Seven days, five or more states, a couple thousand miles and no interstates. Our road trip plans began when we decided to ditch our travel itinerary for Tulsa, North West Arkansas and Eureka Springs – all of which were only a few hours from Springfield. We’d been imagining our week-long-post-holiday-insanity getaway for quite sometime and had chosen a few places close enough to home that we could just relax and breathe.
And then we started talking about all the places we want to go in our lifetime and wondered why, when we have a whole week, would we go places we could take a trip to just about anytime during the year?
We canceled the Airbnb’s and dog sitters, packed what seems like half of our belongings into the car and loaded up our pup, Kona. Utah bound with no agenda except to see some great parks, drink good coffee and avoid interstates; we sing along to some of our favorite songs and stick post-it-notes in the atlas where we’ve made stops.
I’m no expert on road trips; I get sleepy behind the wheel and car sick in the passenger seat. However, this is the first big trip I’ve taken since visiting Seattle and Yosemite last May, and I’m craving some adventure. Half the fun is in the journey, so here’s what our journey has looked like so far:
We packed the car slam full. Since we work in the outdoor industry, we have no shortage of apparel or gear; tent, sleeping bags, camp stove, trekking poles, packs, ski gear (assuming we find snow) a few pairs of shoes and more clothes than we’ll need. I was a media major and I love pictures, so I’ve got three cameras in the car not including phones. There’s a Yeti packed with sodas and chocolate milk, a whole bag full of puppy supplies/toys and a brand new road atlas on the dash. And of course, we’re only day hiking and car camping, so there’s a big down comforter and pillows to make our little tent a home throughout the week.
Day one we saw Kansas and Oklahoma, and our favorite part of the trip has been the food and the coffee. Go figure. We were just barely down the road but far enough from home to feel like the vacation had begun when we stopped at a local breakfast joint, “The Bruncheonette.” We fueled ourself for the journey before hopping back on the road and driving to Boiling Spring State Park to make camp for the night. We dined on peanut butter sandwiches and wine before hitting the hay at 8pm.
After a cold but cozy night cuddled up with our pup, we hit the road again and found exactly the kind of place we hoped we would by avoiding the interstate. “Urban Bru Cafe” welcomed us with twinkly lights and the promise of hot coffee. But the best part was something we didn’t expect: Skully, a golden retriever, was hanging out in the ‘therapy corner.’ More welcoming than the smell of espresso was the ‘hello’ bark Skully let out when we entered. The employees told us he was actually barking at Kona, who we’d tied up outside for some fresh air, and offered to let us bring her inside. We shared that Kona, too, is a work pup. Over coffee and quiche we discussed our love of dogs, jobs, and travel.
If there is only one reason to take the slower, longer route to get where you’re going, it’s for those places you don’t know exist until you’re there. Take the long road; for the love of coffee you might drink and dogs you might meet.