6 days. 40 in-car hours. 2400 miles. 8 states.

McKenna and I took our first summer road trip. We left Thursday and returned Tuesday. It was, overall, uneventful. We encountered tornadic weather near Kansas City, Missouri, and the Jeep quit just as I entered the exit ramp in Moorhead. Somewhere near Uniontown, in southern Indiana, the echoes of a 4-year old's meltdown are probably still reverberating in the trees and hills. But that was it.

States we drove through: ND, MN, WI, IL, IN, KY, MI, IA

We pretty much drove all day, got to a hotel, ate, swam and slept. Still, we drove by interesting places; the scenery around Louisville, Kentucky, is pretty. Fort Knox and the Patton museum sounded intriguing. In St. Louis, we drove around the Arch. St. Charles, Missouri is probably worth another look! In fact, St. Louis definitely looked like somewhere I would like to visit.

I highly recommend the KOA in Oak Grove, Missouri, as the cabin was super clean, the grounds inviting, and the people friendly. The Comfort Suites in Albert Lea also deserves a nod; i was quoted $98 a night for either a smoking/Queen room or a non-smoking/King. The gal at the desk then offered us the jacuzzi executive suite for the same price. However, when she printed the invoice, it was actually $84! Whoohoo!