Stella at Arches National Park To accomplish our “monster” driving day of 700+ miles, we got an early start at 630am. Heading east out of the Black Hills to the seemingly endless Prairie of flat corn and soy fields - Interstate 94 due East took us to Sioux Falls for a quick stop and then… Continue reading Family Road Trip – Day 5

Ambivalence is the word we both settled on to describe our feelings about visiting this patriotic national monument in the South Dakota Black Hills. Just a few miles of twists and turns from our overnight stay, we reached Mt. Rushmore. Mt. Rushmore Originally designed to attract tourists to this remote out of the way corner… Continue reading Family Road Trip – Day 4

Scenic Colorado Bi-Way 1 A strong cup of coffee got us going quickly as we had an ambitious plan to make it all the way to Hill City, SD. Of course, we never make it easy on ourselves as we added a stop at my former co-worker Natalie’s new house in Granby, CO. That led… Continue reading Family Road Trip – Day 3

Our co-pilot With a first hotel stay in the Covid-19 era completed, I am happy to report that the experience was not much different from before. Stepped up hygiene was visible in the room and in the lobby area. No more breakfast self serve, instead guests get a care package for the road. Not bad… Continue reading Family Road Trip – Day 2

After weeks of planning and evaluations of the various state regulations regarding Covid-19 measures, we finally packed the last items into our car early this morning before we hit the road. Local June gloom soon gave way to bright blue skies and warm temperatures as we climbed into the Sierra foothills. Today’s stage Our vehicle… Continue reading Family Road Trip – Day 1

National lampoons - Griswold family vacation Growing up, I looked forward every summer to packing our family car (some Renault or another) to the gills for summer road trips. These past weeks of safely sheltering in place have allowed me to reminisce of those childhood memories. Granted our trips did not entail a dog but… Continue reading Family Road Trip – Here we come…