One lesson for your trip home: if you plan on hitting Omaha late in the evening and plan on sleeping before 8 AM the next morning, STOP in Omaha! There are NO hotels and not much in the way of eating in western IA.Not sure about the beef jerky, agree with the site of the Rockies, which I actually see every morning on the way to work.

Flying is better... (jk, hate flying, coming back from Florida I had 3 rods broken and a cracked rod case)

You were in Illinois?
You should have stopped by KD, smallies are hitting with a vengeance on poppers and caddis.

lesson 1, carry a cooler with food and soda.

lesson 2 bring a bowl for dog food, don't bring dog food, fast food cheeseburgers work better (my dogs don't eat dog food when in a car, don't know why...)

lesson 3, don't eat at any taco joint, indigestion is inevitable...

lesson 4, for people that tie, bring a vise and some materials, nothing passes time better than spinning up a few local bugs.

lesson 5, next time, FLY!

AP

The best soundtracks depend on the landscape. Don Henley works great in the deserts of New Mexico, for some reason, and I don't even like Don Henley. Stevie Ray Vaughn works great everywhere.

I've found the trips I take with the family now are more painful than the trips I took when I was younger and Dad was doing the driving. I have much more respect for the crap he took from me and my brothers on trips. And yes, that silhouette is just awesome.

Yes, the Rockies are special.

Lessons?

That smell going through Nebraska cattle country during the night? You don't want to see it during the day.

You can get away with the answer, "Five more minutes." for only so long to the question, "Are we there, yet?"

If your spouse/girlfriend drives like a mad woman but criticizes you for going too fast, don't argue. Just comply or it's going to be a long, long trip. Even a slightly off-key, "Yes, dear." is not recommended.

Each kid gets space, arms reach or further from each other. The trunk is an option. Just kidding ... sort of.

iPods and Gameboys are, for once, blessings.

Never leave 5 pounds of fresh, sweet, irresistible Michigan cherries in the back seat with a hungry teenage boy.

I hope you and your family had an excellent and memorable trip.

People get all worked up about traveling abroad. Yeah, that's cool and all, but try to discover America first. It really is awesome out there.

Always force the kids to use the bathroom at every stop. My oldest son was notorious for needing to go 15 minutes after we just stopped. I keep all empty Gatorade bottles for him to use. Cured him in one trip. DVD players, gameboys, mp3 players are great for them on trips. Make sure you have headphones for all or you'll be listening to Shrek or Harry Potter instead of your choice of soundtrack. Make sure all beverages have lids. If everybody else goes to sleep count that as a blessing. Carry an air compressor and tire repair kit.

You are dead on with Robert Earl Keen.

As for the bugs smacking the windshield - yes I am guilty of insect identification. When filling up with gas, do you inspect the inset qualify on the front grill of the truck?

Watching the Rockies appear on the horizon is the most majestic site, especially when driving through Kansas. At least you stayed north and had to veer left or right every 30 miles on I-80. Kansas' I-70 straight as a bone.

Welcome home.

I'm really not a fan of flying. I need gear. I need 2 pairs of waders, I need Glock, I need spinning and fly fishing gear, freeze dried food, I need my library. I stop at Obed pass on rt 16, the Yellowhead Highway, and see the snow covered mtns for the first time. Glock gets a rest stop and I get my rocky mtn high. This is just outside of Hinton Ab., not far from Jasper National Park, and the last third of my trip. I love the drive through pothole country in the US and Canada. The giant metal Canvasback at the rest stop near Minnedosa Manitoba. Driving is the only way to go. Flyover country is my country. You get to see and hear the migration in Oct, snows, blues, sandhill cranes, a first taste of snow, and the fall colors in the mtns. It takes time to drive, but it is time well spent.

Hey Deeter....my #1 rule, only break one rule at a time....Bob Earl is a must...but me being a good Texican, I always have a lot of James McMurtry. I'm still learning traveling with the wee un and will take the advice of others before me.

Sounds like fun and I hope you catch some fish. Me, I would have to say the best lesson I have learned is that when it rains so hard that you can not see through your windshield, it is better to pull over than stay on the road. But when you do pull over, make sure you do so where there is no mud to get you stuck. I learned that the hard way.