Day 5 - June 3, 2018, Whitefish, MT

Day 5, June 3, 2018

Bozeman, MT – Helena, MT – Whitefish, MT

320 miles/6hours.

Have you ever tried Kombucha tea? I bought some last night, because I just read a book that touted the benefits and I figured I’d have it for breakfast. Well, this morning I did. Lord have mercy it was the worst thing I've ever tasted – it tasted like a$$. Yet me, the ever-believing-what-some-author-will-tell-me-to-improve-my-health-and-lengthen-my-life-person, I kept drinking it. The kids didn’t believe me that it could be that bad. Oh really? Well, I’ll pay you $20 to try it – and you have to swallow a healthy sip. Hunter, ever the money-monger was up for the challenge. Oh, I wish I’d had a video. He did it, but he did not like it. He had a mild melt down. “Why’d you make me do that???” Um, make you? Audrey, never wanting to be overshadowed by her brother, wanted her chance at $20. She was practically crying before it even touched her lips. She plugged her nose and after a full minute of getting up her nerve, went in for a sip. She gagged and spit it out. No money for her. Oh, I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. It was so funny!!! Good times😊.

Still in love with Montana. Today we traveled to Whitefish, MT, with stops in Helena and Missoula. Helena is a cute town, but based on the hour or so we spent there (mostly touring the capitol), I don’t think it’s anywhere I want to live. Most of you know, in our quest of visiting all 50 states, we also have to see each capitol. With the exception of a handful, most capitol buildings are similar. The biggest difference, in my opinion, is the access. Montana’s capital had open doors and no security. In fact, with the exception of someone at the information desk, we were the only people in the building. The murals in the rotunda are beautiful. The Supreme Court and the Senate are tiny! We stopped in Missoula for lunch, which is another college town (Univ of Montana). Fun little downtown area and another bookstore (although not much to brag about - rude clerk). 

Then it was on to Whitefish. The drive was stunning, and wow-factor of Flathead Lake rivaled that of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. Unfortunately, my pictures don't do it justice. Whitefish is a cute little resort town. Our hotel is at the top of Big Mountain, and my ears popped on the way up. We’re staying in a true ski lodge. Very cool – except there’s no elevator. Uh-oh, we don’t travel light and the kiddos were not happy!

Great dinner down the mountain at a country club of all places. I’m super excited for tomorrow – Glacier National Park.

Flathead Lake

See? We don't travel light...

Day 4 - Bozeman, MT, June 2, 2018

Day 4, June 2, 2018

Deadwood, SD – Bozeman, MT  

484 miles/6 ½ hours.

I’ve renewed my love affair with Wyoming!!!!!! Ah, and Montana. As soon as I crossed the border into Wyoming from South Dakota, I felt it in my bones! Early into Wyoming, I reached the top of a huge hill and saw the snow-covered Rockies, and I swear, my heart beat faster. The four-and-a-half-hour drive from Deadwood to Billings was stunning. Each and every mile took my breath away! The drive from Billings to Bozeman was beautiful, as well.

I scheduled Bozeman again on this year’s itinerary because I love this town. It’s the home of Montana State University and it has the most adorable downtown area. Good restaurants, eclectic shops – and TWO bookstores on Main Street. How cool is that?

We’re staying at a SpringHill suites and it’s the nicest SpringHill I’ve ever stayed. It has a bar (!) that serves Mer Soleil by the glass. Momma was happy. We strolled Main Street, I bought some cute charms, and a book (High Season by Judy Blundel). We had a fantastic dinner at a restaurant called Open Range, which could have only been decorated by Joanna Gaines. I must say, I was feeling quite at home in Bozeman.

Lest you think it was a perfect day. Frick and Frack got into a huge fight as we passed through Billings. The fur was literally flying in the back seat and I was rendered speechless. It was so bad, I didn’t dare get involved, and was afraid to let go of the wheel. As I glanced in my review mirror, I saw Barrett eating French fries, staring at his siblings as if it was a tennis match. His head moved back and forth as insults, fists, and phones lobbed in the air. He was dumbfounded. #lifeontheroad                                                       

Day 3 - Deadwood, SD, June 1, 2018

Day 3, June 1, 2018

Omaha, NE – Deadwood, SD      

563 miles/8 ½ hours.

Another long day and a certain someone is getting quite cranky (you’ll see below). We drove north from Omaha to Sioux Falls and then hung a left to cross South Dakota. SD is a very, very pretty state – and the speed limit is 80 MPH, thank goodness. Listening to my audio book, I quite enjoyed the drive and the view, but I’m sure for those in the back it was tough, because there’s pretty much nothing going between Sioux Falls and Rapid City. All along the highway there are hundreds of billboards for Wall Drugstore. It’s a rather famous tourist trap, and I forget the origins, or I’d share it. I did all the research back when we were out here in 2015, but at the time Rich wouldn’t stop – citing, “tourist trap.” I love a good tourist trap though and decided to take the kids. Hunter was MOST displeased and threw his first fit of the road trip. We left him in the car as we explored (Grandmom he is 17 and six months away from being a legal adult – and I left the air on).

Wall Drugs, well it’s most definitely a tourist trap, and we can officially check it off our list. Camden loved it, because they had all these carved wooden guns and he suckered me into buying him one.

We stayed in Deadwood for the night. Since we explored the town in 2015, it was really just a pit stop. We had a fairly decent dinner at Legends steak house. The only problem was that they didn’t have a burger on the menu and therefore the restaurant didn’t “suit” Hunter. Grumpy, grumpy, grumpy.

We walked around a little bit and it was an extremely interesting crowd. Total Trump Country, complete with some foul t-shirts (see below). Hunter and I got into a disagreement because I wouldn’t let him buy one. I should have purchased one for Ben T, but I just couldn’t contribute to the madness. I’m confident that Ben AND Hunter are smart enough that one day they will come to their senses.

Did I mention the crowd in Deadwood? I’m not judging, but I can assure you that I was judged over and over. More people were staring at us than vice versa – especially that woman who lost the t-shirt sale!

Day 2 - Omaha, NE, May 31, 2018

Day 2, May 31, 2018

Nashville, TN – Omaha, NE

763 miles/11 hours

Whoowee…long day. I must commend the children. They were incredibly well behaved and there was minimal fighting in the car. Honestly, there’s not much to tell, as it’s a drive we’ve made before, so the landscape wasn’t all that surprising. Southern Illinois is beautiful and flat, as is Iowa. We were fortunate to avoid any bad weather, except for a stretch of I70, between St. Louis and Kansas City, where the sky south of us got eerily black. I had to brace the wheel rather tightly as the wind was rocking the car, but we managed to out run the storm. Every time I’m in that stretch of country I get a queasy stomach, convinced that a tornado will take us away.

We had a below average dinner at a local establishment and where the youngest people in the restaurant. Our fellow patrons were quite fascinated with Barrett’s singing and table drumming. We ate fast and moved on to Dairy Queen – can’t get more Midwestern than that.

Here’s my one interesting experience of the day. I couldn’t locate an independent bookstore that was close to where we are and/or was still open after dinner. I settled for the local Barnes and Noble, because I like to browse books and see if and how the different franchises curate their displays. Yes, I’m a complete book geek (and if I ever win the lotto I will open my own bookstore!!!). The Omaha B&N is located in a mall, which is a bit unusual. I parked the car and noticed that there weren’t many people there.  Also, the sidewalks were in very bad shape. We entered the mall and it was dark and stuffy. The only light was from the skylights from above. Most stores were closed, with the gates down. It was only 7:15 P.M. I started to turn around, feeling as though we were reenacting the beginning of a horror movie. Audrey spotted a woman walking towards us and asked if the mall was open. She said yes. Okay? I asked if there was a B&N in the mall, and she pointed us in the right direction. You guys – it was creepy weird! It was a mall ghost town. Nothing was open. All the shops were gated or empty. The escalator was frozen. And there were only emergency lights leading the way. I mean, I’ve read about malls closing and being abandoned, but to actually experience it. It was very sad.

Lo and behold, as we rounded the corner and there was B&N, illuminated in all her glory with bight fluorescent lights. I immediately chatted up the ladies at the information desk. The mall has been closed for years. Only B&N and Target remain.  I asked them if they were okay. “Okay?” At this point I believe they were wondering if I was okay. Yes! I was desperate to know if they had business and were going to stay open. They assured me that they were very busy and the rent was affordable, so they expected to be there for a while. Phew.

My only picture from Omaha!:

Day 1 - Nashville, TN, May 30, 2018

Day 1, May 30, 2018

Atlanta - Nashville

256 miles/4 hours


Not much to report today. This day/destination was added on late in the trip-planning stages, to alleviate some of the stress and hours of the long days ahead in our quest to get to the northwest coast.

Our only "tourist" stop was Ann Patchett's bookstore, Parnasuss Books. As you can imagine the children were thrilled. I've been wanting to visit for years, as she's one of my heroes - not only as a writer, but for having the chutzpah to open a bookstore when everyone told her that bookstores were going away. As if! The store is beautiful, and I'm happy to report, crowded. In keeping with my New Year's resolution (to not walk past an Independent bookstore without buying a book), I bought a book (or two).

After checking in, we went out for dinner. We were staying in the Germantown area of Nashville, which is a little haven for foodies, but not for four picky children. Our first restaurant was recommended to us by the front desk clerk at our hotel. Very cute and hipster, with nothing on the menu I could even begin to trick the kids into eating. We asked if there was a Children's Menu, and were told there was not. Camden's reply, "Well goodbye sir!" He attempted to excuse himself from the table, as the waiter pleaded with him that they could "do something." Alas, we ended up at some crummy pizza place down the street that served boxed wine. And the sky turned black and opened up with a fierce down pour, which meant I was truly stuck.

Not many pictures, as I am kind of phone-less. I have my work phone, but it is an iPhone and I don't know how it totally works. Yes, I'm sorry, true statement. I've always had an Android phone (long story), and I have no patience when it comes to learning technology.

Bookstore:

Menu at hipster restaurant:

Visiting Old Friends in Dallas

Days 23 & 24 – July 21^st & 22^nd, 2016

Odessa, TX – Dallas TX

389 miles – 6 hours

Truth be told, I couldn’t not get out of Odessa fast enough. I was mildly curious about the area – mostly due to my love of the show, Friday Night lights. From what little we experienced, I don’t think it’s my kind of town. It was a long drive to Dallas, but about three hours in we reached the “hill country” and that made for a much more scenic drive.

It was HOT in the BIG D. It was 96 degrees when we arrived, which was not as high as our previous stops – but the humidity made it a tad muggy. After we checked in, Hunter, God bless him, had to go for a run. When he was finished, we headed to the Bernier’s house. It’s been three years since we last saw them and we were all very excited.

I met Barbie in our first neighborhood in Alpharetta, right after the boys were born. I’ll never forget how we met. We’d been in our house for around six months. I had to stay inside for the first couple months (winter) because the boys were so premature. Then the long hot summer arrived and I was in no hurry to try out the double stroller. When I finally did adventure out, I walked past a house where a woman was out front gardening and she waved me down. She told me her daughter was pregnant with twins and insisted I had to meet her. She ran inside to get Barbie and the rest, as they say, is history.

Barbie & Jeff moved their family to Dallas ten years ago. It’s very hard to believe it’s been that long. Barbie and I talked ourselves silly and we still only covered about 10% of what we had to talk about. We also tried to watch Donald Trump’s speech – but ultimately we found each other more interesting.

The next day the kids and I drove to a different part of Dallas to see some other old friends of mine, the Calkins. I went to middle and high school with Cheryl and met Jerry when I was in college, working at the Ritz. I was honored to be I their wedding 23 (!) years ago. They have three kids and have been living in Dallas for two years. We were trying to determine just when was the last time we saw each other (they moved to Illinois in 1998?). I finally concluded that the last time I saw them, I was pregnant with Barrett and Hunter.

I love, love, love, visiting with old friends! SO much so that I’m going to write a Latchkey Mom post about it. So you’re spared more detailsJ!

We went back to the Berniers for dinner and landed back at the hotel around 9. We have a very long drive home tomorrow…

Day 25 - July 23, 2016

846 miles -13 hours!

We made it home after a long 13 hour drive. My longest ever. And there was rain. And construction. Oh - it was not fun. But I wanted to push it, so I would have all day Sunday to do laundry. Back to work on Monday!

I'll be back next week with my Road Trip Superlatives. Thank you so much for reading.

The Berniers

With Cheryl & Jerry

Jerry & Cheryl's three children.

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Celebrating Camden in Scottsdale

Days 20 & 21 – July 18^th & 19^th, 2016

I apologize for falling off the road trip radar! Once we got to Scottsdale, we really relaxed. And then it was hard for me to get back in the writing groove. God bless those of you who’ve emailed to see if we were okay. Thank you. Relieved to know I do have a few readersJ.

So we’re at the Camelback Inn, one of my all-time favorite places. They have a motto: “A place where time stands Still.” Don’t you love that?

I did have to do six loads of laundry, but other than that…I relaxed by the pool, swam, played with the kids, and let the pool boy talk me into trying different tropical concoctions. It was heaven. And I parked my car for two days – we never left the property.

Mr. Camden turned nine while we were chilling and he had unlimited signing privileges by the pool – of which he took full advantage. I also dare say – I think he became a swimmer. We couldn’t get him out of the water. But of course, it was 110 degrees! He started the day off with a breakfast delivered by room service (for only the little prince, the rest of us ate pop tarts). The woman in charge of the room service calls bumped into Camden the day before (long story involving a hotel fire alarm - we're jinxed) and, of course, she was charmed by him. So in addition to his breakfast of Fruit Loops, white toast, sliced bananas, cranberry juice and decaf coffee – he was treated to a platter of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and a hand written note from “Cindy.” He enjoyed his breakfast on the balcony, overlooking the Camelback Mountain.

I know, I know – I’m probably creating a monster. But he was soooo excited, and grateful. He repeatedly told us, “You guys are the best parents in the whole world!” And unlike what some of his siblings probably would've done, he graciously shared his cookies.

Day 22- July 20, 2016

Scottsdale, AZ – Odessa, TX

787 miles – 11 hours

The following day was very long. The kids and I drove 787 long and boring miles (through the dessert), crossing two time zones. We arrived in Odessa at 8 P.M. I was willing to go to bed without dinner, but was overruled. We had a horrible dinner as Cheddar's. It was the first time in my life that I actually had to call a manager over to our table. I felt like my dad!

Quote of the Day:

Camden was excitedly waiting for room service on his birthday – in his underwear. When there was a knock on our door, I told him that he better hurry up and get dressed. He asked me if he had to and I said, “I guess not – if you don’t mind Room Service seeing you in your underwear.” He replied, “Oh I don’t mind anyone seeing me in my underwear!”