Road Trip from Florida to Las Vegas to Minnesota and Back – What We Found

Guest post from Joe Stanley

For some reason or another we decided to embark on a road trip over the last two weeks that took us from Florida to Las Vegas to Minnesota and back to Florida.  I traveled with a friend from the United Kingdom who had never visited many of these states.  He kept a highlighted notebook as we crossed each state and was mesmerized by the size and diversity of our country.  He is of African descent and has lived in London for almost all of his life, so he has a unique and interesting view of the world.

I have a young son, but he was staying with his mother while we went on this road trip (thank you honey!). So, as I traveled I looked at places for both adults and children. Some were only for adults which my friend enjoyed, and I most enjoyed the places that were good for both. Often I felt the places were best that had a social “curfew” where children went to sleep at a certain time and parents relaxed.

Anyway, back home now I sit down to write and take in the scope of the 6,200 mile trip. Some trends I noticed on long drives- the first being our enjoyment of three main places :

1. Rest Areas (great regional diversity in services)

2. McDonalds (when in a remote area of the country their currency rises dramatically)

3. Non-chain cafes off the main road

4. Starbucks with drive throughs off the main road (service levels fluctuate more than I expected)

In upcoming posts I will add details on each. Have a wonderful day!

-Joe