The Adventurers
National Park Road Trip 2021
Somewhere in the midst of a dark covid winter- when the thought of ever leaving our living room again seemed like a far-off dream- my husband and I thought driving across the country to see the National Parks was a great idea. Planning the trip was what kept us going on those endless days of quarantine when we barely ever left the house.
We’re both teachers. We thought if we ever survived pandemic teaching, this would be the perfect way to put it all behind us and find better days out there on the road, camping under the stars and hiking the trails of our National Parks. Maybe those long hours on the road and the comfort of being surrounded by nature would give us space to make sense of this tumultuous year we are leaving behind and hope to reimagine something better for the year ahead- for ourselves, for our family, and our students.
But now that the time is here, I’m beginning to wonder…what were we thinking?! I’m in our basement digging through the camping boxes, trying to find the bear spray, the tent stakes, and the camping towels. The packing list seems endless. My husband, Jim, has the maps laid out on the table, and I realize- Montana is really, really far away. And we are driving there in a minivan with two kids in the back- a tween and a teenager who are equally excited to see some new sights, but who are also used to their daily dose of screen time, and we are taking them to the land of no wifi. The thought of packing everything we need for a six week camping adventure on the road in the back of our minivan overwhelms me. Are we crazy?!?
If you are interested in seeing some of the beauty, adventure, and chaos we are sure to find along the way, you can follow us here. Our first stop is a family reunion in Colorado. Then we are off to the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon Coast, the Redwoods of California, and the amazing National Parks of Utah before heading back to our home in the Northeast.
The long-awaited departure date is almost here, and I’m grateful we are all vaccinated so that a trip like this is even possible. There were days when I wondered if that would ever happen. I’m full of all kinds of excitement and worries about what we might find. But Jim has his maps. I have my wine. The kids have their devices, and I’m sure we packed that tent somewhere. I just hope that bear spray works once we get to Montana.
