Paul and I actually completed one of our life goals: a massive road trip. There were hiccups along the way but we enjoyed every moment of being on the road. So much that we’re already discussing the possibility of one from San Diego to Florida.
I wish I had taken more photos but when compiling them, it was difficult nailing it down to a few – and even then, there were still a lot of photos. I also wanted to mention funny moments like when a couple in Maine stalked us because of our license plate because they were planning to move to San Diego the following year. I fear mentioning one moment out of many moments that will making the others less significant.
Here are some interesting numbers about our 12-day cross country trip.
Number of states visited: 24.
Total put on the rental car: 8,000 miles.
Total hours driven: 120.
Total hours Darlene drove: Less than 6.
Maximum number of time zones crossed in one day: 3.
Most expensive gas: San Diego ($3.59).
Least expensive gas: Oklahoma City ($2.89).
Number of long pants Paul packed: 2.
Number of shorts Paul packed: 8.
Number of toll roads we didn’t pay: 2.
Number of hitchhikers seen: 5.
Number of times the dog barfed: 1.
Number of times someone experienced food poisoning: 1.
Number of hours we went without showering: 36+.
Most frequent roadkill spotted: Raccoons followed by deer.
Thanks for reading about our trip. I hope that if you enjoyed it that you get to go on one soon!
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Cross Country Road Trip: Why Maine, Our Budget and Bringing a Dog
Cross Country Road Trip Part I: San Diego to Cleveland
Cross Country Road Trip Part II: Cleveland Pit Stop
Cross Country Road Trip Part III: Cleveland to Maine to San Diego
My Burning Kitchen 
Very nice wrap-up, I liked seeing your map & stats! Makes me want to go on a road trip, too!
It’s so doable! I hope you get to go on one soon.
Your round up list was hilarious. I can’t believe you guy drove 8k miles. You must have a cool partner if he didn’t mind you driving only 6 hours during the trip 🙂
Paul is awesome! And I’m not so awesome. 🙂
Very very cool Darlene and Paul! Well done! I was curious to see your actual route too so it was great seeing it all mapped out. That was a LOT of driving….for Paul! 🙂
@fayesfork @Caninecologne Haha! I’m a very wimpy driver. We discovered that I do better in city conditions than the wide open country road. The only states I drove in was California, Wisconsin (when it started to rain hard I handed it back to Paul) and Arizona.
Congratulations on completing that life goal! I’ve been following along with each post, and it looked like such a fun trip!
Thanks! Another life goal is to have Jon Hamm fall madly in love with me but I don’t have my hopes pinned on it.
I liked all the “Welcome to …” photos. It was fun reading about your trip. The longest road trip I’ve ever been on was from Northern California to Houston.
I’ve never been to Houston but it sounds equally as challenging. We attempted to get as many “Welcome to…” signs as possible and there was some we unfortunately missed and it was my job take them too!
That’s an impressive trip! I have visions of taking long road trips, but the longest we’ve ever done so far was up to Sacramento – that’s not even leaving the state! One day…
Well, Los Angeles to Sacramento is like driving through Kansas so I think you’re pretty much prepared for most of the U.S.
this was absolutely awesome to read! thank you so much for documenting something im sure a lot of us would LOVE to do!
Thanks Morgan. When we first started talking about it, we wanted to document it for ourselves and for others that want to do the same thing. I hope you have an opportunity for a similar trip in the future!
I’m sorry to hear about the got food poisoning… and that Doc was sick too. Sounds like a great trip otherwise! Hilarious that Paul packed 8 pairs of shorts and only 2 long pants. I didn’t think he even owned any long pants! 😉
What I didn’t add was that Paul didn’t also pack a heavy jacket. That white pull up sweat shirt was the only warm top he brought! So he had to layer. Brrr…
When traveling with our kids, it is exciting to see the various state “Welcome” signs. As much as CA is my home, our family feels the most “homesick” whenever we see the big blue “Pennsylvania Welcomes You” sign. We recently took a road trip from southern MD to Boston (7 states), and yup, the tolls in NY were most expensive. =(
I can imagine how spotting “Welcome” signs would be a fun activity on the road for kids. We accidentally missed a toll in Maine ($1) and it came back to haunt us recently when the rental car company sent us an email saying they handled it but with at $19 surchange on top of the $1. :0
What a great adventure! If you do decide to make a trip to Florida you better look me up!
Haha! I will. It might take a while (although my husband thinks we can make it to Florida in two day), I’ll put it on my list. Will I see you in San Diego this summer?
I read your trip stats to my husband since he’s done a few cross-country drives, some himself. He just said, “They drove both ways? Oof, that is a long a** trip.”
my goodness you trip makes me wanna go on a road trip also!! maybe after winter
xoxo
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