Every time we head east from Colorado it gives me chills. There’s something about being past the Rocky Mountains that really makes it feel like we are going somewhere new, exciting, and different. I love it.

Until we get to the humidity. Dun, dun, dun.

The midwest was HOT and ridiculously humid and mostly we just all wanted to die. 🙂 Okay, it wasn’t that bad but having electric hookups every night to run the a/c and our new dehumidifier was pretty much a necessity.

“Mornings in the Airstream are my favorite. Sam is amazing at getting up early to work, but the rest of us usually sleep in. Cara will come snuggle me in bed and at some point breakfast makes it on the table.

Maybe this is our last big trip in the Airstream. Maybe we’ll continue to travel for a few more years. Either way I’m going to just enjoy it while it lasts.” – @currentlywandering

“Our surprisingly pleasant stop last night was a city run RV campground in Gothenburg. Not only was our brief stay wonderful, but we managed a quick visit to the town’s Pony Express museum. The original building was relocated to a city park, and there is another nearby on it’s original site. Such an audacious slice of history. #currensdriveeast” – @telegramsam

“Just an hour into today’s drive, we stopped at the Archway Meseum in Kearney. The exhibits and audio tour presented the history of travel in America, starting with wagons and ending with motor cars. It was awesome, and just the bit of adventure we needed before driving into the evening. #currensdriveeast” – @telegramsam

We’ve made it habit get work and some school done in the morning and then drive 4-6 hours in the afternoon and sometimes late into the evening.

Rinse and repeat. Sometimes I feel like a total wimp for not being able to knock out a gazillion miles in a few days but there’s that pesky thing called work. Someone has to pay the bills I guess.

We found a lakeside campground in Omaha that was near the LDS temple we wanted to visit, along with the Winter Quarters church history site. Staying put for 2 days felt awesome.

Then… more driving.

Amazon lockers are a great way to get packages on the road. We needed a few things so shipped ahead to a small town in Indiana. Kind of a pain to drive through with the Airstream to pick it up but also nice!

“On our drive yesterday, we stumbled into the third-largest Amish community in the country. The mix of old and new was fascinating. In this picture there are two buggies parked in front of a skate park, while the adults were talking at picnic tables (out of frame to the left) and the kids were playing on the playground to the right.

I have a huge amount of respect for the Amish and Mennonite communities. Making lifestyle choices to improve your family relationships is something I totally understand.” – @telegramsam

“There’s something to be said for driving the back roads. Twice now we’ve opted to skip the toll roads and instead drive through the country. I love the sleepy farm houses and imagining what life would be like in the towns that whiz by in a blur past our windows.

For people who normally cap driving time at 150 miles/3 hours every 4-5 days this week was pretty epic. Turns out we really can move if provided the right motivation.

In the last 7 days we drove from Rocky Mountain NP, CO to Sandusky Ohio for a grand total of 1321 miles, and over 20+ hours of Google drive time (which always grossly underestimates time while towing). Plus Sam was working 6+ hours a day and we attempted to get some school done. That’s the biggest difference. I realize families on road trips easily do 15+ hour stretches but when you are living on the road vacation time isn’t always a possibility and there are only so many hours in a day.

Next time we drive the Midwest let’s not do it in the middle of summer mmkay? 98 degrees and 900% humidity make me cranky. 😂” -@currentlywandering

Cedar Point Amusement Park hit our radar when our friends, KidProject, picked it as a birthday stop for their oldest. Rachel and Andrew ganged up on us and requested it for BOTH their birthdays (one in August, one in Sept).

It was a blast. It also felt like our first “real” stop on this trip and that we could finally get this party started!

“Today was an epic coaster day, including massive acceleration, incredible speed, and even a VR experience whilst on a coaster. Cedar Point is a pile of fun and then some. #andimtired” – @telegramsam

“ALL the rollercoasters. I don’t remember the last time our kids were this excited. Apparently we don’t do theme parks enough, er… Like ever. Happy birthday Rachel and Andrew! I just hope I don’t puke. 🤢😂” – @currentlywandering

“We survived!! Okay, okay, it was a blast. A little bit sunburnt, a whole lot exhausted, and we desperately need groceries and a laundromat. A couple of things we realized in this trip:

⭐ Rachel is a rollercoaster nut – we are exhausted and yet she says she could ride them all day everyday.
⭐The park felt safe enough for Rachel & Andrew to wander by themselves for a few hours and ride the coatsers we didn’t want to.
⭐We used talk about radios to keep track of each other. They worked great since we were constantly splitting into two groups.
⭐Cara has a fear of heights, going upside down, and long drops so she didn’t ride anything big, but we got her on some of the small coasters so we’ll call that a win. And wait a few years before doing another theme park.
⭐Use the child swap if you have smaller kids. It’s a great way to all get on the bigger rides without waiting twice. Worked great.
⭐ Staying at the park campground was totally worth it. We had early entry (only way we were able to ride Steel Vengeance), plus we could come back for meals which saved a ton of money.
⭐Our second day we slept in and then spent 4 hours at the water park. They have an amazing kid area, tons of slides and we practically fell asleep on the lazy river it was so relaxing.
⭐Then we were able to hit the park again from 5-11pm and do all our favorites. Lines are definitely shorter at night!
⭐The all you can drink wristbands are a great value and cheapt if you buy them online rather than in the park.
⭐ Dramamine works great. ✔️✔️
⭐That said I prefer the coasters that just go fast vs always flipping upside down and corkscrewing.

Thanks @alyssakerickson for scoping this out and clueing my kids into it! They said it was the BEST birthday present ever. 😂🎂” -@currentlywandering