Road Trippin’
May 17, 2010
I’m currently wishing we had a moving van hauling our things our west and John, Alfred and I could make the trip in something more like this! My Grandpa Buddy had a gorgeous black vintage 1960′s Mercedes convertible and growing up my brothers and I used to beg him to take us for rides to the pool or for ice cream. I thought it was so “cool” that there were no seat belts in the back! Anywho, early Wednesday morning we’re pulling out for California. We’ll be spending four days on the road (between 14 – 8 hours a day) and passing through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Have you ever done a long road trip before? Any good suggestions to help pass the time?
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Comments
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Road trip is my middle name!!!!!! :)
* Tucson, Arizona – Beautiful, beautiful! Drive up Mount Lemmon and sit at the cafe and eat strawberry-rhubarb pie or another delicious offering. Take a hike around Sabino Canyon to admire the mountains, saguaro cactus, cholla and palo verde (and maybe even spot a Javelina!), or walk around the pretty campus of the University of Arizona. Make sure you stargaze at night because there is little light interference and the stars are incredible! There are fabulous locally-owned restaurants in Tucson, too. Super charming with delicious items.
* NPR’s “This American Life” 1-hour long (free!) podcasts are a road trip lifesaver. They are awesome, I promise. Little snippets and stories revolving around a specific theme (like a Switched at Birth story, or another about a Mysterious “Haunted” House).
HAVE A BLAST! Best of luck with the move. xo
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Slipcover Your Life — Oh no! That doesn’t sound too smart. Maybe I can watch one while John drives though : )
Passport In My Pocket — We’re obsessed with This American Life. We have hours of podcasts saved for this one! You’re my soul mate!!! XX
P.S. Strawberry-rhubarb pie?! Yes please!
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This wont help you pass the time but I thought I’d share this detail. Whenever my boyfriend is driving state to state and he sees the “Welcome to…” state sign he shakes hands with whomever he’s with and welcomes them to that state. And since we are in a long-distance relationship we drive state to state a lot. I usually listen to Fresh Air Podcasts.
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Well, other than the obvious recommendation of stopping in CHICAGO, I’d suggest downloading the soundtrack from Elizabethtown to play on the open roads – there is an amazing road trip story line in that movie, if you’ve never seen it. And maybe even see some of the places she told him to stop on his cross-country road trip. Here’s a link to some odd-ball sites worth seeing: http://www.travel-plan-idea.com/archives/003955.html
Can’t wait to hear about it!
Alaina
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I’ve never done a trip that long, but I’ve done trips between Indiana, New York or Pittsburgh and South Carolina many many times. Audio books are fun. They sound lame, but honestly, if there is one the two of you like, it’s perfect! Also, the occassional perfect playlist helps. Try to stop at fun places too, even just for a quick picture and some leg stretching.
xoxo
*kate -
What a dream it would be to road trip in that! Hoping in the next few years I can take a few weeks and make a coast to coast trip with the man and show him all the glories America has to offer :) Take some pics so I can live vicariously through you until i get my chance!
and SAFE travels!!
xox -
Christina — Such a cute tradition. I’m making John shake hands with me every time we pass a state line!
Alaina — We’re going to have the pug and a car full of stuff so unfortunately we won’t be stopping in Chicago : ( I’ve never seen Elizabethtown, but will be sure to download the soundtrack. Ohh and love the link! XX
Kate — I’m trying to talk John into listening to “The Help.” I’ve been dying to read it and I think it would help to pass time. Good call on the audio books! XX
Ashley — Will be sure to take LOTS of pictures. We want to take one of us with the pug in each state—should be hilarious. You’ll do it someday too!
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The last road trip we went on I did a lot of sleeping but that was after an exhausting trip to Austin, TX for SXSW and we did drive through the night so sleeping was my only option really. I don’t know why I felt compelled to tell you that. Anyway, the trip BEFORE that I took a big giant book of great American stories and read some to my driver to pass the time. It was quite enjoyable to hear the story not to mention reading aloud to someone (and he was pretty happy to have me read aloud to him). You could also listen to books on tape since you’ll have so much time! Good luck!
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Meagan — I wish I could read in the car! Unfortunately, I have a tendency to get sick. Sounds like audio books will be a must then! John’s been wanting to go to SXSW for years…lucky you! XX
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I did many a half way across the country trips with my mom to and from college each year, and we filled our time with podcasts and audiobooks. We also have a tradition of stopping at the first Dairy Queen we see in each state and playing a game of roadtrip bingo. We make a list of things we might see on the roadtrip from the normal to the ridiculous and see who can spot the most.
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It’s too bad you get carsick from reading. My parents moved cross-country after they were married and my mom read the whole Little House on the Prairie series to my dad during the trip–how cute is that? (Mostly cute that my dad would listen to hours about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her adventures!)
Good luck!
XX, Lauren Stacks http://lauren-stacks.blogspot.com [book ends]
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That car is amazing! Love a vintage ride! I listen to podcasts on a roadtrip when I can. You all have a safe trip!!!
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Driving to and from PA from CA my mom and I found the best audiobooks like the Harry Potter series. And we’d play types of trivia games. If you’ve got audio books then you’re set!
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Jennifer says:
At Cracker Barrel you can get audio books and then take them back down the road to a different location. Here are the details (it’s slightly different than traditionally renting them):
http://www.crackerbarrel.com/trip-booksaudio.cfm?doc_id=48
And below, you can enter your beginning and ending locations and they will list the Cracker Barrel locations along the way, pretty convenient.
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Gorgeous car!
Books on tape are a must. Nothing like a good mystery to keep you alert.
The most important thing, Darling is Please, Please stop when you or John are tired. We lost a friend of the family last year when he fell asleep at the wheel, only a few short miles from home after a long drive. Please be careful!!
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YES again to audiobooks. We drove halfway across the country when we moved a few years ago and listening to something fairly intense (I think we listened to a Richard Price book) is kind of like watching a suspenseful movie.
Not sure what part of Missouri you’ll pass through but if you go through/around Kansas City, stop at Winstead’s. It’s a local drive-through fast food place and I love their extra-crispy fries, fountain drinks (you can add any flavor) and limeades. There are several locations in and around the city, many located close to highways.
Happy travels!
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I love this car!!! Dream:) Can’t say I’ve ever done a long road trip. But coffee always makes it into the plan regardless of how long or short my car ride is:)
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Okay, first that car. oh. my. gosh. That is one of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen. Okay, if you have Sirius satellite I listen to Doctor Radio. I know that’s dorky but it’s interesting.
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I always use car trips as an opportunity to listen to all that music you find and never get the chance to truly appreciate… Heres a little bluegrass, indie rock, and soft alternative for yall! Enjoy! XOXO
1. Belly Of June | Horse Feathers
2. Arkansas |Damien Jurado
3. Gonna Make It Through This Year | Great Lake Swimmers
4. Slow Walk | Hurray For The Riff Raff
5. The Dead Dog | Portugal, The Man
6. Don’t Really Know Me | Snowden
7. Heaven And Earth | Blitzen Trapper
8. Send Someone Away | Embee feat. José González
9. My Eyes To See | Alcoholic Faith Mission
10. New Music Relief (R. Kelly Cover) by Samamidon
11. Rather Be With You |Yukon Blonde
12. Like a Spoke On a Wheel | The Little Ones
13. Even After All | Finley Quaye
14. Swim Until You Can’t See Land | Frightened Rabbit
15. Don’t Really Know Me | Snowden
16. Sore | Annuals
17. Beach Comber by Real Estate
18. When I’m With You by Best Coast
19. Way Go, Lily by Samamidon
20. Heaven’s On Fire by The Radio Dept.
21. David by The Radio Dept.
22. Rambling Man by Laura Marling
23. Excuses by The Morning Benders
24. Feel It All Around by Washed Out
25. City Keeps Me Down by The Morning Pages
26. Cheerleader by Grizzly Bear
27. You Saved My Life by Cass McCombs
28. Young Liars by TV On the Radio
29. Someone’s Missing by MGMT
30. Mistakes (feat. Luc Prosser) by The Rogue Element…sorry, got carried away! Tends to happen with music!
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Jannah says:
Katie,
Alex and I leave next Wednesday to drive to Louisiana! Too bad our roadtrips are leading us in opposite directions!!
I’ve been downloading free audiobooks from Librivox (books in the public domain… F Scott Fitzgerald, War and Peace etc. I also may have downloaded some Lucy M. Montgomery hahaha) and lots of This American Life.
Drive safe hun!!! -
OH MY GOODNESS!! So many good ideas. I adore you all! Now we have good music, free audiobooks, and so many neat places to stop. Seriously, I would be lost without you. Will keep you posted as we go. I can’t believe tomorrow’s my last day in West Virginia. I never thought I’d say this, but I think I may miss it : )
XX Katie
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Oh dear, imagine a long road trip in a car like that. I want to go on one!
I have never done a real road trip before, so I have no advice for you, but I’m sure you’ll figure it all out!
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Hey Katie dear! First, the This American Life App is Amazing! And…Where are you passing through in Texas? I assume Houston is WAY out of the way, but if it isn’t we HAVE to see you!
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My only real recommendation is to know when you are too tired to continue. It’s better to take your time and arrive safely than to risk anything bad happening. Also, pumped up tunes and audiobooks (with exciting plots) are the way to go!
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This car would definitely be the way to drive across the country. I did the drive last year and the best suggestion I have is switch off who’s driving every 2-3 hours, get out of the car, stretch for a minute, and be on your way. My boyfriend and I managed several long days because neither of us drove for a very long time at one stretch. Otherwise good music, audiobooks, and a camera are always recommended. We also took photos of what we saw through the front windshield every hour — it was awesome to see how the scenery changed.
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Have a fun road trip! That car is HOT. I would read or jam out for sure to pass the time!
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anna says:
you all should DEF stop to try some local cuisines! being a KC girl, and KC being a bbq town, you must stop at Oklahoma Joes! its in a gas station and has the.best.bbq.ever.
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claire says:
a walk in the woods by bill bryson on CD is really funny and helps pass the time during long boring parts. we downloaded it on ITunes and listened to it on our drive from my parents’ house in wyoming back to our home in chicago. both the husband and i enjoyed it. also, when my husband and i drove from LA to Chicago (moving back home) we kept a poloroid journal along the way. since he did most of the driving, i did the writing and organizing. we still have the journal and enjoy looking at the funny/unique/memorable things we encountered and observed along the way. very different than documenting an actual vacation, but still something special, esp. if your little pug will be with you.
happy trails! safe travels! -
We love to listen to stand up comedy albums. I recommend anything by Maria Bamford, Patton Oswalt, or Jen Kirkman. Not only are you laughing it up, thus making the trip more fun, but the time will FLY. And “This American Life’ of course. I also fully recommend making a little movie or slide show of the trip. It’s makes looking at all the random stuff much more interesting to view it as an “artist” :) Have fun!
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Vintage Mercedes are the best.
I think the comedy album is a good suggestion for a road trip, a few name that tune games etc and lots of yummy car snacks. Have fun!
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I’m in agreement with several others – the ONLY way to travel is with books on tape. We once sat in the car at the Grand Canyon to finish listening to a great book, this was after sitting in the car for 4 hours already. If you find yourself stuck in Phoenix, you’ve got a friend here. Happy trails to you.
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how exciting! looks like you’ve been getting some good tips. I’ve never gone cross country, but my family has taken some pretty decent road trips. I think it’s always important to have some food and drinks handy. something that won’t drag you down, so lots of fruits and water. a favorite of mine is slices of selomi, cheese and crackers. I’ve never really done a road trip as an adult so I can’t say for sure… i was always in the back watching movies or coloring, something like that. I can imagine that books on tape would be good, taking in some sites along the way. it might length the trip a bit but it gives you a chance to move around and the driving spurts won’t seam as daunting. OH! and I love making lists, so maybe making lists of things you need to do when you get there, things to do for the wedding, etc…
good luck!
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These are wonderful recommendations! My hubs and I always make mixtapes (OK, mix CDs) before road trips to surprise each other with– sort of like our own radio station.
I also must agree with the audiobook recommendation. I listen to them yearround, not just on roadtrips, and a couple of my absolute favorites are:
1. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (read by the author, Jack Gantos)
2. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (please don’t judge this book by the movie)
3. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Have also heard wonderful things about the Julie Andrews autobiography, but haven’t listened to it myself…
I LOVE portable DVD players… Except when my boyfriend at the time was driving the car and watching the movie at the same time…