We spent much of August on the road, driving Julian out to Utah for school. Here are a few highlights to share!

First, by the numbers.

6572: total miles traveled

175: estimated gallons of gas consumed

24: number of unique states visited

11,500: highest elevation reached (Tomboy Mine in Colorado)

32: nights away from Maryland

2: nights spent in the van

3: BBQ restaurants tried - in order of preference: Mississippi, Missouri, Texas

80: highest legal speed limit (!!!)

Most heartwarming: We’d planned this trip with a swing down to south of Houston, where Jeremy’s mom lives. Not exactly on the direct path from Maryland to Utah, it nevertheless was an essential aspect of the trip. Listening to her and Julian chatter on in French was extra special. We spent 5 nights with her and it was hard to leave.

Most bizarre/strangely fun: Cadillac Ranch. This art installation outside of Amarillo, Texas, was just a tiny bit off the beaten path (though not as visible from the highway as I expected). We spent close to an hour there painting our own layers onto the cars. I’m quite sure anything we done was gone by the time we reached our next destination. Only in the USA, right? RUNNER UP: Buc-ees in Texas. Ostensibly a gas station, it’s more like a themed Walmart. Walls of beef jerky, yards of shelves of hot sauce, aisles of Buc-ee’s branded clothing. Have you ever seen a gas station that has a cart return kiosk?

Most delicious: New Mexico! Christmas style, please. We ate at Tomasitas in Albuquerque (original location is in Santa Fe) and had breakfast at the Frontier. Yum. Stopping in Albuquerque was on the “non-negotiable” list specifically for the Frontier, a place we’d first heard about from cruising friends Lin and Maureen on Bluebird way back in 1994. While the food is nothing truly spectacular by New Mexico standards, the vibe and ambiance is awesome. RUNNER UP: BBQ in Jackson, Mississippi, at a place called Pig And Pint. Hands down the best BBQ we ate on the trip - we still dream about those ribs.

Most adventurous: Time with my uncle Peter in Norwood and Telluride, Colorado. Time with Peter is always fun (he’s one of the Flying Epoxy Sisters, as an example), and he loves it when family come to see him at his sweet cabin on 18 acres in Norwood. We were only there for 3 nights, but wow did we make the most of it. He took us to his girlfriend’s house in Telluride on Sunday, driving the major back roads to get there. Monday we took more advantage of his 4-wheel drive 4 Runner and drove up to Tomboy Mine, navigating a road so narrow that while Peter drove inches away from the sheer rock cliff on the driver’s side, Jeremy was leaning out the passenger side giving him clearance to stay away from the sheer drop off on that side. In inches. The 7-mile drive took about an hour each way; we only bottomed out in the high-clearance vehicle 4 times. The ruins of the old mine are an explorer’s dream, especially with the subject-specific 50+ page book Peter had been given in someone’s fit of attic cleaning. We could have spent a lot longer poking around.

Most hospitable: The extended Schill family. From talk-filled time with Mike and Staci at their house in Sugar Hollow outside of Charlottesville, to a fabulous night with Emily and Skyler in their house in Albuquerque, to Stuart and Keegan and Aimee joining us for a pizza night at our AirBnB in Provo, this family has gone out of their way to welcome us into their world. We are so very lucky to call them friends! ALMOST TIED: my friend Emily and her husband Aaron welcomed us to their home in Indianapolis for our final night on the road. Thank you!

Random other highlights:

• Spending time with Julian was priceless. We were 3 drivers in 2 cars going to Utah; 1 of us was with Julian in his car at all times. It was fabulous to have such a large amount of time to hear about his time in France and plans for the future.

• HUGE numbers of wind vanes dotted the landscape in Vernon, Texas. Like, 200 or more of them in one installation. We saw multiple large wind farms like this throughout West Texas. Didn’t manage to get a photo, but one of the enduring mental images I have is seeing one of these behemoths turning slowly while an oil derrick methodically dipped up and down at the base.

• We drove through the endless flat plains of dead corn stalks in Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas. Marveled at how abruptly the landscape changed from desert to high mountains and back to flat. Jeremy and Julian conquered the Corona Arch, a hike made demanding mostly by the intense sun and lack of shade. We all made it to the top of “The Y”, a hike on the mountain overlooking BYU. We found campgrounds to sleep in in Louisiana and Kansas. I could go on and on!

• Drove over the Continental Divide to get back to the Atlantic side of the country on Tuesday and over the Mississippi River on Wednesday.

• A photo with the St Louis Arch in the background was worth the slight backtracking from the highway.

Of course, the main point of the trip was to get Julian to school. It’s a family tradition to drive our kids to college, at least in year 1, and since this is Julian’s first year at BYU it counted! We got him settled into his apartment, stocked up his fridge with food, and had a campus tour so we have some idea of where he’ll be spending the next 2 years.

Have a fabulous year, Julian. Thanks for letting us tag along on the drive out to Utah! Next time, though, we’ll take a bit more time and explore some more.