Midwest National Parks Trip – Reflections

My biggest takeaway from my Midwest National Parks Trip was rediscovering how much I love road trips. Although I have loved the cruises Tim and I have taken and all the adventures we’ve had in Europe, there are still so many things left to see in the United States.

Tim and I travelled full-time in our RV for five years, plus another nine months before that. One might think we saw everything we wanted to see during that time, but that’s far from the truth. On this trip, where I traveled over 3,500 miles, all but two stops were completely new to me. The trip opened my eyes to a part of the country that I had never spent too much time in. Although I may not want to live in the Midwest, I was impressed with what I saw.

I love to travel with Tim, and he is a great companion on the road. However, I also love to travel by myself. There is something about solo travel that is so liberating. I can do what I want, eat what I want, and not worry about anyone else. I also find that when I travel by myself, I tend to strike up conversations with strangers on a regular basis. When I’m with Tim or a friend, I am less likely to do so. Some of my conversations on this trip were quite memorable.

This trip was much more of a whirlwind than I prefer, however. Nevertheless, I’m glad I included all the park units in the vicinity, even though it meant very long days. When I arrived at my hotel each night, all I wanted to do was collapse. I ate whatever was handy and only went out for a nice dinner one time. I had hoped to seek out local places to eat, but that goal fell by the wayside early on. Once I checked into my hotel, I didn’t want to go out again.

I was incredibly lucky with the weather. Although it often rained during the second half of the trip, the rain occurred mostly while I was driving. Somehow, I avoided all severe weather except for a minor hailstorm. The Midwest had experienced multiple tornados just prior to my setting out and just after I returned home. Because I shortened my trip by one day, I even missed a severe hailstorm that caused extensive damage in a town I would have been driving through.

Although I became more adept at using my phone as a camera, the verdict is still out. I may go back to my regular camera, although I’ll keep the phone as a backup.

My goal now is at least one road trip per year. Not only do I enjoy this type of travel, but road trips can be quite inexpensive, even when staying in hotels instead of traveling by RV. All in all, I spent 13 days and 12 nights on the road at a cost of just over $100 per day. (I was able to use points for seven of the hotel nights.) That’s quite a bit cheaper than a Viking cruise!

My Final Route - Not Too Different than My Original Plan