BFF Road Trip to GLACIER! (Day by Day)

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Wow, it’s hard to believe this trip is over! 😭😭 We began talking about going to Glacier FOREVER ago. Now, I’m sitting here in my travel-themed guest bedroom, reminiscing on the crystal clear water and all the memories from our 4,500 mile trip.

During our adventures, I posted many photos on Instagram of the things we did. But I wanted to take a deeper dive into the days below! A place where our stories, adventures, photos and memories will live forever.

Plus, if YOU ever decide to take a trip out West, this post could also serve as a handy, dandy guide to give you ideas on things to do (and NOT to do — hahah) while on your cross country road trip!

I hope you enjoy!
-Ashley


Day #1 — DRIVE DAY
(NW Indiana to Sioux Falls, SD)


DRIVE TIME
: 9.5 Hours Total
(2 from NWI to Cheese Castle —> 3.5 to FAST Fiberglass Graveyard —> 4 hours to AirBnb)


HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:

  • Hitting the road!

ACTIVITES:

Mars Cheese Castle (Kenosha, WI)

  • Fun stop right along the side of the highway!
    Cheese hats! Castle chairs! What more could you want?!

  • Lots of cheese! Plus…A cafe, restaurant and bakery inside.
    Plenty of goods + gifts available for purchase!

FAST Fiberglass Mold Graveyard (Sparta, WI)

  • Talk about a unique experience…hundreds of old-looking molds in a grassy lot…now I know why they call it a graveyard!

  • They also had people in a garage restoring + painting some of the molds to look new again!

  • It was neat, because now I know where some of these come from! For instance, this past weekend I was in Memphis and they had a bunch of guitars lined down the street. They were the same molds we saw at the graveyard! Makes me wonder if Memphis got them from the FAST Fiberglass Graveyard?!? Hmmmm!

COULDN’T BELIEVE OUR EYES:

  • We had just pulled off the interstate to make our way to the FAST Fiberglass Graveyard and began seeing cop after cop. Roads were shut down. We began seeing firetrucks and ambulances blocking off all the side streets from the main road we were driving on. We couldn’t figure out WHAT was going on. We starting looking at the news to see if there was a shooting or murder (it almost seemed like they were blocking everyone IN so no one could leave). After tons of searching and no dice, we were perplexed. Until…

    We kept driving down the road and saw a sign for an Army base. That’s when a light bulb went off — “I wonder if the President is here!” Turns out, it wasn’t the President but it WAS the Vice President! Apparently Mike Pence was in town! He had lunch with family in Eau Claire before going to the Fort McCoy. Mystery solved!

LODGING:

  • AirBnb in Sioux Falls

    • Good place to sleep. Nothing over the top, but we didn’t need anything fancy.

MEALS:

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  • Breakfast: Coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts + Bacon and Grapes (From cooler)

  • Lunch: Cafe at the Cheese Castle (Just OK — might have had better luck in their restaurant instead of the cafe. For a cheese castle, you’d think the cheese they served with their meals would be top notch but it was more of a bland nacho cheese.)

  • Dinner: Kept is simple! PB&J sandwiches + Cider + Homemade HoHo (Ate at our AirBnb)


Day #2 — BADLANDS
(Sioux Falls, SD to Rapid City, SD)

DRIVE TIME: 5.5 Hours Total
(1 hour from Sioux Falls AirBnb to Corn Palace —> 3 hours to Badlands —> 30 min to Wall —> 1 hour to Rapid City)

ACTIVITES:

Sioux Falls Park (Near AirBnb)

  • The perfect way to start our day! The waterfalls were mesmerizing. We actually saw a similar (but smaller) waterfall on our first trip. So cool to “relive” our experiences.

Porter Sculpture Park (Off I-90 in SD)

  • Sculpture Park we saw from the side of the road. It was “closed” but we saw a car up there, and went ahead and drove in! It was actually the guy who made all the sculptures! Fun place that’s honestly a little eerie. Many cow pies all around! (Cows roam this side of the pasture when it’s cold out).

World’s Only Corn Palace (Mitchell, SD)

  • What a funny stop — the World’s Only Corn Palace! The neat thing: they redo the outside of the corn palace every year. The upstairs had a wall of photos of what the corn palace looked like each year. This year’s theme: Salute to Our Military <3

Badlands National Park

  • Here we hiked “Notch Trail” — the name (I’m assuming) comes from the notched ladder on the trail! We had to climb up + down the latter to get to a higher evaluation in the Badlands. It was honestly a tad scary, especially with the rain that was coming down, and I’m SO proud of us for doing it!!! I did GoPro the hike with a chest strap, which was neat to rewatch :)

  • Our first Wildlife encounters! We saw a deer near the campsite we were suppose to stay at. And then it just kept getting better and better. Mountain goats were next! The first group we saw, I thought were stabbed in the neck. But zooming in with my camera, I realized that they had on tracker necklaces. Then, when we turned the corner of a mountain, Alex shrieked. I thought I hit one! Nope! They were ABOVE us. Climbing the top of the mountain. How! Freaking! Cool!

Wall Drug Store (Wall, SD)

  • Wall Drug Store was a HUGE drugstore in a small town called Wall, SD. It takes up at least 5 or 6 blocks! There’s ANYTHING you could ever want or need inside. Fun pitstop while driving through — especially to get out of the car and stretch legs. We decided NOT to eat here, though, because the reviews on Yelp weren’t stellar.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:

  • Going up the ladder at Notch Trail — Quite exhilarating!

COULDN’T BELIEVE OUR EYES:

  • All of the billboards for Free Water + 5 cent coffee leading up to Wall Drug.
    It’s funny what people do to get you to stop by their “tourist” town!

LODGING:

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  • We planned to camp at Cedar Pass Campground in the Badlands. However, there were storms moving in (lightning / thunder) and that doesn’t work well when you are tent camping. We had actually bought the campsite ahead of time — and didn’t know we weren’t going to stay until the day-of, so we lost the $23.32 we paid for the site. We considered it a donation to the park :)

  • Instead, we got a hotel room in Rapid City. I found a room at the Fairfield Inn & Suites for $68.50 and it actually worked out well because we were closer to Mt. Rushmore for the next day!

MEALS:

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  • Breakfast:
    Pistachio Muffin (From the bakery at Mars Cheese Castle)

  • Lunch:
    Buffalo Chicken Wraps at Sinclair Gas Station

  • Dinner:
    Murphy’s (I got Buffalo Chicken Mac ‘n Cheese + Alex got chicken tenders)

    • Pretty hoppin’ place! Had a great atmosphere. Food was decent!


Day #3 — MT. RUSHMORE
(Rapid City, SD to Deadwood, SD)

DRIVE TIME: 3ish Hours Total
(30 min from Rapid City hotel to Mountain Coaster —> 20 min to Mt. Rushmore —> 1 hour drive through Custer State Park —> 1 hour drive to Deadwood)

ACTIVITES:

Mountain Coaster at Rush Mountain Adventure Park ($15)

  • Talk about an ADRENALINE RUSH to start the day! Pulling into the attraction made my heart race. It was raining when we went, so we weren’t sure if the ride would be running. (To be honest, it made me want to back out even more. Haha) But the people in the shop were super sweet and convinced us to go — And we did it!!! It was SO. MUCH. FUN. Check out the GoPro video!

Mount Rushmore ($10 to get in — Can NOT use National Park Pass)

  • I’m seriously in Awe with Mt. Rushmore <3 I didn’t think it would be as fascinating as I found it to be but it FAR surpassed the expectations I had. I learned a ton of history there — from the signage as well as the video in the bottom part of the Visitor’s Center. There’s also a brisk trail you can walk around the base of Mt. Rushmore. This was neat because you could see the statue from different angles!

Custer State Park (FREE WEEKEND)

  • My goal for the day was to see a BUFFALO and the Mountain Coaster folks told us no better place to go to see that than Custer State Park. We actually had this park on our list, too! When we got to the entrance, the ranger told us it was the weekend of their 100th Anniversary so the State Park was actually FREE to get in. I will say, when we went, (and it could have been the weather)…there were much fewer animals than we though we would see. Plus, we saw PLENTY of buffalo at Yellowstone. In hindsight, I might have skipped going here to do something else. But it was still a pretty drive!

Crazy Horse Monument ($24 — We did NOT pay to go in. Too pricey!)

  • Holy smokes, this stop was expensive. Pulling up to the gate, Alex and I made a quick decision that if it cost more than $10 total (what we paid to go to Mt. Rushmore), we weren’t going to go. It ended up being $24 total (12 bucks a person) so we PASSED. And actually, when we went to turn around, we could actually see the Crazy Horse sculpture from where we were at! I’m sure there was a lot more history down below — but again, we decided to skip this!


COULDN’T BELIEVE OUR EYES:

  • On our way from Mt. Rushmore to Custer State Park, we drove through Iron Mountain. There were several tunnels you would drive though — and then when came out of — you could see Mt. Rushmore in plain sight! It was so neat!

COULDN’T BELIEVE OUR EARS:

  • Hearing that Mount Rushmore was carved using dynamite!
    I thought it was hand chiseled. Nope, 90% was carved using dynamite!

LODGING:

  • We stayed at Tru (new hotel chain for Hilton) in Deadwood, SD. I have actually been wanting to try out since they came out with this new chain last year. It was very modern and fun! Their front desk was at a circular shaped desk in the center of the lobby. They had hanging chairs I have been DYING to get — we ate breakfast on them!

  • If you didn’t know (which we didn’t until we got there), Deadwood is a HUGE casino town! Our hotel actually had a casino attached to it — on the first floor. When we checked in, they gave us $15 in “free” casino cash. We played a couple slot machines before we left and won around $25! Score!

  • The only downside, which is totally my fault, is that I left my camera batter / charger plugged into the wall :( However, I called them and they were able to locate it. They told me they would ship it back to me. Just waiting on its arrival!

MEALS:

  • Breakfast: Hotel breakfast!

  • Lunch: PB&J Sandwiches (In the car at Mt. Rushmore)

  • Dinner: Taco Salad at Cheyenne Crossing


#4 — DEVILS TOWER + DRIVE DAY
(Deadwood, SD to Cody, WY)

DRIVE TIME: 6.5 Hours Total
(1.5 hour from Deadwood hotel to Devils Tower —> 5 hours to Cody)

ACTIVITES:

Spearfish

  • When Alex and I met at McClure’s Apple Orchard to plan our trip, we ran into a couple that had taken this trip recently. They gave us some recommendations, one of which was to check out Spearfish — said it had neat trails that went around in a circle.

  • It was a place we stopped, but the weather on our trip was so dang cold for being a “Summer Road Trip.” We drove by taking the “Scenic Byway” but didn’t get out. It had been snowing so we think we made out the area where the trails were! But couldn’t quite tell. Might have better luck stopping when it’s a bit nicer outside.

Devils Tower

  • This place we DID stop! We weren’t sure if we would have to pay for it or not, since technically it’s a National Monument (Mt. Rushmore was too and we had to pay $10). However, we learned that Devils Tower is also a National Park and because of that, we could use our National Park Pass to get in! Wahoooo!

  • There’s a trail that goes around Devils Tower that we completed. It was very peaceful! We saw many things: from the tower itself, prayer flags / bundles, the countryside, birds, Pokemon stops and more.

  • Fun Fact: People can actually CLIMB Devils Tower! It is a bit controversial because in order to climb, holes were drilled into the tower. Several Native Tribes consider this a sacred site — so the park does do many things to be respectful to them. (Ex: For the month of June, climbers are asked not to climb to respect the American Indian ceremonies).


HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:

  • Started off the day great — Won money at casino!

  • Ended the day great — Massage chair at the AirBnb!

  • The middle part? Hahaha….keep on reading :)

LODGING:

  • HaHaHa — wellllll we had planned to stay at Buffalo Bill’s hotel in Cody, WY. A friend recommended it and we thought we would give it a shot! But guess what I did? Oh, I booked the WRONG Buffalo Bill hotel :) The one I booked was in Primm, NV — 898 miles away.

  • On our drive to Cody, with the very little cell signal I had (seriously, it took like 2 hours to do 20 minutes of searching), I was able to finally able to find a cute cabin near Cody! It was actually 30 minutes past Cody….but 30 minutes closer to Yellowstone! Which would be nice for the next day when we headed to the park! And let me tell you…our little cabin was INCREDIBLE!!! Not only the cabin, but the owners of “WOW — Wheels of Wonderment” (the cabin village) and the experience as a whole, was oh so wonderful. Just what we were looking for! Highly recommend staying here.

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MEALS:

  • Breakfast:
    Hotel breakfast!

  • Lunch:
    Salami + Cheese + Veggies picnic (Picnic in car at Devils Tower)

  • Dinner:
    Chinese (Take out and taken back to our cabin)


Day #5 — YELLOWSTONE
(Cody, WY to Yellowstone back to Cody, WY)

DRIVE TIME: 5ish Hours Total
(40 min from cabin to East Entrance —> 1 hour to West Thumb —> 30 min to Old Faithful —> 15 min to Grand Prismatic —> 1 hourish to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone —> 1.5 hours back to cabin)

Note: You will spend a LOT of your day DRIVING. It takes a LONG time to get into and get out of Yellowstone. We actually originally planned to explore the park over a two-day time frame, but since we didn’t book lodging in advance (one year out), prices were astronomical. If you don’t plan on staying in the park, plan to drive! Although, I do think we saw a GOOD amount and had a FULL day with everything we were able to see! Plus, some things weren’t open just quite yet. (Weather and when you go can be a big determining factor). If it was nice, we planned to actually camp inside the park, which would have been much affordable than the $400+ rooms at the various lodges in the park.

ACTIVITES:

In AWE at everything we saw at Yellowstone! Such a PERFECT day <3

Yellowstone Lake

  • So LARGE and pretty — both in the morning and at sunset

  • This is where we saw our first GRIZZLY BEAR. Near a cliff by the water!

  • Was a bit of construction on the road near Fishing Bridge. Traffic slowed a little!

West Thumb

  • Saw geysers + many LARGE elk here!

  • I actually got enough signal here for Tru to call me back, saying they found my camera battery charger! The signal didn’t last long though, the call was soon dropped. There’s very limited signal in National Parks! Be prepared to stay off the grid for a little while :)

Old Faithful

  • What everyone thinks of when they hear Yellowstone! We got to Old Faithful 2 min AFTER it erupted and just missed the show. The next one wasn’t set to go off for about 90 minutes, so we walked around to the lodges and gift shops!

  • When it was going to erupt (3:34PM), we made it back outside! The benches began to fill and by the time she erupted, hundreds of people were watching from both outside and inside. (It was raining so many people were up against the windows in the Visitor’s Center — that was a funny sight — seeing them “smushed” against the glass LOL).

  • What a spectacle! The “show” lasted for a couple minutes. My favorite part? When we watched it, the skies were pretty dull and gray. But after, they soon turned to baby blue skies. It was almost as if the geyser pushed the gray skies away!

Grand Prismatic Spring

  • A short drive from Old Faithful. I was really looking forward to seeing this because of ALL THE PRETTY COLORS! In fact, I had bought a puzzle while we were at Old Faithful of the Grand Prismatic Spring. There’s a wooden boardwalk that takes you around several springs, including the biggest there, the GPS! It was a tad foggy when we went, but we were still able to make out the spring and many of the colors! It was also very WARM near because of the lava underneath. Truly amazing <3

Uncle Tom’s Trail

  • This trail is near the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone! In fact, the trail allows you to see the waterfalls here (Upper and Lower Falls). The trail goes two directions <—to the left was the handicap accessible trail. Nice and paved! The the right —> more of a wooded trail. There was a lot of snow on it, which was also melting (sludgy and lots of puddles) so we did part of the trail before turning around. We also knew that part of Uncle Tom’s Trail had a staircase you had to take — and we didn’t want to risk it with the weather conditions. But I imagine it’s a super fun and pretty hike, again, when the weather is a bit warmer :)

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (Upper and Lower Falls)

  • Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! Alex and I took our first ever road trip to the Grand Canyon so this was a very special sight to see. There’s a road that takes you right up to a parking lot, where you can get out and see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone + the falls. Now I can see where they get name “Yellowstone” from — all the yellow stone, here!

Mud Volcano

  • These reminded me of a pool of poo! Haha. We didn’t spend much time here, as the sun was setting and we wanted to get on the road before it was 100% dark.

  • There were a TON of bison near here, though! Apparently they like to hang out in the field right next to the mud volcano. We even saw BABY BISON! Adorable!!!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:

  • Feeding goats at AirBnb! Our AirBnb host Pete welcomed us to feed them breakfast. It was so fun, and truth be told, goats remind me a lot like dogs!

  • Also, midway while driving through Yellowstone, we came across a buffalo crossing the road. It was so cool to see him up close and personal. They are HUGE!

COULDN’T BELIEVE OUR EYES:

  • Seeing a Grizzly Bear!
    First animal we saw in Yellowstone. How perfect!!!! (We saw 4 bears total — 2 black bears and 2 grizzlies — but this was the closest one. Chillin’ on a cliff right by the road!)

  • I thought Yellowstone would be quite FLAT but in reality, it’s totally not! From mountains to calderas to geysers and everything in between — the diverse nature amazed me.

LODGING:

  • We liked our “WOW” cabin SO much that we extended our stay by one-night! We were actually going to tent camp in Yellowstone today, but the weather just was not in our favor. It had been raining on and off every day since we started this road trip — and rain and snow (plus the cold temps) were in the forecast again.

    The night before, we text Pete from WOW and asked if he had availability for us to stay another night. We would pay him in the morning. He happily let us stay for Night #2 and gave us a deal ($80 vs the $115 we paid through AirBnb) since we paid with cash :) Cash is king!

MEALS:

  • Breakfast: Mini, homemade muffins from the cabin (They were DELICIOUS)

  • Lunch: Buffalo chicken wrap (Picnic outside a geyser in Yellowstone)

  • Dinner: PB&J sandwiches


Day #6 — BOZEMAN
(Cody, WY to Ennis, MT)

DRIVE TIME: 4.5 Hours Total
(3 hours from cabin in Cody to Montana Grizzly Encounter —> 15 min to downtown Bozeman —> 20 min to Hot Springs —> 1 hour to AirBnb in Ennis)

ACTIVITES:

Montana Grizzly Encounter ($8)

  • If you want to see grizzly bears and support a good cause, go here! The Montana Grizzly Encounter currently has 4 bears they rescued. The bears now live here permanately. They typically have one bear out for the public to see — we met Bella! What’s nice is there’s someone outside giving you fun facts, sharing bear knowledge and answering any questions you may have.

Walked + Shopped Downtown Bozeman

  • Alex and I hadn’t had a “meal meal” in AWHILE so we were excited for some good food that didn’t come out of the cooler! We got lunch at a burger joint in downtown Bozeman, and then noticed there were so many fun shops around us. We walked up and down the strip! There was a YUMMY ice cream + candy shop where we got Huckleberry ice cream and Huckleberry chocolates. We also came across a cidery — Lockhorn Cider House. Since cider is our FAVORITE, we went in for a flight! Such a cute little town!

Bozeman Hot Springs ($10.50)

  • On our second road trip to the Grand Canyon, Alex and I stopped at a hot spring in Colorado and it was such a HOT experience. When we saw there was a hot springs in Bozeman, we knew we had to go. What was different about this hot springs though was the water was hot spring POOLS. Whereas the other place was more “hot tub” style hot springs. It was still a lot of fun floating around and soaking up the HEAT on a pretty chilly day. We had fun swapping stories and people watching ;)

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:

  • Taking a dip in the Hot Springs! Great way to RELAX + Good conversation with the BFF while in the pools!

  • We finally broke out the board games we brought — played Racko in our bed in the wilderness! LOL

COULDN’T BELIEVE MY TASTE BUDS:

  • HUCKLEBERRY ICE CREAM!
    I soon became obsessed with everything huckleberry — (It’s the ‘thing’ in Montana)

    • Ice Cream —> Coffee —> Margarita —> Pie —> Mints —> Soap…..EVERYTHING!

LODGING:

Glamping in “middle-of-no where” Montana! It didn’t sink in until we sunk into the bed!

  • Heard ALL the noises. Saw a dead bee on my pillowcase. Froze until we got under the electric blankets! Played board games in bed. It was quite the experience, quite the experience indeed.

MEALS:

  • Breakfast: Mini, homemade muffins from the cabin (They were DELICIOUS)

  • Lunch: Backcountry Burger Bar

  • Dinner: PB&J Sandwich (In TiPi) + Raspberry Wine (Not the best wine but the funniest part was trying to get it to open — HAHAH)


Day #7 — GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
(Ennis, MT to Glacier)

DRIVE TIME: 5.5 Hours Total
(5 hour to Visitor’s Center —> 30 min to Lodge (normally 15 but longer due to construction)

ACTIVITES:

Drove through Virginia City and Nevada City

  • Several people mentioned driving through these cities, as they were old mining towns. The streets definitely reminded me of old towns like in the Western movies my Grandpa watches. The mining tours were closed for the season, but that would be neat to do if you’re there. They also had a walking tour guide, but we were on the move to Glacier, so opted to simply do a drive-by.

Visited Apgar Visitor Center + Shopped at Gift Shops

  • WE MADE IT TO GLACIER!!!
    Apgar Visitor Center is the first visitor center when driving in on the West side of Glacier. We stopped in to get a trail map and talk to the park rangers about what was open and what we should do while we were here! The park ranger we talked to was a little unfriendly, but we got a lot of good info nonetheless. They also had a gift shop, and though small, there were several shirts we loved! We actually came back here the next day to buy them.

Took a scenic boat ride on Little Chief at St. Mary Lake in Glacier ($18.25)

  • Each of the larger lakes at Glacier have a SCENIC BOAT RIDE! I think there are 4-5! (Lake McDonald, St. Mary Lake, Many Glacier and Medicine Bow)

  • When we bought our ticket, the Glacier Park Boat Company had kid’s passports they could take and get stamped for each boat. I thought that was very neat!

  • What was fun, was we got a history lesson, while we toured the lake. Learned a lot about Glacier, how many glaciers there are currently, about the forest fires, the wildlife and more!

Hung out at Lodge + Planned next day!

  • When we got back from our boat ride, we went back to the lodge and got another drink + dinner. We got our plans set for the next day! Decided not to kayak since we just took a boat ride, and instead would hike a couple trails and see the East side of the park, too.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:

  • Reaching Glacier!
    Seeing the crystal clear waters. Feeling incredibly peaceful. Losing service. Not looking back.

COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES:

  • Saw a bear climb a tree through binoculars while on the ship!!!

MEALS:

  • Breakfast: Homemade breakfast from B&B

  • Lunch: None — was saving room for pizza dinner! Alex got a coke + and I got a coffee from McDonald’s, though.

  • Dinner: Huckleberry Margaritas and Mules + Flatbread
    (Jammer Joes was closed until June 8th :( We were really looking forward to their pizza! Next time!)

LODGING:

Snyder Hall Room at Lake McDonald

  • The lodging inside Glacier was magnificent! Very historic. We stayed in Snyder Hall (set up dormitory style) and I’m pretty sure we had the entire place to ourselves. Our room had Bunk beds! I slept on the top — Alex slept on the bottom. It was tiny, but cozy, and our ceiling was even made of actual wood beams. We had a sink in our room, and the bathroom with shower was right across the hall.


Day #8 — GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
(Glacier to Dickinson, ND)

DRIVE TIME: 11 Hours Total
(20 min up Going to the Sun Road until it was closed off at mile 14 —> 1.5 hour to East Side of Glacier — had to go around since the Going to the Sun Road hadn’t been completely cleared yet —> 9 hours to Dickinson, ND)


ACTIVITES:

@ WEST GLACIER!

Hiked Trail of Cedars — .6 paved trail (loop) with a raised boardwalk in some sections. Many mature cedar trees surround you! We even found a fallen one and walked across it, before making friends with our J family and baby Jack. (Located near Mile 14 of Going to the Sun Road from the West side of the park)

Hiked Avalanche Lake Trail — Starts in the middle of the Trail of the Cedars. We hiked about a mile or so of it before turning around. Pretty water flowed near the edge of the trail. The water is so clear, the colors of the rocks show. It’s absolutely gorgeous! (Located near Mile 14 of Going to the Sun Road from the West side of the park)

@ EAST GLACIER!

Skipped rocks at Two Medicine Lake We also played a game of “Who can hit the big rock with a baby rock first”. Let’s just say, I need better practice!

Hiked Running Eagle Falls Nature Trail — When we were at Medicine Lake, a couple recommended we hike this trail. It was relatively short and led to a waterfall! We were HUSTLING on this trail though because we heard there was a Mama Bear and two baby cubs nearby. We didn’t watch to get caught seeing them and having to break out the bear spray! We DID see fresh moose poop on the trail. Was hoping to see one before we left — maybe next time! (Located on the way to Two Medicine Lake from the East side)

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:

  • Soaking in ALL of Glacier

  • Adrenaline Rush —Hiking near a Mama Bear and her two Cubs

COULDN’T BELIEVE OUR EYES:

  • When driving from the West side of Glacier to the East side, there’s a town called Essex where they have train rooms! Meaning, they have refurbished trains so you can stay the night in them. Is that neat or what?!?!

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  • Also — The amount of DEER (Like 78, seriously) we saw while driving the Montana country roads at night!!! We had to slow down from 80 to 40 MPH. It was hands down the worst decision we made all trip. Driving 8+ hours through Montana in the pitch black darkness! We didd listen to a good portion of our audio book, though :) Michelle Obama helped us through!!

LODGING:

Town Suites in Dickinson, ND — 7,500 points

  • Couldn’t come soon enough! When we got here, we were BEAT. Fell asleep right away.

  • We actually passed 2 rest stops when driving through Montana — and was almost tempted to stay there and sleep in car to avoid the deer!

MEALS:

  • Breakfast: Coffee from Lodge (Out of Order in Lake McDonald Lodge — had to go to main lodge to get a cup of Joe!)

  • Lunch: Two Medicine Grill — Planned to go to Mexican place (Serrano’s) but they didn’t open until 5PM. This was about the only place open in Two Medicine! It actually was pretty tasty :) Alex got soup + sandwich. I got a bagel sandwich.

  • Dinner: Snacks from car :)


Day #9 — BEMIDJI, MN
(Dickinson, ND to Minneapolis, MN)

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DRIVE TIME
: 10 Hours Total
(6 hours to Bemidji —> 4 hours to Minneapolis)

ACTIVITES:

Saw Salem Sue (World’s Largest Cow) and Enchanted Highway (large art sculptures) from the road!

Explored Bemidji, MN — The rain lifted and it was a beautiful evening <3 Felt Grandma’s presence

  • Saw the Paul Bunyan + Babe the Blue Ox Statue — My Mom has a picture taken with them, too. I want to find it and compare our photos :) She said she was much younger when she went, though!

  • Walked around downtown Bemidji — Such a cute town! Many of the shops were closed when we went (after 5PM) but would be a neat place to walk around during the day.

  • Drove around Turtle Lake — Looking for Gram’s Lake House. Holy Red Dirt Roads!

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Finished “Becoming” audio book — By Michelle Obama — AMAZING <3 <3 <3

COULDN’T BELIEVE OUR EYES:

Pearl was SO DIRTY from the dirt roads she drove down today!!! Next trip, I need to remind myself there is NO reason to wash her BEFORE we leave. Because she will definitely need a wash AFTER. LOL.

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LODGING:

Hampton Inn (Woodbury, MN) — 23K POINTS

Near Minneapolis! Good place to stop that got us far enough along, so we had a “short” six-hour drive home the next morning!

MEALS:

  • Breakfast: Smore’s Poptart (in the car)

  • Lunch / Dinner: Dave’s Pizza (in Bemidji, MN) — was OK pizza. Nothing to write home about!


Day #10 — DRIVE DAY
(Minneapolis, MN to Home Sweet Home)

Sad our road trip is over :(

Sad our road trip is over :(

DRIVE TIME: 9 Hours Total
(6.5 hours to Alex’s Mom’s —> 2.5 hours to Home)


ACTIVITES:

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  • Drive, baby, drive!

  • Finished reading “Wild” book — By Cheryl Strayed


HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:

  • Kissing my sweet boys!

COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES:

  • Two birds doing the dirty when we woke up that morning!

LODGING:

  • My OWN bed!
    :D :D :D


MEALS:

  • Breakfast: Starbucks: Coffee and Oatmeal

  • Lunch: Taco Bell

  • Dinner: Home cooked meal!


That’s all, folks! Until the next trip!

Before We Go! (BFF Road Trip to GLACIER!)

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Tomorrow AM, my friend Alex and I are leaving for a trip we’ve been dreaming about for years! A trip to Glacier National Park with many stops to other parks + places along the way.

When you plant the idea of a trip with a friend, your significant other and / or family member(s), don’t let the idea fade away! Even if it takes a few years to save for it or to clear everyone’s schedule, “one day” will finally be here and you’ll be on your way! Taking the journey of a lifetime!


So here we are…the beginning!

It’s funny to think about. This trip is 11-nights / 11-days. Which may seem like a long time! But it’s actually much longer with all the planning + preparation we have put into it so far. To be honest, I really enjoy that side of things, so it didn’t bother me at all. I think it’s part of the fun!

  • Figuring out the route we’re taking

  • Looking up AirBnbs and fun accommodations

  • Detailing the itinerary

  • Planning snacks

  • Buying a couple “must haves” items

Some trips, I’ve totally “winged it” but this one, we definitely planned for. And that’s what I’m going to share with you below! I thought I would walk you through the things we did to get to this point. I’m also sharing the 8-page Google Doc planning worksheet + itinerary we created, in case you want to get some ideas on how to lay out your next trip.


1st Things First — Pick where you are headed!

Where have you been dreaming of going?!
What’s a spot that always been on your “list”?!

I’m on a mission to visit all 50 states — and the nice thing about this trip is we’ll be passing through many of the states I haven’t been through yet! (North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana)

What prompted us to take this specific trip, though, was an Instagram photo I saw on @2sisters_angie’s feed several years ago (Crazy, right, all because of an Insta photo?!). Her and her husband took their daughter @fashionbymayhem out West and I was in awe of how beautiful Glacier National Park was. I remember sharing her photo with my dear friend Alex and we both said “One day, we are going there!”.

That day is almost here! Eeeeee!!!


2nd — Choose Dates!

Get with your travel buddies and figure out the WHEN. Once you ask for time off, you’re locked in! It makes the trip THAT much more real. It’s no longer “a bunch of talk.” You have days that you can count down!

Let the planning commence!

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3rd — Set a budget!

Do not be the person planning to put your trip on a credit card and pay it off “later”. All of the rest + relaxation on your trip is only going to cause more stress financially down the road.

Set a rough budget! Start saving cash! Re-evaluate a more firm budget as you get closer to your trip.
For this trip, Alex and I both budgeted $1,000.

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Here’s a rough breakdown of my budget:

  • Lodging: $300

  • Gas: $250

  • Food: $200

  • Fun: $175

  • Other: $75

Note: In the past, I wrote everything I spent in a notebook that we kept in the glove box. I may do that again, or I might just put it into EveryDollar, now that I use it for budgeting! (Or maybe both methods) Find a way to keep track of what you spend as you go, so you don’t get home from your trip and wonder where all your money went. (Unless of course, you’re in Baby Step #7 and don’t have to worry about that!) 😊


4th — Activities + Adventures along the way!

I will say a road trip or even an out-of-country trip will probably require more planning than a week at the beach, or going to a single destination. Just because you have a little bit more going on. More cities and stops to coordinate. However, either way, make sure you have fun planned!

Here are some activities + adventures we have planned for this trip:

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  • Eating cheese at Mars Cheese Castle (Cheese is a MUST when you’re in Wisconsin)

  • Camping at Badlands National Park

  • Witnessing the infamous sculpture carved in the side of a mountain — Mt. Rushmore

  • Seeing Old Faithful erupt at Yellowstone

  • Sleeping in a Tipi — They call that “glamping” right?!

  • Kayaking on Lake McDonald at Glacier National Park

  • Checking out Salem Sue — the World’s Largest Cow

  • Visiting Bemidji, MN — The town where my Grandma’s parents had a lake house <3


5th — Lay out your Road Map!

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Once we started looking at the things we wanted to do, we actually flipped our trip! We were going to start off by going to Glacier and then do things like Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands on our way home. But the more we looked at it, the better off we were to flip the trip (considering weather, park openings and a couple other factors). Don’t be afraid to make changes along the way!

(If you’re not taking a road trip, your road map may involve flights instead — and in that case, lay out your flight plan!)


6th — Get your car inspected!

In my opinion, this is a MUST if you’re driving…unless you just bought a brand new car OR you’re driving a rental car. Even if it’s just for the mechanic to tell you, “Everything is good to go!” (In fact, that’s what you want them to say. LOL)

I remember when I took a trip to Gatlinburg with a bunch of girlfriend's the summer after high school, Megan’s mom got the car we drove inspected so she knew we would have a safe + reliable vehicle on the road.

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A couple weeks ago, I took my car into the shop for an oil change and to do an inspection. Come to find out, my car’s air compressor was not working.

(No wonder on the warmer days, my car didn’t seem to get cold. I hadn't noticed this winter because I had the heat on).

Soooooo….about $900 later, Pearl had working AC. Oh, and a brand new back windshield wiper :)

But we are all ready to hit the road and I feel so much better know that she should be A-OK out on-the-road. *Fingers crossed*


7th — Make a list and check it twice!

For all my iPhone users, the NOTES app on your phone (the one it comes with) is INCREDIBLE! Use it!!!

Here’s why:

  • You can add your travel buddy!

  • You can check + uncheck the boxes!

If you have a good list, it will only help you as you begin packing! It’s also great because you will think of things at random times, that you *need* to bring. In which, all you need to do is open up the note and add to it!

Last night, Alex actually text me and said, “Your packing list was a time saver 😘 Thanks!”
See ;) Planning ahead should set you up for stress-free packing!

Here’s how I laid it out:

  • Essentials (We each had our own section here)

  • Food (We divided it by what Alex would bring / what I would bring)

  • Clothes (This section was divided by what was being packed in each duffel bag. I also included what clothes I was wearing on what day of the trip. It made packing 100x easier. I determined what I’d be wearing on what day by looking at the day’s activity. Ex: If we were hiking, yoga pants it was! But if we were exploring town, jeans would work great!)

  • To Buy (This section has a couple items we still need to purchase…Ex: our National Park Pass. We’ll get that on the road!)


8th — No time for being hangry….Groceries + Snacks!

While we do plan on eating out some, we wanted to make sure we brought some food + snacks with us! It would (1) save us money and (2) be a bit healthier than eating out every meal.

Coming off the Whole30, I also didn’t want to go from 100% clean eating to 100% junk / fast food. It was nice because I was able to bring some of my Whole30 favorites in the YETI cooler. We made a list of what foods we would want to munch on during the trip.

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COOLER:

Mason Jars work GREAT because they won’t get wet / soggy in the cooler!
I filled a bunch of them with:

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  • Carrots

  • Cucumbers

  • Bell Peppers

  • Bacon

  • Buffalo Chicken Spread

  • Grapes

  • Salami

  • Dump Ranch


And then of course brought some beverages:

  • Starbucks Iced Coffee

  • Raspberry Wine

DRY FOOD BAG:

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  • Apples

  • Cuties

  • Peanut Butter + Jelly

  • RX Bars + Almond Butter

  • Fruit Go Squeezes

  • Granola bars

  • Cheez-Its

  • Crackers

  • Tortillas

  • Pistachios

  • Can of Skyline Chili


9th — Pack the Car and Hit the Road!

Got everything on your list?!
Put it in the car! It’s time to gooooooo!

A couple tips:

  • Packing in several bags seemed to help me!

    • Blankets in a bag

    • Utensils / Food stuff in a bag

    • Dry food in a bag

    • Duffel for daily outfits

    • Duffel for sleepwear / outerwear / undies / socks

    • Fun bag

    • Med kit container

    • Camera bag

    • Backpack with the essentials

  • Seek a hiding spot in your car for your super valuable valuables. Just in case the car were to get broken into (it’s sad to think this way….but after last year’s San Francisco incident, I’m way more aware of my surroundings). Hopefully they don’t find your stash in the hiding spot. We will also put a blanket over top the goods to try NOT to bring attention to what’s in our car.

  • Back up your computer before you leave! (If you’re taking it with you)

  • Kiss your loved ones goodbye! Until FaceTime :)

  • Print your itinerary! Grab your friend! Hit the road!


That’s basically it!

Don’t feel overwhelmed. It takes a little bit of time to get everything ready. Simply take it one step at a time!

And remember….it’s a vacation for a reason! Time to spend some well-deserved time off, having a ton of fun. When you hit the road, you’ll feel super accomplished and ready for the road trip to begin!!!


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See ya on the road :)

If you’d like to follow along our 2019 Road Trip on a day-to-day basis, follow me on Instagram @ashleynnoga and keep an eye on my Insta stories. That’s where I plan to do a lot of sharing!

(If of course, I have service).

Book Tour x2

I have now been to two book tours in Chicago. Both were totally different, but equally incredible!


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Book Tour #1 —
“Girl, Wash Your Face” (GWYF) by Rachel Hollis

Date: Sunday, January 28, 2018
Location: Evereve, Oak Brook, IL (Near Chicago)

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:

GWYF is what I would consider a “self-help” / personal development book. Those types of books are what fills most of my bookshelves! It’s what I typically gravitate too.

You see, I had been following Rachel Hollis for several years on Instagram before she wrote this book. I was in awe of her work and attitude on life! She made me laugh. She made me cry. She dropped truth bombs across her social media platforms. And when she wrote GWYF, I knew I needed a copy.

Even better?! I actually got 3 copies of the book! (Why THREE copies, Ashley?!) Oh, I’m glad you asked :)

You see, Rachel reached out to her Tribe (Internet community) to get a group together that would help launch her book. I became part of that launch team! That meant I was sent a digital copy of the book ahead of time, in exchange for writing an honest book review. There were also a couple hundred folks that would receive a hard copy (what they refer to as an “Advanced Reader Copy”). I was fortunate enough to be selected for an ARC. After reading the book, I wrote my book review.

Here’s what my review on GoodReads said:

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MORE ABOUT THE BOOK TOUR:

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Just when I thought being on the launch team was SUPER RAD, Rachel and her team shared there would be a book tour for GWYF! Oh. My. Gosh. I was pretty much fan-girling because I would finally get to meet my “Instagram inspiration” Rachel Hollis!

With her book tour, she picked 6-10 cities across the US and for the most part, did her tour BEFORE the book launched. That meant that most of the people (I was an exception) had NOT read or received the book ahead of the event. There was a ticket price associated with coming to her book event (I think it was $50 / person). However, you did get a copy of the book, cookies + adult beverages, a shopping experience at Evereve (plus 15% discount) and of course, you were able to meet @MsRachelHollis and get your book signed!

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Oh, and Rachel likes themes. So each of her book tour locations had a “dress theme”. The Chicago stop: GOLD!

I invited my BFF Alex to come with me! She was also on the Rachel train, maybe not “as much” as me, but still enjoyed her work. Alex’s Mom lives in NWI (Northwest Indiana) so we met at her house before driving over to the event. We stopped at Portillo’s (if you’re from Chicago area, you already know!) and got lunch before continuing the journey to our exciting evening ahead!

Leaving lunch, I clicked on the address from the digital ticket and we were on our way to Chicago! We were getting closer (so our GPS showed), but when we pulled up to where we thought we should be, we ended up at a mobile home park…..”WHERE ARE WE?! There’s no way Rachel’s book tour is here.”

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After some frantic digging, I learned that Apple Maps took us to the WRONG location — It took us to 437 Oakbook DRIVE. Not 437 Oakbook CENTER! We drove an entire hour north PAST where the location actually was. Jiminy Crickets! We hopped back in the car and headed back toward Chicago…..arriving to Rachel’s tour an hour late!

While we missed her talk, we could still meet Rachel and get our books signed! Our numbers in line: 94 and 95, out of 100. Hahah. Rachel stayed though, until she met every single person there!

I remember her saying that people had asked, “Don’t you get tired of this?” And she made a comment that she’s been on the other side, when no one has came to her book tour. And she will stay as long as it takes to meet every single person. Because they are the reason she is here!

Driving home that night, I thought how perfect of a night it was. Even with it’s little imperfections <3 It made my heart so happy and definitely gave a story to share! Haha!

I even got my book and goals notebook signed by THE one and only, Rachel Hollis!

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POST BOOK TOUR:

Just a little side story:

Long ago (10 years ago), Rachel set a goal that she would become a New York Times Bestseller. She had already written three fiction books and two cookbooks. And she was bound and determined to make the list with “Girl, Wash Your Face.” She promoted the book SO MUCH through her online community, in a way that made you WANT to buy her book. Not pushy and not "slimy.”

When her book released on February 6th, she waited to get the news. She ended up finding out that she didn’t make “the list” and though disappointed, wrote a long post, thanking everyone who had worked so hard to try and help achieve her goal with her. She promised she would be back to try again with the next book. One day, she WOULD become a NYT Bestseller!

Well…..On April 18th (2 months and 2 weeks after the book released), Rachel received some very exciting news! She made the list!!! She didn’t even realize it was possible to make the NYT Bestseller list AFTER the book was out. But she did it!!!

It was super cool seeing + being a part of her journey.

If anyone is an inspiration, it’s that woman! She doesn’t just talk about her goals. She commits to them and makes them happen, time and time again! Since GWYF, she’s also released another book, “Girl, Stop Apologizing.” And what do ya know! Another NYT Bestseller!!! Just amazing!


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Book Tour #2 — “Where the Crawdads Sing” (WTCS) by Delia Owens

Date: Saturday, April 20, 2019
Location: The Book Stall, Winnetka, IL (Near Chicago)

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:

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You know how I said personal development books are what’s usually up my alley? WTCS is anything but that! It’s a fiction novel that I “randomly saw on the end cap at Barnes & Noble and the cover looked appealing.” I’m honestly SO grateful that it did, because I did a quick flip and went to the counter to purchase. The book lived up to it’s book cover — it drew me in and I read this book in 6 days flat. That’s how good it is!!!

I honestly needed a “break” from what Justin likes to refer to as my “self-help” collection. I’m all about personal development, but sometimes, I think your brain needs a break from it. And WTCS did just that for me!

The book tells the story of a murder mystery and a celebration of nature. The way Delia wrote the book was super captivating to me, because the chapters flip back and forth from different years. It tells the story of Kya growing up nearly alone in the marsh, and also brings in pieces of the murder of Chase Andrews. I held my breath until the very last page, when everything was revealed. It kept me on the edge of my seat, begging for more, more, more.



MORE ABOUT THE BOOK TOUR:

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After I finished the book, I made a post on my Instagram account. You see, one of my goals this year is to read 12 books. This would be the very first book I finished and I was documenting the experience!

In doing so, I tagged the author and stumbled upon her social media accounts. It was then that I learned that she was actually about to go on tour for her book, and what do you know, there was a stop in Chicago! I knew I just *HAD* to go!

(Only this time, I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, and I would double check to make sure I had the correct address! LOL)

The interesting thing about this book tour, that was different from the last one I went to, well…there were a couple things:

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  • This book tour was at an independent bookstore (Which makes sense since it is, well, a book! Rachel’s was at Evereve, a clothing store, that she partnered with for her book tour).

  • This book tour occurred way AFTER the book was published. (A gentleman who worked at the bookstore said how unique the tour was, because it’s happening months after the book was released. I’m guessing many of the book tours are BEFORE / AS the book is released, similar to GWYF. WTCS has actually been on the NYT Bestseller list now for 32 weeks and counting. It was on the 31st week <7 months after the book was published> that I saw Delia on her tour.)

  • From what I could tell online, this tour was FREE. (I wasn’t sure if I needed tickets, but when I went the day of, no tickets were necessary! After talking to the manager at the bookstore, he explained that this book tour was unique because the book had been on the market for so long (as mentioned above). A lot of times, they will have you buy the book for your signing order, but since this book had been out so long, it operated a little differently. When people arrived, they gave you a “signing group” which was a little different than Rachel’s where you got a # of what order you’d go in to get an autograph. It worked similar to Southwest’s boarding groups (A first, B next and C last). They kept the lines moving and honestly, I don’t think I waited more than 10-15 minutes to meet Delia (being in Group B). I did feel compelled to buy SOMETHING from the book store for hosting, so I bough a super neat, felt, hot air ballon bird house….I’m making a birdhouse tree in my backyard! Like my Grandpa has in his!)

  • The audience was a bit different! (I would consider it an “older” generation — when you looked in the crowd! The GWYF tour was made up of primary women, probably in their 20s, 30s, 40s. That being said, I met some FABULOUS people at Delia’s book tour and had some really fun + interesting conversations. Let me tell ya though….older people are SHOCKED when you tell them you drove from Indy (3.5 hours away). Their reactions, “Just for this?!” Yes, “just for this!” Whereas at Rachel’s tour, a ton of people made the lengthy road trip!)

  • Q+A (One thing I really liked that Delia had was a Q+A forum. It was fun to hear the questions people had and listen to how she responded to them. This could be something Rach did, but since I missed that whole section, who knows! Haha.)


MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

One thing I was specifically fascinated with at the book tour was learning more about Delia as a person. You see, with Rachel, I had already been following her on social media and I knew much about her life.

Once I finished WTCS, I started following Delia on IG and Facebook. But I honestly didn’t know much about her as a person until book tour day. The reason I was so fascinated about hearing her background, because I realized just how much it shaped her novel. A couple reasons why:

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  • Delia explained when she was a child, her mother would encourage her to REALLY go experience nature. To go way out, “where the crawdads sing.” When I heard that, I gasped. It’s crazy how things in your life come full circle!

  • The novel took place in the outer banks of North Carolina. When Delia was young, her family took many vacations here, so she was very familiar with the setting. She didn’t have to do a ton of research on the location, really, because of the experiences she had during her younger years.

  • Delia lived in Africa for 20+ years. She explained that while it was a phenomenal experience, she did feel quite lonely and isolated during that time. She missed “her people” back in the “States.” I definitely could feel a similar parallel with the main character she developed, Kya.

  • One of the most outstanding facts (in my opinion), that this is Delia’s first ever fiction piece! And it made the New York Time’s Bestseller List. Not an easy feat to accomplish! While it was her first fiction story, she did have a lot of experience writing from the research she did as a scientist. Her and her husband, Mark Owens, actually co-authored several publications. She told us while it was different writing, that prepared her for writing this book. As well as reading!

  • It was also fun learning that Delia sold the rights to her book to Reese Witherspoon, to produce her book into a movie! I am PUMPED to see the movie, after now reading the book. Most movies I’ve watched that were based on a book, I’ve never read the book first. So that will be the cherry on top!


In Conclusion,

Like I first mentioned, these two book tours were very different from one another!
But it was intriguing that, though different, they were also very much alike.

Both book tours were in Chicago (Ha, given!)
Both women used their life story to shape their books.
Both women wrote in the early AM hours to get their book written. Writing is not their full time job.
Both women produced books that were P-H-E-N-O-M-E-N-A-L!

I would DEFINITELY recommend attending a book tour, if you haven’t had that experience yet! It was SO fun to not only take a road trip, but to get to know the author more + the book on an entirely different level. Plus, you can *usually* meet the author, as well, and get your own copy of the book autographed. Truly an incredible experience!


Have you attended a book tour?
What author + book was it?
How was your experience?

Would love to hear below!

Meet'cha Halfway!

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In exactly one month, my BFF Alex and I will be three days into our 11-day road trip out West!

Her and I have taken several road trips over the years — including our infamous Route 66 Road Trips (yes, we went twice, back-to-back years — more on this down below!)

No lie, up until the very first road trip, we were planning on going to Disney World for New Year’s Eve. We both had some time off at the end of the year, and thought, what better way to bring in 2015 than over fireworks at the most magical place on Earth?

Well…24 hours before our trip, I remember Alex asking me, “Ashley, if you could go ANYWHERE, where would you want to go?!” You see, gas prices were at an all-time low (like $1.50 / gallon) which is just unheard of these days! We had an entire week off. We could do ANYTHING.

It was like her and I both read each other’s mind….”The Grand Canyon!” we both exclaimed.

Without much time to think about it or plan, Alex asked her mom if she could borrow her SUV, and then came to Indy to pick me up. We had the car! We packed the car with a bunch of stuff! (Mind you, this was a couple days after Christmas and it was mighty frigid outside, so lots of coats / clothes / blankets made it into the vehicle). And then we started driving West.

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The only thing with this plan, was that we didn’t have one.

We planned the trip as we went! We used Pinterest and blogs and Instagram tags to put together our road map. And sometimes, we just stopped along side of the road because we saw something we wanted to check out, and could.


The other stipulation?
We were trying to do it as affordable as we could!

We actually calculated what we spent after the whole trip was over, and it was around $300 / person. (I know, right?!) The beauty about traveling along Route 66 is there are a bunch of roadside attractions that are free to see. Things like the:

-Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
-Blue Whale of Catoosa
-Cadillac Ranch
-Midpoint
-World’s Largest Bottle of Ketchup


Every other night, we would pay for a place to stay. On the nights we weren’t sleeping in an actual bed? We turned the backseat of her mom’s Ford Escape into a bed. Meaning we moved everything from the backset to the front, put the seats down, and then layered blankets / pillows across to form our “makeshift bed”. It was quite a sight! We stopped at an awesome Rest Area in Oklahoma that treated us very well. We made sure to park the SUV in a safe, well-lit place. Where we could high-tail it if we needed to. But honestly, no one ever bothered us. Except Mother Nature when the car got so cold we had to turn it on for a tad to heat it back up before falling back asleep.

Oh, the memories!

During that first Road Trip, we made it all the way to Holbrook, AZ and stayed in the Wigwam Motel (otherwise known as the Cozy Cone Motel in the movie Cars). It was New Year’s Eve and we watched the ball drop on the tiniest TV screen. We went to bed knowing that tomorrow, the first day of the year, we would finally make it see the Grand Canyon!

Joke was on us, though….Ha Ha…because we woke up to inches of snow on the ground. They actually closed the road that you take to get to the Grand Canyon because of all the snow! All of that driving across the US to not even made it to our final destination?!?

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That’s when we realized….it’s not about the destination, at all, really. It’s about the journey to get there!


The song “Find Yourself” (from the Cars Soundtrack) puts those feelings into lyrics that explain exactly how we felt! We decided next year, we would make the trip again, so we could finally see the Grand Canyon! But in the meantime, we would enjoy the rest of the trip headed back home.

And that’s what we did! The next year, we took Route 66 Road Trip - Round #2, and it was JUST as good. We did take a detour off Route 66 on the way out, and drove more through Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado, before trucking it into Arizona and witnessing the Grand Canyon. We got to skip along the Yellow Brick Road, sled the sand dunes, dip our cold feet into the warm hot springs, step in four states at once, experience Flinstone’s Bedrock City and more. Another amazing trip, for having very little of a plan.


But here we are now! Road Trip #3!

And this trip, is a tad different. Here’s why:

  • We’re going more NW not SW!
    Our trip includes seeing the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Bemidji, MN and some other places along the way! We didn’t realize when we started planning, but have soon learned that these National Parks have seasons, and some of the parks only have sections that will be open when we are traveling there.

  • It’s quite a bit longer!

    The last trips we took were maybe 5 or 6 days. This trip, though, is twice that!

  • We have a little bit of a bigger budget.
    Which translates to: We’ll most likely not be sleeping in the car! Camping, AirBnbs, lodges, hotels are all on the list. But Pearl (my dear Kia Soul), I think you’re just going to be used as a mode of transportation this time and not an accommodation! You deserve that! (Especially because you are almost paid off….EEEEEE!!!!)

  • It’s during May! Not December!
    Meaning there are going to be more people out exploring, and things fill up fast, especially when you aren’t sleeping in your makeshift bed. Did you know reservations for Yellowstone usually fill a year in advance?!? Pray for us that we don’t freeze that night, if we cannot secure a room and try to camp in the 40 degree weather (YSNP will actually not let you sleep in your car). Hahah.

And because of this, we decided we needed a bit more of a plan than “just winging it”. Though I’m sure there will be some things we do, that are “off course” :)


So, what do you do when you + your BFF have pretty jammed packed schedules, but need a good day or so to plan?!


YOU MEET HALFWAY!

I don’t know why we didn’t think of this before. You see, she lives in South Bend, IN and I live in Plainfield, IN. Which translates to an almost 3-hour trip. But if we met half way, we could have a whole day together that wasn’t consumed of driving back and forth!

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We discovered a little winery that’s drop dead center in between her house and mine, and took an entire day dedicated to one thing: Planning Our NEXT Road Trip!

Oh, how weird this felt. Alex and I are both planners by nature. But the fact that we hadn’t planned the last two trips….made us wonder if we should be planning this one in so much detail!

After sitting there, from when the winery opened until the winery closed, and several glasses of wine later, our 9-page Google Doc itinerary had a pretty great start! We finished our meet up by getting dinner at a local pizza shop, and sharing our thoughts of our upcoming trip, while the adrenaline of our next big adventure rushed through our veins!


I remember driving back home that night, and thinking, “You know what, meeting halfway is genius. We should really do this more often!”

Do you ever have those days that you just really need to talk to your BFF?
Or you need some of your Ma’s loving?
Or you’d like to catch up with someone you haven’t talked to in awhile?

Consider saying:
“I’ll meet’cha halfway!”

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I think a lot of us get in the habit of thinking “they are ‘too far’ away” or “it’s their turn to come to me” or “I’ll see them during the holidays.”

But what I’ve learned lately: Community is SO important! Friendships ARE much needed! Having time to chit chat with those you love can really turn your day / week / month around. You don’t HAVE to wait until “later”. Why don’t you get together now?!

IF you are close enough (a couple hours away from one another), maybe you can MEET HALFWAY and enjoy a nice day together or at least do dinner?! Heck, you don’t have to plan a big, elaborate road trip. You can just visit with one another! Give it some thought!

I have a feeling as I get older and my time becomes more consumed with “adulting” activities (marriage and kiddos), our BIG road trips won’t happen every year. But perhaps, these mini-road trips AKA “meeting halfway” are going to become the cornerstone of our friendship <3

NYC Marathon

Trip: New York City (From OH)
Total Miles: 1,2500+ 
Traveled By: Pearl! (My Kial Soul) 
Mission: Pick up my brother from NYU while exploring the city! 


HIGHLIGHTS
• Visiting the 9/11 Museum - chills throughout
• Getting the tour of NYU / the City from my brother!
• Seeing the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular at Radio City
• Witnessing THE TREE at Rockefeller Plaza
(And getting the urge to go back to my hotel and watch Home Alone)
• Learning the ropes of public transportation
• Eating NY pizza at Joe's...right outside of Times Square
(Plus seeing THE BALL before it dropped on NYE...without fighting the crowd!)
• Checking out the Union Square Holiday Market - basically a big craft show in a park!


This trip to New York was a "marathon" if you will. I had about 48 hours in the Big Apple to see and do as much as possible. I made the trip to pick up my brother from school at NYU and bring him home for the holidays. But you know me, I had to explore while I was there!

I had been to New York City once before. My Dad took us kids when I was 15. So I had seen a Broadway play already (Billy Elliot), had been to Times Square, was on the Today show (we even made signs), bought the typical "I heart NYC" tourist shirt, and more! I wanted to make sure I did some things that I hadn't experienced before. And since that trip was in the summer, it was exciting to go this time around Christmas. What a feeling to be in the city during the holiday season!


So let's talk about the TRAVEL part first! 

Q: HOW DID YOU GET THERE?!

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I drove (solo) TO NYC.
I drove with my brother BACK to OH. 

Day 1: Split the drive up. Drove from Hamilton, OH --> Pine Grove, PA. (7.5 hours)
*If you left early enough on the first day, you should totally stop in Hershey, PA and go to the Hershey chocolate factory if you've never done that before. 

Day 2: The next morning, I drove from Pine Grove, PA --> Newark, NJ. (2 hours)

Side note: Did you know it's a law in New Jersey that you don't have to pump your own gas?! Found that out on this trip! 

Day 3: Drove from Newark, NJ --> NYC (A good 45 minute drive - taking the Holland Tunnel)

Then, from NYC --> Hamilton, OH. (11 hours - Make sure you don't have your maps set to avoid toll roads, or else it will take you an hour out of the way, like we did) 
 

Q: WHERE DID YOU STAY?!

I had a bunch of Hilton Honors points saved up...
So I used those to stay fairly inexpensively!

First Night: Hampton Inn Pine Grove (Pine Grove, PA) - Used 1/2 points and $40
Second Night: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Newark Airport (Newark, NJ) - Used all points and paid $15 to park!

I opted to stay in NEW JERSEY instead of NYC because I would be able to stay for free. Honestly, I would totally recommend doing this if you're ballin' on a budget. Your hotel is going to be cheaper! The parking will be cheaper! And you can use public transportation to get into NYC. 

 

Q: HOW DID YOU GET AROUND?!

I planned my hotel to be by the airport, because they offered a FREE shuttle to the airport. From there, I was able to take the Air Train to the Newark Liberty Airport Train Station (FREE). And then take the NJ Transit train to New-York Penn Station ($13 /adult - $26 total round trip). 

Once I was in NYC, my brother honestly navigated me the rest of the way through the subways. You will need to buy a Metro card for $1 (I believe) and then just load money onto it. The subways will take you Uptown or Downtown. There's so many routes, but what my brother taught me is you can put your destination in Apple Maps on your phone. There is a transit button at the bottom. This will tell you which subways / trains / etc. you will want to take! Or...if you know someone in New York, like I knew my brother, have them be your tour guide ;) 

I DID drive into New York the 2nd day I was there...because we had to load all of Alex's belongings into my car! I took the Holland Tunnel - it's $10 when you go into the city! Free when you exit! PARKING, though. Whew. Parking can be challenging. You can pay anywhere from $50-$100 to park for the day. But since I just needed to park for a couple hours while we loaded my car, I found metered parking on the street. It was $9 to park for 2 hours. (Much better than $50 in my opinion! We made it back to the car RIGHT on the minute the meter expired, too. Ha!) 

Side note: Don't let your meter expire and don't park illegally OR you will get a ticket and you WILL get towed. That happened the FIRST trip we took with my Dad! 


Now...it's time to EXPLORE!

1st = 9/11 Memorial + Museum

The very FIRST thing Alex and I did was go see the 9/11 Memorial + Museum and the One World Trade Center. 

I had been wanting to see this! I heard awesome things about the memorial and museum, and wanted to experience it first hand. When we went on the trip with my Dad, it was still being built. So Alex and I took the subway down to the memorial and holy cow. It's a sight you will never forget. 

There are two square-like fountains, where the Twin Towers once stood.
It's an incredible sight during the day. It's an incredible sight at night. 

But what really got me was the 9/11 Museum. Spend the $24 (adult admission) and go see it. It will be worth every penny. It will be extremely quiet. It will be reflective. It will be something you don't want to miss seeing. 

Here are just a few photos:

I think what made it so emotional for me, was the fact that I was alive and I remember very clear the attacks on America on September 11th. I remember being in my 4th Grade class. I remember my teachers being frightened. I remember watching the planes crashing into the Twin Towers and thinking, "This can't be good." I remember my Mom watching the news in shock. I remember all too clear, that tragic day. The museum did an excellent job to remember ALL the lives lost and all the HEROES from 9/11. 


2nd = NYU!

Next stop...
Explore NYU!

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Alex showed me where he spent all Fall semester. He showed me his residence hall. He showed me the places he ate. He showed me where he caught the subway to class. He showed me the buildings he had class. He showed me the bookstore.

A TOTALLY different college experience than what I experienced at Ball State in good 'ole Muncie, IN. 

 

Side Note: Alex's view from his dorm looked out to the same Fire Station where Ladder Company 3 was stationed. This fire station was the FIRST RESPONDER on 9/11. The museum gave an in-depth story on the heroism from FDNY Captain Pat Brown and his team. It was pretty special to hear that story and later learning that fire station was right next to Alex's dorm. Really put the morning of 9/11 into perspective. 


3rd = Rockettes Christmas Spectacular

I saw the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City. WHAT. A. SHOW. 

You definitely have to see it, at least once!
It will surely put you in the holiday spirit!
 

 

 

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TIP: Order your tickets through the app TodayTix! Your tickets will be cheaper, plus you don't have to wait in line at the box office! There will be a TodayTix concierge team across the street from Radio City. They have tickets with your name on it!

SUPER EASY.
SUPER CONVENIENT. 

Plus, if you search online, you should be able to find a promo code for $10 off your first purchase!
 


4th = Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Plaza

Rockefeller Plaza is SO close to Radio City, that I couldn't pass up seeing the infamous Christmas tree lit up! I strolled on over and saw this beautiful sight. If you're up for it, you can even go ice skating in the rink by the tree.

(Trust me, you'll want to go back to your hotel and watch Home Alone!) 

ALSO...make sure you hang out long enough to witness the 3D Christmas light show on the SAKS building. If you are facing the tree, simply do a complete 180 and you'll be facing the SAKS building! It's entertaining. The lights flash to the music! Sneak peak video below. 


5th = Pizza + NYE Ball at Times Square

I ended this "marathon" around New York City by visiting Times Square. One of my friends recommended eating at Joe's pizza (super close to TS), so that's where I went for dinner! The pizza was yummy. I ate 1/2 of it - and then got a to-go box for the other half (gave it to a homeless person on my way back to the train). 
 

The other SUPER COOL thing about seeing Times Square this time was the fact that the NYE BALL was already up! I was able to witness the 2017 ball before it fell on New Year's Eve. How freaking cool!!! So of course, I had to take a selfie with it ;)

 


And there you have it, my friends! 
That's my trip to New York - Christmas 2016. 

If you have any questions, or would like any additional recommendations / tips, please feel free to leave a comment! 

 

 

12 Things You'll Learn While Traveling on Route 66

1. Single lane bridges DO exist, and your heart will beat faster than normal when you drive across one.

The feeling that someone from the other side might “run the red light” and drive on the bridge at the same time as you, HEAD ON, can be a bit much to handle! Especially when the bridge goes from a concrete structure to a metal frame. Not to mention it’s approaching dusk. But once you make it across that “long, stretch,” you’ll feel as if you can conquer anything in this world. Including driving across the country on Route 66! #OldChainOfRocksBridge

 

2. Diner food really isn’t that great, but the service and milkshakes will make up for it!

Maybe it’s the fact that no one should ever order a big, juicy chiliburger. Or that the chicken and fries are sprinkled one too many times with salt and pepper. But the milkshake will definitely make up for it! Also, the friendliness of the waitress will put the cherry on top of your Route 66 diner experience. #Route66Diner

3. Sleeping in the car isn’t half bad!

When you’re on a $500 (or less) budget, you’ll find ways to make the trip cheaper. Hotel rooms add up, so if you travel in a van or SUV, pack at least 10 blankets and a half-dozen pillows to make your very own “blanket bed” in the back of the vehicle! It’s actually pretty comfy, and will save you a couple bucks. Just be sure to pull over in a well-lit rest area. Or Walmart. It’s legal to park overnight at Walmart. #BlanketBed

 

 4. But sometimes it’s okay to splurge and spend $66 to stay in a wigwam.

When you’re traveling on Route 66, there are so many unique places to stay. One being the “Wigwam Motel.” So yes, split the cost with your travel buddy and stay somewhere out of the ordinary! You won’t regret it. (Especially if that’s how you’re bringing in the New Year.) #WigwamMotel

 

5. Bring a notebook to scribble down things you want to do!

When you’re traveling on Route 66, there’s a plethora of attractions to see and places to visit. You may want to do a little research before you leave (that’s how I knew how to bring 4 cans of spray paint I had at home for Cadillac Ranch). Or, have your travel buddy look up some things when you’re on the road (I used Pinterest to find the majority of things we did). It may be helpful to break up each “big stop” (Ex: St. Louis to Tulsa), and write down things you’re interested in doing in between the two cities. Please note: You don’t have to have it all figured out when you leave! It’s okay to change things around. When you’re headed West, I might encourage writing down some nice rest areas or things you may want to see on the way back. For instance, some things we wanted to check out had to wait until going back home because it was dark out on the way there. This will (1) prevent your from driving hundreds of miles before the next rest area (if you’re sleeping at one), and (2) serve a reminder of things you can do on the way home! Because after all, this trip isn’t over when you head East. You’re just getting started! #HandyDandyNotebook

 

6. Spray painting in a white coat isn’t a wise idea. Or with your glasses on.

And here’s why:

Don’t worry. The paint will come off your glasses. The white coat on the other hand… #CadillacRanch

 

7. If you “run” into a cactus, it will prick you through the two layers of pants you have on.

You know those cacti that you can buy at Lowe’s? Well, you’re missing out on the real deal. Because when you’re climbing the Sandia Mountains in the desert, and you run into a cactus, it’s more painful than you attempting to “prick” your finger on a Lowe’s cactus. A half-dozen pricks will get stuck not only in your jeans, but your leggings and skin! It will hurt so bad that you will have to hide behind a rock in the mountains to individually pull each prick from your skin before you move forward on your journey. #SandiaPeakCactus

8. When your “Low Pressure Light” comes on and one of your tires won’t take any air, it might be because the valve is frozen.

I’m just saving you the trouble of going to an Auto Body shop, and two men telling you more about your car than you know. And a $10 tip, because although “air is free,” the kindness of others is worth passing along an Alexander Hamilton. #LowTirePressureProbs

 

9. When you’re in Mountain Time on New Years Eve, don’t expect to watch the ball drop with the millions of people in New York City.

Or hear Taylor Swift’s performance, until 2 hours later. Because your TV channel will cut to local news until it’s 11:30PM (your time) and will THEN play a re-run of the “live” ball dropping. You’ll hear the 10-9-8…countdown but the ball actually falling will be cut from the picture. But it’s okay, because you were able to enjoy an “extra” 2 hours of 2014 before bringing in the New Year! #BallDropOnNewYearsEve

 

10. When you get this text from a friend, you’ll start watching the weather more carefully.


I may have checked the weather the Sunday before we left, and saw that there was a 90% chance of snow at the Grand Canyon (our “last” stop on this road trip). But the weather always changes. And it takes the adventure out of things if you plan too much or overthink things. But when your friend texts you a photo of the Grand Canyon’s Instagram update, your Grandparents message you on Facebook and tell you to turn around, and you discover that part of Route I-40 is closed (the  route that we needed to get to the National Park) because there’s 12 inches on snow in Flagstaff, you’ll reconsider what your “last” stop is before turning around and heading East on Route 66. #SafeTravels

 

11. The 5 Most Important Things to Pack:
Comfy clothes, toothbrush, phone charger(s), throat spray and a mini-tripod stand

(1) Comfy clothes – You’re going to be in a car for 72% of your trip. You have no one to impress. You want to be comfortable! So bring lots of sweatpants, sweatshirts, gloves, hats and a coat if it’s winter, and don’t forget your tennis shoes!

(2) Toothbrush – Yes, it’s okay to brush your teeth in the bathroom of a rest area. If you’re not showering for 1-2 days at a time, it’s essential to at least brush your teeth!

(3) Phone Charger(s) – Your phone is useful for a lot of things: GPS, attraction looker up (yes, I just made that word up), a flashlight, communicator, camera, etc. You’ll want to keep it charged.

(4) Sore Throat Spray – If you have even a 10% inkling that you may feel under the weather before you leave, grab a bottle of throat spray. 2-3 sprays every time your throat feels like it’s going to close up does wonders. Trust me.

(5) Mini-Tripod Stand – Ever wonder how we took some of our “together” photos? Not once did we ask someone to take a photo for us. Bring a mini-tripod stand, and use a wireless remote or download a self-timer app on your phone. Set your phone on the tripod, and snap away!

#TheEssentials

 

12. Even though the speed limit is 75 mph, you’ll find that most people rarely go over it.

It’s refreshing to know that parts of this world don’t have a “rush hour” or a “hustle and bustle” kind-of mindset. On Route 66, you just kind of mosey across the country. When you stop somewhere, people ask you where you’re from and where you’re going. They are TRULY curious! They get as just excited about your travels as you are. Traveling on Route 66 is not about any sort of destination, and that’s the best part. You can drive for 3 hours, and then pull off on the side of the road and find something to do. It breaks the journey up into small parts. Before you know it, you’ve traveled 1,520 miles in three days. You’ve been in 8 states and have gone further West than you’ve ever been in your life. And that’s what will make this trip, the most incredible adventure you’ve ever taken. #Route66RoadTrip