List #18 ROAD TRIP MUST-HAVES

I love road trips! We are just getting started on actual planning for our next family road trip, so this list is exciting to think about! Here are my must-haves for a road trip:drinks (water for me, soda for the guys)

• snacks - something sweet, something salty, fruit, veggies, combos, cheese for protein
  
• maps and guide books (no Garmin for me, thanks, although I will admit that we used our laptop and wifi last year to find hotels on the road)
• paper and pencils - we make lists on the road, so paper and pen/pencils are a must . . . also, Simon can't be w/o drawing supplies at all times. If you'd like to see some of the lists we kept on our last big road trip, check out THE BLOG.
  
• small pillow and shawl/blankie for car - at some point we acquired a purple heart-shaped pillow that now travels with us. Because it is so bright and unusual, it is much less likely that we'll forget it at a hotel!
• books on CD - we have to have a selection so we can find something that all of us will enjoy. We always take our entire collection of Harry Potter books on CD with us as fail-safes if none of the other stuff we take is appealing enough, or if we're just feeling cranky. Jim Dale reading to us makes us all happier.
• slip-on shoes - I'm usually the passenger as Mike like driving better than riding, so I get very comfy on my side of the car.
• laptop for overnighters
• knitting! You didn't think I'd have a list w/o knitting, did you? Honestly? I usually spend quite a bit of time planning what knitting projects to take on a trip. I have to have some options - one thing that is mindless, one thing that takes more brain power, some kind of project(s) I can finish quickly to satisfy my ADD knitting nature. Also, if possible, I like to have a project I can start right before or as we're leaving and finish before we get home so that the project itself can be a memento of sorts.
• camera (s) - remember when we used to have to pack film?
• small flashlight for each person (nice to have at night)
• batteries for camera, flashlights, any other electronics
• phones and chargers that work in the car
• clothes that can be worn in layers
• $$$$$$$$$
  

I'm certain I'm forgetting things. We always do. That's why we always take money!

Vacation Planning

So far so good . . . our planned day of vacation start is getting pretty close now, and no one has to have surgery or be on medical alert or anything, so I am starting to think we might actually get to go! We've been wanting to take this epic road trip for about 5 years. We've been talking about visiting the Royal Tyrell museum for longer than that. Something has always gotten in the way (usually medical crap).

Well, this summer we are going on our much-anticipated trip! Yay! We are going up to Drumheller, Alberta (35 hours of driving) first, then perhaps to Calgary for a day. Then we'll do due South into Montana to the Glacier National Park, and come East via South Dakota (Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Badlands) with our final stop being Chicago to see friends and visit the Field Museum.

Our plan is to eat many meals out of our coolers, do some in-park cooking, and hit local eateries, avoiding national chains for the entire trip. We originally planned to camp as much as possible, but have opted to get inexpensive hotels instead to save the work of having to set-up and tear-down nearly every day. My SIL (a travel agent) has offered her on-call services, but we haven't decided if we want to just be spontaneous or if we want to call her each day and say "we'd like tonight to be in X location". LOL

We have made a deliberate decision NOT to take a GPS but to rely on maps, guidebooks and local people to find our routes, hotels and restaurants. We have our passports (first one ever for both Simon and ME!!!), and we traded in our old PT Cruiser for a mini-van several months ago.

We've spent hours and hours talking about routes, maps, timing and what we want to see. We've got a big stack of books on CD, some tried and true and others new to one or all of us. We purchased a new cooler (the one we got for a wedding gift has finally deteriorated beyond practical use) and we've made many, many lists. Mike has gotten extra memory chips for his good cameras so that he can properly document as well as really be an artist again.

We have someone to check on the house, the cats, the mail and the plants. The neighbors will also be watching out, as well as random other friends. Last minute prep will include:

• going through our medications to ensure we have ample supplies to last the whole trip
• laundry and packing, which could be interesting considering Glacier still has snow issues
• updating our water bottles and camp dishes, making sure they're all clean
• packing the cook box with all kitchen/camp cooking essentials
• packing telescope, binoculars
• checking first aid kit and updating expired stuff
• grocery shopping
• packing the van
• for me, deciding what knitting projects/supplies to take
  

Can you tell we're excited? What kinds of things do you do to make sure you're ready for a 2 week vacation on the road?