Before leaving Idaho, we found a sweet little spot to stop and play. It was magnificent. The mountains from Washington to Utah are beyond compare. I remember the first time I drove over the mountain pass into Western Washington and couldn't stop staring out my windshield with my eyes wide and spanning left to right and as far up as I could see. I've never been able to get enough. I love taking photos of them, climbing them, driving near them, through, over, around... you name it!

It wasn't what I imagined, stopping each night meant along the road, rest stops, and occasionally, a campground. Not the National and State Parks with early mornings surrounded by trees and birds chirping, like I imagined. I was disappointed the first few days until I realized that finding those stops meant a 2-3 hour drive off the interstate, one way, just to get to the park. It wasn't practical for our purpose, but that doesn't mean we weren't going to have a good time and explore as often as we could. Someday we'll make those stops and adventure to our nation's most beautiful places even more. All in due time!

// Some road trip tips //

I ensured our snacks kept us on track to eating healthy. Nuts, fruit, jerky, and lots of water. We stopped to cook for as many meals as possible, and that proved to be pretty exciting  and pretty delicious! The kids were given their own little tupperware with treats that were easy to grab and eat when we were driving. That was a lifesaver at times. They also kept a small plastic tub full of things to occupy their time without electronics. They had coloring books, blank paper, crayons, markers, stickers, books, and a few of their small favorite toys. The biggest challenge was keeping it all organized to fit!