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Summer Road Trip 2022Summer Road Trip 2022
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Summer Road Trip 2022

June - July 2022
Family Road Trip: TN, VA, KS, NE, CO, UT, SD, MN, MI, IN Read more
  • 34footprints
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  • 5.2kmiles
  • 60miles
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  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    Day 1

    Chattnooga

    June 2, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 84 °F

    After days of packing the camper, packing the car & topper, and packing up 2/3 of our house so that construction can begin next week on a new addition, we are finally on the road.

    Not long after we got on the interstate, we were met with bumper-to-bumper traffic and then had to drive through a series of storms with heavy rains.

    Nate and I are so wiped out from getting the house packed up that I don't think either of us have much excitement for the trip yet, but I'm sure that will soon enough. I've spent so much time planning the trip and the renovation to the house, it's kind of surreal that it's all actually happening.    Read more

  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    Day 2

    Virginia - Day 1

    June 3, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    We woke up at our Airbnb on Friday morning in Abingdon, VA, to begin celebrating Heather & Robbie's wedding weekend. The cabin and surrounding area were rustic and lovely... The bug situation in the cabin was substantially less desirable. The good news is we were busy with wedding festivities all weekend, so didn't spend much time in the cabin.

    Friday the boys and I went to meet up with other wedding guests & tour the town. Heather took friends on a walking tour of the town, but the boys got distracted by the first playground we spotted. While they played Floor Is Lava Ninja Warrior, I spotted a Free Little Library and read some Russian poetry that someone had left for the taking. It was a cool, beautiful morning and a lovely way to start the weekend.

    Later in the afternoon Nate joined us after he finished work and we went to the rehearsal, followed by dinner at a neighborhood brewery, Wolf Hills Brewery. The boys had a blast with games and meeting new kid friends who had also rolled in for the wedding. Holden spotted a giant moth and was quite smitten by it, but not as much as he's smitten by Heather. Lots of laughs and hugs were shared this night. We couldn't have asked for better weather or better hosts.    Read more

  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    Day 3

    Virginia Day 2 - Heather & Rob's Wedding

    June 4, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    We started the morning off with a slow walk on the Virginia Creeper Trail that was not far from our cabin. But that was short lived as both of the boys brought a big case of the tireds from last night's party.

    We grab some tasty Greek food for lunch, then headed back to the cabin to rest up and get ready for the wedding. 0

    Officiating a wedding is something I never expected to be asked to do, but man, what an absolute honor to be in the midst of Heather & Rob exchanging their most sacred vows. The wedding was such a joyous reason to celebrate! And what a party that followed. The kids' table was top notch and Holden quickly paired up with a buddy he'd made the night before. Relaxing in a hammock during cocktail hour? Sign E up! The place settings, provided a "counting the rings of the tree" activity (32 year old tree, by #holdenis7 's count) and I will NEVER get tired of pics of Heather twirling in that gorgeous dress.    Read more

  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    Day 4

    Travel Day: Virginia to Kansas

    June 5, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    The morning after Heather & Rob's Wedding, we loaded up again and hit the road. Originally we had planned to make the drive to Kansas a 2 day event, but we were feeling good, so decided to plow on through it all in one day.

    We left Abingdon as the sun was rising and rolled into Kansas and watched the sunset and continued on well into the night. We drove out of the Appalachian Mountains, across the Mississippi and into the Great Plains.

    As we got closer to Wichita, we watched lightning from storms all around us. I forget how you can see so many storms off in the distance here. No hills to get in the way!

    We made it to my Dad's house and got everything unloaded before the storm blew in. The boys went directly to sleep and Nate and I followed not much later.

    All in all it was 1,010 miles of driving door to door in almost exactly 17 hours. The kids are champs and the built-in outlet in the car was the MVP of the drive so we could charge tablets & phones long after the batteries would normally run out during such a long drive.

    This is by far the longest planned drive of the trip. The rest of the trip is mostly 7-9 hours between major destinations. Those will feel like a breeze compared to this one.

    Staying in Kansas until Thursday then on to Nebraska for the weekend.    Read more

  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    Day 6

    Kansas

    June 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    We had a few fun, low key days staying with my Dad in Wichita.

    We rolled in late Sunday night and mostly kept close to the house on Monday, recovering from Sunday's looooong drive. I think we did leave the house long enough to find a park and the boys got Papa to take us to Braum's for ice cream, the first of MANY ice cream stops in the few days we were there.

    While Nate worked remotely on Tuesday, Dad and I loaded up the bikes and went out to Chisholm Creek Park with the boys and tested out the bike trail. Papa and Everett had a neon bright twinning moment and we were all sweaty messes by the time we finished.

    Tuesday night Papa took the boys to The Bad Guys movie that they'd been eager to catch for weeks. Nate and I took that as our chance to sneak out and meet my dear friend, Tracy, for a quick dinner. While we caught up with Tracy, the boys got Papa to buy them the biggest tub of popcorn and probably an assortment of other movie concession stand treats. Everyone came home happy.

    I woke up Wednesday planning to take the boys out for another bike ride, but rainy weather put the kibosh on those plans. Dad and I used this downtime time to sort through some of Mom's old items including her collection of Longaberger baskets, which was even more than what Dad had realized. We gathered a bunch of items to take to family when we head north on Thursday for the graveside memorial service for my Mom in Nebraska.

    Fortunately the skies cleared by the afternoon Wednesday and my niece, Catie, hooked us up with free entrance to the pool where she life guards. It was great catching up with her while the boys splashed. She's entering her senior year of high school and I can't wait to see where life takes her. We wrapped the night up with dinner with Julie, a good friend of my Mom & Dad's.

    When we got home, Dad decided to spread a few of Mom's ashes in the flower beds she had created and tended to with so much love every year. The day lilies are in glorious form right now. It felt like such a gift to be in the backyard oasis that my Mom created.

    On Thursday, Dad left early to head to Nebraska with the boys. They stopped off at a Zoo in Salina on the way. Nate and I left after he finished working and we got the car packed up. It was a good few days in my home state.    Read more

  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    2
    Day 10

    Nebraska

    June 11, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    Thursday afternoon we were Nebraska-bound to spend the weekend in one last formal celebration of my mom's life. Before she died this spring, she decided she wanted her ashes buried in the family plot in Nebraska. Since we were planning to stop and see family in the area on this road trip, the family decided to have the graveside service this weekend when we would be in town.

    Dad drove out to Nebraska with the boys and Nate and I headed out after Nate was done working. It was windy, but surprisingly green in many parts of our drive. I never get tired of seeing those gigantic wind farms along the interstate.

    We rolled into Stratton and found the boys already at the school playground with my Dad and Aunt Linda. Stratton is a tiny town, maybe 500 people, but the boys decided their playground is top notch. As far as the boys go, I think this trip is morphing into a pilgrimage to local playgrounds across the country. Monkey bars across the USA.

    After the bug-infested stay at the Airbnb in Virginia, I was relieved and pleasantly surprised by how nice our apartment in Stratton was! It was just behind one of my aunt's houses and had a nice deck where we could watch the sunset -- not that we had much downtime while we were there.

    The temperature started ratcheting up on Friday and the boys quickly tired from the heat at the playground and we walked down to my Aunt Connie's house. While the boys crashed in the living room and watched a movie, I enjoyed the spending the morning with my aunts, Connie & Linda, as they cooked for the family lunch that was planned for after my mom's memorial service. Later in the afternoon I took the boys to the local pool. The water was SO cold, but that didn't stop them too much.

    Saturday morning was my mom's memorial service. Family came from Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota and the local area. It really is an incredible feeling to have so much support and to have so many travel so far to share their love and respect for my mom's life and legacy.

    The service was brief with my Dad saying a few words and Ryan leading a prayer. During the prayer I heard a few quiet sobs coming from Holden. I think it really sank in for him that Nana is gone. She was such an exceptionally good Nana to the boys. I will forever wish they especially had more time with her. After the service Holden took some time by himself at the edge of the cemetery by a tree, but was back to himself before we headed out to meet family for lunch.

    Lunch was a great time to catch up with family and the boys warmed up to their "new" cousins. It was HOT on Saturday so we headed back to the frigid pool waters. This time the cold water wasn't much of a deterrent compared to the baking heat. We finished up the night with more food and family and one last trip to the playground.

    We also packed up with a few extra momentos. My Aunt Linda made memory pillows for Dad, Ryan, me and our kids. She also surprised us with quilts that my mom had started but not finished before she got sick. Linda finished piecing them together and had a friend quilt them. It's such a beautiful legacy gift that we will all treasure.

    We rolled out early Sunday morning and to drive to Colorado. It will be a 9-10 hour drive into the Rocky Mountains where we'll stay for almost 2 weeks.    Read more

  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    2
    Day 11

    Travel Day: Nebraska to Colorado

    June 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Colorado-bound today. We logged about 540'ish miles and knocked it out in about 9 hours. We started in the High Plains, crossed through the eastern slope of the Rockies, through Glenwood Canyon along the Colorado River, through the mesas of western Colorado and finally arrived at our destination for the next week, Ridgway State Park in the foothills of the San Juan Mountain range in Western Colorado.

    As it turns out, I am not the most confident steep-grade mountain driver. (This does not surprise me.) I drove from just before Denver and made it to Idaho Springs and happily handed the keys back to Nate with my sweaty, white-knuckled palms that I had to peel off the steering wheel. I let him handle the rest of the drive until we were through Glenwood Canyon. I forgot how long and how gobsmackingly gorgeous Glenwood Canyon is.

    This trip is first time I've made it beyond Glenwood Springs and into Colorado's Mesa country. It's really stunning and has me VERY excited for the Utah segment of our trip. We rolled into Ridgway State Park around 4p and it was all sorts of windy. We found our site, dropped off the camper and promptly drove into town for pizza. Once we staved off the hanger, we headed back, set up the camper and explored the Sunset Trail for our first really good view of what the area has to offer. The sky was perfectly clear and the wind died down dramatically. The nearly full moon had already risen just as the sun was setting on the opposite horizon and we had Mt. Sneffles and the rest of the range in the background.

    It was a very good start to our 12 night stay here.    Read more

  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    Day 14

    Colorado: Settling In

    June 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Since we drove out of Chattanooga on June 2nd, we've been on the move every few days. Now that we're finally in Ridgway we're staying put for almost 2 weeks and so very glad for it.

    Our first two days were hot and wickedly windy -- 2 things I did not expect at all. The winds blew wildfire smoke from Arizona into town on Tuesday and it blanketed everything, including our amazing mountain view and left a coating of dust everywhere. The nights were noisy with the wind rattling the entire camper -- and it took a while for me to chill and accept that it was just the wind and not, in fact, bears about to tear us apart.

    Thankfully, Wednesday we woke to chilly temperatures and a clear sky. It was a sight that made me grin from ear to ear.

    The campground is great and our site is spacious and close - but not too close - to the bathhouse and small playground. There are some nice trails nearby, a great little lake & beach and a bigger playground further down the hill. We have a perfect view of sunset from our little "patio" area.

    After our first few days of enduring the wind and initial exploring, today I decided the boys and I will have a chill morning. We got the watercolors out and put those to use. Each day this week Nate is starting work early in the morning, then heading out to work at my cousin TJ's house. Tonight my Dad will be out to have dinner with us at the campsite.

    Feeling lucky to be here.    Read more

  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    2
    Day 15

    Colorado: Papa Comes to Town!

    June 16, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    On Monday my Dad made it to town and stayed until Friday. It was really good to have him out here with us. He stayed at the only hotel in Ridgway, luckily not far from our campground. Monday night we ate at a restaurant in Ridgway called True Grit and that gave him lots of nostalgic feels for the John Wayne classic.

    On Tuesday we dropped Nate off at TJ's to work and headed to Ouray. We had a picnic lunch at the park then headed up to Box Canyon Falls. The falls are different than most -- it comes through a slot between the canyon walls and is kind of hidden but makes a thunderous amount of noise in the process. The noise was too much for Holden and he decided to stay out of that part. My favorite part, however, was hiking to the top and crossing the bridge that spans the canyon. The views of the town were spectacular. That night Dad stayed with the boys and they got pizza while Nate & I got a night out on the (very small) town with TJ.

    Wednesday the boys were pretty wiped out, so we stayed close to the campground while Dad ventured out to find a golf course. That night he came out and joined us for dinner, a sunset walk on the trail and s'mores by the fire.

    Thursday the boys and I took Dad out for an early Father's Day breakfast then back to the campsite for lunch and knocking out boring domestic work. Once that was all done, we headed back down to Ouray and the boys finally got to check out the Ouray Hot Springs Pool. It was a great time and incredibly beautiful. There are 3 hot springs pools, 2 active pools for lap swimming and one for rock climbing/obstacles and 2 super tall slides. The steepest slide really gets you moving! It didn't take too much effort for the boys to talk Dad into launching himself down the big slide. When he got to the bottom he echoed Holden's first impression, "THAT WAS HORRIFYING!" But that didn't stop us. We all went down many more times! We all had a great time and the scenery was so beautiful.

    We finished the day next door at a Mountain Air Concert in the Park event with TJ and his boys. Food trucks, beer garden, lawn chairs and live music with the rugged mountains surrounding Ouray as the backdrop. It was the perfect way to cap off Dad's stay here with us.

    We met Dad for breakfast Friday morning before he left to meander his way back to Wichita. It was so very good to have him out here with us.    Read more

  • TravelerSummer Road Trip 2022
    2
    Day 16

    Colorado: Week 1 Hodgepodge

    June 17, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 64 °F

    After a busy week, it's Friday night and we are happily tucked away into our camper for a chill evening. There are no complaints with the light rain that's been going on and off for a couple of hours. I cooked up a kitchen sink style chili that EVERYONE liked and happily ate (this rarely happens, so I had no make a note of it to remember that at least once it did happen). We rigged up the projectorand are watching a movie (LEGO Batman), so I'm using the time to catch up a bit more.

    Tuesday after visiting Box Canyon with Dad, we went climbing at a great spot. This was my first time belaying and I didn't drop anyone, so that's a big win. Thursday we got up the hot springs and music night at the park. Today we headed to Baby Bathtubs section of the Perimeter Trail in Ouray and the views were just gorgeous.

    Tomorrow we head to Black Canyon of the Gunnison, our first National Park on this adventure. Sunday we'll be hiking & tooling around spots off of Highway 550, also called The Million Dollar Highway, which is supposed to be a beautiful and also nerve-racking to drive. I already told Nate I won't be leaving the passenger seat on that drive.    Read more

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