Out West PMA: Lessons Learned on the Road

We had a very memorable trip out west. Here are some things that we learned:

1. This is not the best time of year to visit Yellowstone. At one point, Caleb said, "I think it is more crowded here than it was at King's Island." We have never traveled in the middle of the summer before so this was a new and not very pleasant experience for us. It was also Pioneer Days in Utah (celebrates when the Mormons settled there) so it was more crowded there than usual as well.

2. We were able to get up and start driving in the mornings while everyone was still sleeping because we were in the RV. That really helped.

3. Reservations are important. Serendipitous doesn't go so well when you have four kids. We had reservations every night except one and that night we ended up in..... a resort. So, it didn't work out badly. Grand Teton and Yellowstone get very crowded so make reservations in advance (at least 10 months).

4. I would have given good money for a dustbuster while we were in the RV. We had a small broom but it couldn't quite get everywhere.

5. We ate two meals each day in the RV. Stock up on groceries and gas when you can because they are not always readily available.

6. We were able to play games while we traveled so that helped to pass the time.

7. We were not able to listen to books on DVD. The RV was just too loud.

8. Finding parking for the RV became a hassle in a few places, mainly Yellowstone and St. Louis.

9. There are some roads which do not accommodate an RV. So keep that in mind when asking for directions- especially in mountainous areas.

10. Electronic gadgets- always a plus or minus but one thing I really loved about my kids having their devices is that they were able to take and edit their own pictures of things that were meaningful to them. Often, their pictures were way better than mine.

11. Teenagers do better when they get regular sleep, showers and meals. Duh. They are also more engaged when you give them jobs to do like navigating.

12. We played a game where we tried to find license plates from all 50 states. That was fun.

I will probably think of more and may add later....