News - News - Home Again

Home Again

Overall, this has been an amazing trip. Given the chance, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I definitely recommend a cross-country road trip to anyone with a few days to burn and looking for something different to do. I\m about to get on the plane to head back to Chicago, but I\ve decided to wrap up the trip with a little advice. Take it as you will:

  • Take your time. No time is too much. We could\ve easily spent a couple more days on the trip.
  • Do research on places you want to stop at before you go. Without doing this, we wouldn\t have known to bring spray paint to Cadillac Ranch.
  • Allow yourself to be spontaneous along the way. If you see a sign for something that seems interesting, stop. We would\ve never seen the World\s Largest Rocker if we hadn\t pulled off the road on a whim.
  • If possible, allow extra time at the end of your trip to just relax. We chose to spend a half day at a spa which was fabulous. It doesn\t have to be a spa, just make sure you give yourself time to relax before heading back to work or school.
  • Have plenty of beef jerky. We went through ¾ of a pound in less than two days and bought another pound on the way. I suppose other snack foods could be substituted if necessary.
  • Bring some Orbit (or any other gum). Both Lisa and I were amazed at how quickly Orbit was able to wake us up when we started to get sleepy. We were a fan of the wintermint flavor.
  • Go with a friend. I don\t know for sure, but I can\t imagine this trip would\ve been nearly as fun alone.
  • Take LOTS of pictures, and make sure you\re in them. There\s just no better way to remember it.

Finally, a big thank you to:

  • Lisa for allowing me to join her on this trip.
  • Thom and Jose for doing whatever they could to make sure we could be on our way.
  • Anna for letting us stay with her and taking us out in OKC.
  • Jimmy for buying us breakfast on Sunday.
  • The bartender at Young\s Corral in Holbrook, AZ for mixing us some fine drinks and keeping us entertained. (We both feel horrible for never asking her name!)
  • Kathy and everyone else at Sedona\s New Day Spa. You made our first spa experience magnificent!
  • Jess and Chris for letting us stay with them Tuesday night.
  • Sirius Satellite Radio, especially Big 80s, for keeping us rocking out the entire trip.
  • Love\s Travel Shop for having the correct wiper blade and not getting too upset when we washed our muddy feet in your bathroom.
  • Last but not least, Dave for giving me the opportunity to document this trip fully. Without you, I\m sure I would\ve never written this down!

Missing the road already,

Ida