First big trip in #howellsmovingcastle

From Utah to Florida and back.

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wonder if I could sit in a car for a day and half and not go crazy?”

Well…we not only did it but had a pretty good time along the way.

THE ROUTE

Started in Kanab, UT.

Kanab to Flagstaff, AZ.

Flagstaff to Durant, OK.

Durant to Destin, FL.

Destin to Orlando, FL.

Orando to Nashville, TN.

Nashville to Kaskaskia, IL.

Kaskaskia to Springfield, MO.

Springfield to El Reno, OK.

El Reno to Albuquerque, NM.

Albuquerque to Durango, CO.

Durango to Kanab, UT.

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS

There was something special about the place we stayed in Destin, FL. CAMP GULF was amazing. It was literally right on the beach. We thought it was so nice we stayed a second day.

It was interesting to get used to the idea of, “This isn’t a vacation, we live here.” It was so worth getting rid of our mortgage and everything to be able to move around. It really hit when Keith lost his glasses in the ocean and we spent a day trying to get those

Seeing Ember light up at Disney World was awesome. When she saw the Princesses and was in heaven when they waived at her or talked to her. That was worth the trip in and of itself.

Billboards almost work. The “See Ruby Falls” and “Rock City” ones almost had us exit, but we didn’t. Maybe next time. It was fun to look it up on find that Johnny Cash was also annoyed by the Ruby Falls signs.

That being said, making time to see interesting sites was well worth it. The Parthenon in Nashville was great. Ember now has a fun fascination with Greek Mythology and wants to be Athena when she grows up.

Cadillac Ranch off I-40 was super fun way to stretch the legs. It’s also fun to be artsy with graffiti in a legal way.

Things that worked well for us:

Going slow is Key

With a four-year-old and one-month-old it was important to go slow. It was nice to stop at roadside attractions and get out for a bit (not to mention it was healthy).

Lots of snacks!

It was good to be able to just drive and not have to stop. With two kids and two adults we snacked a lot (well…Keith just need a Mountain Dew and jerky).

Entertainment for kiddos

We try to limit Ember’s time on screens and so it was important to have other forms of entertainment. We had drawing pads, toys, and other things she could focus on.

We’ve also been good at trying to keep her looking out the window for cool things. Anyone come up with some sort of scavenger hunt for the next trip?

Things we learned along the way:

Fridge food all spoiled

On the long hauls…take the food out of the fridge…it all goes bad after 36 hours…

Construction zones suck for travel trailers

We can’t tell you enough how much construction zones suck. They’re very annoying when hauling a trailer.

Speaking of which, the worst roads we dealt with on this trip: NEW MEXICO.

Water (Hot and Cold) for Baby

With an infant and doing formula, we constantly needed a fresh supply of water (gas station bathroom water just doesn’t’ cut it). So we learned, sometime around Georgia, we needed to boil water each night and keep it in a thermos and have some cold bottled water. This way we were able to make bottles up for Tian when he needed it….about every 3 hours.

Food Places We Liked

Holy Smokes BBQ - Quanah, Texas

I really wanted to put this place on the list because we stopped here after going to the Cadillac Ranch. It was great to have a drive thru place that we could go with our trailer attached. So, if you’re traveling I-40 and need a place to stop I really liked this spot.

Gator Beach/Fudpuckers - Destin, Florida

This place was sweet! The Gator Beach/aquarium is free to visit. We had a blast just watching the gators, feeding the gators, and learning about them. It’s nice to visit these places and then spend time with Tian and Ember talking about and learning with them all sorts of info. For this one we focused on “The Living Dinosaur” aspect of gators.

The food at Fudpuckers was great too.

Ted’s Montana Grill - Nashville, Tennessee

I think this is a chain but I will put it on here anyways since there isn’t one in the west. HOLY CRAP! They had some good steaks, burgers, fries, and everything I would want from a place called Montana Grill.

WHAT’s NEXT?

Up next we have a few destination planned. In the next two months we’ll be in Springville, UT, then Parowan, UT, then Flagstaff, AZ, then Salt Lake City, UT, then Austin, TX, then Hurricane, UT, then Phoenix UT.

Where should we go after that? Anywhere in those places we need to check out while we’re there?