Our 23-day cross-country road trip is coming to an end. It’s been an amazing trip. Exhausting, to be sure. Worth it? Absolutely.
In mid-July, my high school friend/college roommate and I, embarked on a cross-country road trip with our kids (Julie has twins, ages 9 and I have 2 kids, ages 9 and 7). She started in Virginia, her home state. I flew first to Pittsburgh, PA to visit another friend who has a daughter Harper's age.
Our trip took us on a northern route from Pittsburgh, through Chicago, Minneapolis, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon.
Several people have asked for some of our trip highlights so I wanted to share them here.
Table of Contents:
Number of States Visited
Total Miles
Total Drive Time
Most Mileage in One Day
Museums Visited Across the Country
National Parks Visited
National Memorials and Monuments
State Capitols Seen
Other monuments, state parks, historical, local interest
Events We Attended
Accommodation Types
Types of Animals Seen
Most Unusual Insects
Crops Grown Along the Roadways and Highways
Energy Sources Seen
Geology Observed
Total # of Junior Ranger badges earned
Family Visited
Would We Do It Again?
Number of States Visited: 11
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Indiana
Illinois
Wisconsin
Minnesota
South Dakota
Nebraska*
Wyoming
Idaho
Oregon
*We just crossed the state line, so it doesn't truly count. We decided, however, that we didn’t want to have 49 states on our deathbed and just be missing Nebraska when it was just 2 miles away from where we were in South Dakota.
Total Miles
4,300 miles
Total Drive Time (not elapsed time)
76 hours
Most mileage in one day
Minneapolis to Badlands, 505 miles, 7 hours 40 minutes
Museums Visited Across the Country
Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh)
Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Pittsburgh)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland)
Paisley Park (Chanhassen, Minnesota)
Idaho Potato Museum (Blackfoot)
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (Minneapolis)
National Parks Visited
Drove through Wind Cave, and saw the bison and prairie but didn’t do the cave this time
National Monuments and Memorials Visited
State capitols seen or visited: 3
Other monuments, state parks, historical, local interest
Millenium Park (Chicago)
Margaret Daley Park (Chicago)
Minneapolis’ Minnehaha park
Events We Attended
Chicago Cubs game (Cubs won!)
Astronomy night at the Badlands
Accommodation Types
Covered wagon (Heart Six Ranch near Grand Teton National Park)
Hotels: 4
Friends' house: 1
With family (numerous stops): 5

Types of Animals seen
Bison
Rabbit
Marmot
Ground squirrels
Chipmunks
Rattlesnakes (SD)
Mule deer
Pronghorn antelope
Osprey
Mountain bluebird
Horses
Cattle
·Alpaca/llamas
Horses
Goats
Donkeys
Coyote
Butterflies
Spiders
Salmon
Sturgeon
Lamprey
Turtle
Skunk

Most unusual insects
Mormon crickets
Japanese Lantern Beetle
Crops Grown Along the Roadways and Highways
Potatoes (ID)
Wheat (ID)
Corn
Sunflowers (SD)
Soybeans
Snap peas
Raspberries
Pear
Hops
Grapes
Blackberries
Peaches
Energy sources Seen
Turbines
Solar Panels
Oil derricks
Near nuclear reactors and the first atomic city (Idaho)
Coal
Hydro-electric
Geology observed
Volcanic (Craters of the Moon, Crater Lake, most of Oregon)
Waterfalls – MN, Yellowstone, Idaho, Crater Lake
Geysers
Hot Springs
Lakes
Rivers
Mountains
Woods
Creeks
Rivers
Oceans
Great Lake (Lake Michigan, Lake Erie)
Calderas
Lava cone
Total # of Junior Ranger badges earned: 20 (5 places, 4 kids)
Family Visited: 27
Julie and I said our goodbyes today at the Medford, Oregon Airport. The kids gave their hugs and took one last photo. Oliver promised Austin a phone call after his first day of first grade in a week, as Austin had requested. Seeing my kids bond with the kids of a lifelong friend is priceless.
Would We Do it Again?
Absolutely! We hit it hard every day and had the best sleep of our lives. Our kids adjusted to the non-routine routine of just getting up and going. They got lots of exercise, lots of laughs and I think they even learned some things along the way.
We all left with a better appreciation of what the northern U.S. looks like as you drive from east to west. You cannot beat the beauty of this country!

Happy Travels,
Chrissy