Road Tripping

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This weekend we’re headed out on a road trip to Utah where Henry’s been spending time with cousins the last couple of weeks. With kids, driving is a bit of a relief over plane travel. There’s a private, enclosed vessel that kids can throw snacks, sing Moana, and even scream to their heart’s content (and thank goodness for headphones for the rest of us). All the usual chaos, but without strangers to annoy! Hooray! Even so, eleven hours is a long time for anyone, kid or adult, to be strapped in a car, so I’ve been thinking of how we can make it more enjoyable for everyone.

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As a child, I loved reading maps in the car (rack your brain: the old school paper kind). I was the one in the backseat glued to the map, watching town signs as we passed them, plotting our approximate distance to the destination. Today, in partnership with Firestone Complete Auto Care we commissioned my sister and illustrator Rebecca Ricks to make a hand drawn map for the San Francisco to Salt Lake trip (and for you to print out as well!) with a connect the dot activity, points of interest, and some fun facts about each spot as you pass.

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Before we head out on a big trip like this, we like to get the car detailed and make sure things are in tip top shape. Has the oil been changed? Are there any warning lights that need to be addressed we’ve been ignoring? Do our tires need changing or rotating? That’s where Firestone Complete Auto Care comes in super handy. Most of the services don’t cost a lot, but can save a ton of headache on the road and keep our car running smooth, feeling like it’s brand new. There are a bunch of coupons for you to grab right here for your car’s next visit!

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After getting your car ready, print out our free SF to SLC map activity sheet. It highlights 12 different destinations along the way (approximately one an hour), with a connect the dot activity the kids can do in the car. Plus, there are some fun facts about each city below.

You can print out the map with fun facts here. Or if you’re interested in just the map, you can print out just the illustrated map here.

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It was so fun to research these fun facts! Did you know that Reno is constructing the largest building in the world? That Tahoe’s water is just about as pure as distilled water? And it’s illegal to walk the streets of Elko, Nevada without a gas mask? Or that the Salt Flats are home to the ground speed world record in car racing? Fascinating! It really does get me excited about driving through these spots now, even though we’ve done it dozens of times before.

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Wish us luck on our road trip adventure!

Thanks to Firestone Complete Auto Care for sponsoring this post. Be sure to check out locations, great discounts and coupons for your car’s next visit right here. Photography by Liz Stanley, map illustration by Rebecca Ricks for Say Yes, assisted by Gaby Viglas. 

Comments

Great post! There are a few destinations in here that I would not have considered before so, thanks for sharing 🙂

Love this map! It’s always on my bucket list to draw a map of every place I visit, but I never finish it. I took three trips so far this summer, so maybe it would be a good project for this weekend?

What a great map! I love your sister’s illustration style. My girls play the travel bingo that she illustrated for you a while back when we go on road trips andit’s always a favorite 🙂

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