Cross Country Road Trip, Plus Disneyland

[MouseEarsJenny]

Remember those "I'm too excited to sleep?" commercials? I'm gonna be pretty tired by the time we leave on Sunday, because I'm already too excited to sleep! I will post a trip report when we return from this trip:

But for now, if you'd like to follow our adventures, we have a road trip blog here:

http://havefamilywilldrive.blogspot.com/

We're Disney World veterans, but we've never been to Disneyland, or anywhere west of the Mississippi. I'm nervous, excited, mildly nauseous with what-ifs, and can't wait to go!

The cast of characters is on our blog somewhere, but in short, it's DH - known on the DIS as Flightless Duck (36), me (36), DD (16) and DS (13). Trip highlights will be Chicago, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, my sister's house (well, that's a highlight for us!), Redwood National Forest, Disneyland, LA, San Diego Comic-Con (yes, we got badges!), San Diego, Grand Canyon, various Route 66 attractions, the Gateway Arch, and the Dayton Irish Festival.

If you're thinking of doing something this crazy yourself some day, follow along - maybe we'll convince you, one way or another!

 

[mchllevns]

Enjoy!! How long will you be on the road? We've thought about a "western tour" but I don't know how much time it would take...or if I have the willpower to be in the car that long!!

 

[wiigirl]

Awesome!

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

It's going to take us about three weeks, but we are stopping for two or more days at several places. Fortunately, I teach, so I have the summer off, and DH has been at the same company for 14 years, so he was able to get permission to take three weeks off in a row. As to the willpower for the car, that remains to be seen! We figure we already spend half our lives in the car playing taxi for teenagers, but it may be an adventure, that's for sure!

 

[ImDMous]

Oooh your coming to my hood for Comic Con. Have a great time! It's crazy crowded but always a great time. We've been almost every year we've been married (21) and there's always something different to see.

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

ImDMouse, We've only got badges for Sunday, but we're excited. We're hoping to at least get to the Doctor Who panel, since it's usually Sunday, from what we can see. Just going around to all the booths will be awesome. My son and daughter are dressing up (the Doctor and Bilbo, respectively) and DH has his favorite Firefly shirt. I feel left out, but I'd rather spend my money at the con than on cosplay, and I don't have any shirts for my various fandoms.

wiigirl, thanks, we hope it will be!

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

Just wanted to let everyone know that so far, we've been able to access WiFi or cell signal enough to continue updating our blog as we travel. We've made it to the Black Hills/Mt. Rushmore area and are having a great time, but the kids keep asking random questions about Disneyland - guess I know what part of the trip they are looking forward to! (Well, that and Comic-Con!)

 

[DisneyMarvelStarWars]

Wow, that's quite a road trip!

 

[Disneylovers2000]

Loving the blog!! Just read about your LA driving experience! YIKES!!!! This is what I am most afraid of when it comes to the driving part if our trip!!!

 

[AbbyMarie]

I'm really enjoying your blog. I would love to do a cross country road trip with my family, but I think I may have waited too long. DS18 just graduated from high school, immediately got a full time summer job, then will be starting college in the fall. I grew up in North Carolina, and it would really be fun to head that direction and share it with my family.

Shhh...I live in Seattle...don't share the weather secret!It's actually heaven here in the summer...makes up for the other 9 months!

Hope you have a blast on the rest of your trip.

 

[momjeeps]

Wow, what a trip. We are a DLR Vet family that now live in Arkansas. I've all if the places you are visiting except Rushmore. It's so fun to watch people enjoy places that I love for their first time.

Your trip sounds amazing! LA driving description sounded all to familiar. Can you imagine learning to drive in that area!?

We took the kids out the the Redwoods this past Spring and it was a whirlwind week long trip but so fun!

Can't wait to continue your story tomorrow. Have fun at DCA.

 

[momjeeps]

Sounds like DCA was a fun day. I can't wait to ride RSR. Especially since we missed out on TT for our first WDW trip and they were still building for our last DLR trip.

Have a fun DL day!

 

[Cheshirecatty]

Good gracious, that is quite a trip you have planned--I'm envious!

My parents used to take us on vacations like that when we were young, and we loved them!

Have a marvelous time!!!

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

Hi all! Thanks for following along on our journey! It was nice to see your posts this morning - I haven't had a chance to check in on the DIS much. It's been all I could do to try and keep the blog updated, honestly! Our impressions of Disneyland are up now - I guess it's like the Doctor Who fandom saying - "You never forget your first doctor" - we couldn't quite get over the fact that it wasn't the Magic Kingdom, but fun was still had by all.

We are supposed to be exploring LA today, but so far my family is moving pretty darn slow, so I'm just

 

[momjeeps]

Again enjoyed your daily post. Your assessment sounds fair and not too far from others. I think in general ones original park whether it be DL or WDW tends to be their favorite. No doubt the castle is a huge difference. As a DLR vet that's only been to WDW once, I can say the Castle and the Philharmagic are the two things that stand out as superior at MK. Oh and I'm with you, Pooh ride at DL blah, I'd much rather have my cherished Country Bears that still reside at MK. But for touring purposes I much prefer DLR. Not saying I won't go back to WDW, it's much closer for us where we live now. And we did have a great time.

Glad you were able to enjoy some of the rides and attractions that were exclusive to DL. We too really enjoy IJ ride but it does have a history for breakdowns.

Looking forward to the rest of the road trip!

 

[ImDMous]

I'm currently in line for the Dr Who panel at Comic Con. I hope you're having a great time here! Did you get to catch the Serenity screening at Petco Park last night?


edit: I just caught up on your blog, I was soooo close to getting into Dr Who, but alas, didn't make it. I was in the last chutes also but obviously a little further back than you. You're cosplaying kids in the Redwoods are awesome!