Here are the two brave kids who are just as excited about our summer road trip as their mom is! We'll call them J and E. Their favorite part of the trip? DISNEYWORLD of course!

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First stop: Palm Springs

We'll be saying "hi" to aunt Lynda, uncle Alex and little Alina as we drive through Palm Springs on our way out of California on day 1.

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Iowa pitstop - Seed Savers Exchange

One of the stops of our trip will be Decorah, Iowa, to visit the Seed Savers Exchange, where I buy most of my heirloom (open pollinated) seeds.

Alaska Marine Highway Schedule

Prince Rupert --> Ketchikan
July 21 @ 6:30pm (11:45pm) MV Matanuska
6 hours travel

Ketchikan --> Bellingham
July 22@ 5pm (Jul 24) MV Columbia
38 hours travel

Trip Segments

We plan to drive on average 6-8 hours per day.

* = family or friends

July 11: San Jose, CA - Quartzsite, AZ *

July 12: Quartzsite - Albuquerque *

July 14: Albuquerque, NM - Lubbock, TX

July 15: Lubbock, TX - Garland, TX *

July 16: Garland, TX - Lake Charles, LA

July 17: Lake Charles, LA to Crestview, FL

July 18: Crestview, FL - Orlando, FL

July 19-21: DISNEYWORLD

July 22: Orlando FL - Manning, SC

July 23: Manning, SC - Woodbridge, VA

July 24: Woodbridge, VA - Washington, D.C.

July 25: Washington, D.C. - New Paltz, NY (via Manhattan)

July 26-27: New Paltz, NY - Montreal, QC

July 28: Montreal, QC - Ottawa, ON

July 30: Ottawa, ON - Niagara, ON

July 31: Niagara, ON - Ann Arbor, MI *

August 1-2: Ann Arbor, MI - Bloomington, IL

August 2: Bloomington, IL - Decorah, Iowa

August 4: Decorah, Iowa - Fargo, ND

August 5: Fargo, ND - Brandon, Manitoba *

August 6: Brandon, MB - Swift Current, Saskatchewan

August 7: Swift Current, SK - Calgary, AB *

August 8-10: Calgary, AB - Edmonton, AB ***

August 11-14: Edmonton, AB - Fort St John, AB *

August 15-19: Fort St John, BC - Prince George, BC *

August 20: Prince George, BC - Bellingham, WA

August 21: Bellingham, WA - Portland, OR

August 22: Portland, OR - Mt. Shasta, CA

August 23: Mt. Shasta, CA - San Jose, CA

HOME!

2009 Road Trip Planning has begun!

I sat down with Google maps and planned the basic route we are planning to take for our 2009 road trip. This trip has been in my head for a couple years, and I have decided this year it is going to become reality. Loosely, it's a "trip around North America" with the primary goal being to drive to Florida from California. Then, heading up to Montreal, then over to Alberta & British Columbia, before finally heading home to San Jose.

Estimated driving time: 7 days 4 hours.
Estimated trip time: 6 weeks.