Planning, Planning, Planning!

Have you ever planned a road trip?  This week, thanks to Facebook and all of its daily reminders of what I was doing over the last several years, I have had lots of reminders about some really awesome road trips I have taken with the girls.  For the better part of the last 9 years, I have had a regular mid-April vacation with them.  I plan these trips to be post-Spring break and pre-school being out in order to avoid the crowds and to get the best deals on hotels and fun attractions.  Also, in general, for most of the country, mid-April is near perfect weather for traveling with dogs.  It's not too hot or too cold and the chance of getting snow is usually pretty low (although not non-existent).   And for much of the country, this is also the time to see all of the beauty Spring has to offer.  I love the newly budding trees and blooming flowers. 

But this year is different.  This year, there will be no mid-April trip with the girls.  This year we are planning something much bigger!

As some of you may know, this year I am planning an epic road trip.  The road trip to top all others and the longest one I have made yet.  We will be hitting the road this July for State Capitol number 49 for us, Juneau Alaska!

Alaska is a world away and I would never have imagined when we started our travels to all of the other State Capitols, that I would have gotten to the point where this trip would ever be possible.  But last year, as I realized that we were nearing the end, that we were going to finish the Lower 48, I also realized that maybe we could do it and that I really wanted to do it! After all, the girls are still in pretty good health and are really good travelers.  The initial thought was to take one last epic road trip with just Imke...after all, she started it all with me and we should do this together!  But even though Maddie hasn't been to all of the Capitols, she's been to all 48 States, so why shouldn't she make it to one more?  

And then I looked that the map...the 60 hour trip, the days of travel just to get there and wondered if it was really possible.  I looked at flying and considered that as an option, but with old girls, flying becomes more dangerous and I couldn't stop thinking about all of the things we would miss along the way.-the sites, the people, the Canadian Rockies.  But could I really do it?  Could I make this trip?  Would I have enough time?  And I realized that I really could do it.  I'm lucky enough to work for an amazing company that gives me plenty of vacation time and I work with amazing people who are so supportive in my desire to reach this goal.  So it was settled!  It was going to happen.

So this April, I will make memories at home.  There will be no road trips, no new places to see.  Instead, there will be planning, lots and lots of planning, for the amazing summer trip to come.  

I have to admit that big or small, a good road trip always makes me happy.  And the reminders of all of the things we've done on or previous trips makes me smile.  But a large part of the fun for me is in the planning.  The research and my nerdy excel spreadsheet itinerary so we can stay on track every day and see as much as we can possibly cram into 24 hours.  And when you are traveling with dogs, this planning is even more crucial.  You have to know the places that can and cannot go, the rules and regulations of all of the dog-friendly locations, the best dog-friendly places to stay.  It takes some serious effort to make sure the trip is a successful and enjoyable one for all of us.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  

So for the next few weeks, I'll continue to be immersed in all that I need to know to travel across Canada and back for our week in Juneau.  I can't imagine a better way to spend this April and I can't wait to share our epic journey with you. We'll have some other exciting announcements along the way and of course we'll still get out on smaller Michigan based adventures, but the focus this year is all about Alaska.   Are you ready?  July will be here soon!