Digital Nomad Family Cross-Country Road Trip – Course Update #3

by | Jan 15, 2019 | Digital Nomad |

Digital Nomad Family Cross-Country Road Trip – Course Update #3
The magic of these rocks sings to my heart a song of awe and possibility.
We’ve landed in Sedona, AZ. It’s about 60 deg F, and I’m gazing at the beautiful red rocks you see in the image above as I write this. (Yes, I literally JUST took that photo while writing.) I feel like I need to pinch myself because each day I look at these mountains I feel like I just had a dream come true!
So majestic! I know with no reservations that we made the right choice to become digital nomads and come here during our first year.
Our cross-country road trip was full of adventures as we drove from Salem, MA to Sedona AZ (3552 miles roughly) in about 2 weeks… so now I’ll share some of those stories and photos with you.

Road Trip Day 1-4 – Holidays with Family

We spent Yule (Winter Solstice) in the Salem, MA area taking care of business (doctor’s visits, etc) and visiting our friends and family.

Our days were filled with toddler play dates, pizza with friends, and holiday fun with my family.

Then, on Dec 23rd we began the first leg of our cross-country road trip driving to Connecticut to spend Christmas with Brian’s family.

The day after Christmas the journey further south commenced.

Given the winter timing of our trip, we agreed that, while it would take longer, it would be better to take a southern route rather than driving more directly across the country.

I’ve personally experienced enough midwestern snow storms to know that I wasn’t interested in getting stuck in a random hotel in Pennsylvania, Indiana, or Kansas.

 That’s why back in July I started planning this southern route using www.RoadTrippers.com, which is a really great tool for road travel like this. It gives me a rough sense of the distance, and how long it will take to get between different towns, as well as some local attractions and other resources in the area.

Here was the planned route:

Road Trip Day 5 – Connecticut -> Washington, DC

Glory, when you go through EVERY major metro area on the eastern seaboard I suppose it’s no surprise to hit a LOT of traffic (New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC.)
This day was projected to be about 5 hours of driving, but it took closer to 8 hours! 

We were very glad to make it to our hotel that night, but we also were very grateful that our little Pumpkin turns out to be a very contented road tripper (except for nap time).

She’s still not a fan of sleeping in car, unlike her father who has been jokingly referred to as having “car narcolepsy” by several members of his family *hahaha*. 

Road Trip Day 6 – Washington, DC -> Raleigh, NC

We inhaled breakfast at our hotel in DC and hit the road reasonably early, (ok, generally between 9-10am was our version of “early.”)

We encountered a bit of traffic heading out of town, but we made somewhat better time into Raleigh. Our arrival around 4pm allowed us to go out to dinner at the Raleigh Beer Garden, which was both fun and delicious!

Their list of beers on tap is so long and changes so frequently that they don’t even print it. You can go to their website and see everything currently on tap. For craft beer lovers like us, it tons of fun and we would have loved to go back over and over again. 
We got a tasty flight of some local beers that we thoroughly enjoyed, and Pumpkin only knocked over one large cup of water *LOL*. Our server was very kind and gracious even with that bit of extra toddler-induced chaos. 

Road Trip Day 7-10- Raleigh, NC -> Atlanta, GA -> New Orleans, LA

We spent a rest day in Raleigh, NC which gave us time to see my niece Katie and her hubby Cole who live in that area… so sorry we forgot to take a photo!
Then, we drove to Atlanta, GA and spent the evening with my friend and colleague, Monica Ricci, who was such a gracious host. She made us a delicious dinner and offered us both a taste and a tour of her amazing wine collection. 
We share a mutual delight in delicious wine (as well as organizing & productivity work), so Brian and I enjoyed hearing stories of her recent travels to New Zealand and Australia visiting wineries.
Pumpkin enjoyed the opportunity to completely rearrange Monica’s coasters, corks, and decorative lemons. #WhoNeedsToys?
On Dec 30th we drove to New Orleans, LA, and while I’m pleased to say that we made it safe and sound… my phone didn’t.
In the late afternoon we stopped for gas and a diaper change, and when I climbed back into the car I discovered that I didn’t have my phone. *slight panic* I retraced by steps only to discover it in the middle of the parking lot… crushed. *sigh* yeah, that kinda sucked. 
We did some quick research (from Brian’s phone) and found the ONLY Apple Store in New Orleans.
I left a message for the Apple Business Team there since it was late on a Sunday, and by the next morning I spoke with Lester, who promised that if I came at 9:45am that morning they would get me all set up with a new phone! #GoAppleCare
It cost me about $100 to replace, which is a lot better than having to buy a whole new phone. Fortunately, I was smart enough to do a full backup of the phone only a few days earlier while we were still in CT.
So, in the land of losses, this was about as painless as I could have hoped for. 

Road Trip Day 11- New Orleans, LA Play Day

New Year’s Eve in New Orleans!!! We were staying in Old Algiers Point directly across the Mississippi from the French Quarter, so we tossed Pumpkin in a baby carrier, walked to the ferry, and took a 15 minute boat ride across the river to arrive in the heart of New Orleans.
The weather was a bit touch and go with rain, but we brought two umbrellas and fortunately were able to make it though a great walking tour with Alec Quig from Free Tours by Foot.
Ready to refuel a bit after our walking tour, we stopped for Brian and Pumpkin’s first experience of beignets at Cafe du Monde. The line is always horrifyingly long, but it moves quickly and is definitely a fun NOLA experience. Then, we picked up some classic Cajan take-out food to bring home since it was past baby bedtime. 
We enjoyed waving and wishing Happy New Year to the people of the HUGE cruise ship that passed in front of our little ferry on the way home. We could hear the fireworks from our Airbnb late into the night, but we were both passed out by 10:30pm knowing that we had another long driving day tomorrow. 
Brian and I were both delighted and enchanted by NOLA and definitely plan to come back for a longer stay in the next few years. 

Road Trip Day 12-16- New Orleans -> Austin, TX -> Odessa, TX -> Santa Fe, NM

The following day was our longest planned drive from NOLA to Austin, TX.
Fortunately, we didn’t hit any extra traffic, but we still got into the Austin area (well, technically Round Rock, TX) to visit my friend and colleague Angela Ploetz and her family around 7pm.
Pumpkin enjoyed playing with their “DOGGIE!!!” for a little while before we finally got her down for bed, then we enjoyed a late dinner together and a fun game of Apples to Apples (the cleaner version of Cards Against Humanity) with Angela, her two teen/tween daughters, and husband.
The next two days were some of the more challenging driving of the trip… West Texas, well, it stinks. Literally. The oil drilling wells are everywhere, and it positively smells of oil constantly. *blech*

Heading from Odessa, TX to Santa Fe, NM mean that we had to make a quick stop in Roswell, NM for some tacky alien photos, and a really nice lunch at Big D’s Downtown Dive.

NM and AZ had gotten some significant snow in those past few days, so our drive between Roswell and Santa Fe was (surprisingly) some of the more treacherous driving of the trip as the snow blew over the roads and froze into icy sheets. But, some good New England driving sense and a bit of luck meant that we made it safely into Santa Fe.  

Road Trip Day 13 – Santa Fe, NM Play Day

The last “play day” of our journey was spent in Santa Fe, where none of us had been before.
I had always heard wonderful things about this southwestern town, but even with extreme cold and snow on the desert rocks, it took very little time for us to fall in love with this magical, historic town. 
A big win for our visit was when Brian discovered Meow Wolf, which is an experiential, alternative art installation. The original location is in Santa Fe (and was partially funded and supported by George R. R. Martin – of Game of Thrones fame.) However, I hear that they are in the process of opening locations in Las Vegas and Denver in the next several years, so… it may be coming closer to you. 
All I can say is GO!!! It was AMAZING! A magical, creative world that transports you through different environments, Meow Wolf is a fully-immersive experience in eccentric and playful art.
Pumpkin was just as enchanted as we were… WOW!!! 

After a nap, we spent the afternoon grabbing lunch with another friend and colleague, Miriam Ortiz y Pino, who drove up from Albuquerque. (This really has turned into a great way to visit a bunch of my old NAPO friends ;).)

She took us on a personal tour of the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe, and gave us some great insights on the area.

Even before we left town we started planning to come back in 2020.

Road Trip Day 14 – Landing in Sedona/Cottonwood, AZ

One final day of driving, and we arrived at our new home in Cottonwood, AZ (which is one town over from Sedona about 20 minutes). Our little casita is lovely and perfect for us.
We arrived after dark, but the next day we spent time getting more settled, and we discovered that we have a beautiful view toward the Sedona red rocks. 
We have also learned that we’re apparently on a main path for the local javelina. (They look like wild boar, but I’m told they are a different species entirely -Piccary.) So, Brian’s been enjoying grabbing photos of them in between his customer calls *HAHAHA*. Here’s a video for you to enjoy!
We’re thrilled to be spending the next 3 months here, and never more than on days like today when I get to relax, write, and enjoy the beauty of this place.
We’ve hit the nanny lotto in Cottonwood with Paula who has spent the past 2 days with Pumpkin enchanting her with attention, music, and affection. 
I’m looking forward to getting to know some of the local moms who I’ve already connected with via facebook for some play groups.
I’ve already investigated the local libraries, and I just know in my heart that this is going to be a magical season for us. 
I can’t wait to share more stories with you in February about our first month in Sedona, AZ.

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