The Ultimate Road Trip(s)

There has been an article going around the web with the best was to hit all the best landmarks in the US. Randy Olson developed an algorithm that would determine the fastest route that would stop at a national historic site, park, monument, or natural landmark in all of the lower 48 states. A few of the landmarks are: The Alamo, The Grand Canyon, The Statue of Liberty and The White House.

To read more about how he came up with all these stops click here. 

{USA, Source}

Pretty cool! He then did the same thing for South America and Europe!

{Europe, Source}

{South America, Source}

Who is planning their next road trip?

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Extreme Travelers

My last three posts have all been about baby, so now let’s go back to travel.

This couple has driven their 1999 Dodge Intrepid through every single county in the lower 48 states. There are 3,108 counties if you didn't already know that (I didn't). They have also made their way up to Alaska and plan to ship the car to Hawaii to complete the U.S’s full 3,142 counties.

{Jon and Jenn Riehl, Source}

Their current plans are to finish visiting Alaska and then make the trip to Hawaii (which I know they will love) but I’m not sure how they will ship the car from island to island but where there is a will there is a way right?!

To date they have put 540,000 miles on the ol’ Dodge that was bought used back in 2002. I am a little impressed with the Dodge but not surprised. I have had two vehicles in my life and both have been Dodges. My first was a Dodge Ram 1500 and it was a great truck that was passed onto my brother. It served us both very well through high school and college. And now I have my little Dodge Caliber that only recently needed a big fix with its fuel injection. But its running great now and I hope to get a good 5 more years out of it.

{the green depicts when they visited the county seat, Source}

Have you ever wanted to take an epic road trip? What is the longest road trip you have taken? Mine was back in 2013 when my friend and I drove to Destin, FL from Houston, TX.

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Houston to Destin and Back

Over the weekend I took my Norwegian friend for a road trip from Houston, TX to Destin, FL. On our way there we took a detour to New Orleans so she could see the city, we intended on getting some lunch but all the cafes around Jackson Square had a really long wait. So walked around the square and took pictures of St. Louis Cathedral and then we continued on our way. Before getting into NOLA we hit some pretty bad traffic from the LSU game and we didn't have time to stop at the USS Alabama before they closed. We rolled into Destin right was the sun was setting! Perfect timing!

The next day started with with us relaxing on the beach, we also took in some stand-up paddle-boarding (SUP). And neither of us fell which we were happy about! Around lunch we headed to the docks to board the boat that was going to take us parasailing (we used Sun Dogs next to AJ's Seafood). She had never been parasailing and this trip was all about doing new things! After that we headed back to the hotel for some more beach time before our sunset/dolphin cruise. We were able to get the dolphins to swim with the boat which was really cool!

{we like to wear safety gear!}

{thank you for the awesome pic GoPro!}

On the way back we made a pit-stop in Mississippi for a Swamp Tour at Gator Ranch. We held a baby alligator and enjoyed a ride in an air boat. They had plenty of gators for us to see and we saw two that were actually in the swamp (wild).

Our time in Destin was short but it was fun! There are actually quite a few stops you can make along I-10 to make your trip even more fun! You can stop at the Infinity Science Center and the stop to see the Blue Angels in Pensacola (we couldn't do this because of the government shutdown), there is even a little zoo along the way.

Have you ever taken a road trip? If so where to?

Affordable US Getaways

Traveling with kids can be hard sometimes most of the time. I remember when I was younger having to sit next to my younger brother in the 3-4 hour car ride to the beach was just the worse! Some of these trips would have made an awesome road trip with friends! So, if you're in driving distance of some of these US cites you're bound to have a good time! Or maybe some of these might be some staycations for you. I have been to 4 out of 10 of these…maybe because 3 of them are in my home state of Texas!

List provided by Yahoo! Travel

No. 1 Kansas City, MO 

Average hotel summer rate is $137. You'll have free admission to three of Kansas City’s main art museums, as well as the Hallmark Visitors Center and the Boulevard Brewing Company. And don’t forget to try some of that famous KC BBQ!

No. 2 Nashville, TN 

As a lifelong fan of country music I have always wanted to go to Nashville but have yet to make it there. Seems like there is so much to do and see. This would have made an awesome road trip in college!

No. 3 San Antonio, TX 

I was born and raised right outside of San Antonio and I do agree that there is plenty to do and see here. You can check out some suggestions I made in a post about Staycations. San Antonio has two theme parks (Sea World & Six Flags and Schlitterbahn is about 45 mins north in New Braunfels) and great zoo! You can also get a history lesson at the Alamo!

No. 4 Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. 

I have visited this are twice during the summers and it doesn’t get much better! The Land of 1,000 lakes should keep you occupied if you love water sports! Although I haven’t been here for a vacation or to site see I still had a great time.

No. 5 Memphis, TN

I'm not really sure why Memphis made this list since Forbes has it listed as one of 2013's most dangerous cites….let's not go here.

No. 6 Salt Lake City, UT

I bet Salt Lake is wonderful during the summer. I would love to go and get some hiking in if I ever make it out of the airport. While during a layover here is when I was introduced to this wonderful breakfast concoction probably about 10-13 years ago. Toasted bagel, melted cheese, and ham….yum! But only for special occasions :)

No. 7 Houston, TX

What can I say about my current city…well honestly not much and I don’t see why it's on this list. I don’t really think there is a whole lot to here. Since it is such a big city we do get some good concerts and there is always a play or two running at the Hobby Center. We have our professional sports if that’s your thing (but it's not mine) and I guess we're close to a beach (but not a pretty one). There is NASA for all you space fans out there. And its effing HOT!!! Not just temperature wise but also because of the humidity. If you do want to visit Houston come during the winter.

No. 8 Savannah, GA

I have always wanted to go here…I feel like Savannah is the quintessential southern town!

No. 9 Austin, TX

If you're in Austin you're ready to have a good time. The city is youthful thanks to the University of Texas and all off the live music. Don’t forget to hike some of the hills and take a dip in Barton Springs.

No. 10 Providence, R.I.

I have never been to Providence but I can imagine that its wonderful during the summers!

Have you been to any of these cities?

Road Trippin'

Anybody taking a road trip anytime soon? If so, keep it in the south and you'll save! Here are the top 10 states with the lowest gas prices!

1. South Carolina
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.49
> Tax per gallon: 16.8 cents (4th lowest)
> Number of operating refineries: 0

2. Mississippi
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.52
> Tax per gallon: 18.8 cents (7th lowest)
> Number of operating refineries: 3

3. Alabama
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.53
> Tax per gallon: 20.9 cents (14th lowest)
> Number of operating refineries: 3

4. Tennessee
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.53
> Tax per gallon: 21.4 cents (15th lowest)
> Number of operating refineries: 1

5. Texas (I actually just filled up for $3.49)
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.54
> Tax per gallon: 20 cents (tied for 11th lowest)
> Number of operating refineries: 26

6. Louisiana
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.57
> Tax per gallon: 20 cents (tied for 11th lowest)
> Number of operating refineries: 18

7. Missouri
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.58
> Tax per gallon: 17.3 cents (6th lowest)
> Number of operating refineries: 0

8. Arkansas
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.58
> Tax per gallon: 21.8 cents (16th lowest)
> Number of operating refineries: 2

9. Georgia
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.58
> Tax per gallon: 28.6 cents (20th highest)
> Number of operating refineries: 0

10. Virginia
> Regular gas price per gallon: $3.60
> Tax per gallon: 20.1 cents (13th lowest)
> Number of operating refineries: 0