Three years ago, we had a cross-country road trip planned: we were going to drive out to New Jersey to visit Tyler's parents and visit LDS church history sites along the way. We were packing and ready to go on Saturday, June 27th. Unfortunately, on Wednesday, June 24th, the governor of New Jersey said that if anyone from Utah wanted to come and visit, they had to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.
Ah, COVID-19 was a delight, wasn't it? So we pivoted and visited Bryce Canyon National Park, Arches National Park, Washington State's Olympic National Park, and my family in the Pacific Northwest. We made some lovely memories and called it a win, and we were disappointed to have missed out on our long-awaited road trip to New Jersey.
This summer, we were finally able to take that super-massive road trip, comprising 22 days, 5704 miles, 18 states, four packages of Dramamine, 40 hours of audiobooks, and 1 hubcap.
Traveling East
Day One
We left Sunday, June 25th right after church. The teenagers were in rare form (i.e., super grumpy that we were making them take some much time away from what they really wanted to do, which was sit around and read--you can see how this is a major conflict from sitting around in the car reading. I joke! Kind of. They were also annoyed that they were missing out on time with friends and working, and instead, they were spending time with their obnoxious family).
Let us have a moment of silence, because it really is hard to be a teen stuck in a car with their family--we've all been there.
Spoiler alert, we may have each had a moment where it was hard to be in the car for so long. But those moments were the exception, not the rule.
The plan for Day One was to get to Limon, Colorado.
After leaving the tour, I realized the Mighty Mississippi was next to the grounds of the Arch, so I made everyone come on a field trip to touch the river. The troops were not impressed with my decision. 
Not to brag or anything, but we totally nailed it. We came, we saw, we drove through Colorado.
Day Two
The plan for Day Two was to drive all the way to Columbia, Missouri, with short stops at rather random sites along the way.
I did feel like I had a moral obligation to make my kids watch The Wizard of Oz while driving through Kansas. Several of the kids were not impressed with my brilliant idea, but they all ended up enjoying it, so everybody wins.
We also stopped at the World's Largest Easel in Goodland, Kansas. It was really large and conveniently located by a Dollar General (which called for a quick treat run).
By this point, the kids were already annoyed with us for making them exit the vehicle and take copious amounts of pictures. But you know what they say! Pics or it didn't happen.
Our next pic stop was in Wilson, Kansas, where we saw the World's Largest Czech Egg. We learned that teeny tiny Wilson has a large Czech population and a very lovely egg. It was super hot. The only thing that got my kids to smile was reminding them that I'd be sending pics along the route to our dear friend, Auntie Kari.
At this point, Wizard of Oz was finished and we started into an audiobook called Nanny Piggins. My kids LOVED it. Obsessed. I was amazed at how much better the kids did with an audiobook to engage their minds. It didn't hurt that the book was a hilarious, irreverent, ridiculous tale (told in a lovely Australian accent) that had us all laughing out loud. #notsponsoredbutyoushouldbeinfluencedanyway
The next planned stop was the Brown vs. Board of Education site in Topeka, Kansas. Fortunately, my big brother texted me the address in Topeka where my parents met. With a 10-minute detour, we were able to see the house where my grandparents lived and my parents met! I was not expecting to feel big feelings upon glimpsing a sliver of my family history in the flesh...er, in the wooden siding, but I did feel big things.
After our family history detour, we visited the site of Brown vs. Board of Education. Although we knew it would be closed, we still wanted to talk with the kids about school desegregation, and how we need to continue to ensure that we push to improve.
I will not lie, we did promise to reward the kids with pudding if they would stop fighting and whining and take a picture with a smile. #influencers
We had one more stop on Day Two as we drove through Kansas City; we stopped at a WWI monument and pondered the sacrifice so many made in the name of freedom. We got there shortly after it closed, but it was a beautiful monument.
Day Two ended with our favorite hotel.
Now, let's talk about hotels when you have a big family. With 9 of us, we have to get at least two rooms. The typical hotel room geared toward families has two queen beds with space for 4. Here's where the math issue comes into play (I am sorry to reference math in the summer, but it really is essential in this instance). 2 rooms with space for 4 people only equals 8 sleeping spots. When you add restless sleepers (that's a kind way to describe the thrashing slumber that some of my children experience) it is nice to have a little more space.
This is why Day Two's hotel was so nice: each room was a suite with a pullout couch and two queen beds. Heaven! The cushions from the couches could even be used as beds for some smaller people! Everyone had a bed of their own (Tyler and I did share a bed, but we're pretty used to that at this point) and the breakfast was more than just toast and coffee options. A total win.
Day Three
Oh, we had some fun planned for Day Three! Before our trip, we asked friends for their favorite stops along I-70. People kept insisting that the St. Louis Arch was amazing. I honestly would have never thought to stop there, but we decided to listen to those who have gone before.
St. Louis was really hot and muggy. The parking garage was not geared toward big vehicles (for example, large white full-sized vans) and I worried that we wouldn't fit. I'm so grateful Tyler was driving because I had to literally cover my eyes until we were parked. That would have been so dangerous if I were the one driving, ha!
We arrived with minutes to spare for our reservation to ride to the top of the Arch. The ride to the top is crazy. Up to five people sit in one of 8 or 9 pods. These pods run on a track that feels like a cross between a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster and take about 4 minutes to get to the top. Your group gets to spend about 10 minutes at the top, looking out the tiny slit windows while trying not to trip on the arched floor.
I don't know that I can adequately paint the picture. It is really high up and completely different than anything I've ever done. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Four of our people loved it, three liked it, and two could have done without it. I say, if you're driving through St. Louis and have the time and resources, you should totally do it. I will also say, I kept thinking about the scene from one of the Percy Jackson books that takes place at the Arch and I'm guessing that the author had not been up the Arch before writing that scene...but now I'm wondering if I'm misremembering the scene and will have to go reread it. Dang it.
I say, give it a go! Unless you're claustrophobic. Then just visit the displays below the arch.
I have no regrets.
We wanted to get to Mt. Sterling, Kentucky that evening, so we pressed on. We did stop in Louisville, Kentucky to see the Largest Baseball Bat (the museum was closed as we were so late getting to Louisville). As advertised, the baseball bat is really large.
Tyler and I were trying to decide what to do for dinner after. We realized we needed to let our children have the cultural experience of eating at the iconic Waffle House. We were the only customers in the place (the usual crowd wouldn't come in until later) and the staff was so friendly and helped get our family sorted. The kids loved it. I loved the employees and missed fruits and veggies.
At this point, it was a lot later than we were hoping. We were really hoping to get to the hotel so the kids could actually swim, but everything had just taken longer that day. I think we were all feeling a little discouraged.
However, the most magical thing happened on our drive between Louisville and Lexington. As dusk fell, lightning bugs started lighting up the grass all along the sides of the highway. It looked like Christmas lights or fireworks, there were so many fireflies brightly blinking. The experience was so unique and magical, and we would have completely missed it if our timing was any different. It was my favorite moment of the day and felt like a tender mercy from the Lord in a moment of frustration. I wasn't expecting anything momentous, and Kentucky charmed my socks off.
Day Four
Day four took us from Kentucky to Washington DC. Since we were passing through West Virginia, I made the family listen to John Denver to really set the mood.
About two hours into the day we stopped at a part to meet some of our favorite neighbors who moved to West Virginia at the beginning of June (sob!). I was able to catch up with my friend while the younger kids caught up with their friends and Tyler and the older boys played Frisbee. We ended up spending a lot longer playing than we had planned, but it was so wonderful to see this family we love!
Micah in particular is really missing his buddy from down the street! They fell back into familiar silliness really quickly.
It was hard to leave our friends knowing it will be a long time before we see them again. :(
Washington DC was waiting, though, so we pushed on. We finally got to the Mall that evening and decided to walk around and see some of our favorite monuments at night. With Independence Day around the corner, a lot of the Mall was fenced off, leaving only a few sidewalks to get to each monument. 
I am pretty sure the staff forgot about us. This did not bother the children, though, because it meant that they could sit down. Or in the case of children with feet "too tired to walk", they could chase their siblings around the replica of Lady Freedom (who is known as the sister of the Statue of Liberty and is on top of the Capitol Building). 
We stopped at the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial first. I am always amazed by how far the crusade for civil rights has come and how much work we still have to do.
We made the kids pose in front of the Washington Monument, which was showing off against the night sky. I've never visited the Mall at night and was not expecting how beautiful and peaceful it was. And also, how not sweltering it was.
It was cool to stop by the WWII memorial next, as Tyler's grandpa had recently visited there with a group of veterans about two weeks before. The monument was a really beautiful tribute to those who gave their lives and fought for freedom and democracy.
Of course, we had to visit the Lincoln Memorial. It is always a favorite, as we really love President Lincoln and the changes he helped bring about for our country.
We didn't get pictures at the Vietnam War Memorial and the Korean War Memorial, but we were really touched by the artistic tributes to the men and women who lost their lives fighting in wars that America shouldn't have been involved in. Sheridan had recently studied some of the history of those memorials and played tour guide for us.
Day Four was LONG and ended very late in Virginia, where we were staying with Tyler's high school friend (who was actually gone on vacation until the next day).
Day Five
Our plan for Day Five was Washington DC. Tyler reached out to our Congressman months before the trip and was able to get us into tours of the White House and the Capitol.
The line for the White House was no joke and it was sweltering outside. That is what happens in the daytime during the summer in DC, in case you were wondering. Since we were going into the White House, we couldn't bring anything with us, so we were hot and tired and the littles were exceptionally grumpy after we'd already made them walk miles the night before.
Then, I got detained for further security checks because I am super sketchy. The rest of the family went on to the air-conditioned interior while I cooled my heels in the security tent.
Because we were so delayed, we not only got to see the inside of the White House, but some of us also got to see the President boarding a helicopter and leaving the White House! It was another great reminder that sometimes, being delayed means you get to experience cool things you would have otherwise missed out on. Oh! And Amelia met a Secret Service agent who was a woman, which was really cool (Amelia's previous career aspiration was to become a Secret Service agent).
The White House was beautiful, and it was so cool to be in a building that contains so much history.
The delays did make it impossible for us to walk to the Capitol Building in time for our tour with one of Representative Curtis's interns. Micah's feet were hurting ("SO BAD I can't even walk!") and we were moving at turtle speed. Tyler came to the rescue and ran to get the car so we could scarf down our picnic lunch while he drove us to the Capitol.
The Supreme Court's ruling on Harvard admissions was issued that morning, so protesters and closed streets made our trek even trickier. When we finally found the Capital Building's Visitor Center, we were frustrated to be a few minutes late and really grateful for the air conditioning.
The staffer who gave us a tour, Emma, was fantastic. She was really patient with our kids and answered the off-the-wall questions with poise.
We saw the Supreme Court's historic chambers,
The previous Senate chambers (I think it was the Senate chambers...),
and the Rotunda. That was amazing.
Five stars, would definitely recommend.
By the time we wrapped us the Capital tour, we were overdue for our time at the Air and Space Museum. The kids were dragging and exhausted, but we pushed through. My favorite exhibit was about humans travelling to space.
After a long day in DC, we headed back to hang out with the Stallings in Virginia (who returned home from their trip to a house full of Vigues). They are our new bffs. Micah was just bemoaning how much he misses their son and wants to go visit them again. 
Once again, Tyler booked it to move the car then booked it back to enjoy a few minutes of Air and Space.
Most of the kids' favorite was the X-Wing replica. Oh! They also really enjoyed the gift shops.
Friends, pizza, swimming, and a hot tub made for an excellent wrap-up to our DC adventure!
Day Six
We left Virginia on Day Six and braved Fourth of July weekend traffic through Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware to get to NEW JERSEY!! 
Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of our super-mega-awesome vacation!
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