My favorite Road Trip!

Road tripping can be a fun and inexpensive way to take a vacation. You just get in your car and drive...or if you're like me you plan for weeks in advance and have a binder prepared with every map, gas station, and possible excursion planned for the entirety of the trip. Whether your the over-preparer like myself, or a fly by the seat of your pants kinda gal, road trips are great family fun.

When my husband and I first got married, we took a road trip through Canada and a large part of the Western United States, and we brought a long my little sister! It was quite adventurous of us, and I'm not sure I could ever plan such a trip again, but I'm glad we did it once.

We left Lincoln, Nebraska and headed North. We stopped at Mt. Rushmore, and drove on to Canada. We stayed at the cheapest AAA motels we could find, and shared a room with my little sis trying to be as frugal as possible. We hit up the Calgary zoo, and headed up to Banff, Alberta. My husband had a conference in this beautiful scenic area, and I have never seen waters so clear nor mountains so beautiful in my life. While the hubs was off working, my sister and I went canoeing, sightseeing, and of course shopping. We ate delicious foods and played board games. It was so nice to have the bonding time with my sister, and still get to have my husband time as well.

We continued on our journey hitting up Vancouver before we headed down to Seattle and our final destination, Sisters, Oregon. Every year my step-father's dad has a family reunion in Black Butte Oregon. We spent days relaxing, swimming, hiking, and nights hot-tubbing and eating good food with family. It was a great way to spend our first summer as a married couple.

The view of our "back yard" in Oregon.

When it was time to head home, we had been on the road for over two weeks. All three of us just wanted to get home, and while I love my sis dearly, my hubby and I were ready for some alone time. We made the decision to drive from Sisters Oregon to Lincoln Nebraska straight through. We had two drivers, it was doable, right? My poor husband ended up driving most of the way, and I'm not even sure if I was awake the part I drove through. Eventually though, we made it home.

I saw the most amazing sights traveling through the Northwestern U.S. and Southern Canada, beauty that you don't even realize exists. I can't wait to take road trips with my kiddos. It doesn't matter where you go or what you do, it's being with family that makes it fun.

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Discount Tire blogging program, making me eligible to receive a $50 gift card and be entered for a chance to win a prize valued at $1,000. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”