Survive the Drive

"Are we there yet?"
-Every child, ever

We are less concerned about the actual drive, I think, than most families headed on a 7,500 mile trek with two teenagers would be. Much of our confidence is luck, really. We are ridiculously lucky to have two kids who actually get along. We had nothing to do with it, so don't ask how we did it. Twenty solid days of family togetherness may test that, but we aren't worried. We are lucky to have a car that is practically new and still under warranty, so car trouble is not really on our radar. (Though I feel like I should knock on wood having said that!). Also, we already spend a large chunk of our lives in the car.

Still, we have a few plans for the actual drive to keep us all sane. The aforementioned playlist is up to 177 songs. We bought an inverter for the laptop, and are downloading movies and games. We have our phones and my omnipresent camera. Not to mention the section of my binder full of paper and pencil games, and the pile of games and puzzle books pictured above that Amazon delivered this morning. We will see how long we can avoid the dreaded "Are we there yet?"

Plotting and Planning

"Think it'll work?"
"It would take a miracle."
-Miracle Max and Valerie (She's not a witch, she's his wife!)
We are spending the evening while the kids are at Grandma's working on the trip. We did a disatrous preliminary pack - we may need a UHaul if we don't think it out again. Then I scrubbed up some of our gear and made a shopping list for tomorrow while Scott works on the soundtrack for the road. (Although as I listen to him working on it, I fear for the children...)
In other news, we just found out that Yellowstone is under a norovirus warning. So we are wondering if it's better to bring food and get eaten by marauding bears or eat a restaurants and get attacked by marauding viruses. Decisions, decisions. Whatever we decide, we are finally getting excited for this trip!

Actual Itinerary

"Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience." - Francis Bacon

After several false starts, and more changes and rearranges than I care to think about, we are actually doing this thing.  My mom can't come along because my stepdad suffered a stroke and can't stay alone for that long.  We switched back to plenty of camping - perhaps more than we are sure we can do.  We added destinations, took them away, added more, changed plans a hundred times.

But now I have a binder of information.  And reservations for each and every night of the trip.  And wonder of wonders, four tickets to Comic-Con, after a frantic morning of waiting in a virtual queue with hundreds (perhaps thousands) who were not so lucky.  I have a budget that is just barely workable.  I have a car that has been babied and carefully maintained for the year since we purchased it.  We are really leaving, in only 31 days.

So, our itinerary, in brief, is a mixture of education, entertainment, and experience.  It involves quite possibly too much driving, tons of sightseeing, and a crazy number of stops.  Here's the "short" description:

Sunday, July 7 - Drive to Pokagon State Park in Indiana for a night of camping.
Monday, July 8 - Drive to Chicago.  See the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium.  Drive to Great Bluffs State Park in Minnesota to camp for the night overlooking the Mississippi River.
Tuesday, July 9 - Drive to Mount Rushmore. Stay in cabins.
Wednesday, July 10 - Sightsee at Mount Rushmore and the surrounding area. Stay in cabins.
Thursday, July 11 - Drive to Yellowstone. Camp, and see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Friday, July 12 - See Old Faithful, Hayden Valley, and the rest of the lower loop. Camp.
Saturday, July 13 - See Tower Fall and Mammoth Hot Springs on the way to Missoula, Montana.  Stay in a hotel.
Sunday, July 14 - Drive to Bremerton, WA for a visit with my sister.
Monday, July 15 - More visiting with my sister.
Tuesday, July 16 - Drive to Patrick's Point State Park, and camp overlooking the Pacific.
Wednesday, July 17 - Make the impossibly long drive to Anaheim, stopping halfway to visit the Jelly Belly Factory. Camp at Anaheim RV Village - apparently an urban campground.
Thursday, July 18 - Go to Disneyland. Camp.
Friday, July 19 - Go to California Adventure. Camp.
Saturday, July 20 - See the California Science Center (with the Space Shuttle Endeavor) and the Hollywood area. Camp.
Sunday, July 21 - Attend San Diego Comic Con.  Stay at a hotel.
Monday, July 22 - See the USS Midway and go to Coronado beach.  Stay at a hotel.
Tuesday, July 23 - Drive to the Grand Canyon, and sightsee for an hour or two.  Drive further to Flagstaff, AZ and stay at a hotel.
Wednesday, July 24 - Drive to Amarillo, TX.  See various Route 66 attractions.  Go to the Texas! show at Palo Duro State Park.  Stay at a hotel.
Thursday, July 25 - Drive to St. Louis, Missouri.  See the Gateway Arch and the Westward Expansion museum. Stay at a hotel.
Friday, July 26 - Drive to Dayton, Ohio.  See Gaelic Storm at the Irish Fest.  Stay at a hotel.
Saturday, July 27 - Drive home.

This feels crazy, and heady, and scary, and thoroughly amazing.  Now I just have to figure out a better way to pack the car...