The Countdown is On--100 days until takeoff!

This summer, we are heading off to find adventure, traveling from coast to coast to coast with our two youngest children: William, age 10, and Julia, who will be 13. The plan is to spend 8 ½ weeks together--driving, camping, hiking, exploring, seeing new places, trying new things, and learning about this enormous and diverse country. David and I have talked for years about doing a cross-country road trip with the kids. We wanted to wait until both kids were old enough for long, chapter-book reading during the drive, but we also needed to do it before the thought of spending a whole summer with their parents and away from their friends would be torture. After learning about the upcoming solar eclipse in school last year (Thanks, Mr. Kiernan!), Julia’s interest was sparked, and we finally decided to take the plunge. I think it’s safe to say that we’re both excited for the adventure and anxious about the enormity of the undertaking.

So many of you have offered great tips, suggested stops, shared lessons from your own travels, and asked us to share our progress. We’ll do our best to keep you posted!

While the plans are still being fine-tuned, the departure date is set, the basic map is sketched out, reservations have been made, and the local library has been cleaned out of all books that could possibly be helpful.

The Accommodations

The first question people usually ask when we talk about the trip is “Where are you staying?”  The answer is, EVERYWHERE! This will be, primarily, a very long camping trip, with a few stays in hotels and with family thrown in here and there. We’re all a little giddy about our primary accommodations though;
Check this baby out:

www.iKamper.com
There's a cool video about the project here:
https://ksr-video.imgix.net/projects/2629185/video-754508-h264_high.mp4

I am ridiculously excited about this tent; it feels a bit like a treehouse for grownups, and I can’t wait to try it out! We researched a number of rooftop tents before stumbling on this one through a Kickstarter campaign a few months ago. It didn’t take long to convince us that this was the one. Just not having to set-up and break down a tent every single day for 8 weeks makes it worth every penny. The crew at iKamper is terrific and their enthusiasm for their product is infectious. We’re crossing our fingers that production and shipping are on time, and we will definitely be taking a few test runs before the main event.

The Route

First, let me say that I had NO IDEA how complicated and time-consuming the planning process was going to be. Talk about overwhelming! We started by making a list of the places each one of us definitely wanted to see and doing some research on where the eclipse would best be seen. Then Mom got to work with maps, guidebooks, travel blogs, Mapquest, the road atlas, and lots of internet research.  In the end, I’ve tried to get a good mix of activities: landscapes, historic sites, cultural exposure, state and national parks, outdoors, indoors, swimming, hiking, kid-friendly, parent-friendly, down-time, planned activities, unplanned exploration, not too much driving every day, etc. Phew--I’m exhausted just thinking about it! But the hardest part is done and now I’m starting to just be excited and a bit less overwhelmed.

The Plan

If you know me at all, you know I’ve got a plan and many, many lists. We’ll try to post weekly as things come together. David promises to contribute along the way, and the kids are excited to get in on the action too, so stay tuned for “guest blogs” from David and the younger members of our crew.

In the meantime, feel free to share suggestions, ask questions, or just send positive thoughts our way!