Road Trip! Washington State to Ontario

The debate:

How are we all going to get there, and when?
No way I am driving to the cabin!
No way we can afford to fly!
I want to go to NJ after we go to the cabin…
I want to go later and come back earlier….
Who is going to help Grandpa drive?
I want to go NOW!

My husband’s family has a summer cabin in McGregor Bay, Ontario—a truly gorgeous spot. It’s in the North Channel of Lake Huron, near Manitoulin Island and Killarney Provincial Park. Though we absolutely love it there, I have to admit I was less than excited about spending day after day in the car driving there from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. It’s SO far away by car that we haven’t been there as a family in six years. Though the kids have gone back there to spend time with their grandparents and cousins, our whole family has only done this trip three times before: once by train, once in our station wagon, and last time, in our van. By car or van and with three antsy kids in the backseats, it took us 6 ½ days, with food and rest stops during the day and motels at night. But that was six years ago. Today it’s a different story: we should be able to get there faster, but it's a circus to try to coordinate everyone’s schedule and travel desires with other things that need to be taken into account, such as that Grandpa is going, too, and needs a driving companion from Ohio to Ontario; we really have to have a car when we are there; and we would be visiting our Michigan relatives on the way out, whom we hadn’t seen in six years (only me). And what about the price of gas?

HOWEVER, with older teens and a twenty-something, we now had more drivers! The major obstacle to flying was the prohibitive cost of a car rental on top of plane fare for five people. We figured out that, even with the cost of gas, it would be considerably cheaper than flying, if we could drive ourselves and not stay in hotels unless we absolutely had to. Grandpa was willing to pay for his driver and our youngest to fly to Ohio. We discovered that 7-day-out, one-way plane fares were pretty reasonable. One-way tickets were purchased for C-Dawg and T-Dawg; Middleman B-Dawg would have to drive with us on the way out, since he wanted to return earlier to go back to work, and would help Grandpa with driving back to Ohio, then fly on to Michigan and then home. Three people could easily switch off, and lie down in the van to rest, on the way there, and if we needed to stop at rest areas in the middle of the night, we could all get a bit of shut-eye.

Somehow, it worked out. Each way took three days, with only one hotel stay either way, though we hotel-ed it while in Michigan for three days of family visits.

What did we learn?

--The boys are good drivers...and have stamina!
--Mom does NOT have stamina. She starts fading after 2 hours...
--It's good to have one person in the front passenger seat as navigator and company for the driver. Mom is good at this
--Being able to take breaks by lying down is key to driving all day....and night
--take plenty of munchies and water or drinks; empty out the refrigerator as much as possible into your cooler(s)
--With three drivers, you have time to read or knit or just lie down and listen to music
--Make the most of continental breakfasts and grocery stores, but have at least ONE good restaurant meal every day
--NEVER take a food stop unless you've seen the signs for food...this cannot be emphasized enough!!! Do you want to drive down Porn and Pawn Avenue forever and ever??
--Take along hand wipes and hand cleaner and tissues or toilet paper....for those less-than-stellar bathrooms and pit toilets
--Just because it's a certain hotel chain, doesn't mean it's as good as the last one you stayed at; and try for a pool and hot tub if possible
--Don't sweat the small stuff.....like gas prices...sigh
--if you want to make it on gas cards all the way across the country (well, we haven't been to the East Coast yet) you need BP and Citgo as well as Conoco/Sunoco/Phillips and Chevron (we're aiming toward American oil, but still have a Chevron card)
--Take pictures as you go
--Don't forget a plug-in charger for the cell phones and cameras
--Enjoy your country, it is incredibly beautiful!!

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Only a few photos this time. We took many at the cabin and on the return trip. I'll be posting those soon.

In the van




After leaving late in the day and driving most of our first night, we stopped at a rest area and stretched out on the bench seats and a pallet in the back. 2 1/2 hours later, we were back on the road and looking for breakfast. We found it at the Press Box in Missoula, MT. Who could resist steak and eggs for $5.99?? Admittedly it was a little weird to eat breakfast at a bar and casino. But the police were eating here, so we knew it would be good.




The trucks were our constant companions on the road.... (leaving Missoula)



See you at the cabin!