Four siblings, one girlfriend, and two parents traveling in a full-sized van for three weeks driving over 4,000 miles. Sound like fun?

That’s what my family did after my senior year of high school. Adventurous? Most definitely. A little crazy? Possibly.

My favorite place was at a dude ranch where we stayed the longest, three days! By my calculations, we stayed at nearly 10 different places over the trip, so I rejoiced when we returned.

Although a little hectic, I look back at this crazy adventure with nostalgia. This is where I picked up 12-13 new states that I’d never been to and saw this rugged country that I call home.

We started with the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore, then we trekked over to Yellowstone and saw Old Faithful.

Then we made the long trek down to the Grand Canyon, stopping at numerous little places along the route.

Long were the days we drove, but they were filled with landscapes that pictures cannot adequately paint. Drive for hundreds of miles and not see a person or gas station. Watch as tumbleweeds blow across the road as in the spaghetti westerns of old.

I was recently given a Route 66 tablecloth, a road that I’ve never traveled on, but after a few years since our big trip out west, it seems like a nostalgic journey that would be as worthwhile as my first western trip.

For those of you who don’t know about Route 66, this is the old highway that connects the Midwest to the west coast. It starts in Chicago and ends in Los Angeles. It travels through 8 states and covers close to 5,000 miles round trip.

Though long and tiresome, this new bucket list task looks to stir up memories that will last for sometime. I can’t wait to go explore more of our great frontier!