Cross Country Road Trip

**disneysteve** · 05-08-2015, 11:20 AM

I have no suggestions or tips as the only place on your list I've ever been to is Toronto but I just wanted to say that sounds awesome. What a great experience for the kids. I'd love to take a cross country trip when I retire.

Oh, I've been to Cleveland too.

**ua_guy** · 05-08-2015, 12:05 PM

Sounds like a blast!

Just a couple of thoughts:

3 Days at Mount Rushmore and 3 Days at Yellowstone. I've heard similar complaints about Rushmore as I have the Grand Canyon. It's fun to look at/ stunningly cool, but unless you have very specific plans that you know will fill a lot of time, it might be better off as a 1-day stop to see the sights or take a tour, then move on. Coversely, 3 days might feel short to see all of the major attractions and to do some recreational things in Yellowstone. If it was my trip, I might shorten Rushmore and extend Yellowstone.

Re: Yellowstone, if you haven't already booked lodging, you need to get on that soon. It fills up so quickly.

Also, I'm from Washington and I see Spokane as a destination on your list. You might have family or other reasons for visiting, but I would think it would rank relatively low as a tourist attraction or place to stop and spend a lot of time. Instead, if you're traveling from East to West on I-90, I'd suggest cutting off at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Highway 95 North and check out Sandpoint, ID. Sandpoint is much more touristy, there is a large, well known Ski resort there, Schweitzer, it's absolutely beautiful, and Lake Ponderay is absolutely fantastic. There's also a very well known theme park, Silverwood, on the way up, if visiting a theme park is on the list for the kids.

Hopefully that helps... Have fun planning, and let us know how it turns out!

**HappySaver** · 05-08-2015, 03:30 PM

I haven't been through the Yarmouth - Halifax - PEI - St Johns stretch, but many of my friends have, and it seems like really a lot to tackle at the beginning of such a long trip. You may want to read up and select just two of those to actually go into and see.

I don't see the point of stopping in Bangor - there's absolutely nothing to see. I would drive on through to Acadia and stay there a couple days (well, at least one full day). It's my favorite of the national parks (they don't call it the jewel of the national park system for nothing). Portland, ME is nice too, at least for a couple hours of lunch/walking around the seaport as you drive through.

The road from ME to Quebec is not easy. I would skip Quebec City (too out of the way, more of what you already get in Montreal but Montreal is closer and way better) and instead I would go through NH and Vermont and stop in Burlington, VT on the way to Montreal. You could easily spend a couple days around that area of VT (Shelburne Farm is awesome, Ben & Jerry's, chocolate, cheese and Von Trapp family) and it would probably be more entertaining for the kids.

Don't forget Niagara Falls. That's a must if you haven't seen it before. Also, the stretch from Niagara Falls - Chicago is not the most interesting - you just have to slog through it as quickly as possible and remember it's much more beautiful once you get out further west. For the stop (just one) I would select Ann Arbor - much more attractive than Detroit/Cleveland.

I would visit Toronto or Chicago but not both (well, personally I'd skip both - in fact, did, when crossing the country). Similar-ish feels, and how many large urban centers do you want to spend time in? With children, that seems like it would be difficult.

Rather than Des Moines, Iowa City is a nice college town, fun to visit, and smaller. Don't forget Minneapolis-St. Paul. That entire area is beautiful.

I agree that one day is plenty for Mt. Rushmore. We did it in half a day and it was plenty.

Definitely leave a couple of days for Yellowstone.

Overall, I think you'll have to cut back on the large cities. You don't have enough time and they are exhausting time-sucks when you are on road trips. My personal order for prioritizing the large cities you've mentioned are: Montreal, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Toronto.

**disneysteve** · 05-08-2015, 06:09 PM

Originally posted by HappySaver View Post

stop in Burlington, VT on the way to Montreal. You could easily spend a couple days around that area of VT

I think the Shelburne Museum is the most unique and interesting museum I have ever visited anywhere. Not sure how old the kids are but I bet they'd love it.

Don't forget Niagara Falls. That's a must if you haven't seen it before.

I definitely second that. Heck, even if you have seen it before, I'd stop there. I love Niagara Falls.

**snafu** · 05-08-2015, 06:21 PM

We've done quite a bit of your trip with and without DKs. I suggest you join AAA or if you know someone with membership, order a Trip Tik that takes you to your destination efficiently but focusses on events, venues both urban and rural, that have age appropriate places that interest your DKs. We highlighted parks so we could take a break from cramped van & run around in the fresh air. Our DSs loved going to concerts and any museums that were interactive and participatory so they could try-out, touch, feel, ride, drive, make it themselves, figure it out challenges.

I'd seek library story telling days, little britches rodeos, dog shows where you can talk to owners about their pets, rural fairs where they can hold the bunnies & get up close and personal with chickens, petting farms and pick your own fruit or berries. Wednesday and Saturday most towns here hold farmer's market so we did lots of picnics weather permitting.

We tried our best to get to the highway early at 1st light of dawn and drove until lunch. We had a cooler and several wide mouthed thermoses. Dry cereal doctored up with trail mix in snack sized baggies made breakfast on the highway later in the morning acceptable. Hotwire.com can book overnights with whatever criteria you set and it's helpful to have kitchenette mini fridge & microwave. Choosing a variety of rolls, PB & J, sliced deli cheeses, salad to go, sandwich filling concoctions at grocery chains allow alfresco picnics where ever you are. It's easy to travel with a Costco case of water + frozen lemonade and canister of dry iced tea or coffee. Re-useable water bottles are terrific and mostly spill proof.

It's good to get off the highway between 3 - 4 PM, still time to do fun stuff rewarding DKs for their good behaviour.

**HappySaver** · 05-09-2015, 08:19 AM

I've been told that Ottowa is well worth seeing - it's supposed to be beautiful.

**sblatner** · 05-09-2015, 09:00 AM

Chief Crazy Horse is near Mt. Rushmore...also, somewhere around there is a Laura Ingalls Wilder park if you have anyone interested in her.

Where are you starting and ending and are you doing a roundtrip? We did a trip from Michigan to California and back 40 years ago and it was fantastic. The Pacific Ocean and the coast from California to Oregon is beautiful.

**HappySaver** · 05-09-2015, 12:26 PM

OP is moving out west so the trip is one-way and they'll have plenty of time to explore the west coast.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 05-10-2015, 05:34 AM

You guys are sooo awesome. I am trying to not drive more than 4 hours a day. stop at noon and do sightseeing and just hanging out.

I would like to do eastern canada because we aren't coming back to the area anytime soon. I've done Vermont and other areas.

This road trip is to move but we have a lot of flexibility. And we are in the beginning planning stages.

Starting with aaa TripTik and finding it hard to think about all the details but well worth starting.

Also we were thinking of pulling a trailer, but my DH pointed out how do we park in places with a small uhaul trailer? Tips or ideas or tell me how you did it. Otherwise I guess a roof case?

**HappySaver** · 05-10-2015, 07:26 AM

Originally posted by LivingAlmostLarge View Post

Also we were thinking of pulling a trailer, but my DH pointed out how do we park in places with a small uhaul trailer? Tips or ideas or tell me how you did it. Otherwise I guess a roof case?

Is the trailer filled with stuff related to the move, or for all your trip gear? When we moved cross-country, everything went in a truck separate from us, and we went by ourselves in one car. But we had no kids. If you need space for youselves, the kids, and all the camping/trip gear, I vote for a roof case. Or even having your car shipped and renting a larger car/van for the trip.

**creditcardfree** · 05-10-2015, 09:21 AM

Originally posted by LivingAlmostLarge View Post

Also we were thinking of pulling a trailer, but my DH pointed out how do we park in places with a small uhaul trailer? Tips or ideas or tell me how you did it. Otherwise I guess a roof case?

With a trailer in a hotel parking lot you probably need to park in the back or side of the hotel and take up several spots. We are looking into car top carriers, there are also racks that can attach to a trailer hitch for more storage which we may do also. Luckily MOST of our gear is being packed and moved for us separately.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 05-11-2015, 08:30 AM

Trip gear our stuff is being moved by movers. I'm figuring that out now. I'm thinking that the car top carrier is the way to go.

**feh** · 05-12-2015, 06:28 AM

Madison is quite a bit more interesting than Des Moines, and it's on your way to LaCrosse.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 05-12-2015, 06:59 AM

I'm still trying to map out where. I believe we are going to take 3 weeks+ to travel cross country.

Cross Country Road Trip