August is “Family Fun Month,” so what elicits more summer family fun than a good old-fashioned road trip? Last summer my family and I took a once in a lifetime, 3,156-mile road trip from Seattle to Wichita. I was super hesitant about this trip due to our daughter being only two months at the time of departure (along with many voiced concerns of our wild plan from loved ones). After a little arm-twisting from my adventurous husband and the approval from our pediatrician, I gave in to the madness. Our rule for our road trip was that we had to stop every two hours or less, and we needed to see as many national parks as possible. We loaded up our trunk with baby gear, gallons of water, and snacks. Before long, we blasted Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West” and started our journey.
The first half of our trip was completely planned. My husband and I had each stop highlighted on a map along with booked hotel rooms from Spokane, Washington to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We learned quickly that our plans were actually goals, with our daughter being the commander of our trip. Our first four-hour drive to Montana turned into eight hours of chaos due to an inconceivable amount of gas station diaper changes and nursing sessions, a hike at Kootenai Falls, and a much needed dinner break at a local sports bar. The following days were very similar, with one day arriving at Yellowstone at 10 o’clock at night. Since our half day driving ventures turned into full day driving extravaganzas, we decided to “wing it” and book hotels as we went to maximize our adventures and minimize our driving time (which is a super hard feat when you are a skilled planner).
Have you ever been to a national park? If not, I urge you to go. Our family was able to see eight national parks on our road trip to Wichita, each park being so different than the next. We experienced temperatures below freezing at Mount Rainier and Glacier to temperatures over one hundred degrees at Canyonlands and Capitol Reef. We enjoyed hikes around the Prismatic Springs at Yellowstone, near Jenny Lake at the Grand Tetons, and through the cactus-ridden desert at Arches. We learned about the different types of rocks in each area, with the most interesting being the picturesque Navajo Sandstone at the national parks in Utah or the metamorphic rocks, schist and gneiss, creating the steep cliffs of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Each park gave us further understanding of the area’s history, flora and fauna, and the importance of the protected parks in the United States.
Although our baby dictated our driving days, the educational adventures we experienced out west was everything our family needed. Yes, we faced many struggles and obstacles as new parents. However, I am so happy I agreed to this crazy trip. It gave our family time to bond, share experiences, become more adaptable, and grow. Our daughter will not remember this trip, but my husband and I will forever cherish the memories that we will pass on to our little adventurer as she grows.
Do you like to go on road trips? What is the most memorable one you have been on?
Make sure you never miss out on things to do in Wichita: subscribe to our weekly Wichita Moms Blog newsletter! Be the first to know about our exclusive events, special offers and discounts, neighborhood group activities and, of course, local resources and parenting voices powered by local Wichita moms!
