in charge in of all drinks and snacks, including becoming the in-car barista. One of Rodney's morning duties at the hotel was to go downstairs and bring back a few cups of coffee when we got the cart. We brought a large thermos that he would pour the coffee into so we could have a second cup on the road. We filled up our Yeti cups when we went down for breakfast and took those with us. The cooler in the car had sugar, creamer, and even coffee stirrers. It worked out great.
This trip was the same length as our usual vacations, but it seemed much longer (in a good way). We did have some long days and not always a lot of downtime, but we did something amazing almost every day as well. I don't think we would have even considered an undertaking like this without having followed along on my extended family's road trips across the country through my cousin Steve's blog. Thank you for the inspiration, Traveling Kings! It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime!
In other news, Rodney didn't shave his head hair or facial hair during the entire trip. Looks like we were gone a long time!
We finally made it home in the early evening and started the long process of unpacking. Before exiting the car, we took one last family selfie. These are the faces of 4 satisfied vacationers!
What a great experience, Connors! I loved your insights into some of your travel tips. I might have to steal that idea... I have thoroughly enjoyed your vacation!
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