Monday evening. Three and a half days to Moving Day, ack.
We hit the road Saturday morning. Our route, for the curious:
Saturday September 3rd: Drive from Los Angeles to Springdale, at the western edge of Utah. Probably with a lunch stop in Las Vegas.
Sunday Sept 4th: Mosey down the road to Zion National Park. Spend the day there.
Monday Sept 5th: Visit Bryce Canyon National Park. Drive to Moab (still in southern Utah, but way the hell east).
Tuesday Sept 6th: Visit Arches National Park. Drive into Colorado. Spend night in Breckenridge, a ski town west of Denver.
Wednesday Sept 7th: Drive through Denver, stopping for lunch and a visit to the renowned Tattered Cover bookstore. Head north. Spend the night in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Thursday Sept 8th: Cheyenne to Hill City, South Dakota a/k/a a relatively central town in the Black Hills.
Friday Sept 9th: Explore the Black Hills.
Saturday Sept 10th: Spend the morning in the Badlands, then drive to Mitchell, chosen primarily for its convenience as a halfway point but what the hey, it's also got a kitchy Corn Palace.
Sunday Sept 11th: Mitchell to Minneapolis. Stay with relatives in the Twin Cities.
Monday Sept 12th: Explore the Twin Cities. Celebrate Dan's birthday.
Tuesday Sept 13th: Head to Madison, Wisconsin with stops along the way at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and the surreal-sounding House on the Rock, both near Spring Green, about an hour west of Madison.
Wednesday Sept 14th: Madison to Chicago. Explore Chicago.
Thursday Sept 15th: Explore Chicago some more.
Friday Sept 16th: Chicago to Cleveland, Ohio. Stay with relatives in Cleveland.
Saturday Sept 17th: Cleveland to New York. A long day's drive. Spend the night with Dan's parents.
Sunday Sept 18th: Meet the movers, get our stuff. Move in. Wow.
Can you tell I'm looking forward to this drive?
Wow...what a trip! This will truly be an adventure to remember. My parents did the western National parks a few years ago and really loved Zion. They also enjoyed Bryce and Arches, of course. My brothers live in Moab and it's a great little town. Lots of funky shops and even funkier people (very weird mix of Mormons and hippies - my brothers would fall into the latter mix).
South Dakota can be beautiful...De Smet isn't a bad stop between the Badlands and Mitchell if you're into Laura Ingalls Wilder.
I'm partial to the Twin Cities, but that's because it's where my parents live and my home state.
Madison is fabulous. It's my alma mater and I will always love it. Be sure to check out the terrace in front of the Union (lakeside) and the ice cream is fabulous. I think they may still do tours at Babcock Hall where they milk the cows and make the ice cream. Wasabi has some of the best sushi I've ever eaten (on State Street).
Good luck with the driving and enjoy the vistas!
Posted by: Rachel at August 29, 2005 09:16 PMRachel, I'm glad to hear good things about the various stops along the way. It's so theoretical for me. The only place along this route that I've visited before is Cleveland!
Posted by: Tamar at August 30, 2005 08:48 AMSounds like a great itinerary! My spouse & I did much of the same northern route when we drove from Madison to Sacramento last June, and it was beautiful. I've also been to both Bryce and Zion and was totally overwhelmed by the landscape there.
However, I have to add a few other suggestions for Madison (since that's where I recently spent 7 years) - take a tour of the State Capitol (free, hourly); go up to the observation deck of the Capitol for a fabulous view of the isthmus and both lakes; if possible, extend your visit over Wednesday night to attend the free weekly Concert on the Square (Capitol Square, that is) by the Madison Symphony Orchestra; stroll down State Street from the Capitol to Bascom Hill (or vice versa) and let Damian play in the fountain on Library Mall (between the library & the Union).
In Chicago, if you have time, I'd highly recommend the "architectural boat tour" on the Chicago River - great scenery & really interesting tour to point out some of the urban landscape.
Have fun!!!!
Posted by: jms at August 30, 2005 09:26 AMOne more Madison thing to add...if you do stop to play in the fountain by the library, go in the State Historical Society. If you go up the steps on the right hand side, you can feel how worn they are from students walking up and and down them (from when it was the university library). There's also a really funky view of the reading room from the walkway on the third floor.
Posted by: Rachel at August 30, 2005 08:57 PM