I just finished a 22 hour road trip with my Mom. I'm the oldest of three daughters, so I haven't spent that much time alone with her for 48 years (then sister #1 came along). It was so great! We never even turned on the radio, just hours and hours of her telling me about her childhood and early adulthood. I learned so much. Being a mom myself, I was reminded of how we take that on as our primary identifier, but we've lived such a life outside of that.
I've been intentional about doing trips individually with each of our three kids and it reminded me of what a gift that is.
I totally agree. All parents should take solo trips with their kids! I'm one of 7 kids, so getting one on one time with either parent was always special when I was growing up. I still remember one day when I was in 8th grade. My dad took me to Charlottesville, VA for the day. Just the two of us. We spent most of the day going to used bookstores (he loved books even more than I do!) and UVA gift shops (he was a UVA grad). It is a treasured memory that meant a lot to me then and now, especially since I was so close to him and he passed away several years ago.
Oh wow. My wife and I moved from the Bay Area to Vegas (0/10, do not recommend) in 2014. Most of our shit had shipped ahead, and on the closing day we packed our car to the brim with our most personal effects, tucked ourselves and Kitty (whom I dearly loved but to whom I was deathly allergic) into our car and hit the road.
The good: I had compiled a Viva Las Vegas themed playlist which kept us company for almost all the seemingly endless 11 hours of our drive. Plus, of course, things like passing the dinosaurs!
The bad: I had to drive, since my wife needed to be available to manage Kitty, to whom I was really as yet only a step mama. And, of course, right as we exited our garage, my wife unzipped Kitty's carrier (she was, of course, already moaning up a storm) and Kitty promptly leapt from carrier in back seat to wife's lap in front seat, in the process, swiping her floofy tail across my surprise-widened eyes, inducing a massive allergy attack, and necessitating a stop at the nearest pharmacy so that I could grab eye drops and benadryl, which somehow I hadn't packed in my handbag. Helluva way to start a long, terrifying journey!
(Postscript: Kitty grew to trust me, I figured out how to mostly manage my allergies, and we became the absolute closest of pals over the years. I was as devastated as my wife when we lost her, aged 22, a few years ago.)
Because we live in northern British Columbia (Canada), we have done so many road trips - if you want to go anywhere, you are pretty much committing to a road trip, especially if you are bringing kids and dogs (flights here are expensive.) The snacks (Kit Kat for me, thanks), the bears and moose alongside the road, the audio books or podcasts, the long, long miles until the next bathroom, and a game that my husband and I play: "What are you thinking right now?" and the other person has to answer honestly (so, anything from household concerns to outer space to our five-year goals.)
I know this won’t be so familiar to most readers here but in South Africa a lot of people drive from Johannesburg to Durban for their annual December holiday (it’s our Summer time vacation season 😎👙⛱️). The trip is about 7 hours (or more, depending on how far down the coast you go). Although you can fly down in only an hour, most people who travel down choose to fly so that they can pack all the kids, the beach gear, most of their pantry and often in-laws or a dog too. And then they’ll have a car to get around while they vacation about the place.
There are various pit-stops along the way but I don’t think there is a single person who doesn’t do stop for at least coffee at the Wimpy (diner style restaurant) in Harrismith (tiny town/hamlet with a very big petrol/gas station and enough restaurants and fast food places to tempt the pickiest palette). Plus, they have farm animals and a jungle gym (playground) for kiddos.
My husband and I discovered that you can drive from Kansas City KS to Boulder CO and turn the steering wheel only 2 times: once to get on the highway and once to get off. We found this out when the power steering went out on a road trip from Virginia to Colorado during the pandemic when stopping for car repairs was not really an option.
O my goodness, my family had the same experience, same stretch!! We had this massive blue tank of a 70s car (this was '88-'89) and the power steering failed as we drove from Indiana to Colorado to visit my grandparents. It became a game: when will the wheel turn? I can still smell those hot plasticy vinyl seats, all 4 of us squeezed into the back bench, arguing over millimeters of space.
We made this trip in a 20-year old Honda Odyssey with just the two of us, but we did it numerous times when I was a kid—5 of us and a Black Lab in a Dodge camper van. Ah, the memories….
We drove from Washington, DC to Tijuana, Mexico and took our time over 2 weeks, stopping along the way to see family, friends, some national parks, and other sites.
I love a roadtrip and once took one for 3 months in a van long before van life was ever a hashtag. It's hard to pick out individual memories. I remember my son (5?6?7?) was playing with my phone and we didn't realize he had moved the GPS. So our 11-hour trip from New Orleans to the Smokies became a 13-15 hour trip (I honestly don't remember).
I remember driving a Ford Ranchero (Ford's version of the El Camino) from Evergreen, CO, to Boston for my uncle who had bought the car. In Kansas the car started slowing down, which didn't make sense because I still had half a tank of gas. I managed to veer it into the breakdown lane, but then what? This was before cell phones. I could see an exit up the way, so I got out and started walking. Soon a car pulled over and a Latina woman called out that she was safe and that she had 3 kids in the car. She saw my car and wanted to bring me to safety. I took the risk and got in (it honestly didn't feel like much of a risk). Her name was Olga and she said there was nothing at the next exit - no services at all. So she brought me to another exit and dropped me off at the Country Kitchen, a chain of side-of-the-road eateries where she was a waitress. There I was able to call AAA to have the car towed.
Turns out, the gas gage was broken and the car was out of gas. So I had to fill up every so many miles the rest of the trip to make sure I didn't run out again. It was an adventure for someone who was about 22 or so. I loved every minute of it and I am still thankful to this day for Olga.
This wasn't us driving, but we traveled by road from Buenos Aires, to Iguazu Falls, into Paraguay, across the Chaco Desert into Santa Cruz, Bolivia, then from La Paz, Bolivia to Cuzco via Puno, down to Nazca via Arequipa, up to Lima and Trujillo, Peru, on to Guayaquil, Quito, and Esmeraldas, Ecuador, and finally back to Quito from where we flew home to Bogota, Colombia where we lived at the time.
We took buses the whole way, sometimes "semi-cama" which had almost lie flat seats, some served hot meals, a couple left us dizzy. Crossing the Chaco was 24 hours on an old "school bus" where we got very cold and had to stop at the borders (miles apart) between Paraguay and Bolivia in the middle of the night.
The best part of the whole trip came about three weeks after it was over when we were describing our 7 weeks to a friend who asked our 3 teenagers, "Didn't you get tired of being together?" I held my breath as they all looked at each other and then practically in unison said, "No!"
Perfect timing as I will be taking a solo road trip from Southern CA to Prescott AZ next week to visit my best friend. I just downloaded the audiobook The Last Cruise on your recommendation. Thanks!
The past few years, my husband and I have taken quite a few road trips that included US and Canadian National Parks. One thing we have loved has been using the Guide Along app and purchasing audio narrations of the various parks we have visited. The same narrator does them all and he is SO good. We call him Parker since he takes us through the parks with historical and scenic points of interest, all with a great sense of humor. The guides are connected via GPS, so he tells you exactly where to look or stop or park. So, so good!
We also enjoyed listening to a great audiobook called Leave Only Footprints about the author's visit to all 59 National Parks in one year!
Our families live 400-600 miles away and we take multiple long road trips each year. When our kids were young, whenever we stopped, whether for a bathroom break, a meal or to fill up on gas, we would all get out of the car, find a safe area and then exercise for 10-15 minutes. We all took a turn picking an activity (jumping jacks, balancing on one foot, running in place etc) and we got our energy out. And let me tell you, we had to have no shame to do this because we looked ridiculous. And yet, it really, really worked to keep everyone chill in the car and I would recommend it to anyone traveling a long distance with little ones.
The other custom we have is "The Ritual Apology" on the way home from visiting relatives during which my husband and I ask forgiveness for any moments where we snapped at each other while trying to get along with our families.
We road trip from Minnesota to Ohio at least once a year. My favorite part is when we both get a little punchy and EVERYTHING becomes hilarious. Also listening to Trivia podcasts for entertainment. Very crucial.
I have two stories. One good and one bad. The good one first. In 2017 my brother flew in from Aspen to Pittsburgh and my husband, my brother and i drove to northern Ny a 7 1/2 hour drive to attend my nephew’s wedding. Along with good food i had my IPad. From Buffalo to Watertown, Ny it is 4 hours. I opened my Quizoid Trivia app and we played and the time flew. It brought back great memories for my brother and me as back in high school my mom used to quiz my brother and me daily with the IQ questions from the newspaper. This was back in the days of rotary dial telephones. Haha. Ok this bad story is one i will never let my husband forget. It did not start out to be a road trip. And it has been 20 years. He still having to hear about it. We had just moved to Greenville, South Carolina. We were going to the DMV. This is before GPS. We were going to go there after he got home from work. I told him that I was hungry and had not had lunch and suggested we go for dinner before going to the DMV. I should add that he left work early. Anyway he insisted that it would not take long at the DMV and that we would have dinner afterwards. I don’t know what happened with his directions or where he thought this place was located but we ended up halfway to Charleston South Carolina which is two hours from Greenville before I made him turn around and go back home. It was dark and it was 8 o’clock at night and I was starving And the DMV was closed. I’d like to remind him of this every chance I get. A hungry wife is a cranky wife. And our motto now is bring food! I could write a book. I just remembered when we were going from Pittsburgh to Youngstown Ohio which is 20 minutes from my house, he decided to use the GPS. He forgot to put in the ZIP Code and put in the street address to the mall that we were going to go to And the GPS took us north into Ohio towards Cleveland.
When I was 19, my best friend and I drove off from Kansas City heading to Las Vegas, where I was enrolled at UNLV. Now, this gets interesting because all of my friends call me the human GPS because I never get lost. As we were driving at night through Colorado, all of the sudden start seeing signs that say Las Vegas 60 miles. We were not supposed to encounter Las Vegas till the end of the next day. So in our caffeine and Fleetwood Mac induced stupor, we are thinking did we time warp? What is happening? Why are we already in Las Vegas? We pull off at a rest stop and in the restroom I asked a woman what state are we in? She looks at me like I’m insane and says New Mexico. So as it turns out, there is a Las Vegas, New Mexico and we missed our turn off in Colorado that would’ve taken us west. But being 19 we saw it as a grand adventure and got to see beautiful New Mexico, where I had never been before and still made it to the actual Las Vegas the next evening.
I would say our every other year trip to the Outer Banks from NJ with my husband, two sons, and a caravan of friends would be my favorites. The anticipation of vacation, playing car games, singing songs, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and tunnel were always the highlights. When I think back to my childhood it would be our annual trips to see my Canadian family at Christmas. It was always comforting to snuggle in the car with a cozy blanket, music, snacks, and a good nap.
I had bad road trip experiences as a kid (5 kids + large dog + mom n dad in a station wagon, usually en route from Indianapolis to KCMO for Thanksgiving, which is almost the most flat and boring part of the country during the most gray and overcast time of year). Dog ended up eating our cousin's basement door one year (don't ask), so we were not invited back after that. Ha! Then there was the time my brother was accidentally left behind at a gas station (he was fine and only alone for maybe 2 minutes). And woe to the kids who needed to go to the bathroom within 2 hours of home because that was the point of no return!
I was nervous when I learned my hubby loves road trips, but now they are much better. Our first road trip was our honeymoon: LA to San Francisco on the PCH. It was relaxing and beautiful. Then we turned east and went to Yosemite, south to Bodie, Bishop, Vegas, then back west to Salton Sea and back to LA to fly home. Then in 2021, we flew from DC to Phoenix and drove home...the long way. We made a big circle, going thru UT, WY, ID, SD, MN, IA, IL, KY...I'm probably forgetting a state or two! We saw Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Great Salt Lake, Grand Tetons, Black Hills, Willis Tower in Chicago...it was a very cool trip. Now, I just let him plan all road trips and I do not question his itinerary!
We took what should have been a 21 hour road trip to visit family in Texas in the late 80s. We were driving two cars and had CBs to keep in communication. Car #1 broke down in Laurel, MS. All six of us crowded into one hotel room. Car was repaired next morning. Just a little bump in the road for our trip. A few hours later car #2 breaks down in 8 lanes of traffic in Houston. Night #2 in hotel room with six people. This time it was a box of pizza for dinner, Elvis in Blue Hawaii on the tv and all of us wondering if we might ever reach our destination. We did make it, but one car ended up being towed back home from Texas. We still laugh about that trip and swore we would never drive to Texas again.
I just finished a 22 hour road trip with my Mom. I'm the oldest of three daughters, so I haven't spent that much time alone with her for 48 years (then sister #1 came along). It was so great! We never even turned on the radio, just hours and hours of her telling me about her childhood and early adulthood. I learned so much. Being a mom myself, I was reminded of how we take that on as our primary identifier, but we've lived such a life outside of that.
I've been intentional about doing trips individually with each of our three kids and it reminded me of what a gift that is.
I totally agree. All parents should take solo trips with their kids! I'm one of 7 kids, so getting one on one time with either parent was always special when I was growing up. I still remember one day when I was in 8th grade. My dad took me to Charlottesville, VA for the day. Just the two of us. We spent most of the day going to used bookstores (he loved books even more than I do!) and UVA gift shops (he was a UVA grad). It is a treasured memory that meant a lot to me then and now, especially since I was so close to him and he passed away several years ago.
Oh wow. My wife and I moved from the Bay Area to Vegas (0/10, do not recommend) in 2014. Most of our shit had shipped ahead, and on the closing day we packed our car to the brim with our most personal effects, tucked ourselves and Kitty (whom I dearly loved but to whom I was deathly allergic) into our car and hit the road.
The good: I had compiled a Viva Las Vegas themed playlist which kept us company for almost all the seemingly endless 11 hours of our drive. Plus, of course, things like passing the dinosaurs!
The bad: I had to drive, since my wife needed to be available to manage Kitty, to whom I was really as yet only a step mama. And, of course, right as we exited our garage, my wife unzipped Kitty's carrier (she was, of course, already moaning up a storm) and Kitty promptly leapt from carrier in back seat to wife's lap in front seat, in the process, swiping her floofy tail across my surprise-widened eyes, inducing a massive allergy attack, and necessitating a stop at the nearest pharmacy so that I could grab eye drops and benadryl, which somehow I hadn't packed in my handbag. Helluva way to start a long, terrifying journey!
(Postscript: Kitty grew to trust me, I figured out how to mostly manage my allergies, and we became the absolute closest of pals over the years. I was as devastated as my wife when we lost her, aged 22, a few years ago.)
Age 22! So amazing!
IKR! She was our very good girl. https://www.instagram.com/mizzmaumau/
Gorgeous baby!
Because we live in northern British Columbia (Canada), we have done so many road trips - if you want to go anywhere, you are pretty much committing to a road trip, especially if you are bringing kids and dogs (flights here are expensive.) The snacks (Kit Kat for me, thanks), the bears and moose alongside the road, the audio books or podcasts, the long, long miles until the next bathroom, and a game that my husband and I play: "What are you thinking right now?" and the other person has to answer honestly (so, anything from household concerns to outer space to our five-year goals.)
I know this won’t be so familiar to most readers here but in South Africa a lot of people drive from Johannesburg to Durban for their annual December holiday (it’s our Summer time vacation season 😎👙⛱️). The trip is about 7 hours (or more, depending on how far down the coast you go). Although you can fly down in only an hour, most people who travel down choose to fly so that they can pack all the kids, the beach gear, most of their pantry and often in-laws or a dog too. And then they’ll have a car to get around while they vacation about the place.
There are various pit-stops along the way but I don’t think there is a single person who doesn’t do stop for at least coffee at the Wimpy (diner style restaurant) in Harrismith (tiny town/hamlet with a very big petrol/gas station and enough restaurants and fast food places to tempt the pickiest palette). Plus, they have farm animals and a jungle gym (playground) for kiddos.
My sister lives in the Ballito-Durban area! She has told me all about the Wimpy (and other amazing sounding food joints).
My husband and I discovered that you can drive from Kansas City KS to Boulder CO and turn the steering wheel only 2 times: once to get on the highway and once to get off. We found this out when the power steering went out on a road trip from Virginia to Colorado during the pandemic when stopping for car repairs was not really an option.
O my goodness, my family had the same experience, same stretch!! We had this massive blue tank of a 70s car (this was '88-'89) and the power steering failed as we drove from Indiana to Colorado to visit my grandparents. It became a game: when will the wheel turn? I can still smell those hot plasticy vinyl seats, all 4 of us squeezed into the back bench, arguing over millimeters of space.
We made this trip in a 20-year old Honda Odyssey with just the two of us, but we did it numerous times when I was a kid—5 of us and a Black Lab in a Dodge camper van. Ah, the memories….
We drove from Washington, DC to Tijuana, Mexico and took our time over 2 weeks, stopping along the way to see family, friends, some national parks, and other sites.
My favorite tip is to use a "Historical Markers" app to find interesting and quirky quick stops to make your driving days more interesting. This is how we discovered the Old Plank Road (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Plank_Road) and the site of the first train robbery (https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=34280).
Want to find a giant fork by the side of the road? Or a giant pistachio? Check out Roadside America's website before you go!
I love a roadtrip and once took one for 3 months in a van long before van life was ever a hashtag. It's hard to pick out individual memories. I remember my son (5?6?7?) was playing with my phone and we didn't realize he had moved the GPS. So our 11-hour trip from New Orleans to the Smokies became a 13-15 hour trip (I honestly don't remember).
I remember driving a Ford Ranchero (Ford's version of the El Camino) from Evergreen, CO, to Boston for my uncle who had bought the car. In Kansas the car started slowing down, which didn't make sense because I still had half a tank of gas. I managed to veer it into the breakdown lane, but then what? This was before cell phones. I could see an exit up the way, so I got out and started walking. Soon a car pulled over and a Latina woman called out that she was safe and that she had 3 kids in the car. She saw my car and wanted to bring me to safety. I took the risk and got in (it honestly didn't feel like much of a risk). Her name was Olga and she said there was nothing at the next exit - no services at all. So she brought me to another exit and dropped me off at the Country Kitchen, a chain of side-of-the-road eateries where she was a waitress. There I was able to call AAA to have the car towed.
Turns out, the gas gage was broken and the car was out of gas. So I had to fill up every so many miles the rest of the trip to make sure I didn't run out again. It was an adventure for someone who was about 22 or so. I loved every minute of it and I am still thankful to this day for Olga.
This wasn't us driving, but we traveled by road from Buenos Aires, to Iguazu Falls, into Paraguay, across the Chaco Desert into Santa Cruz, Bolivia, then from La Paz, Bolivia to Cuzco via Puno, down to Nazca via Arequipa, up to Lima and Trujillo, Peru, on to Guayaquil, Quito, and Esmeraldas, Ecuador, and finally back to Quito from where we flew home to Bogota, Colombia where we lived at the time.
We took buses the whole way, sometimes "semi-cama" which had almost lie flat seats, some served hot meals, a couple left us dizzy. Crossing the Chaco was 24 hours on an old "school bus" where we got very cold and had to stop at the borders (miles apart) between Paraguay and Bolivia in the middle of the night.
The best part of the whole trip came about three weeks after it was over when we were describing our 7 weeks to a friend who asked our 3 teenagers, "Didn't you get tired of being together?" I held my breath as they all looked at each other and then practically in unison said, "No!"
Best. Mom. Moment. Ever.
Epic road trip! What an experience for your family to have shared :)
Perfect timing as I will be taking a solo road trip from Southern CA to Prescott AZ next week to visit my best friend. I just downloaded the audiobook The Last Cruise on your recommendation. Thanks!
The past few years, my husband and I have taken quite a few road trips that included US and Canadian National Parks. One thing we have loved has been using the Guide Along app and purchasing audio narrations of the various parks we have visited. The same narrator does them all and he is SO good. We call him Parker since he takes us through the parks with historical and scenic points of interest, all with a great sense of humor. The guides are connected via GPS, so he tells you exactly where to look or stop or park. So, so good!
We also enjoyed listening to a great audiobook called Leave Only Footprints about the author's visit to all 59 National Parks in one year!
Our families live 400-600 miles away and we take multiple long road trips each year. When our kids were young, whenever we stopped, whether for a bathroom break, a meal or to fill up on gas, we would all get out of the car, find a safe area and then exercise for 10-15 minutes. We all took a turn picking an activity (jumping jacks, balancing on one foot, running in place etc) and we got our energy out. And let me tell you, we had to have no shame to do this because we looked ridiculous. And yet, it really, really worked to keep everyone chill in the car and I would recommend it to anyone traveling a long distance with little ones.
The other custom we have is "The Ritual Apology" on the way home from visiting relatives during which my husband and I ask forgiveness for any moments where we snapped at each other while trying to get along with our families.
We road trip from Minnesota to Ohio at least once a year. My favorite part is when we both get a little punchy and EVERYTHING becomes hilarious. Also listening to Trivia podcasts for entertainment. Very crucial.
I have a playlist of nothing but trivia podcasts. Here’s the ones we like:
Brain Ladle Trivia
Trivia Time
Trivial Warfare
Triviality
Can you recommend any trivia podcasts? Hubby loves to do trivia on road trips but reading from my phone makes me carsick!
I have two stories. One good and one bad. The good one first. In 2017 my brother flew in from Aspen to Pittsburgh and my husband, my brother and i drove to northern Ny a 7 1/2 hour drive to attend my nephew’s wedding. Along with good food i had my IPad. From Buffalo to Watertown, Ny it is 4 hours. I opened my Quizoid Trivia app and we played and the time flew. It brought back great memories for my brother and me as back in high school my mom used to quiz my brother and me daily with the IQ questions from the newspaper. This was back in the days of rotary dial telephones. Haha. Ok this bad story is one i will never let my husband forget. It did not start out to be a road trip. And it has been 20 years. He still having to hear about it. We had just moved to Greenville, South Carolina. We were going to the DMV. This is before GPS. We were going to go there after he got home from work. I told him that I was hungry and had not had lunch and suggested we go for dinner before going to the DMV. I should add that he left work early. Anyway he insisted that it would not take long at the DMV and that we would have dinner afterwards. I don’t know what happened with his directions or where he thought this place was located but we ended up halfway to Charleston South Carolina which is two hours from Greenville before I made him turn around and go back home. It was dark and it was 8 o’clock at night and I was starving And the DMV was closed. I’d like to remind him of this every chance I get. A hungry wife is a cranky wife. And our motto now is bring food! I could write a book. I just remembered when we were going from Pittsburgh to Youngstown Ohio which is 20 minutes from my house, he decided to use the GPS. He forgot to put in the ZIP Code and put in the street address to the mall that we were going to go to And the GPS took us north into Ohio towards Cleveland.
😆😆😆
When I was 19, my best friend and I drove off from Kansas City heading to Las Vegas, where I was enrolled at UNLV. Now, this gets interesting because all of my friends call me the human GPS because I never get lost. As we were driving at night through Colorado, all of the sudden start seeing signs that say Las Vegas 60 miles. We were not supposed to encounter Las Vegas till the end of the next day. So in our caffeine and Fleetwood Mac induced stupor, we are thinking did we time warp? What is happening? Why are we already in Las Vegas? We pull off at a rest stop and in the restroom I asked a woman what state are we in? She looks at me like I’m insane and says New Mexico. So as it turns out, there is a Las Vegas, New Mexico and we missed our turn off in Colorado that would’ve taken us west. But being 19 we saw it as a grand adventure and got to see beautiful New Mexico, where I had never been before and still made it to the actual Las Vegas the next evening.
I would say our every other year trip to the Outer Banks from NJ with my husband, two sons, and a caravan of friends would be my favorites. The anticipation of vacation, playing car games, singing songs, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and tunnel were always the highlights. When I think back to my childhood it would be our annual trips to see my Canadian family at Christmas. It was always comforting to snuggle in the car with a cozy blanket, music, snacks, and a good nap.
I had bad road trip experiences as a kid (5 kids + large dog + mom n dad in a station wagon, usually en route from Indianapolis to KCMO for Thanksgiving, which is almost the most flat and boring part of the country during the most gray and overcast time of year). Dog ended up eating our cousin's basement door one year (don't ask), so we were not invited back after that. Ha! Then there was the time my brother was accidentally left behind at a gas station (he was fine and only alone for maybe 2 minutes). And woe to the kids who needed to go to the bathroom within 2 hours of home because that was the point of no return!
I was nervous when I learned my hubby loves road trips, but now they are much better. Our first road trip was our honeymoon: LA to San Francisco on the PCH. It was relaxing and beautiful. Then we turned east and went to Yosemite, south to Bodie, Bishop, Vegas, then back west to Salton Sea and back to LA to fly home. Then in 2021, we flew from DC to Phoenix and drove home...the long way. We made a big circle, going thru UT, WY, ID, SD, MN, IA, IL, KY...I'm probably forgetting a state or two! We saw Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Great Salt Lake, Grand Tetons, Black Hills, Willis Tower in Chicago...it was a very cool trip. Now, I just let him plan all road trips and I do not question his itinerary!
We took what should have been a 21 hour road trip to visit family in Texas in the late 80s. We were driving two cars and had CBs to keep in communication. Car #1 broke down in Laurel, MS. All six of us crowded into one hotel room. Car was repaired next morning. Just a little bump in the road for our trip. A few hours later car #2 breaks down in 8 lanes of traffic in Houston. Night #2 in hotel room with six people. This time it was a box of pizza for dinner, Elvis in Blue Hawaii on the tv and all of us wondering if we might ever reach our destination. We did make it, but one car ended up being towed back home from Texas. We still laugh about that trip and swore we would never drive to Texas again.