The Road Trip Out West

Our week-long road trip from Ohio to Oregon

Exactly three years ago today, on August 3rd 2018, Will and I made a crazy decision to drive 2,469 miles all the way from Columbus, Ohio to Portland, Oregon. After a full year of long distance, three months of living together, and whole lot of courage we packed up our trusty U-Haul with boxes full of our childhood mementos and my beloved turtle Spongy (more on that later) and headed out on our road trip.

Our Route Out West: 

Our journey consisted of 6 full days, over 37 hours of driving, crossing over 11 states, and a whole lot of fun. Day one however, was anything put exciting. During out first 24 hours of driving form Ohio to Iowa Will and I were both on the final days of a pretty nasty cold. We drove nearly 10 hours through thick and hearty corn fields and past small Amish towns feeling absolutely miserable [and honestly, highly regretting our life decision]. By day two, however, we were good as new, and woke up ready to take on the next 2,000 miles! 

Read on to see some of our favorite spots from Des Moines to Portland: 

Our Favorite Spots 

Zombie Burger – Des Moines, Iowa: 

The Badlands National Park, South Dakota  

During our time in South Dakota, we made sure to budget some time to visit The Badlands – a wildly dramatic landscape featuring rock formations, steep canyons and towering spires. In the badlands you have the option to hike, biking, or drive the amazing landscape. We opted for the The Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240), which took us about an hour to drive through, stopping frequently along the way. 

During our time here I was absolutely stunned by the rugged beauty this amazing national park has to offer: 

During your time at the Badlands, consider stopping by the visitor center to pick up some authentic, Native American art work or preserved fossils. You can also grab other souvenirs, snacks, ice cream, or water at this cute visitor center. 

Looking for more info on the badlands, visit the national website here!

Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota 

Are you looking for that all American, family friendly activity? Well this one might be for you! Mount Rushmore is a national icon, and we made sure to make it a priority on our stop through South Dakota. For those of you that don’t know, Mount Rushmore is a huge sculpture completed in 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln. The sculpture’s roughly 60 foot high granite faces depict U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. In addition to the famous monument the area features a museum, interactive exhibit, a Native American monument, and beautiful walking and hiking trails. 

Looking to visit Mount Rushmore? Check out the National Park Website to get the most up-to-date COVID-19 and other info. 

Our Top Road Trip Tips: 

If you are looking to plan your next cross country or long distance road trip, here are our top tips and tricks to planning like a pro: 
​

1. Plan for the unexpected

Now this might sound like a bit of an oxymoron, but putting yourself in the mindset to expect the unexpected can be a real game changer for any long road trip. Road trips come with many twists and turn, so planning down to the minute is pointless! Plan what you can [hotels, budget, main stops, etc.] and bet on plans being changed. To best prepare for this, make sure to prep your car with everything from tissues, to extra snack & drinks,  to an emergency med kit. Doing what you can to be prepared for the unexpected helps remove anxiety from your travel and allows you to have the best possible time! 

2. Book hotels beforehand

It was very tempting for us, as notice travelers, to not book out hotels in advance and just choose along the way. However, I am so glad we did not do this! Booking the same day [especially depending on location and time of year] can be tricky and stress inducing. Pick out your hotels, motels, Airbnb’s, Inn, so on and so forth in advance and plan to book at least 1-week in advance of your trip.     

3. Add in extra time

This one is similar to our #1 tip, but can’t be reiterated enough – road trips are messy and come with lots of ups and downs. Always make sure you add some cushion in your plans to account for any number of unexpected events.  Whether it be an extra activity along the way, a flat tire, or an amazing road stop adding extra time to your travel plan allows you the flexibility to get a little lost [gosh knows we did!].  

4. Stop whenever you can

This is something I wish someone had told us before we started out journey – stop and see whatever you possibly can! I can’t tell you the number of stunning sights we almost passed by (and probably did pass by) if we hadn’t have stopped for unexpected trips. Don’t hesitate to pull off to that extra view point or try that interesting looking restaurant, those are the moments you’ll remember and cherish forever! 

5. Budget, budget, budget

Regardless of amount, budgeting what you can help you save money and make decisions faster. As an example, we set up the following budget for our trip and stuck too it:

Hopefully, these tips and tricks are helpful on your next road trip adventure! 

Our Favorite Memories From The Road: 

Thinking back to our road trip, there are so many different memories and highlights that we could probably write a whole blog just about them. To spare you from a second post, here are our top three:  

1. Pit Stop in Rural Montana: 

Montana is one of those places that you hear about, how beautiful it is, but never actually imagine going. During our road trip, we couldn’t help but be in awe of the beauty that was Montana. One of our absolute favorite memories was taking a pit stop to play in the beautiful river you can see in the far right corner. After 6 hours of driving we decided to take a dip in this beautiful stop and are so glad that we did. 

2. Spongy’s Great Adventure:

3. Animals in the wild: 

We saw so much wildlife during the trip, especially in the West. These pictures are from Mount Rushmore National Park. 

Will & Camy’s Update from the future

Since we’ve been in Oregon for about 10 years now kicking around the Pacific Northwest, we’ve had a chance to visit a multitude of PNW National Parks, check out our guide for help planning your own PNW getaway!