2022 Cross Country Road Trip Itinerary: Week 2
I’ve been on the road for a week! I’m sunburnt, dusty, and having the time of my life. During the first week of our 2022 cross country road trip, Brockie and I visited four cities and Big Bend National Park…so we’ve really been packing in as much as we can! Click here to see our full week 1 itinerary.
Except for one night we spent at a friend’s house, Brockie and I have been sleeping on the queen air mattress in the back of the minivan. It might sound cramped, but it’s actually very cozy. So far, we have stayed at a rest area, a truck stop, a Buc-ee’s, a Walmart, and the Chisos Basin campground in Big Bend National Park. We actually pulled out our tent for Big Bend, but the wind was so strong and loud that we ended up packing the tent up and going back to sleeping in the van.
Of the cities we visited, San Antonio is hands down my favorite. I love history and nature, and San Antonio contains a good deal of both with its eclectic collection of historic buildings and the beautifully landscaped Riverwalk. We had fun in the other cities too though! You can click here to read about our day in the New Orleans French Quarter. Or read about our walk through downtown Baton Rouge.
Have fun scrolling through some of our trip highlights below!
My ‘Week 2’ cross country road trip itinerary
With the first week of our cross country road trip behind us, Brockie and I are ready to head towards our next destination. Our next few days will include a lot of driving. California, here we come!
Stop 4: Grand Canyon
Since we are driving to California from southwestern Texas, it would be a crime to skip the Grand Canyon when it is only a little bit out of the way. This iconic National Park is one that you can visit again and again and still be awed every time. It’s been nearly ten years since the last time I visited the Grand Canyon, so I’m excited to go back and catch some viewpoints that I missed the last time. We have a day at the Grand Canyon, then we head up to California!
Stop 5: Shelter Cove
If you have never heard of Shelter Cove, a small town on the coast of northern California, don’t worry. Most people haven’t. I first learned about Shelter Cove from a van camper who I met in Washington while visiting my aunt. He had just come from Shelter Cove, and began telling us about his experience there. I was instantly intrigued, mostly because of the town’s location.
Most of California’s coast is followed by the Pacific Coastal Highway (Hwy 1). But Shelter Cove is located in coastal wilderness, in an area where Highway 101 curves inland to bypass a mountain range. Since Shelter Cove isn’t on the highway (and you have to drive through the mountain range to get there), it’s not a big tourist destination.
So why are we going to Shelter Cove? Well, it’s the main setting for a novel that I am currently working on. I don’t know if my book will ever get published…or if it will even get finished…but I am excited to visit the setting for my book and do some firsthand research. We will only be camping at Shelter Cove for two nights, but I will definitely be making the most of our time there.
Update: You can click here to read my post on Shelter Cove.
Stop 6: The Redwoods
Visiting the Redwoods in northern California is almost a ritual for me. On all of the cross country road trips I’ve taken with my family, we have never once skipped the Redwoods.
Part of love for the Redwoods is tied up in my family. My parents were married in the Redwood forest (literally in the forest), and it was my mother’s favorite place to be, aside from our home. But apart from my personal reasons for loving the Redwoods, it’s simply a must-stop destination for tree lovers.
We will be camping for two nights in the Jedidiah Smith State Park campground, which is spread along the Smith River. One of the best Redwood groves is right across the river from the campground. It also contains some of the best hiking trails in the Redwood forest.
Stop 7: Utah Salt Flats
On my 2020 cross country road trip, my family and I were lucky to hit the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah at sunset. Sunset on the salt flats is beautiful, with the western mountains at the edge of the flats backlit by the sun.
I don’t know if I’ll be lucky enough to hit the salt flats at sunset again, but that’s my goal. We’ll see if it happens!
After that, we have a whole list of National Parks to visit in southeastern Utah.
