806 miles. Three bags of Doritos. Seven drinks and four stops for gas. Two teenagers, a packed UHAUL, and a VW hitched up behind. 

We were off on our 12-hour journey from the flat lands of North Dakota to the rolling mountains of Montana. Never did I think it would be a good idea to shove two teenagers into a packed truck and say “Who wants to road trip so I can be the 'new girl' at work?" But, we did it, and we survived.

Barely.  

Tip to keep them from asking 430 times, “is that a mountain?”, just start telling them yes. Before we hit Beach, North Dakota, (the last town before Montana), they were convinced they knew what every mountain looked like and whether it is was an old volcano or not. Side note, western North Dakota is absolutely beautiful, and although they are not mountains, the Badlands are something everyone should see at least one time. 

Pack your phone charger PLUS one extra. For some odd reason, whenever I am on a long trip my phone charger will break. Or just stop working. No matter how hard I try to shove it into my phone, it will quit working. And yes, I did wiggle it. With that being said, I am now 12 hours more educated about the world of Tik-Tok then I ever wanted to be. 

Last but not least, make them look. Point at everything you think is pretty, strange, or just breathtaking. They will admire it. Ask a question about it. Or just say “yeah we know, you think it looks cool”. Being the driver is always the worst, because you cannot look around like you would like to. But you can also watch the kids take in nature and beauty. That you cannot find on Tik-Tok. 

 

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