The Journey Is The Goal - Part 2: An Ambitious Six-Week Trip Comes to a Close
We bonded as a family through pleasant and challenging experiences.
I finished the second half of my road trip across America last week. If you missed my first post then make sure to read it for added context. After I completed the first leg of the trip, I spent five weeks in Utah visiting friends and family. I won’t go into my trip details too much but my kids had a blast so the venture was a success on that front.
As for my trip home, I would sum it up in one word: ambitious. If the drive to Utah with my brother was enjoyable then the drive back to Georgia was trying. As always, I didn’t take the most direct route home but opted for the scenic route. Except this time my wife and three young boys accompanied me. If you’ve never traveled with kids then let me explain what it’s like. Imagine trapping yourself in a tiny rolling daycare where everything you need costs twice as much as it does at home. Now do that for six days and you have an idea of what my trip home was like.
I’m not saying the drive home was miserable but it was type two fun. My wife was the MVP of the trip. I handled the driving and she handled the kids. She was whipping out snacks, drinks, books, games, movies, and reprimands as if she had eight arms. I was legitimately impressed and couldn’t have made the trip without her. Like any good drama, I’ll separate the trip into three acts: Act 1 - The Fun, Act 2 - The Grind, and Act 3 - The Push.
Act 1 - The Fun
We left Utah on Saturday, July 15 to stay in Laramie, Wyoming for the night. This day’s drive was extremely pleasant. We settled in for the long trip home with a short six-hour day. There isn’t much in southwestern Wyoming except for the Little America gas station. We ate lunch there coincidentally four years ago to the day and minute on our last road trip. I didn’t plan it but that’s just how it shook out.
From there we journeyed on to Laramie by way of old Highway 30. I enjoy taking state highways on a road trip because you see a more intimate side of the country. The interstate system is amazing but it’s extremely derivative. I wanted to enjoy the drive when and where I could while still making decent time. That night we had delicious pizzas from Alibi Wood Fire Pizza. Finding locally-owned restaurants is key to maintaining sanity on a road trip.
The next day we journeyed south to Beulah, Colorado with a quick stopover in Denver to visit a friend. The drive from Laramie to Fort Collins on Highway 287 is stunning. The mountains begin as soon as you enter Colorado and don’t stop the entire southbound stretch of the state.
I completely understand why so many people have moved to Colorado. But it does have its downside, which leads me to my experience driving on I-25. As soon as I entered the interstate, I was stuck in traffic all the way to Denver. The construction and volume of cars were staggering. Atlanta is known for its awful traffic but I’d put the drive from Fort Collins to Denver up there in the miserable category.
The Denver metropolitan area has grown quicker than the infrastructure can handle. I was able to make it to Sloan’s Lake Park in Denver without incident. I met up with my friend Tyler for lunch and to let the kids run wild. The park was nice but you could tell it gets a lot of traffic. There was a surprising amount of litter strewn about the park. I was expecting the park to be cleaner since it was in Denver but I was wrong.
From Denver, we ventured south to Beulah, Colorado where we spent two nights in a cabin that was built in 1870 by my great, great, great, great grandfather. Beulah is a small community located to the southwest of Pueblo. My ancestor R.C. Lyells moved to Beulah to take advantage of one of the Homestead Acts. He cut the timber and built the original cabin that I stayed in. The cabin hadn’t been owned by my family for decades. That was until my tenacious aunt and uncle purchased the property in 2020 to renovate the cabin. They spent the past two-plus years updating the cabin from a dilapidated bat cave into a stunning property with modern amenities and rustic charm. You should check out the videos my uncle made to document the transformation.
The highlight of my stay in Beulah was venturing to Bishop Castle, which is a one-man project that Jim Bishop has been working on since 1969. The site is open to the public and you can explore anywhere in the castle. I would have enjoyed it more without my kids because the site has lots of potential dangers. I spent most of my time watching my kids so they didn’t bolt off a ledge or fall down the elevator shaft. Despite the potential dangers the castle presented, I enjoyed myself and would recommend checking it out if you’re in the area.
We woke up from our final night at the cabin to discover a bear had tried to break into a door. I put our trash in a storage room off of the back deck to keep the house from smelling, and to keep the raccoons away. Apparently, there must have been something desirable amongst the dirty diapers in the trash that attracted a bear. I didn’t see the bear but it was a sobering reminder that I was in the wild and needed to be vigilant.
Act 2 - The Grind
Now that the fun part of the trip was over, it was time to cover some ground. My plan for the day was to drive to Salina, Kansas, a distance of 447 miles. We had a late start to the day but once we hit the road we made good time. The first stretch of the drive was on the state highways of eastern Colorado and western Kansas. I had never been to this part of the country and was amazed by how empty it was. The stretch from Ordway to Eads was virtually empty. This is where being prepared with food, water, and a well-maintained vehicle pays off.
After a few hours of driving, we stopped for lunch at a park in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado. The town was the most prominent establishment we had seen since Pueblo. The kids loved playing at Medicine Arrow Park. There was also a nice breeze that kept the temperatures down. We lingered for an hour munching on sandwiches and chips before loading up and continuing with our journey. Once we made it to I-70 in Oakley, Kansas, we were able to make a great time to Salina. We picked up dinner, went to our hotel, and crashed for the night.
The next day we set our sights on Mount Vernon, Illinois, which was 500 miles away. I enjoyed the drive through Kansas. The eastern part of the state has a beauty all its own. Popular culture portrays Kansas as a flat wasteland where tornados openly roam and people are whisked away to other dimensions. After driving through Kansas, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Out of the 12 states I drove through, Kansas had the best roads by a long shot. The people I encountered were beyond nice. I would consider living in Kansas. I liked it that much.
We eventually made a stop in Blue Springs, Missouri at Rotary Park. Traveling with children presents you with an opportunity to experience lots of different parks. Rotary Park was the loveliest park we visited on our entire trip. The park had multiple playgrounds for small and big kids. There were walking paths next to a goose-filled lake. We talked with amicable people who wanted to know about our trip. I genuinely enjoyed this stop and I know the kids did too.
From Blue Springs, we pushed east across Missouri in an uneventful afternoon drive. We arrived in St. Louis just in time for peak commuter traffic. Luckily there are several routes to get around the city and we made it across the Mississippi River in no time. We stopped for a quick dinner in Fairview Heights before driving a final hour to Mount Vernon where we spent the night.
Act 3 - The Push
After five days on the road, our luck and fun were about to run out. The drive from Mount Vernon to Athens, Georgia would have taken nine hours if everything went to plan. I knew the day was going to be long but I had no idea just how long it would be. We packed up and got moving before 9 a.m. The drive south into Nashville was smooth.
The kids were behaving relatively well and we made good time. We stopped at the Murfreesboro Miracle Field Park for lunch. The kids were enjoying the food and space after being in the car for three hours. I could see dark clouds to the north that were moving southeast. I thought the storm would pass us but it kept getting closer. We decided to load up in the car once the wind picked up. We ate our lunch in the parking lot as rain and wind pelted the surrounding area.
After 30 minutes of huddling in the car, we decided to get on the move since we still had hundreds of miles to go. The initial drive went well until we encountered hurricane-like rain 30 minutes later. We slowed down and proceeded at around 50 miles per hour. Looking back, I probably should have stopped, waited out the storm, and found a place in Chattanooga to stay for the night. But after being on the road for a week, we were done with hotels and driving.
I took it easy and pushed south through blinding rain until we were greeted with a holdup due to an accident at the Georgia border. Luckily the rain had stopped. The two hours I spent driving in the rain were harrowing.
After a much-needed dinner at a Denny’s in Resaca, Georgia, I had to decide which route I would take to Athens. Google Maps was showing numerous slowdowns and accidents through Atlanta. Taking the back way through the mountains into Gainesville looked like the best option, except we were losing daylight. I decided to take the back way and was met with stunning views of the north Georgia mountains. The roads were clear but you could tell the storm had been crazy. Things were going well until we arrived in Gainesville where we encountered numerous fallen trees and faulty traffic signals. On top of everything, it was dark and the street lamps were out.
The drive from Gainesville to Athens can only be described as epic. My kids had fallen asleep so I was able to focus on the journey ahead. The storm we had driven through ravaged this part of Georgia. There were countless downed trees and several closed roads. I saw multiple trees dangling over the road that were being held by larger trees on the other side. The journey was full of perils but I soldiered on. After an hour of white-knuckle driving, we made it to our street. I was welcomed to my turn with a near accident from a distracted driver. You can drive 2,000 miles across the country unscathed but an accident less than a mile from your house can spoil the entire trip. Luckily I was on my toes and avoided the collision.
Final Thoughts
Sleeping in my bed after being away for six weeks was the best feeling. My kids were happy to be back in their space with their toys. The next day I woke up with a deep feeling of gratitude for the experience I had. Was this trip stressful? Absolutely! Did we have fun? Most certainly!
A successful trip doesn’t mean that everything goes to plan. That would be a boring trip. A trip—similar to life—is all about embracing the unexpected. Being able to adapt and make the most of a situation is what builds lasting memories. I want to be challenged when I travel. And a cross-country road trip with three kids is most certainly challenging.
Would I do a trip like this again? Probably not. I’m glad that I had this experience but I don’t need to relive it. My family and I spent an unholy amount of time with each other. We bonded as a family through pleasant and challenging experiences. My wife and I never lost our cool with each other. We stayed calm and collected throughout the trip. I feel like we learned more about what we’re capable of as parents and partners.
Finally, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of preparation. Having a foundation of preparedness gives you flexibility. My car was maintained to the best of my knowledge. We had supplies for us and the kids in case a breakdown happened. We gave ourselves more than enough time to make the trip home. My wife had everything the kids could want for entertainment. I think we did this trip as prepared as we possibly could have been. When you’re unprepared, that’s when stressful situations can break the whole thing apart.
As always, thank you for your attention.