Sixteen and half days, 17 states, and 6,034.6 miles

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 shared bed when I fell under the weather on August 11 with a bad case of a one-day bug.  We sat watching a reality mystery show on a cable news channel.

Thank you to my wife Suzanne for taking the time to join us on the road trip in Las Vegas and for arranging for first class and luxurious accommodations at Bellagio in Las Vegas and Amara Resort in Sedona.  They were a welcome respite after enduring the economy accommodations of Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, and Comfort Inn.  Thanks also for making our stay in the Grand Canyon a true family event.  Clare and Conor were especially grateful for having the more sane parent along for part of the ride. I was happy for the second driver which gave me a chance to check out the landscapes and take some photos of some massive freight trains which seemed everywhere we looked.

Thanks to my sister Monica and my brother-in-law Bob for hosting us on the eve of the official start of our road trip.  They gave us a great send off. 

A shout out and thanks to my niece Kathleen Collins who works for Choice Hotels. Without her help, we would not have been able to sleep as inexpensively as we did.  All of the Choice Hotels we stayed at met our expectations, save perhaps one. We especially liked the Sleep Inn in Amarillo, Texas. 

We visited three national parks - Mammoth Cave, Petrified Forest, and Grand Canyon - each of which could have been a destination in and of itself. Kudos to the National Park Service for doing a bang up job of maintaining and safeguarding the treasure of our national parks for future generations.  The Grand Canyon NP receives 5 million visitors a year, yet the facilities were maintained in excellent fashion and there were hardly any lines or crowds to be seen. The rangers in all of the parks were professional and knowledgable and helpful. The parks were clean and well-run.  I for one am happy that our federal taxes support the national parks, monuments, and memorials.  It's money well spent.

We also stopped at assorted other NPS attractions, like the Gateway Arch and the Flight 93 Memorial. These were just as well run as the national parks. 

We toured countless museums, such as the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, the UFO Museum in Roswell, New Mexico, the No Man's Land Museum in Goodwell, Oklahoma, and the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma, where we learned some history and had some fun.  

And let's not forget the other quirky attractions like Graceland and the Vegas strip, and the Big Well in Greensburg, Kansas, plus the Clinton Presidential Library.  These added immeasurably to the trip.

The varied landscapes we passed were quite memorable, especially in the southwest states of New Mexico and Arizona.

And, of course, we had some great meals and some great-tasting pie at Wagon Wheel in Arkansas, Gray Bros. in Indiana, and Summit Diner in Pennsylvania. Eating on a road trip is an adventure unto itself. Clare and Conor enjoyed the meals and desserts almost as much as I did. 

Most of all we created some great memories that I hope will last Clare and Conor a lifetime. I can assure you that the memories of the trips I took with my mom and dad and siblings nearly every summer starting for me in 1966 (destination: Mexico City!!) are still with me and served as an inspiration for this road trip.