My wife's family would fly across the street or to run errands if  they could, so most of our family vacations tend to involve air travel. However, I love a good road trip. So this year, I strongly suggested that we drive for our trip to Gull Lake in Minnesota. After some early, and repeated, attempts to sway me away from my idea, I managed to stay steadfast in my determination to drive. So last Saturday we loaded up the car and set out, determined to have our kids experience the Great American Road Trip.

First off, road trips aren't what they used to be for kids. No more facing out the back of the Oldsmobile station wagon, watching crayons melt onto the plastic interior as it sears under the hot rays of the sun, no air conditioning to keep everyone in the family from getting grabby. Nope, now its portable DVD players, Nintendo DS/Gameboys, etc. that keeps kids entertained for the entire trip. I should point out that this makes the experience A LOT easier for parents too! Our kids did a great job of sharing the one and only Tom and Jerry DVD we had (glad I packed the entire Disney and Pixar collection!) and the Nintendo DS. One would watch all of the episodes while the other played, then they would switch. We took along plenty of old fashioned games too, but the only ones interested in those seemed to be my wife and I. We did manage to spot plates from 44 different states!

Our time at Gull Lake was great. We spent lots of time swimming at the beach, and rented a pontoon boat for fishing and swimming further out in the lake. We caught a ton panfish, and a couple of rock bass. Overall, the kids didn't have the patience for anything other than the panfish, which would swarm around a hook the moment it sank to about 3 ft under the surface. You would have a fish on the hook within 30 seconds of it hitting the water. Literally. I didn't even get to fish, because as soon as I had a worm placed on one hook, someone else had a fish already. I'd take that one off, just start to put the worm on, and someone else would have one! All Grandpa and I did was release fish and reload the bait! We did keep a couple of fish to show the boys how to clean a fish, but otherwise, it was all catch and release.

Our youngest son also managed to "catch" his first leech while swimming at the beach. He was great about the whole thing. Very un-concerned and calm, even during extraction. Mom, not so much.

We discovered the thrill of Go-Cart racing. Ok, maybe I re-discovered it more than the others, but the kids really like riding along with me due to my somewhat more aggressive driving style than their mom. I kept the gas floored through the entire course, taught them how to lean into the corners, and had the cart drifting through just about every turn. I think I missed my calling.

The great thing about road trips is the freedom to deviate from your original plan. We had originally thought we would just retrace our steps home. But then at the last minute, again, quite literally, we decided to head west via I-90 and add Mt. Rushmore to our agenda. Once we hit the exit, we hopped on the Blackberries to review our hotel options in Rapid City, SD, cancel the old reservations in Omaha, and researched additional things to do in Rapid City. Technology really is great for these types of trip adjustments.

Seeing Mt. Rushmore was great. I had really wanted to get the boys up there this summer, so adding it to this trip saved us the additional expense of an additional trip later. The boys and my wife thought it was pretty cool, I thought it was really cool. We also went by the Crazy Horse memorial they are working on, not quite as cool. They just aren't far enough along. When, if, its finished, it looks to be amazing though. I hope they can pick up the pace, as its been about 60 years already. In comparison, Mt. Rushmore took 14.

Overall, I'm really glad we drove. So were the boys, they asked if we can drive to Minnesota next year, and to all of our other vacations! My wife isn't quite as excited about the idea, but I don't think she's opposed either. Guess I can get planning more excursions, this time with camping involved!