As we drove home from my parents' house at Christmas time the kids and I reminisced about the trip to the Outer Banks the three of us took when they were younger.

A 2,500 mile road trip with me, a three year old, and an eight year old.

At the time it didn't even seem gutsy, though looking back I'm kind of impressed. That was pretty bad ass. And none of us will ever forget the time we shared out on the open road. It's on our short list of best adventures.

At now – at eight and twelve – the kids were longing for another adventure like it, and so was I.

And I thought to myself – he's twelve already. In a instant he'll be grown. 

How many more chances will I get?

 

I didn't want to make excuses. I wanted to pile them in the car again and see a bit more of this amazing world.

As homeschoolers we aren't bound to the the time constraints of our school-bound friends and could pick up and go wherever we chose.

And what better place to learn than on the road for a while?

 

But with a farm, slipping away for a few days (much less a week or more) isn't quite so easy.

House-sitters.

Farm-helpers.

Dog-watchers.

It seemed too hard.

 

Maybe we could go in the spring, I reasoned. No. Spring means lambs, kids, and planting time. Summer then? No. Not with the garden, the harvest, and the canning. How about autumn then? No, autumn is our busiest work season, plus the customs of hunting and holidays to honor.

 

This year, we decided, it was February or never.

And so the preparations began.

 

Vacation or not, we had a budget. So Pete, the kids and I spent weeks cooking, canning, and drying food. Sewing up stuff sacks, seat back organizers, and treasure bags. And searching for the best free or affordable adventures to take as a family.

And then – after weeks of obsessive list making and hard work it was finally time. We piled into our little VW and at -18F early one winter morning, we hit the road.

I'll be sharing postcards with you from the road over the next couple of week. Where will we end up? And what adventures await us? Come back and find out!

Love,
Rachel

P.S. If you're contemplating you own family road trip I shared some trick and tips for success here.