As promised, this road trip post is a lot more fun! Driving from Midland, TX to Seattle, WA, we took our time, drove shorter days, and planned out fun places to stop. There were a lot of differences between the two parts of our cross-country road trip that culminated in us having a much better road trip on the Western side of the country. A huge part of that is that the landscapes of the West fit the profile of the romanticized image we have when we think road-trip. There’s something about the wide-open road that feeds your sense of adventure. We savored this trip as much as we could for what it was. Traveling with two babies and two dogs meant we followed our road trip guidelines I laid out in my post about the first half of the trip but this time around we added in some flare.

The trip started with the best lunch stop at Chef Toddzilla’s in Rosewell, New Mexico. It was by far the worst choice of eat-in-the-car food, but soooo worth the potential mess. I had the Birria tacos and a Galaxy drink (which sparkles!); super fun and super delicious! *They do have outdoor seating* I wish we had utilized it but we were eager to get to our destination.

Albuquerque, NM

Pet-friendly stay:

Hotel Andaluz– The hotel was such a fun and unique find! A little old school but nice with big New Mexico vibes. Fun city and mountain views!

We ate at:

Más Tapas y Vino, which was the hotel’s restaurant and bar. It was a classier spot with great food and fancy drinks! I wouldn’t say it was your typical “kid-friendly” dining option, but they had high chairs and our server offered us kids food options that weren’t on the menu. We ate in a lounge area by the bar and enjoyed sipping our martinis and being bougie with babies in tow.

As we headed from New Mexico to Utah we were increasingly impressed by the views and even stopped at Church Rock to marvel and snap a quick pic.

Moab, UT

If you don’t already know, Moab hotels are SUPER expensive. We almost skipped Moab because of it but I’m so glad we didn’t. I had to really push for it. It helped that were wasn’t much in the way, as far as places to stay, before or after Moab.

Pet-friendly stay:

Wingate by Wyndham Moab– This hotel was right on the outskirts of town, enough so that it wasn’t as expensive as its competitors. The views from the hotel were gorgeous, but I’m not sure that you can be in Moab and not have gorgeous views. Even being on the outskirts Wingate was plenty close to everything we needed it to be close to.

We ate at:

Quesadilla Mobilla– A super cute quesadilla food truck. It was located right next to the Moab food truck park. The food truck park was such a cute outdoor food area with lots of options if quesadillas aren’t your thing (but like.. you’re weird if they aren’t). Side note: They didn’t serve alcohol, which is something I’m glad I didn’t know beforehand because I would have tried to pick somewhere else for dinner and I’m glad I didn’t. So I guess maybe I should say sorry for warning y’all.

Arches National Park

Official Arches National Park website

This is a MUST! So worth the effort. Arches National Park was on our way out of Moab and since we were driving right past it, I knew I wanted to take the time to actually go into the park. On the drive from New Mexico to Utah, we decided we wanted to make this stop at the beginning of the day instead of the end of a drive. So we got up super bright and early to spend about an hour and a half doing a little drive-through tour of Arches NP. It says online to go before 8 and they mean it! We pulled into the park around 7:15 am and there was no line (and no one at the ticket booth so we didn’t even pay… not sure if that’s how it’s supposed to be or we accidentally got in free). The sun was waking up as we were driving through and everything was stunning. By the time we were leaving (around 9 am) the sun was super harsh dulling the beauty of it all a little bit and the entrance was starting to really get backed up. So go early, it’s worth it!

To actually get up to one of the arches you have to hike. We were on a time crunch and had the babies and the dogs and the trailer so we just did a quick walk to the lookout of the Delicate Arch. Honestly, I was a little disappointed to not be able to get my grubby little hands on an arch but that just means a trip back is in our future!

Twin Falls, ID

Pet-friendly stay:

Hilton Garden Inn Twin Falls– Cute little hotel that was right by Snake River Canyon. We utilized the indoor pool while we were there and it was a big plus!

We ate at:

Garden Inn Grille and Bar, we ate at the hotel restaurant for dinner. It was delicious but felt like a hotel restaurant (not fancy like Más). After having a later start to the day and a longer drive though, having dinner at the hotel was clutch.

Black Bear Diner– We had breakfast the next day at Black Bear Diner with a friend who was passing through the area. This place is worth checking out just for the experience. A little weird, the food was alright, but they had the coffee flowing and they -Kept. In. Character. With. Their. Theme- I loved it.

Richlands, WA

Pet-friendly stay:

Hampton Inn Richland/Tri-Cities– Such a beautiful stay on the river. I think it was extra to get a room with a river view but it was 100% worth it! Mid-day, sunset, and sunrise were all stunning views! It’s also right next to a really cute park that the toddler and the dogs enjoyed.

We ate at:

Lu Lu Craft Bar + Kitchen– Hands down the best spinach artichoke dip we’ve ever had! Even our son who’s in his anti-green food phase gobbled it down. Lu Lu’s was a little on the uppity side, but their food and marina views were something to boast about.

Seattle, WA

Pet-friendly stay:

Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center– We booked this hotel because of its proximity to the airport. We had a lot going on during our stay here and the staff was extremely helpful making our hectic 48 hours as painless as they could. It was obvious that they’re not only used to the normal airport crowds, but specifically military families moving overseas.

We ate at:

Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops– Another hotel restaurant that we added to the books. We had both dinner and breakfast here and while it was a little overpriced (think airport restaurant prices), it was definitely good food. For dinner, we had a $30 burger + beer meal, which was a special both the Mr. and I were pleased with. Breakfast was better than the expected hotel breakfast. They also have a full Starbucks in the restaurant (Seattle, ya know), which was a plus for me.

Road-trip “essentials”

Since this part of the road trip was more fun than survival, I thought I’d share some of my road trip “essentials” that are less of a need but still must-haves!

Road Trip Must-Haves

1. Hanalei chapstick – Chapstick is an always must-have, but double so out West with the dry climate. I stumbled upon this from an Ipsy bag. At first, it reminded me of a better-smelling Carmex but by the end of the tester, I was hooked. It’s actually the only Ipsy item that I’ve gone through and loved enough to buy the item on its own (mostly just because I’m cheap).

2. Boba Baby Carrier– The one I have is a hand-me-down from my sister but this is basically the same thing. It’s light-weight, protects baby from the elements and most importantly is easy to put on by yourself!

3. Sunglasses– These cute sunglasses are cheap but don’t look it and are durable. Love the style and the brown lenses!

4. Liquid IV– I love using Liquid IV to help keep up my hydration. With breastfeeding and being in the desert it was an extra essential! I’ve found that buying them on Amazon is the cheapest way to do it.

5. Skip Hop Diaper Bag– Got this diaper bag as a gift (thank you Jenna and Ian) with my firstborn and I’m still using it (so you know it holds up)! I love that it looks cute and matches all my outfits but is also practical and it doesn’t scream mom.

6. Packing Organizers– We lived out of suitcases for an eternity and let me tell you, packing organizers make all the difference. I’m never going back to not using them.

All the Amazon links are affiliate links.

Enjoy the ride

Driving through 7 states, TX to WA, in 5 days was a hefty drive with the whole fam but the ride was absolutely breathtaking. Turning a task into a trip made for some great memories.