My brother, Talia and I just got back from our road trip to North Dakota for our grandma's memorial. Although she passed away in March, close family chose August 26th as her memorial date since that would have been her 75th birthday. Even though I had some trepidation about going on this trip (finding childcare for Tristan, bringing a four month old on a 48 hour car ride!), I am so glad we were able to make it.
Night 1 - Spokane
We left last Wednesday after Trav got off of work and made the first trek to Spokane to stay with relatives. There have been many late night trips to visit the fam in Spokane, but I don't think we've ever been happier to see the city lights before! We rolled in around 2am and immediately went to bed. Or so I thought... Since Talia slept the entire car ride north, she woke up at my aunt's house, thinking it was morning time and loudly played for the next hour, waking everyone asleep in the basement with us, including those who had to get up at 6 for work. So sorry!! Luckily, we got to sleep in a little in the morning and also got to see my two of my aunts, uncle and cousin who went in late to work so that they could see us off.
Day 2 - Montana
After hitting up the first Starbucks, we were back on the road for seven hours to Brian's parents' house in Ennis, MT. I'm not sure how many Starbucks we visited on this day, but I'm pretty sure we each had at least three coffees and two sodas. We were just laying the foundation for the rest of the trip.
I could tell Trav was the most afraid of Talia crying the entire car trip, as he prepared himself with noise canceling headphones. But little did he know that she is actually a great car traveler and has been a pretty easy (knock on wood!) baby so far! This trip was pretty uneventful, excpet for the last 45 minutes where she wanted so desperately out of her carseat that we almost pulled over and walked the last 10 miles :)
Day 3 - Montana
The next day we decided that we were going to give ourselves an "off-day" in Montana and enjoy ourselves before driving to North Dakota. And I'm so glad we did! Trav got to experience what Brian and I have always done while visiting his parents. We went on an hour long ATV ride to an old mining town over the mountains from their house. And we got to relax while having all of our meals and laundry taken care of by Brian's very generous mother. Exactly what we needed!
Day 4 - North Dakota - finally!
The next day, we got up bright and early and started our longest leg of the trip so far - close to 10 hours of traveling! After already gulping down a mocha at the Georges, we then found the nearest espresso place half hour into our drive. Staying caffienated was the key to our success on this trip!
I had been to North Dakota three other times to visit family and had my mind set on how flat and plain the state was. But for some reason, I had a different interpration of it this time. It was actually a pretty drive and surprisingly green! We also saw a lot of oil being mined (is that what you call it??) on the drive. Something I had never seen here before.
This section of the trip also went pretty well. We only had to pull over twice to console a tired baby and were able to pull into our Bismarck hotel around 5ish. We met up with my dad, dad's cousin and aunt (grandma's sister) for dinner as soon as everyone was checked in. Talia was SO excited to be out of her carseat (I wouldn't blame her!) that she couldn't stop smiling and laughing the entire time at dinner!
Day 5 - North Dakota
The next day, we woke up early to travel the 45 minutes north to the small town, Bowdon, where my grandma had grown up and where her memorial would take place. This is also the place where I had gone for my great-great grandma's 100th birthday when I was 14. Also where my dad, brother and I had gone on a 10 day road trip to visit my great-grandma for the last time eight years ago. And had returned a few months later for her funeral. When I think of small-town America, or a place where people still have very conservative values, I always think of Bowdon, ND. This place hasn't aged in years. It still has only one gas station, one cafe, one hardware store (which my great-grandpa owned for many years), one school and one post office, all down one road. We always return to the same cafe to have a meal with the locals (who are now in their 70s and 80s) and who always seem to know my dad and all about my family's history. They know a lot about him even though after he was born here, he only stayed until he was five before moving to Seattle. I love coming here with him as he always has so many stories about getting into mischief in the farmlands of ND.
Day 6 - ND to MT
This trip back to Brian's parents' house took us almost 12 hours and was definitely the most exhausting of the trip, partly due to the fact that Talia was done with being in her carseat!! We had to stop more than ever to console a crying a baby and were never happier than when we went to bed soon after arriving at the Georges' house that evening!
Day 7 - MT to home - finally!
Wow, this day was the longest by far at nearly 17 hours of driving. Yes, I said 17 hours of driving. We wished we had another day to split up the driving, but Trav needed to get back to work the next day. And so we had to drive the entire way in one day. Double yikes. Luckily for all of us, this was one of Talia's best driving days! And also luckily for us, we managed to find every single Starbuck's within a half mile off the highways. I'm not exactly sure how much caffiene Trav consumed on the last day, but let's just say that he may have had five shots in his last beverage. He started regretting that extra shot when the caffiene hit him soon after we got back on the freeway. Is there such a thing as being over-caffienated?? Not too sure when you have 17 hours of driving ahead of you!
And this is who I was most excited to see when I came home :) I couldn't believe how much I missed this little guy. Here is a pic that Aunt Michelle snapped of him during an art project that he and cousin Eli worked on:
*This trip ended up being one of the most memorable trips I have ever been on. Funny how I have been to some pretty incredible places, but a cross-country road trip ranks up there as one of the best. And when my dad, Trav and I took a similar 10 day trip eight years ago, it was equally as great then, too. There's something about taking a road trip with one of your favorite people in the world and being able to have uninterrupted discussions on everything from politics (of course!), technology, time travel (a new subject for us), all while finding the humor in everything around us. If there is one thing about my brother that I appreciate more than anything, it's the fact that we will always laugh at the same things and be able to turn any monotonous day of driving into a fun and adventurous trip. I am so glad we were able to spend this time together while also honoring a lady who is very near and dear to our hearts. A time I will always cherish!*
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