Oh the places we'll go...

While reading through the Route 66 section of Road Trip USA, we have added Sandia Crest, NM to our route.
Why?
Tinkertown, that's why.  Motto: we did all this while you were watching TV.

Not looking for the fastest route

From paintingsilove.com

I'll admit that planning the trip can be just as (sometimes more) exciting than actually doing the driving, stopping, seeing, preparing, planning, and panicking which are so common on long road trips. I like maps, I like guide books, I especially like using trip maker tools like AAA Travel Planning application because Google Maps tends to be less effective and you can't put as many stops in as I'd like to! AAA doesn't care, so I just go there and fiddle with the route, since we're not trying to find the fastest route.

If you've never seen the movie Cars, then you may or may not understand why we're looking to avoid the "fastest route" for this particular excursion. Why cut off ten minutes of driving, when you could see something truly worthwhile or edifying just off the highway. Try explaining that to Google or AAA, though, and you get the computer's version of rolling its eyes at you: WARNING! THAT ROUTE WILL TAKE TWO EXTRA MINUTES flashes underneath my neatly edited map, reminding me that I am making a monumental mistake by not taking the interstate highways that were so nicely paid for by our taxes so many years ago.

I've always been the Destination over Journey person in my family. Even as a kid, I had to sit in the front seat (even the uncomfortable front-middle in the station wagon) to see the road that was coming, watch for the exit, read the map, follow the fastest (read: less interesting) route because the alternative (usually my dad's idea) was the "scenic route" that ended up adding precious hours to our drive--as though getting to the destination would satisfy me any more than being in the car would! I've worked very hard to overcome that person and this trip has been really good for me. I can think in terms of destinations (what park/site do we want to see), and how we'll get there the prettiest, most interesting way. Right now I'm trying to tell AAA that I want to drive down Skyline Drive and that I want to take the Blue Ridge Parkway all the way to the Great Smokies. Next I'll argue with it about the best routes across Tennessee and Arkansas.

This effort put in early is worth it to me, because it keeps me motivated. I can see the prize in store. I know every turn of the way. Now we just need the funds to do it.

To Wall or not to Wall?

We're having so much fun planning this trip!  Caleb especially has been marking up the atlas trying to figure out the best way to see all the thing we want to see.
We're having trouble figuring out the plains, however. After Yellowstone, it's a tough call.  Should we do the Badlands or go back to Rte 2?  We're thinking about seeing the Ingalls homestead in DeSmet, SD as well as the Corn Palace in Mitchell.  Or, if we do the Badlands, do we skip Wall Drug or is it a must see?
And how can we get back to NY without going through Chicago?  Choices choices choices.

Ok, having just looked into the Ingalls Homestead, we officially have to go.

We will also go to Hannibal, MO.  It has been decided.

Trip Outline

Our dream for the Great American Road Trip is to see and enjoy as much of America's great outdoors as we can.  In order to do this we will:
- Avoid interstate highways as much as possible.
- Camp and picnic as much as we can.
- Avoid national food chains when stopping to eat.
- Stop in small towns, just because.
- Avoid heavily populated areas and large cities, with a few exceptions.
- Visit as many National Parks, Points of Interest, Historical Monuments, and Local Oddities as we can.
- Talk to the locals.

As we dream and scheme at this point, our trip will consist of the following legs:
1) Cambridge, NY to Nashville, TN via the Shenandoah, Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smokies.
 - In Nashville we plan to visit Financial Peace Plaza, (well, it's actually in Brentwood, which is just south of  Nashville).
2) TN to Santa Fe, NM via Hot Springs, AR and Historic Route 66
3) Santa Fe, NM to Las Vegas, NV via various national parks such as Petrified Forest, Zion, Canyon Lands, etc.
 - We may splurge in Vegas and spend a night or two in a hotel with an indoor pyramid or something, just to be different.
4) Vegas to Olympia, WA via Death Valley, Yosemite, Rte 101 and Mt. St. Helens
 - We'll spend some time in Olympic National Park before heading East.
5) WA to the plains via either Yellowstone or Glacier, TBD.
6) The plains to NY via the Lincoln Highway and anything but I-80/90.

We plan to spend at least 4-5 days on each leg, meaning that the whole trip will easily take a month just to drive.  As Caleb is a teacher and we have most of June, July and August to do this, we aren't worried about time at all.  We hope that you'll be able to clear your schedule for at least some of the summer and come join us, wherever we are!