Are you all wondering how we started our roadtrip? About 4 years ago, we wanted to visit our relatives in California. Since the plane tickets were so expensive for 4 people, we decided to just drive from Chicago to Los Angeles and back following mostly the Route 66.
In this blog, I will give you an overview of our 2 weeks itinerary then I will post separate blogs on some of the states that we explored the most.
DAY 1 - Colorado Springs
We drove 14 hours overnight from Chicago to Colorado Springs. We stayed in a hotel then explored some of the tourist spots such as Seven Falls, Garden of Gods and Air Force Base.
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| Seven Falls |
DAY 2 - Vail, Colorado
About 4 hours from Colorado Springs, we stayed in Marriott Hotel. The place was so quiet since end of May was off season. It was actually nice to be able to stay at a 4 star hotel at a very inexpensive price. Thanks Priceline!
DAY 3- Moab, Utah
So much for luxury hotel in Vail. It was a busy week in Moab so most hotels were booked. Luckily we found one that was close to the national parks. The next day, we went to Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef National Park then drove to our next destination.
DAY 4 - Cedar City, Utah
It was a rough drive at night in Dixie National Forest but we made it to our next hotel. In the morning, we visited Kolob Canyons and Zion National Park. It was snowing and freezing, we were not prepared for that kind of weather!
DAY 5 - Las Vegas,Nevada
Just 2 hours away, finally a short drive to Vegas. Since the kids were into princesses, we booked a hotel at Excalibur. They gave us a room at the 16th floor and we had an awesome view of Vegas. The girls felt like they were Rapunzel in the tower. At night, we went to watch the shows in the strip. We also met with my ex-roommate who moved there. It was so nice to catch up with good friends.
Next day, we just relaxed in the pool since it had been so cold in Colorado and Utah. So we enjoyed the sun and stayed there almost the entire morning. Then we realized that we still have to drive 4 hours to southern CA.
DAY 6 - San Bernardino, CA
First stop in CA, my relatives from my father's side. We had delicious homemade Filipino food. We stayed with them and it was so good for my husband and kids to meet my aunts, uncles and cousins.
DAY 7-8 - End of Route 66 - SANTA MONICA, CA!
We made it to our final destination! My cousin from my mother's side of the family lived a mile from the beach so we hung out in Santa Monica Pier and beach pretty much everyday that we were there. My cousin also toured us in Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Too bad we didn't see any celebrities. We also met my college classmates and their families.
DAY 9 - Disneyland
It was a nice treat for our girls to visit Disneyland. Yes it was much smaller than Disney World, but kids didn't know the difference. They were just in the happiest place on earth!
DAY 10 - Flagstaff, Arizona
We didn't stay very long in California but it was nice to see our relatives since our immediate families from my side and my husband's were from out of the country. Needless to say, it was time to head back home. But we got few more days left in our vacation so we stopped by Grand Canyon National Park. As always, Grand Canyon was picture perfect!
DAY 11 - Santa Fe, New Mexico
Next stop, Santa Fe. The architectures there were so much different from other states. The place was beautiful! It actually reminded us of my husband's hometown in Mexico. We walked around downtown and visited the church. The following day we drove through Taos, NM and back to Colorado Springs.
DAY 12 - Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs
We were debating whether to drive through Amarillo, Texas or Colorado. But since the weather was bad in the south, we just drove back to Colorado Springs. We stayed in Cheyenne Mountain Resort (highly recommended!) where we just relaxed and used their amenities since we already toured the area from the beginning of our trip.
DAY 13 - St. Louis, MO
Once again, we did our overnight drive from Colorado to Missouri. Though we lived so close, it was our first time in St. Louis. We stayed in Drury Hotel and it was walking distance to the Arch.
DAY 14 - Home Sweet Home "Chicago, IL"
Driving back home, we stopped by Springfield, IL and checked out Abraham Lincoln's house. It was really nice to see lots of places but as the saying goes, "There's no place like HOME". Believe it or not, we had to take an extra day off to rest before going back to work. It was really an awesome and affordable first road trip. We loved it that's why we just kept on doing it every year!
If you would like to know tips on how to make your vacation inexpensive, please check out my previous blog on "Top 10 Reasons to have a Vacation".
Subscribe to my blog on www.shine-travels.blogspot.com and connect with me on Facebook or Pinterest if you want to get ideas on Awesome and Affordable Family Vacations.
Subscribe to my blog on www.shine-travels.blogspot.com and connect with me on Facebook or Pinterest if you want to get ideas on Awesome and Affordable Family Vacations.
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