[Growing Up Geek] Little Geek in the Car

I was just going through some of the pictures I took last month. I'd forgotten I'd snapped this picture of Paul somewhere in North Carolina or Tennessee. He spent a good bit of his time in the car pretending to check his email and read feeds. He's also able to play some of the easier games too.

Future Trips

Clayton with a fully loaded bike, near the trailhead in Cumberland, MD

For those interested, Clayton is on his second full day of the C&O tow path currently, and has stopped at mile marker 72 for the evening. His total mileage so far should be around 112 miles for the past two days, and he has 72 more miles to go before he hits DC.

Now that I've visited all the states east of the Mississippi (save Rhode Island and Wisconsin), I've noticed that I'm less interested in planning a 10 state 3 day weekend road trip. Things like bike touring and walking long sections of the AT are beginning to catch my eye.

I've had my eye on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail in British Columbia for awhile. It's 280 miles long, so I could probably do it (along with some sightseeing side trips) in two weeks. If there's not much elevation change, I could probably do a 15-20 mile ride today. But I don't think I'm in good enough shape yet to make that ride every day for 2 weeks.

I've also been looking at some of the 5 star terrain caches. Most of the ones I've been eyeing aren't terribly far from here, but require a camping trip. There are some good ones in the Youghatomac area that have a relatively low mileage, but cross through some pretty tough terrain.

There are 3 challenge caches (Run with the Big Dogs) within 5-10 miles of me that I'd like to hit in one day. When combined, they require nearly 30 miles of hiking. I can handle about 15 miles in one day, so I'm getting there. It's been hard to get out for a good training hike with Paul, so I picked up a copy of Leslie Sansone's 5 Mile Challenge Walk and have been doing the 5 mile and the 3 mile walks most days. I think I should be able to finish all of the Run with the Big Dogs series in 3-4 weeks.

[Pulsate Olympics] What the hell is that smell?

(For the June Pulsate Olympics.)

I used to go to Baton Rouge a few times each with my grandparents, when my grandpa was lobbying for NAMI - Louisiana. My grandparents lived in Ruston, so we had to shunpike down US 167 until we hit I-49 in Alexandria.

We would pack the car the night before, and my grandma would wake me up about 4:30 the next morning. I'd manage to change clothes without waking up too much, and I'd fall asleep again. We passed Mitchum's Peach Orchards, and a few small towns, but nothing else of note until we hit Jonesboro-Hodge.

If I wasn't awake already, the stench coming from the paper mill was usually enough to make sure I woke up. It wasn't really so bad most days, but occasionally we'd get stuck on the wrong side of the train crossing.

I rarely drive to Baton Rouge that way these days, and most of the other routes don't have a spot that smells quite so offensive... but yet that's the smell I still associate with Baton Rouge.

Surviving a Road Trip with your Toddler - The Gear

Paul reading a brochure about Tennessee

Having the right gear available makes a road trip much easier, especially when dealing with the whims of a toddler. Here's a list of a few things that I make sure I have before I hit the road with Paul.

• The quick change bag - I keep diapers, wipes, a couple of extra sets of clothes, and a few plastic grocery bags in the back of my car. Accidents happen and it's nice to not have to unpack the car enough to dig through your luggage for a spare set of clothes.
• Disposable Cups - These make great travel cups. While Paul is getting better at drinking out of a regular cup, he's not ready to handle one in the car. The disposable cups are easy to rinse out in the hotel, and they are also reusable.
• Foldable Toilet Training Seat - I've been to rest areas in 34 states and have yet to run across a family restroom or a childsize toilet. It fits in your day bag, is easy to wipe down, and you don't have to fool with any complicated moves in a tiny stall so your toddler can relieve themselves. Having this has made rest area stops so much easier.
• Kid's Atlas- Although I use my GPSr and Delorme Street Atlas for navigation, I occasionally break out my map books. Paul likes having his own map, even though he can't read. He will occasionally "read" to me about a state or give me directions from his atlas. If you don't want to get a kid's atlas, brochures from the rest areas also work well.
• Travel Size Magna Doodle - This is pretty good at helping Paul quietly entertain himself, with the bonus of not finding melted crayons in my car.
• Music - It's best to have a selection of albums. We rotate back and forth between kid's music and my music. Paul likes Little People Disco, Wee Sing in the Car, and Deep Forest for naptime music. We also have an audio book of kid's stories that he really likes. If you have a hard time finding one, you can record yourself reading the stories and burn it to cd or make an mp3 of it.
• Snack Food - I like to keep a couple of boxes of non chocolately granola bars stashed in the passenger seat. They tend to stay in one piece while they're being eaten and it's just enough to stave off a hunger related tantrum when you're not able to stop for a meal. I also try to keep an apple or two, raisins, and some carrot sticks in the mini cooler to round out fast food meals. The koolaid single serving packets are also great for toddlers who want something besides water, but haven't mastered the juice box.

Surviving a Road Trip with your Toddler - The Basics

Paul at the Louisiana Welcome Center on I20

People always thought I'm a little crazy for embarking on a solo 3k mile round trip with a toddler and a puppy several times a year, especially since we don't have plans for a DVD player. Road trip season is coming up, so I thought I'd write up how I survive road trips with a toddler. It is possible with a little work, and if you remember a few things:

• Incentives - If Paul is good between gas stops, he gets a dollar to spend as he wishes at the gas station. He prefers getting post cards and key chains. You could also substitute books off the dollar rack or some other trinket.
• Minimize how many times they have to get in their car seat while maximizing the time they can spend out of it. When Paul was little, he didn't fight about getting in his car seat, no matter how many times we were in and out of the car in an hour. But now, it works best if we merge a few short breaks into one long break. Picnicking at rest areas or a park works well for us, since I can sit down and eat while Paul burns some energy off. I usually take these when I do my two hour safety break.
• Stop before your toddler has a chance to fall asleep for the night. I learned this one the hard way. If I didn't stop until midnight, Paul had a 4-5 hour nap, and kept me up all night. It is much easier to take our last long break an hour before we stop for the night, since Paul will usually fall asleep easily.
• Try to avoid rush hour in metro areas. It's bad enough being stuck in rush hour at home with a cranky toddler, but it's far worse when you get stuck in an unfamiliar area and don't know an alternate route when traffic comes to a standstill.
• If it looks like you're going to be stuck in traffic for awhile, it's less frustrating to stop for an early meal or gas station stop than to deal with traffic and a bored toddler.
• Point out interesting things along the road. When we cross state lines, I make a point of pointing out the "Welcome to [State]" and saying "Yahoo Mountain Dew! We're in [State]!!". I also point out the bigger river crossings and the bridges. If there is an option to take a tunnel, I take it, because Paul gets a big kick out of it. I also try to point out any landmarks we might pass.

Tomorrow, I will post my list of essential gear that I use for keeping my sanity on those long stretches of interstate where the only scenery is "Next Exit - 34 miles".