A 12 Hour Road Trip with a 2 Year Old

It’s 3 in the morning and it’s time for me to get ready for the road trip to Provo, Utah from Albany, Oregon with my 2-year-old son, DJ.

I spent the previous night prepping the car, the ice chest, and packing our bags so that we could just get up and go. 

The trunk is packed with enough things for a couple of weeks for DJ so that he can stay with my parents and sisters for the better part of two weeks.

I think about how much I'll miss him but remind myself of the fun he'll have and think about the different Summer trips I took to see family while growing up.

I get up to change and put myself together after a long night of no sleep. Before changing DJ's diaper, I notice how peaceful he looks while sleeping.

Once I get DJ settled into his car seat with a blanket and GoGo Squeeze, I start the drive … sort of.

Breakfast is first.

To some it’s a local favorite, to others not so much. But everyone knows the 24-hour restaurant Rigoberto’s on Pacific Boulevard in Albany.

The short drive through line that has cars trailing into the street during their peak hours.

I order our favorite breakfast items that bring me a sense of nostalgia. A breakfast burrito for me and a plate of eggs for DJ.

While eggs are DJ's favorite breakfast item right now so it makes it an easy pick, breakfast burritos at the beginning of a trip are tradition for me. They remind me of growing up in New Mexico and the road trips I grew up taking with my family. We would always order them ahead of time so that they were ready when we got there and would get on our way. The smell of a Hatch green chile breakfast burrito from the the cafe called HWY 64 in Kirtland, New Mexico smells far better than the breakfast burrito I have in the car right now but it’s the closest I can get so I’ll take it. 

One of the reasons I get such an early start on a long road trip is so that I can make the stops necessary – like for gas after a five-minute stop at Rigoberto’s because I didn’t fill up my car the day before. 

A ten-more-minute drive to a gas station that I know is open and we’re able to make one last stop before hitting the road.

I look at DJ while we’re waiting for gas and take a picture with him. Our smiles are ear to ear as we look like we’re ready to take on the world - which would be our longest road trip together.

We leave the gas station and the next two hours are a blur of driving on windy roads as the sun rises and peaks through mountains and trees, the sky changing colors as it does.

We stopped about 4 hours South of Albany to run around and eat our breakfast. I changed DJ's diaper in a rest stop bathroom that smelled of urine and while I used the bathroom, DJ made no delay in trying to open the door while I tried to pee - typical 2 year old things. 

After the bathroom, I let DJ be the explorer he is and watched him run up and down the side walk with the sun beating down on us and gravel crunching beneath our shoes. 

Before packing up and leaving, I set DJ on the trunk of my car so that he could eat his overprices scrambled eggs from Rigoberto's. Soon enough we're on our way again.

As we make our way through Eastern Oregon and into Idaho, I’ve done all of the single pilot road trip things you can think of. I’ve called and chatted with friends and family -- through the Bluetooth on my phone so that it was hands free. I’ve listened to every genre of music that I have downloaded, and I’ve snacked maybe a little bit more than I’ve needed to. 

I think all of the excitement comes from this being my longest road trip by myself – with a 2-year-old no less. I think my excitement showed the most in my organization of the car. In the passenger seat is a cooler filled with energy drinks, fruits, and other cold snacks like cheese and jelly for sandwiches. Next to that is a small container filled with shelf stable snacks that are a mix of snacks for me and snacks for DJ.

Right behind the passenger seat I have DJ forward facing - my saving grace because prior to the trip he was still rear facing - with a basket of toys in front of him on the far. In this small basket I have a variety of toys to keep DJ entertained throughout the trip. Mega Blocks, Magnatiles, a sensory book, toy cars, and my best thrift store toy find that consists of a little steering wheel and other buttons for DJ to play with. 

We filter between snacks, books, toys, and naps throughout the day. My favorite picture I have from the trip is him playing with the steering wheel toy with a giant Cheetoh puff hanging out of his mouth.

The second most important stop we made was for lunch. We stopped at a Burger King in Caldwell, Idaho. It was blistering hot outside and we both needed a break from the car by the time we pulled in around 1:15 pm. I ordered DJ chicken nuggets and fries and he ate like a king. He showered me in hugs and ran around with the little Burger King crown sitting on his head. I like to think the other customers sitting inside were entertained by watching him run through the restaurant while we waited for food.

When we’re two hours away from where we’re staying, I can hardly sit still with the excitement I feel to get out of the car. I look back at DJ and can tell he’s ready to be out of the car too -- this was before I had an iPad to get me through a drive that was twice the distance. 

He has chocolate on his face from the treats I let him get at the last gas station stop 10 minutes ago because I had to pee so badly -- thanks, caffeine. 

When we finally pull up to the Airbnb, I felt proud of myself for making the trip. It felt like DJ and I proved that we could do anything together.