Cross Country Drive – 2,110 miles
I had been looking forward to but also dreading this trip. I was very excited to finally make it to the east coast but on the flip side I was not looking forward to a full 5 days on the road.
To split up the long drive we did 2 days on the road, 4 nights in Texas, and then finished with 3 more days on the road.
Day 1
- Leaving from Verde Valley, AZ
- Miles Driven: 503
- Travel Time (time zone change): 10:30am MST – 11:50pm CST ~ 12 hrs and 20 min
- Overnight in Santa Rosa, NM
As far as the scenery went, this was by far the best day on the road. There were a lot of beautiful views and it was interesting to see the mountain colors change as we drove out of AZ and into NM.
While the scenery was nice, that is where the enjoyable aspect of the day ended. When we were driving through Albuquerque, NM our tire pressure alarm for the trailer started to go off. Dan was driving and we did not feel anything happen but he was able to see that one of the tires had in fact gone flat. Since we were in a more populated area there were a lot of exits and we were able to pull off the highway safely.
Right as we got off the highway we saw a furniture store parking lot that had emptied out for the day, so we parked there. Thankfully the parking lot also had a Whole Foods so we were able to use the bathroom and get dinner while we waited. We had a full size spare but did not have a jack so we needed to wait for roadside services to arrive. It took about 90 minutes for the person Progressive sent to show up and then it took him another little while to get the tire on.
We were delayed about 3 hours and did not pull into our overnight spot until midnight. After more than 12 hours on the road we were exhausted and all we wanted to do was go to bed. Little did we know there would still be one final barrier before that could happen.
Love’s RV
The first 2 days of this trip were scheduled to be the longest drives of the trip, so for the overnight I was able to find a Love’s RV stop right in the middle of our route to Grapevine, TX. I thought it would be super convenient to pull right off the highway to sleep then right back on with a full tank of diesel in the morning.
When we arrived (much later than expected) every site was full – including ours. Cool, cool, cool. While I was thankful I had made a reservation it was frustrating that we were not able to pull right into our site. We needed to wait for someone from Love’s to ask the person in our spot to leave. Thankfully they were in a small van and just pulled away without needing to break down or hook up their trailer.
When we woke up in the morning around 8am, everyone else except us had already hit the road. Must be nice getting to your site at a decent hour and sleeping a full night.
- Pull-thru, 50amp, sewer and water
- Super fast and easy access
- Able to pull right off the highway and into your site, unless it is midnight and someone is parked in your spot.
Day 2
- Leaving from Santa Rosa, NM
- Miles Driven: 506
- Travel Time:10:00am-11:00pm, 13 hrs
- 4 nights in Grapevine, TX
As we started the day, we were looking forward to getting to Grapevine, TX where we would be able to rest for a few nights before continuing on.
Shortly after the Texas border the drive became big open boring flat land. Cows and windmills as far as the eye could see. The most exciting moment was when we saw our first Buc-ee’s.
Despite the rough day on the road yesterday, we were making good time and I was optimistic about making it to our campsite at a decent hour. Unfortunately, when we were about 90 minutes away from Grapevine, the tire pressure alarm started to go off again. We had just passed a small town and were on another long stretch of Texas road so we were not able to make it to an exit that would let us pull off the highway. So we were stuck on the side of the highway, on a Sunday night, outside of a little Christian Texas town, without a spare tire.
Thankfully we had cell service and I was able to find a 24hour auto repair shop in Henrietta, TX called Skelton’s Shop. He had great reviews and was listed as also specializing in tire repair.
This guy was amazing, he had a tire in stock that matched the tires on our trailer. He drove out to us and picked up our first flat tire then took it back to his shop where he put the new tire on our rim. Once he returned, he put the new tire onto the trailer. We were now back to having all 4 of our matching rims on the trailer. He did all this in about 2.5 hours. I cannot express my appreciation enough for how he was able to bail us out of this situation. With having the first flat the previous day, we were both at our wits ends and I have no idea what we would have done if we did not find him.
We finally made it to our campsite at 11pm, once again completely exhausted. We were so happy that we were going to be staying here a few nights.
Days 3-5 Grapevine, TX
This is the closest thing to a vacation we have had since we started this trip. We had both taken the week off from work to make this trip so we did not have to work on the days we were in Grapevine.
The campground we stayed at was on a lake and I had picked a spot close to the lake and away from other people. Initially I really liked the spot we were in and it was great to have a lake view, but one thing I did not take into account was how bad the mosquitos would be. There were so many of them that they would cover the trailer and truck. Any time we opened a door they would flood in. They definitely made the location a lot less enjoyable.
Meow Wolf – The Real Unreal
One of the places I was really excited to visit was Meow Wolf. I had heard a lot about the location in Vegas and had been really curious to experience one for myself. Meow Wolf is essentially an art installation that is similar to an escape room but you can take any path to explore and leave whenever you are ready. There is an overall story being told but how you experience that story is up to you.
This location is telling the story of boy named Jared, who has gone missing. You enter through what looks like a simple suburban house, however when you start exploring and moving through secret doors you are transported to another world.
The cabinets and normal household items are full of fantastical creatures that do not exist in our reality. The fridge takes you to a room of other fridges where each one is a portal to another location.
Before Jared went missing, he had found a creature that no one else could see. He drew pictures of it in his journal but when he tried to show other adults in his life, they were not able to see anything. Now it is up to you to find out where Jared went and why he disappeared in the first place.
It was a really cool experience and I am glad we made the time to visit. There are only a handful of locations but if I am ever in the area of another Meow Wolf I would definitely stop by again.
Rainforest Cafe
When it comes to places like Rainforest Cafe, I think people either love it or hate it. There does not appear to be a lot of middle ground. It’s so kitschy that I love it. It is a bit over priced and not a place I would frequent but it is a good time every once and a while.
Buc-ee’s
Over the past year or so there has been a lot of hype surrounding Buc-ee’s so Dan and I knew once we got into Buc-ee’s territory we were going to check it out. We decided to make a special trip just to explore the store and try some food while not on the road and on a timeline. I am glad we did this for our first Buc-ee’s experience so I did not have to worry about leaving Cazic in the car. It gave us the opportunity to really take our time and marvel at how ridiculous everything was.
Buc-ee’s was a wild experience and I am glad I got to check it out in person. Since it was October they had their Halloween merch available, which was perfect for me.
For lunch I got the brisket sandwich and beaver chips (fresh kettle potato chips). It seemed like the most ‘traditional’ meal and I wanted to try it for myself. It was good! There were also a lot of snacks I had heard about and wanted to try so I picked some out for me to take home for later.
I could not get over the variety of items in the store. They had everything from camping gear to clothes, bows, and jewelry to cow skins and bejeweled cow skulls.
Day 6
- Leaving from Grapevine, TX
- Miles Driven: 381
- Travel Time: 9:20am-5:45pm, 8 hrs 25 min
- Overnight in Vicksburg, MS
We finally had an uneventful driving day and we could not have been happier about it. We even made it to the campground before the sun set.
It was around this point in the trip that I was starting to feel envious of people who road trip with just a car. I had driven cross country a few times before and I always took for granted how easy it was to park places or pull over for gas.
The other thing I never considered was how staying in hotels was truly a luxury. After a long day of driving you can just walk into your room and hit the bed. The room is just there, ready and waiting for you. No need to level the trailer so you can open slides. You have electricity, sewer, and water without having to do anything.
These are things that never crossed my mind previously but not something I will take for granted again.
Quilly’s Magnolia RV Park
This was a cute little park. It is always a bit of a shame when you find a hidden gem that you are only doing an overnight stay in. That being said, I do not think there was a lot in Vicksburg, MS that I would have been interested in exploring.
- Pull-thru, 50amp, sewer and water
- Super fast and easy access
- It was only about 5 min off the highway and we were in spot #1 which was right at the front of the park. It made it super easy to pull in for the night and to leave the next morning.
Day 7
- Leaving from Vicksburg, MS
- Miles Driven: 369
- Travel Time: 9:10am-4:25pm, 7 hrs 15 min
- Overnight in Ponce De Leon, FL
We made it to Florida!! I was so happy to see the Florida sign and know that we were on the last leg of this journey. I was so over this trip.
Ponce De Leon RV Park
Of all the places we stopped overnight, this was my least favorite. The town was a SUPER small town and the only place to get food for dinner was Dollar General. The park was under construction and only about half the sites were able to be used. I could tell they were trying to fix it up, but as it was, there was nothing special about it and I would not book here again.
- Back-in, 50amp, sewer and water
- The park was a little confusing to navigate to once getting off the highway
- The site was nice and had lots of room around it
Day 8
- Leaving from Ponce De Leon, FL
- Miles: 354
- Travel Time (time zone change): 8:15am CST -4:20pm EST, 7 hrs 5 min
- 4 weeks in Clermont, FL
Last day on the road, finally. I could not wait to get to the campground and get set up so this whole thing could be over and done with.
Overall
I would not do this again.
I am sure having two flat tires back to back at the start of the trip did not help with how exhausting this trip felt, but sometimes things do not go as planned.
We had to take a week off of work to make this drive and I felt like I needed another week to rest and recover.
If I had to travel this far again within a short timeline I am not sure what I would do differently but I would definitely try and come up with another plan of action.
Scrapbook Pages
Next Stop
Clearwater, FL
Midlife Millennial Adventures 