HighwayToHelms2015

When I agreed to go on a cross-country road trip with my parents, I didn't know how things would go. I haven't lived at home for over 2 years now, and I was nervous that so much concentrated time together would end up in fireworks. To say that it's all been rainbows and butterflies would be a lie, but it has been a fun trip overall and we've seen SO many things!

This post I'm going to highlight the first few days of the road trip. Here was the route:
[Day 1] Kansas City, MO --> Bloomington, IL

   

   

This day was ultimately filled with driving. KC to Bloomington is about six hours if you don't factor in stops for gas, drinks, or restroom breaks. We decided upon leaving that we would stop every couple of hours to take care of these things + stretch our legs. Mom worked the night before we left so she drove the first couple of hours, and then I took over for the last four. Naturally, there was a flash flood warning/crazy downpoor for the last 3 miles [literally] of the drive, but Driver's Ed training kicked in and I used the road lines for guidance. ;) We landed at cracker barrel for dinner because it was really all that we could find, and then settled in to our FANCY suites that we obviously got for a discount!

[Day 2] Bloomington, IL --> South Bend, IN

   

   

Day 2 consisted of an easy breezy drive from Bloomington to South Bend that only took about 3 hours or so. We got into town fairly early in the day because my dad had a couple of things he wanted to see before I went to meet up with my in-laws for dinner. We took him to see Notre Dame, to buy chocolate at the South Bend Chocolate factory store, and to eat lunch at one of B's favorite places called Chickory Cafe. Honestly, after lunch, we went back to our hotel [it was a lodge-type place and our rooms were connected] where my dad and I both took naps and my mom and cousin went on a drive around town.

For dinner I had made plans to go to my mother-in-law's house to see her, my brother-in-law [Tyler], my sister-in-law [Danielle], and my brand new baby nephew [Carl]. It was so nice to see them all as it had been a few months, and I was very excited to meet Carl for the first time! Plus, Lynne made a home-cooked dinner which I hadn't had in over a week thanks to us not having a fridge at the house for the first week we lived there. While I was with my in-laws, my parents and cousin met for dinner with one of our old family friends, Jim. He used to live in Omaha, but moved back to Indiana [about 20 miles out of South Bend] years ago, so it worked out nicely that they got to see him while we were there. They all came back to the hotel after dinner so that I could see him before he headed home!

[Day 3] South Bend, IN --> Canton, OH --> Breezewood, PA

   

Day 3 in the car was long. Thankfully it was broken up in the middle, but yet, still long. We started out driving from South Bend to Canton, Ohio to see the pro-football hall of fame! It was about 5 hours, I think. I'm so glad we went through though, because the place is AWESOME. As a football fan it was so great to see the history of the teams over the years. I think it also helped that I was able to go to the College Football HOF a couple years ago [before it moved from South Bend to somewhere in Alabama? Georgia? Anyway...] because it was there that they had the history of the SPORT ITSELF [balls, plays, uniforms, schools, traditions, etc.]. The PRO HOF had more about rules, records, player stats, etc. I loved the hall of busts they had; I was able to snap shots of former Chiefs stars, plus see a couple other people I was looking for [Kellen Winslow... Mizzou... DUH]. Overall, I was really pleased with the layout, the exhibits, and honestly, cool tribute to greats of the sport.

   

   

   

After leaving the HOF, we drove another 3-4 hours to Breezewood, PA. There was nothing special about this city other than we wanted to get a little further on the road that night before heading out the next day. We ended up eating at a truck stop and staying in a hotel that was not NEARLY as nice as our first night's suites. C'est la vie! Check back for the next few days recaps!