First - we need a "travel" section added to the "Member Interest" forum.
With that said, 65 hours in a car with 4 kids (3 - 16) probably better fits under the "Survival" section anyways.
So, here we go. Some of you are new here, some of you are vets here, but since I don't post much due to work, you may be meeting "me" the first time. Figured a trip around America's Southwest is a good visual of our family hobby: Food Trips!
My daughter was born in 2012 (my first) and joined her sisters who were 4 and 5 at the time. In 2013 we took our first trip to the Badlands in SD, it was about a 15 hour trek. We took a 2 year hiatus, but one night watching Food Paradise, we saw a small place in Iowa that looked to have amazing food...specifically, a pork tenderloin sandwich. Grandma's Kitchen at the I-80 truck stop in Iowa became our first real food trip.
Since then, we've been to 31 different states, hundreds of restaurants, and tons of Americana memories that I hope they will cherish forever. I don't personally fly (only once as a kid in a 2-seater), but some day in the future I still @"Gordi"#4 coffee and will need to jump on a flight. So we do all of our trips with 4-wheels. Almost 330K miles in 8 years to be exact.
This specific trip has been planned for a couple of years, and it all started with 1 goal: see the annular eclipse of 2023. Best spot? Richfield, Utah. So I booked a couple rooms for us, and let it soak & marinate for a year or so. Exactly 10 days before the eclipse, I booked the rest of the trip based on food, sights, and my penchant for wanting to go big with "miles per day".
Little did they know this epic "last trip" was longer than a typical hop-skip to grandma's kitchen. My oldest step-daughters are at the age of almost done with school, so I figured this is the last "all hands on deck" chance to explore some sights.
It's also worth noting that while I was using earned PTO from work, I was skipping the most important day(s) of the quarter with our corporate meetings to discuss financials. In solidarity with my amazing plant team, I bought matching EBITDA shirts to wear at all the sights. First of those was Uranus. We packed fudge and tasted everything Uranus has to offer
Day 2 was visiting family in Oklahoma. But day 3, that was a highlight: Big Texan 72oz Steak Challenge in Amarillo Texas The Kiddo loved being a cowboy...
And when "dad" said he was going to attempt the "72 oz steak challenge", well, they loved it (especially the part about me failing miserably and not even sniffing a respectable quantity. I did end up eating about 43oz, the potato, the roll, the shrimp cocktail, and the salad. And yes, I did it in my EBITDA shirt...
Next day we headed through my favorite part of the country. The heart of the Southwest: New Mexico and Arizona. My biggest regret was always telling Big G I was going to visit her in AZ, and never just going down there. But every time I'm there, I see something new and fall in love all over again.
Next day we headed for sin city. What better place to take a family than Vegas... Am I right?!?!
Wife and I put 20 bucks into slot machines, but the highlight of the night was the kiddo watching videos of him and Grandma on the phone because "he missed her"
We're officially at the halfway point. From here, it's just a trek home to our beds, our familiarity, and back to the grind of life.
But first, we need to check out the eclipse!
Kiddos were able to look through an awesome telescope set-up (with filters), Mrs. Ducky and I had a nice blanket to keep us warm with the 15 degree temp drop.
that's it....brown, nothing, windy, and just overall crappy.
Stopped at Wall Drug (3rd time with the fam - each time we discover something new) and met up with my "side girl" of about 15 years now. I introduced her to my son while my wife was in the bathroom...
We then made a quick 15hr drive back home after leaving Wall, South Dakota.
All in all, it was bittersweet. I love that they aren't jetting around missing all of the sights in between. I love that they have endured tens of thousands of miles of road trips, collecting irreplaceable memories along the way. But I also recognize this is the end. The 2 older girls will likely not go on trips after next year (done & almost done with high school) and they'll be onto the next chapter of their lives. But I sincerely hope they take some learnings and show their kids the off-path stuff some day.
On the other hand, we had an "oops" 9 years after the last girl, so in a way, I get to live it all over again. And this time, I know where all the secret spots are. So here's to my main man Elijah, and his poor butt that will be glued to a car for the next 15 years
So, that's DuckforcoveR in a nutshell. At least, that's the part you'll be interested in. I fell in love with this place like many of you, after being alienated at TOS (and many other places) years and years ago. But here? No matter how long I'm gone, no matter what's happened in between. We have a home. We are never EVER Rogue in that sense.