Dave and I started talking about our summer plans some time back in December/January. Throwing out ideas of places we would like to visit and I expressed my desire to visit my grandparents in Oregon and Montana and Steph in Idaho. Dave has always wanted to visit Montana so he started to research the best way to do this trip. After some research we decided taking the trailer was the direction we were headed for a 2 week trip and it was going to cost around X amount of dollars! Key word in that last sentence is AROUND this would be Dave's estimation of the trip guessing how much the nightly fees would be, gas, and some spending money. Nice try Sweetheart, but your wife needs a lot more details than that! I started an excel spreadsheet (no joke) and labeled each day and asked for him to complete the locations, miles, and cost of campsite. Of course Dave thought I had completely lost my mind, no surprise here, just fill it out!
A couple of weeks went by and Dave spend LOTS of time on the computer mapping out our trip and researching/emailing RV camps along the way and ta da the spreadsheet creation was beautiful! Dave did a great job calculating the "must see locations" and filling in the gaps with a max driving time of 5 hours from place to place. The sticker price for a 28 day road trip in RV camps $1071! Not bad for a month on the road and WAY cheaper than hotels would have been. Yes, we were pulling a trailer so the gas cost a little more, but it was a way nicer way to go and the only way the trip would have been doable.
Dave then began researching "things to do" along the way and we nailed a few of them in place prior to leaving home. One was the baseball game in Seattle, my half marathon in Missoula, and visits to my grandparents and Steph. We knew there were lots of other sites and people along the way that we wanted to try and see, but none were confirmed until we were closer to the/their destination.
I won't say that even after all the hours put into planning there wasn't a point that I really wanted to pull the plug...do we really want to spend X amount of dollars this year on a vacation!?! I of course didn't push this and it wasn't until Dave's Aunt Vicki become suddenly very ill (in Southern California) that I realized this could be one of the last times I see my grandparents in Oregon and Montana. Both have had medical issues recently and I would have been crushed if I hadn't put out effort to go see them. So, yes the trip cost X, but I knew it would be a priceless experience!
Yes, I thought we would go crazy in the car and in a 33 foot trailer with no doors to separate from each other. Eating, sleeping, and playing with each other day in and day out for 28 straight days. I honestly don't think Dave and I have spend this many consecutive days together in the 8 years we have known each other and I know he hasn't spent this much time with the boys. If I have it hasn't been since they were babies and I was home with them on maternity leave and even then I'm not sure I never went to the store without them! I was a little unsure if we wouldn't want jump off a cliff at times...
I have to shout a big, THANK YOU, to my husband for creating an itinerary that I was comfortable with prior to leaving home. I swear because of this I was completely at ease with our plans prior to leaving I was able to simply relax and enjoy the trip! THANK YOU for driving the entire trip while I sat in the passenger seat reading my books! THANK YOU for researching and reserving campsites along the way that were "best rated" they were all great! THANK YOU for researching activities along the way, and being calm and patient with us. THANK YOU for allowing me time to finish my training and encouraging me to run the half marathon in Missoula (I guess I did have time away on the trip). THANK YOU for allowing me so much time with my grandparents and best friend, they truly will always remember this time and as my Dad says "are on cloud 9" because of our visit. It meant the world to me and truly was a PRICELESS vacation!
I can't wait for the next time we get this much time together. It was SERIOUSLY awesome to have Dave all to ourselves, no work or FFA activities to attend to. We had lots of great adventures along the way and visited 12 sets of friends and family.
Garrett and Gannon had a great time and we troopers all along the way. They were awesome on the drives thanks to Charlotte's Web, The Little Engine that Could, and other movies, road bingo, and LOTS of snacks! They were amazing during all the activities and loved every minute of it!
7 States,
12 Campsites,
4499.5 miles driven, and 28 AMAZING days!
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