and we have survived!
Houston was such a great place to stop and visit but eventually we had to make our way back to Minnesota, I was getting Low on the the High Grade Deodorant after all;) Once we arrived we had another 20 hour road trip under our belts – piece of cake! I thought I would give you all a break down of what we’ve learned, grab a coffee and try not to nod off.
We ended up Travelling through MONTANA, WYOMING, COLORADO, NEW MEXICO, TEXAS, OKLAHOMA, KANSAS, NEBRASKA, IOWA, WISCONSIN, MINNESOTA, NORTH DAKOTA, MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN and of course, ALBERTA.
How lucky have we been?? We were able to meet amazing, quirky, weird, cool, Interesting and Fun people along the way. The kids met friends everywhere we went and checked out all the YMCA kids clubs we could find!!
OK! I do have to share a super funny story: It was Nick’s Birthday and there’s an amazing Pie shop that we’ve come across on our travels, everyone talks about it and every time we’ve tried to go its insanely busy. We bought a few pies once and brought them over to someones house BUT We didn’t get to eat any!!!!
So The kids and I drove there …..2 hours, round trip to get this Pie!! It Looks amazing – Caramel Apple!! The entire drive out there the kids were trying to convince me that Dad would prefer Cupcakes. It was all very cute!
Anywho, Nick gets home and the kids immediately tell him about the pie, we all take a look at it – ohhhh, ahhh!!! We were outside BBQing (the kids made their way inside) and our neighbour comes over and starts chatting. Unfortunately he tells us he was diagnosed with Cancer and its a really sad story, one that you can’t break away from to check on your all too quiet kids.
I walk in the trailer and see a line of crumbs that lead to our bedroom and I find the kids huddled in the closet with this darn pie. They each had a fork and were going to town!! HAHAHAHA.
They hadn’t gotten too far but it was ridiculous and actually pretty cute, pfft, they wanted cupcakes!!!! Nick and I couldn’t stop laughing, it was so funny!! We chatted with the kids and talked about how the first piece of a birthday pie/cake is special for the Birthday person. Nick told them that it was okay but to make things fair, on their birthday he would get their first piece of cake……you should have seen their faces!! So priceless. A mix of confusion, happiness(that they weren’t in trouble) and mild disbelief.
We will never forget this moment, it was so great!! Side note, the neighbour got his test results back and his prognosis was very good!! Guys, get those prostates checked. He mentioned that the blood test is really only 80% accurate and that its NOT worth bypassing the ‘ol rubber Glove Test!!
What have we learned along the way about road tripping?
- It’s not as easy as we thought it would be (as previously mentioned) BUT it eventually will be more enjoyable
- Kids love to pull their socks and shoes off the second they get in the car
- Stickers are EVERYTHING
- If you don’t put together snacks and sandwiches the night before, you will hate your life
- A full toy box in-between the kids is useless and creates so much mess
- The Dollar store is key to road trip surprises
- DO NOT let your wife get hungry
- You WILL be stopping ALL the time because someone has to pee and its always an emergency
- Get yourself a Giant Insulated Coffee Cup and keep on filling
- Have a plan on where you want to end up but be ready to change it if things aren’t working out.
- Ya, Ya, I know – You don’t eat McDonalds….BUT you will!!! The Play place can make the difference in your day. A lot of times we’ll eat lunch in the truck and stop at McDonalds and get a coffee so the kids can just burn off energy
- If it’s above 40 and you are running your generator while driving to keep the A/C going for the dogs – Be sure to run a second generator with a parallel kit to handle the load.
- Gas Stations are the Devil, I mean, why would you put the stuffed animals by the cash register….c’mon!!! They need to give a raise to their marketing department;)
- Canada needs to step it up with their Flag Sizes. You always know when you’re in America!
- You get to listen to your Kids chat with each other and enjoy their incredibly interesting stories. It’s the BEST
- I am a SUDUKO master now;)
- U.S Highways are super clean – we haven’t washed the truck and it still looks clean!!
- Nick can Multitask like a PRO
- Diesel is actually DOUBLE the price in Canada
- America is the best to travel with Dogs, most of the big gas stations have Dog Runs/ Off Leash Areas….(hint hint Canada;)
- Eye Spy is our favourite game and every now and then a candy worm shows up and just needs to be eaten.
- SNACKS, SNACKS and More SNACKS
- Dietary habits need to be controlled and followed while travelling. Road Tripping started off feeling like vacation BUT then you realize its actually your daily life. You adjust your choices quick and learn to sneak in exercise when you can, especially with the dogs. We prep 95% of our own food and try to keep things balanced.
- Audio Books and Pod Casts can get you through pretty much anything….if you can agree on it, haha!! I love anything mystery and crime – Nick loves business and Self Guidance but we generally come to an arrangement – Now only if there was a Business Book based on Crime…..any suggestions??
- Diesel Exhaust Fluid only lasts a 1000km per tank!! We ALWAYS need more
- We installed a back up camera on the trailer and found we didn’t use it often BUT when we did, it saved our marriage. It’s a MUST in our opinion!!
Thanks for Reading everyone!!!! We really appreciate the interest in our little Story:)
Willard Family Adventures 