Adventure: an exciting or remarkable experience.
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My family and I went on a road trip adventure. When I say this was a trip of a lifetime, I absolutely mean it.
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4,700 miles traveled.
70 hours of driving.
Beautiful sights.
Family time.
Many memories made.
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A few years ago, my husband Ricky and I made a trip to Colorado in the summer of 2018 (which was an AMAZING trip) and loved every second of it. It was really the first time both of us had been out West and experienced that part of the country. We knew we wanted to road trip out West again at some point to see what else our country had to offer. Things have happened, got in the way, and kept us from making the trip, (vet bills & a pandemic) but the summer of 2021 was the year! When the time was right, we started talking about where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. Below is a list of places we wanted to see:
1- Teton National Park (Wyoming)
2- Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming/Montanta)
3- Whitefish, Montana
4- Whitefish, Big Mountain Ski Resort
5- Glacier National Park (Montana)
6- Mount Rushmore (South Dakota)
7- Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
SHEW-- sounds like a lot right? It is a lot. It's a lot of driving and time on the road. We knew that going in. We also knew we needed at least two weeks to drive that amount comfortably and have time to experience and see the sights we wanted to see. The more we thought about it, talked to other people who have done it, and weighed out our options, we decided the best route to take was renting an RV. Now, this is what made our decision to officially start seeking out an RV.
1- Pets. We wanted to take our two Goldendoodles-- 80# and 60#, big, fluffy, car-ride loving dogs. Our 80#, big boy Olly had traveled with us before and did great! Our younger doodle Annie, hadn't hardly been on a leash let alone traveled across the country-- but she did great too! We normally higher a dog-sitter which is GREAT but doesn't help with the fact that I MISS MY DOGS WHEN I'M AWAY. Plain and simple. They are a big part of our family and they keep things interesting-- while also always increasing the laughter in the room.
2- Timeline. Bottom line, we didn't want to be on a timeline. We didn't want to feel rushed. We didn't want to be on a "schedule". We wanted to be able to stop when we were tired & sleep and not worry about making it to the next hotel we had reserved or for that matter even knowing where to reserve hotels. We wanted to 'wing it' in a sense and if things worked out, they did. If they didn't, we figured something else out.
3- Packing. If you've ever traveled with me, you know I am an OVERPACKER. I just like to be prepared for anything and I find comfort in that. I wanted to be able to take healthy options for food, I wanted to be able to cook for the family, I wanted to take clothes & shoes for any occasion, I wanted to take fun things for Xavier to do while camping, and I wanted to take SOME workout equipment. Driving in a car or flying, none of that would have been an option. We would have been super limited.
So, Ricky found a pet-friendly 2018 Ford Winnebago Intent through RVShare.com and booked it several weeks out from our trip. We had to drive to West Virginia to pick it up, learn about it, take before pictures of the RV, and sign some papers. We had 13 nights and had to return the RV on the 14th day back to West Virginia. SO COOL. We were pumped to drive the RV back home to Lucasville, pack it up, and get on the road.
Day 1:
We picked the RV up in West Virginia and drove it home to Lucasville. We packed everything up and was on the road by 4pm. We drove until about midnight (8 hours in)and found a rest area to pull into for the night We didn't have a goal or particular area we wanted to get to. We just drove until we were tired and once we started feeling tired, starting looking for rest areas within our route. We ended up somewhere in Illinois. This day holds the scariest moment of the trip award: On the interstate, driving through a BAD storm. Tornado warnings are sent out and cars are stopped on the interstate. Crazy winds, large amounts of rain, and people who aren't REAL familiar with driving in an RV = SCARY. I called my Mom and asked her to pray-- like that's how scary. BUT, we were ok and made it out without ever seeing a tornado and we were on our way again. SHEW.
Day 2:
This was a BIG day of driving. We ate breakfast in the RV. We started driving around 9am and didn't stop until around midnight. We wanted to make it into Wyoming but ended up about 30 minutes out of Wyoming in a small town in Nebraska. I will share this-- I'm not a great co-pilot. Or well... I just don't live up to Ricky's standard I guess. Once Ricky started getting tired for the night, he sent me on the search for a rest area. I had found one about 30 miles out. It seemed perfect. Once we got close, I soon realized IT WAS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE. I knew he'd be mad because we had to drive past the rest area to actually take an exit that took us back in the WRONG direction. Backtracking.. who wants to really do that especially when you're tired? NOONE. He was mad.. oh well, what's new? So, he gave me down the road about it for a few minutes and then the heat was off me. As we got closer to the rest area, I again realized I was going to be in more trouble. THE REST AREA WAS CLOSED. Seriously? So now, we had to actually back track MORE to get to another exit that would get us on the other side of the interstate. Thankfully, that exit also had a truck stop. So we stayed at a Love's truck stop for the night. RICK WAS SO MAD AT ME. It was a tiring and miserable last hour of driving. I legitimately felt bad for the man. We knew we would arrive in Jackson, Wyoming (our first destination) the next day so this is when I started calling around and looking up available campsites for the next couple of nights. I'm not going to lie, this was stressful but I had faith we would find something. It took a lot of effort. A lot of things were booked up. I eventually found one. Thank goodness! We had a reservation for the next two nights.
Day 3:
Woke up, walked the dogs in the dog park at the Love's truck stop, and starting driving around 9am again. We arrived In Jackson, Wyoming around 4pm and checked into the pet-friendly 'Virginian RV Park'. This wasn't the type of campground I was used to (no fire pit or even trees) but it got the job done for us--Full hookups for the RV and squeezed right between two mountains. That was pretty cool. We were exhausted from driving for almost 3 days, so we took the evening to relax. We did walk with the dogs to a nearby carry-out. We got a few beverages for the evening and headed back to the camp to chill for the remainder of the evening.
Day 4:
I Started the day with a workout with some beautiful views. Our goal for the day was to explore Jackson and take a hike, so we walked to Snow King Resort about a mile away from our campsite. On the way, there was a public park that had a lot of fun things for kids! Several free Rockwall climbing opportunities and playground equipment. Xavier, my stepson, was all about the rock wall climbing. The park, however, was not pet-friendly, so the dogs and I watched from a distance while getting all the attention from people passing by. The dogs were loving every second of the attention. We arrived at the resort. It was new and they were actually starting to add ski slopes! We ate lunch at a pet-friendly café at the resort called King's Café. They brought water to the dogs and we all enjoyed a burger to fuel us for our hike. We then studied some maps to figure out a hiking route that would put us back closer to our campsite. We mapped out a route and took off up the mountain literally right behind the café we had just ate at. Holy elevation! We were all huffing and puffing hiking up that mountain. It felt good to move and the views were AMAZING. We hiked about a total of 6 miles and ended by a creek, where we all took our hiking boots & socks off to enjoy some cold, crisp mountain water. Talk about refreshing! It was beautiful and the perfect end to our hike. We were about a five minute walk from our campsite. We had dinner and relaxed the remainder of the evening.
This was under a 2 hour drive to get to Yellowstone Nat'l Park. As we headed into Yellowstone, we started studying maps to figure out what we wanted to see. Yes, it would be awesome to see everything, but we only had one day to dedicate to Yellowstone, so we picked what we wanted to see most. Our first stop was Old Faithful and tons of other geysers and hot springs.
It was incredible to see all of the colors and interesting to learn about all of the activity going on underneath our Earth in that area. Old Faithful & Midway Geyser Basin are a must-see! It was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip. We also chose to explore the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. This was incredible as well! The waterfall and canyon are breath-taking, literally. The canyons are enormous and pictures just cannot capture the depth or beauty of that area. The waterfall on the Yellowstone River is amazing and totally worth your time.
This is also important to note-- there is wildlife everywhere. Driving through Yellowstone, you will get backed up in traffic. If that happens, it is probably because wildlife has been spotted and everyone wants to see. I get it because I am also one of those people. On our way out of Yellowstone, we were backed up in traffic for over an hour-- because there were BABY bison!! There were two ADORABLE calves just hanging out with a group of around 8-10 other Bison.
I got way over-excited as usual, Ricky made fun of me, we took the pictures & videos when we finally made it to the stopping point, and then we were on our way again... actually doing the speed limit again. So, keep in mind, driving around Yellowstone might take a lot longer than you anticipate for things like Wildlife sightings. We drove out the West Entrance of Yellowstone into a town called West Yellowstone. There were tons of restaurants and shops. Very small, cute town with a lot of dog-friendly options for eating. We found a pizza joint called 'Mountain Pizza & Pasta'. We had a small wait so we browsed some shops nearby and picked up some souvenir coffee mugs. We sat on the outdoor patio with our pups and enjoyed some Mountain Pizza. It was a friendly staff who greeted our 4-legged friends with welcoming arms & great food! It doesn't get any better. It was late at this point but Ricky wanted to drive until he got tired so we would have less driving to do the following day for our next destination-- Whitefish, Montana. We drove to Ennis, Montana where we found a rest stop to park & sleep for the night.
Day 6
At 6:00am we were awakened by a pounding on the door of the RV. It was a COP. He basically told us we were not allowed to park and stay there overnight. He was very nice and told us it was a common mistake. Very kindly & without citing us, he basically told us to leave, like right then. By this point, we were able to at least get some sleep. We got everything ready to hit the road once again. We had a 5 hour drive to get to Whitefish. Awesome views during the entire drive of course. I had booked a campsite at a KOA (Kampgrounds of America) in Kalispell, Montana. This is right outside of Whitefish. Side note-- I highly recommend KOA campgrounds. When we arrived at the Campground, Xavier was excited just to check out all the campground had to offer-- pool, paddle boats, yard games, free bikes to borrow, game room, and even a doggy park! Needless to say, once we got settled, we did most of the things listed above and had a good dinner.
Day 7:
I started my day with a campground workout. It was just what I needed after being in the car for a good bit the day before. I once again got a lot of stares, but it's all good! I hope I inspired someone.
Our goal for the day was to explore downtown Whitefish and then a rodeo in the evening. Downtown, we first ate lunch at Montana Tap House which was pet-friendly. We sat in the outdoor area and all of us enjoyed a good burger. We then found some parking near the downtown shops that were within walking distance. We visited some bike shops, a doggie boutique (where Annie got her new collar), and browsed a couple other shops. We were heading for ice cream at Sweet Peaks Ice cream (pet-friendly) and on the way found Mountain Berry Bowls which seemed way more appetizing than ice cream. Ricky and I got an acai bowl-- delicious! Xavier opted for ice cream still so we went and got that boy an ice cream cone!
Day 8:
I started my day with another campground workout--always a good way to start the day. We headed to Big Mountain where we checked out Whitefish Mountain Resort. This ski & mountain bike resort was pet-friendly. This was where Ricky wanted to go mountain biking for the day. We didn't bring the personal bikes so the plan was to rent. Just like the rest of the trip, we were kind of winging it & hoping there would be rentals. Unfortunately, there were not. Lesson learned-- we should have reserved ahead of time. Since this was one of the BIG things Ricky wanted to do on the trip, we didn't give up. The bike rental shop had told us that sometimes people will return bikes early in the day & that we should come back a couple hours before closing to see if that was the case for that particular day. Instead of an all day rental, he could at least get a couple of hours of riding by doing a 2 hour rental if someone returned one early. So, we found other things to do on the resort until then. There were TONS of things to do on the mountain. So much that we had to pick just a couple of things because there just wasn't time for everything. We chose the scenic ski lift ride. This took you to the top of the mountain which resulted in some incredible views.
They also had mountain coasters, mountain tubing, and many other things! We had lunch in the RV and when Rick went back to check for a bike, there had been ONE returned early! So while he rode for a couple of hours, Xavier & I did an aerial treetop adventure course. He zoomed through each obstacle with absolutely no fear. He was coaching me along the way! The Obstacle was NOT easy. It included, climbing, balance courses, ziplining, and all the obstacles were marked for different abilities. It was really cool! We spent over two hours on the aerial adventure, lost track of time, and almost missed the ski lift back to the top of the mountain! It was close-- but we made it & met Rick and the dogs at the RV. We drove off the mountain & decided to have dinner at a Pet-friendly brewery & restaurant called 'Bonsai Brewery'. Super laid-back restaurant. Food was AWESOME, the beer was refreshing, and the dogs enjoyed playing in the huge outdoor seating area where there were a lot of other 4-legged friends hanging out.
Day 9:
Our plan was to check-out of the campground this day, do some horseback riding, and then start heading toward South Dakota. I hadn't dropped into any Crossfit gyms the entire trip until this day. I found a Crossfit gym about 2 miles from the campground we were staying at so decided to jog to their 9am Saturday morning class. I am glad I did this because on my jog to the gym, I had the most gorgeous view of Big Mountain from the highway I was jogging alongside-- the fog, the crisp air, the morning sun, it was a very memorable moment for me on the trip. I completed a partner workout and then actually bummed a ride back to the campground from my partner friend I had made during the Crossfit class.
When I got back to the RV, we packed it up and hit the road toward The Bar W Guest Ranch in Whitefish. This was where we went horseback riding in the mountains of Montana-- definitely a highlight of the trip. Two hours of a slow-paced walk with my horse named Sage in the mountains. Good conversations with the locals and gorgeous views the entire time.
After riding horses, we ate a local restaurant favorite called 'The Wich Haus'. This simple pet-friendly sandwich shop was AMAZING. Delicious, specialty sandwiches with great service. Once our bellies were full, we were on the road again heading toward South Dakota. We drove a few hours before we got tired and pulled into a truck stop to sleep for the night.
Day 10:
On this day, we woke up early. It was going to be a pretty big day of driving! We almost drove diagonally across Montana from the Northwest corner of the state to the southeast corner of the state. Let me just tell you, this was by far my favorite stretch of the trip while driving. MONTANA IS THE MOST GORGEOUS STATE I'VE EVER BEEN IN. All the way across the state, the views were INCREDIBLE. You could look around you in all directions and see wide open prairies with mountains in the far distance.
The sky just went for miles and I now have a good understanding of why they call it Big Sky Country. We literally took in every second of it that we could while putting it into our memory banks. Man-- it was just incredible. We drove about 8 hours to see Mount Rushmore. This site was not pet-friendly so we didn't spend much time here at all but we made sure to take in the history and elegance of the colossal sculpture. It is hard to fathom its massiveness and attention to detail in the national memorial before seeing it in person.
The town surrounding the memorial could be a potential fun place for a day. It was very commercialized and not something that we wanted to spend what little time we had left doing. We had booked another KOA campground for the night in the Badlands-- which was still 2 hours away from Mount Rushmore. So, we hit the road. The drive into the Badlands was super cool as we started to see bits and pieces of the Badlands & on the way saw one of the most gorgeous sunsets that I've ever witnessed. Sunsets out West just hit the soul differently.
We made it to the campground around 7pm that evening. Sidenote-- KOA Campgrounds are great. The KOA in the Badlands was by far the best campground we had stayed at on our trip!
Day 11:
On this day, I woke up & completed a campsite workout. After a good lung burner, the goal for the day was to explore The Badlands. We checked out of the campground and headed into the National Park. We hiked the trail "Notch" first. It was about 1.5 miles long with some difficult parts to it but anybody who is somewhat active could have done it. The Badlands are like a giant playground for kids. All Xavier wanted to do was climb, jump, and run all around. He kept asking for slo-mo videos and kept saying, "watch this, Cass!" He loved it. The Badlands are definitely unique and worth the time and visit. The formation's colors and shape are like nothing I've ever seen before.
The park is not pet-friendly so after our hike we went back to the dogs in the RV & on the way saw a Big Horned Sheep walk across the parking lot. He was only about 10 yards from us and we were speechless! Such a cool moment-- just glad my pups didn't see it. ;) Next, we drove about 27 miles on Badlands Loop Road to just enjoy the views and take in the formations. We stopped at a scenic outlook where we made lunch in the RV and ate some sandwiches. There were prairie dogs everywhere! We watched them play and listened to them all around us.
After several hours spent in the Badlands, we drove out of the National Park and into Wall, South Dakota. A few people had told Ricky about Wall and said it's a small town but to check out the Wall Drug Store-- which luckily was pet-friendly. We found a place to park and walked the dogs in downtown Wall. The store was huge-- honestly just a bunch of junk but it was fun to explore and see the town. It also gave our pups a chance to get out and stretch their legs since they couldn't get out of the RV while we were checking out the Badlands.
This day was the conclusion of trip before we started on our last stretch to get home. Kind of sad but at the same time, we had seen so much and made so many memories that we are forever grateful for!
Day 12-13:
These days were dedicated to driving. We really wanted to take our time on the drive home. There was no rush. We stopped when we were tired for the day, ate when we got hungry, and even stopped to nap a few times. It was nice to not be rushed. We had to have the RV back by day 13-- Ricky also had to be at work at 7pm that day. We wanted to be back a day before that so that we could unload the RV, not be rushed, and then return the RV to West Virginia the next day. I'm glad we gave ourselves 3 whole days to travel back. It took the stress out of it!
Now that you've heard a day-by-day recap of our adventure, I'll point out some positives and negatives of the route we took, the RV rental, and just anything else that stood out along the way that might help someone in planning a similar trip. This road trip could be done in many ways-- in a car, truck, pull-behind camper, RV, or you could even fly to your destination & rent a car when you get there. We opted for renting an RV. Our biggest reason for choosing an RV was because we wanted to take our two golden doodles! There are many other reasons that solidified our decision to take an RV and I'll list them below. However, along the way, we learned a thing or two.. that's the beauty of living.. you live and you learn, constantly.
Ill start with the positives of choosing an RV:
1. Convenience of food, snacks, legroom, and a restroom while driving. There were not as many stops.
2. You have the choice to stop when you want.
3. More comfortable for passengers.
4. Food storage & cooking abilities- we saved ALOT of money by only eating out a total of 3 or 4 times in two weeks. I was also able to eat healthy the majority of the time.
5. You are not limited on the amount of things you take with you. There's SO much storage and space to pretty much take anything you want!
6. Feels more like home vs. staying in a hotel. You get to make it your own and set things up the way you want. You don't feel like you're living out of a suitcase.
7. You can take your PETS! Let's face it-- they are part of the family and if you're anything like me, you miss your dogs when you're away.
8. When you're camping, you're outdoors more and enjoying the beauty of nature.
Now for the negatives of an RV:
1. Not having a small vehicle to drive around. Unless you tow a vehicle behind the RV, (which we could not w/ our rental)you're stuck driving a huge RV everywhere.
2. Parking- it's hard to find parking for an RV at times. We lucked out the entire trip but it was a bit stressful at times finding a place to park.
3. Every time you find a place to stay for the night whether it be a rest area, truck stop, or the campground you're staying at, you must hook everything up, set everything up & its a JOB! Also, the same thing when you leave. It's a lot of work-- even with two adults. I can't imagine doing it alone as the only adult. Again, this was a lot of work because everywhere we went, the RV went with us because it was our only source of transportation.
4. We knew that we were going to spend a lot of money on fuel. But fuel cost was outrageous per gallon during this time.
5. Riding in an RV on the interstate is not the smoothest ride. It's bumpy, loud at times, and a lot of times you can't drive the actual speed limit so it takes longer to get everywhere.
6. Driving an RV is a lot of work for the driver. You put more effort into controlling the RV-- it takes a ton more focus than driving a smaller vehicle. Eating and driving is really not an option.
Overall, we had an amazing trip that we will always remember! I'm glad we did things the way we did! Absolutely, no regrets. If you're wanting something different than the beach, great for the kids (& pups), and beautiful sights that you don't see on the East side of the United States, then take a trip similar to this! You won't regret it.
& if you're on the fence about it.. DO IT. Take the trip. Spend the extra money. Create the memories. Be ADVENTUROUS.
~Cass
