road trip – Page 2 – Love, Laughter, and Luggage

California 21 May 2025

Driving Through Death Valley National Park in July

At first glance, the title of this post probably seems a little crazy. Why would you go to Death Valley National Park in July? If you’re a teacher and you have a school-age kid, this stop along a massive road trip makes perfect sense. In 2022, we set out from Joplin, Missouri, to undertake one of our longest road trips to date. A couple of days before, we’d stopped overnight along the highway, and we’d also spent a night at Grand Canyon National Park at Kachina Lodge. Our next overnight stop was scheduled for Lone Pine, California. Along the way, we hoped to spend some time in Death Valley National Park, even though it was so hot we didn’t want to leave our car for very long. Visiting in July is possible, but I wouldn’t plan on any major hiking during the day. Be sure to have plenty of water…

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California 13 Jan 2025

Visiting Manzanar National Historic Site

Everyone should visit Manzanar. The lessons within its borders are necessary. I didn’t know Japanese Internment during World War II was something that happened until well after high school graduation. I’d never heard the slightest murmur of such things all through high school, and I took advanced history classes. At 22, I’d moved to Front Royal, Virginia, a small town about an hour from Washington, D.C. One December day in 1997, I had the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History. Fortunately, I’d visited twice before as a child and a teenager. It was a favorite of mine, and I looked forward to seeing the First Ladies’ exhibit and the pop culture section. Imagine my confusion when I stumbled into a portion of the museum that looked like a neighborhood in California. Shops and restaurants in this replica San Francisco street were closed and boarded up,…

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Maine 4 Sep 2024

Two Nights in Bar Harbor, Maine

.Bar Harbor is one of those delightful seaside villages that looks and feels just like you think it would., from fishing boats in the harbor to walkable streets selling local wares. We made our first trek into Maine during our East Coast road trip in July of 2023, and the state quickly became one of the most memorable and enjoyable stops on our 23-day journey. Would I return to Bar Harbor, or anywhere in Maine? Absolutely! Read on to see how we spent about 48 hours in this enchanting seaside town. Staying at Bar Harbor Manor When planning these epic road trips, we often start with lodging, often about a year out. At first, the KOA campground in Bar Harbor had our attention. Though we don’t currently have an RV, we often stay in the cabins in these campgrounds across the country. We were excited that it was waterfront, and…

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Maine 18 Jun 2024

A Summer Day in Acadia National Park

As part of our East Coast road trip, we made a two-night stop at Bar Harbor, Maine, to check out this seaside town and Acadia National Park. We divided our short time pretty equally between the town and the park. As always, I wish we had more time, and on this particular adventure, I wish he’d had less morning fog. Still, we always make things work and I’m grateful for the experience. I hope to return to the area someday to experience more of this fabulous park! Acadia National Park is primarily located on the largest island off the coast of Maine–Mount Desert Island. Bar Harbor is also located on this island, and Acadia National Park is right outside of town. Our Acadia National Park Adventure Begins We arrived in Bar Harbor in the late afternoon. That left us enough time to settle into our lodging, have dinner, and browse…

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Canada 6 May 2024

Dinner With a View at Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls

Skylon Tower turned out to be one of my favorite experiences in Niagara Falls. My family doesn’t usually opt for pricier dining experiences, but this exception worked out great for us. It’s all about making memories together. Why Skylon Tower? As we planned our first trip to Niagara Falls, we had a lot of questions. What activities should we include in our experience of the Falls? Where should we stay? Should we opt for a place with an upper-floor view? When I learned that you could get those great views from Skylon Tower, we considered that maybe a pricey hotel room during the summer wasn’t necessary. When I discovered you could dine at the top, I was immediately excited. And one of the restaurants revolves? Let’s do this. Though we could’ve stayed at one of the hotels with a view of Niagara Falls, we decided to stay at the…

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Nevada 23 Apr 2024

Driving the Extraterrestrial Highway: Warm Springs to Crystal Springs

If you’re looking for a stretch of remote highway that sparks a tone of mystery combined with fun oddities, the Extraterrestrial Highway is your road trip destination. Also known as Highway 375, this remote road is famous for its supposed UFO sightings and being the highway that gives access to the gravel entrances to Area 51. What could be more fun than quirky alien merch and possibly being arrested by military police? Sign us up! The Adventure Begins Our adventure along the Extraterrestrial Highway was part of an extended road trip we took to California from Missouri. On our journey. we’d just spent a couple of nights in Yosemite National Park followed by a stay at the Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada. You can click here to read about our stay at the Yosemite Valley Lodge and here to read more about the Clown Motel. After the night at the…

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Nevada 6 Nov 2022

Staying a Night at The Clown Motel

Ever since we discovered the existence of a little place called The Clown Motel, we knew we had to go. I mean, it’s world famous. We finally got our chance last summer when we set off on a road trip from Missouri to California and back. This motel in Tonopah, Nevada, is decorated with clowns inside and out, and if that’s not creepy enough, it’s also right next door to an old cemetery. Seems like the perfect place to get a restful night’s sleep, right? The Clown Motel Lobby and Gift Shop We’d just spent two nights in Yosemite National Park, so we arrived from the west. The Clown Motel is one of the first things you see as you pull into town from that direction. I have to admit, it was a welcome sight after driving through some pretty bland areas. I know. Yosemite spoiled us! Even if you…

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Nebraska 13 Feb 2022

Carhenge: A Fun Roadside Attraction

One of the great things about taking a family road trip is finding those quirky roadside attractions so you can stop and stretch you legs. Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska, is one of those fun stops. I mean, who can resist a replica of Stonehenge created from old cars? We certainly couldn’t. Getting to Carhenge Carhenge became a possibility to us as we traveled from Joplin, Missouri, to the Yellowstone area. For our first night, we stayed along I-80 at North Platte. When we realized that it wouldn’t be out-of-the-way to stop by, we knew we wanted the Carhenge experience to be part of our road trip memories. Incidentally, we also made stops at Scotts Bluff, Chimney Rock, and Fort Laramie. The History Behind Carhenge In 1987, Jim Reinders created this replica–even true to scale–on farmland owned by his father. Reinders had previously spent some time in England where he learned…

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Travel Tips 2 Oct 2017

The Ultimate Winter Weather Road Trip Safety Checklist

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WeatherProven #CollectiveBias One of my family’s favorite times of year for a road trip is winter time. Every year, we take a drive through the Ozark hills in Missouri to visit Branson for An Ozark Mountain Christmas. We visit area attractions and watch live Christmas-themed shows as we get into the spirit of Christmas and revel in the beauty of the season. We also finish up our Christmas shopping and eat some of the best country cooking you’ll find anywhere. It’s a special time that my family looks forward to every year. Of course, when driving through the Ozarks in winter, you have to be extra vigilant about road safety. We live in Southwest Missouri, and the weather can change at any moment, especially in the winter. It’s important that my family…

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