The McCabe Family Grand Canyon Road Trip 2013

Our road trip was made possible by the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways - otherwise known as the Interstate Highway System.   Our main route was I-40 which we started on in Nashville, Tennessee, and ended at Kingman, Arizona.  The next main route we traveled was I-70 from Kansas City, Kansas, to Breezewood, Pennsylvania.   The Interstate Highway System is an incredible feat of engineering.  It would not have been possible to do what we did over 16 days without the Interstate.  We could travel long distances at sustained speeds of 70-80 mph, especially in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Clare and mom at Bellagio Longhorn cattle in Oklahoma  In Vegas at Bellagio conservatory At the museum of Westward expansion k Elvis gravesite If you liked this travel blog, check out our travel blog for our 2014 Great Smoky Mountains National Park road trip .

Here are some assorted photos that didn't make a regular post. At Mammoth Cave Conor's beverage of choice A view from the top of the Gateway Arch  Conor spying the Grand Canyon At the Museum of Westward Expansion In New Mexico  At No Man's Land Museum At a Clydesdale Ranch in Oklahoma   In Sedona At Clinton Presidential library At the Ihop for breakfast Suzanne at the sunset The jungle room at Graceland  The Borg Warner trophy for the Indy 500

What a marvelous and wonderful road trip! We canvassed 17 states (including Pennsylvania) over a period of sixteen and a half days and traveled more than 6,000 miles. We averaged about 377 miles a day, and countless hours in the car. The Prius averaged about 40 miles a gallon. The highest temperature was about 110 degrees somewhere in New Mexico or Arizona.  We had great weather for the most part, with little rain to disrupt our visits. I want to especially thank Clare and Conor for being such good sports throughout the trip. It was indeed stressful at times and a bit boring for them on long stretches of the ride, but they weathered the ups and downs and did truly enjoy most of the stops and attractions that I had pre-selected for us.  They were probably more oriented to me than to them but they enjoyed them nonetheless. They complained a lot, but when we arrived at the Grand Canyon they were both awed by the majesty of the sight, though Conor seemed to enjoy hanging with me in our

Our last "attraction" on the road trip was the Flight 93 National Memorial located in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The memorial consists of a Wall of Names which was dedicated on September 10, 2011. Clare and I visited the site while Conor slept in the car.

We had our last road trip dinner at Summit Diner, a classic diner in Somerset, Pennsylvania, our last stop before home. Needless to say it was an excellent meal which was topped off of course by pie - two pieces of graham cracker and one piece of banana cream.

Before leaving Indianapolis, we made a pit stop at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway to visit the Hall of Fame Museum. There was Moto GP race going on - very fast motorcycles that were very loud. It was a fun visit and revived memories of watching the Indy 500 in the 1970's. The names of the winners all rang a bell.  I think it is safe to say that I enjoyed the visit more than Clare and Conor.  But as we were leaving Clare and Conor got into a spirited discussion about the lack of women in the racing world. Conor did not seem to be bothered as much as Clare was. 

Before heading to our hotel we stopped for dinner at Gray Bros. Cafeteria which is noted in our bible Roadfood. The food is served cafeteria style and was spectacular. When we got to the cashier our trays were laden with entrees, sides, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mac-and-cheese, drinks, salads, deviled eggs, pies, and a piece of Oreo cake. Both kids were very happy with the stop.

On the way to Indianapolis, I made a slight detour to the home of Eugene V. Debs in Terre Haute, Indiana. Debs ran for the presidency numerous times from jail. Unfortunately, his home which is now a museum was closed. Clare and Conor refused to exit the car.

Made it to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.  What an amazing structure!  Designed by Eero Saarinen and constructed from 1963 to 1965, it is the tallest man-made monument in the United States, and is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. We took the tram to the top and looked both east and west and could see for miles. Afterwards, we explored the underground museum which was centered on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and then had lunch in the park before heading to Indianapolis.

Conor has been wanting to eat at an A & W since we started the trip. Finally had the chance to do so tonight.  This violated my not-so-strict rule of not eating at any "chain" restaurants during the trip, but I made an exception. Here is Conor filling up with a frosty mug of A & W root beer!

After failing to see any buffalo, we next stopped in Greensburg, Kansas, to see the Big Well, the world's largest hand-dug well.  Greensburg is also the site of another historical event. On May 4, 2007, Greensburg was hit by an EF-5 tornado and was literally leveled to the ground. More than 90% of the town was destroyed.  In the last six years, the town has rebuilt itself. The museum we visited describes the Big Well, and even allows you to walk down into its depths.  The museum also has a fine exhibit on the tornado and its aftermath and on the town's rebuilding. Here are Clare and Conor outside the museum. Here we are inside the Big Well.