The Most Epic Two Week Road Trip

Is anyone else freezing and dreaming about summertime? Maybe you are like me and start planning your vacations now. If so, I've got just the trip for you.

This was the road trip of a life time. Seriously. Two families with two three year old boys. Seven of the most beautiful lakes with stellar beaches, green lush forests, cute nearby downtown's, and more. The kids gathered firewood, rode their bikes, ate ice cream, played with construction trucks in dirt and sand and water, and even got in some hiking. The mamas soaked up the sun and even got in some wine tasting and boutique shopping.  And the dads got in swimming, a few craft beers and a lot of coors light, plus an awesome ride in a Polaris and a canoe trip that almost trampled them (and our little ones) by a moose!

Somehow we convinced ourselves that a two week road trip would be no harder than two weeks at home with the kids. Luckily we were smart enough to realize that two full weeks camping in tents might be a little unrealistic and overambitious, so we created a hodge podge of camping and other lodging that could not have panned out better. We had great campsites, a nice airbnb, and an amazing stay at a friend's condo. We only ended up diverting from our planned itinerary in two places.

Our friends Krista and Peter were the best travel buddies and amazingly we were all able to co-parent the two kids, trade off cooking meals, make day to day decisions, and have a ton of fun successfully and without any major arguments, disagreements, or embarrassing moments! Phil & I had thought up the idea for the trip with most of the itinerary thought of way back in early April and when we brought it up to K & P, they were excited from the start and jumped right on board with it. We had two or three more in person planning sessions to nail down details. The rest of the planning we managed over a shared google doc (things like who was bringing what so we didn't end up with two of everything). We got great ideas on what to pack and menus to plan from pinterest.

Technology really did help make the drive times go by pretty smoothly for the little guys and it was more than compensated for with all the amazing outdoor experiences from the rest of the trip.

Day One: Seattle to Lake Chelan, Washington (through Leavenworth)
Day Two: Lake Chelan to Penticton, B.C.
Day Three: Penticton
Day Four: Penticton
Day Five: Penticton to Banff National Park (through Revelstoke and Lake Louise)
Day Six: Banff National Park (Johnston Canyon)
Day Seven: Banff National Park (Spring Canyon)
Day Eight: Banff to Sandpoint, Idaho
Day Nine: Sandpoint, Idaho (Schwietzer and Lake Pend Oreille)
Day Ten: Sandpoint, Idaho to Priest Lake, Idaho
Day Eleven: Priest Lake, Idaho to Lake Roosevelt, Washington (through Spokane)
Day Twelve: Lake Roosevelt back to Seattle

I'd love to write more about the trip and share more photos, but I want to know what questions you all have. What would you be curious to find out about? Actual to do's in each location? How to plan for this epic of a trip? How to pack for a two week road trip with kids? Must see and do's for each stop? Thanks and I'll do a round up of posts based on your responses!