Road Trip Superlatives

And we're off!

I'm going to be honest here, folks -- I am struggling to figure out how to recap this summer's road trip without it turning into a straight up travelogue!  And nobody wants to read that, amiright??  Hahaha.  (I know I don't even want to.)  So, instead of straining my brain any longer tonight, I'm going to ease into the recapping by handing out some Road Trip Superlatives for the highlights (and some lowlights) of our meander through the Midwest...

CATEGORY:  Pitstops 

Sleeper Hit -- The Music Man Square

Based on the lackluster response I received after forcing everyone to watch The Music Man before we left on our road trip, I assumed that our stop in Mason City, Iowa would be of little interest to anyone.  Well, color me surprised because it was kind of a hit!  Hahaha.  The Music Man Square was such a good time, in fact, that it raised Isaac's estimation of the movie from a 3 out of 10 to an 8.

Biggest Bust -- Hobo Museum

Womp womp.  Not gonna lie -- the National Hobo Museum in Britt, IA was one of the main attractions for our trip.  I even arranged the entire itinerary's timing to make sure we were there on a day it would be open!  Alas, it was not to be.  I guess it's not too surprising that having a museum staffed solely by available volunteers in a tiny little town might not guarantee regular and consistent hours. Booooooo!!!

Most Anticipated -- King's Island

I kid you not -- throughout the entire course of our road trip, I overheard more kid conversations about the rides at King's Island  than I can count.  To the point that I'm not even sure why I planned anything else for the itinerary since this was clearly the big hurrah in all of their minds!  Hahaha.  (I'm being completely serious.  Haha.)  While I hate amusement park rides with a passion, I loved seeing how happy and excited everyone was for our last stop on the road.

Most Polarizing -- River Tubing

When I planned a river tubing expedition in Iowa for one of the days on our trip, I was not expecting the extreme reaction that I got.  Alex absolutely hated almost every second of it (and it was a LONG ride down the river; endlessly so in his opinion), while Grace couldn't stop raving about how much she loved it for pretty much the entire time.  I guess you could say it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.  Hahaha.

Best Views -- Mackinac Island

From the gorgeous gardens to the stunning vistas to the lovely sunsets, there were so many beautiful things to see!

CATEGORY:  Pictures

Best Sunset -- Mackinac Island

I mean, come on.  How gorgeous is that??

Favorite Felfie -- Paul Bunyan statue

Random?  Yes.  But for whatever reason, I just really love this family selfie in front of the Paul Bunyan statue in Manastique, MI and it's kind of my fave.

Funniest Re-creation -- Isaac as Meredith Wilson

Hahahahahahaha.

Most Iconic -- Selfie with a Seagull

During our 2017 road trip up the east coast, Grace unintentionally started a running bit of trying to take a selfie with a seagull everywhere we went.  Five years later, the gag is still going strong.  

CATEGORY:  Playlists  {Before the trip, I encouraged each kid to create their own playlist to rotate through while driving.  Everyone but Grace humored my request and came up with some very THEM collections.}

Most Played -- "SUS"

Seeing as to how it was only 5 songs long (and most of them veritable earworms), we listened to Isaac's playlist more than any of the others.  Titled "SUS" -- and including such classics as "Don't Call Me a Noob" and "I've Got No Time" -- this curation was not quite on auto-repeat, but it sure got a lot of mileage.  Hahaha.  Those Robloxian struggles, am I right?  Hahahahahaha.

Least Surprising -- jane's mix

Jane's playlist was almost entirely made up of Taylor Swift songs and Glee cover songs.  Given that Glee has been her summer musical obsession, and she's a diehard Swiftie, there were no surprises on the roster.

Most Eclectic -- SOPHIE SLAYS

I've got to admit -- I was not expecting half the songs on Sophie's playlist.  Along with a surprising number of 90s hits (many of which were popular when I was her age), there were also contemporary hits, some singer-songwriter-y stuff, and some more Glee covers along with Taylor Swift.  (Sophie and Jane have done a lot of bonding this summer.)  Sophie also wins the sub-superlative of "Longest Playlist," clocking in at 89 songs and almost 6 hours worth of listening time.  Haha.

And that's going to have to be a wrap for tonight!  Next time I blog, I'll be recapping the road trip for real.  ;)