Thadventure

About

A neighbor innocently walking his dog asked where I am living now. “He’s in Cincinnati for ten more days.” said my dad.

“Oh where are you moving to?” the neighbor questions.

“I’ll be moving into my car and driving to Alaska.” I said with a grin

The neighbor laughed at what must have seemed like a weird stab at comedy.

“No, seriously.” my mom added.

“Oh”

The summary of my trip has typically been framed as “going to Alaska”, but it’s a bit more than that, as indicated by the fact I start by going south. Why am I starting an adventure to the last frontier by going to New Orleans, Vegas, and Idaho? The answer: Frostop

The Route

Clicking away on the internet, I found out that my favorite drive-in restaurant from Huntington, WV was not the only one of its name. Back when this trip seemed unlikely, I was plotting a map across the USA to see what it would look like to visit the remaining 13 Frostop drive-ins. That map is still serving as the structure of my current trip. The key points as seen on the map below are New Orleans, St George’s, Utah, and Ashton Idaho. My current route now includes plenty of national parks to burn off the calories of corn dogs and rootbeer. I am still aiming to visit all of the remaining Frostop locations as a side quest. The map below shows the route to navigate all Frostop locations.

Stage 1: Get to Vegas

While the route was originally planned around Frostop, my friend Ridge ended up planning his bachelor party around when I would be in Vegas’ vicinity. This has become one of the trip’s fixed points. I will spend the first two weeks working through the South’s casual drive-in eateries, spending time with my sisters in Texas, and hiking a handful of national parks in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. This is the shortest and least isolated phase of my expedition.

Stage 2: Get to Alaska

Stage 2 will be just as much driving but at a less intense pace. Utah, Idaho, and Canada seem to have plenty to offer. This is where sleeping in my car and going weeks without seeing someone I know will kick in.

Stage 3: Get Home

At the time of writing this, this is the most abstract step. The biggest factor will be money. I intend on visiting Glacier, Yellowstone, and the Tetons on my way “home”, but I will also be keeping my eye open for future places to call home. If the money can last, then I will try to delay returning to the real world as long as possible.

Trip Itinerary

Here is a list of all the national parks and some notable spots I plan on stopping.

NP = National Park

  • Arches NP
  • Arctic Circle
  • Badlands, NP
  • Banff, Canada
  • Big Bend NP
  • Bryce Canyon NP
  • Canyonlands NP
  • Capitol Reef NP
  • Carlsbad Caverns NP
  • Cheyenne, WY
  • Denali NP
  • Fairbanks, AK
  • Glacier NP
  • Grand Canyon NP
  • Grand Tetons, NP
  • Guadalupe Mountains NP
  • Houston and San Antonio, Texas
  • Idaho (all over)
  • Kenai Fjords NP
  • Las Vegas, NV
  • New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Petrified Forest NP
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • Sedona, AZ
  • Valley of Fire State Park
  • White Sands NP
  • Wrangell – St. Elias NP
  • Yellowstone, NP
  • Zion NP