Okay, this one was either "gutsy" or "nutsy", I can't say for sure! The plan, in its most general explanation, was to pack up the troops and travel via family car through the US from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The focus, to experience "Americana"... which we sought by way of sheer geography, National Park, American cities and streets, elements of popular culture and even the ball park. What ensued is nearly 15,000 kms, 26 different states, 15 National Parks/Historic Sites and an excursion of 26 days.

This trip was planned around a variety of attractions we really wished to experience. Whether it was to stare up at the skyline of Mt. Rushmore, listen to the hissing of steam at Old Faithful, dip our toes into the Pacific in San Francisco Bay or yell into the vastness of the Grand Canyon, we thought the timing excellent to make the visit south. With Peter and Monica at a great age, a strong Canadian dollar, and almost a month's vacation set-up, the stars, moon and tides aligned.

Preparation for this trip was "loose" by my standards. The difficulty I had was tied in travel times, struggling to predict where we might be at any given point and trying not to have too much driving bunched together. So... I set up "anchor" attractions with the necessary reservations and then estimated the movement between destinations. It worked... sort of. The route consisted of a trek across the more northerly states driving west and a return run on southerly highways heading east. I used fixed dates for attractions in South Dakota, Yellowstone, San Francisco, Grand Canyon, St. Louis and Boston, then moved from city to city between each. Not exactly "set in stone" but enough to keep us moving in our pre-designed travel loop.

As a matter of readiness we did several things to prepare for this journey that we normally wouldn't have done. Firstly, a solid check-up with Sullivan's Auto to give the Corolla the once over. Fluids, brakes, the works. We wanted to make sure our home away from home was in solid working order. We also picked up a new tent as we were destined to camp in several of our locations. It turned out to be a great purchase. Janie also arranged additional medical insurance for the family for peace of mind. All these efforts helped to decrease the "stressors" tied to a trip of this nature.

This departure, by far our most ambitious, would require many miles via car mixed with blasts of visit and attraction. In all honesty, I had concerns as to how everyone would handle the "intensities" of such a lengthy vacation. However, we made ample opportunity to wander, share a meal (or ice cream) in some absolutely amazing settings, or to just plain people watch. We, in fact, had the trip of a lifetime and one that I'll never forget. Interestingly, I think we could travel the same route again tomorrow, visit a whole new set of attractions, and have just as memorable a visit. We saw a lot... but we know we left many great opportunities behind.

We welcome you to follow along and share in our journey, in regards to things we saw, the discussions we shared, and the things we did. This time I broke it out into weeks as opposed to days, which seemed to make more sense in a trip this length. Janie took some amazing pics that can be found in the gallery link if pictures are more your style. Hope you enjoy!!!