We’re currently a little under two weeks deep into our 3-month cross-country road trip, and our latest chapter could best be described as: “Just Keep Driving.”

This particular leg? A 400-miles-a-day dash across Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Why? Because we had to be selective with our time—this is a marathon, not a sightseeing sprint—and frankly, we’re saving our oohs and aahs for Southern California sunshine and beach tacos.

Also: Millie.

Millie, our sweet little trooper, is still in recovery mode, so we’re on a tight loop of drive, potty breaks, hydrate, Millie’s meds, repeat. We’re now roadside comfort specialists—just without the pay, benefits, or fancy title. But hey, at least we can now tell if a gas station bathroom has soap before emotionally committing. (Pro tip: if the key is attached to a hubcap or a canoe paddle, keep driving.)

We’re blazing through state lines like we’re leveling up in some weird geography simulator—every detour just adds to the challenge rating. Think Mario Kart, but with more road work and fewer banana peels. 

Louisiana was all about humidity, jazz, and not stopping for beignets (regret level: medium-high).

Texas was long. Like, really long. Like, “are we in a time loop?” long. We swear we passed the same Buc-ee’s three times.

New Mexico has us flirting with alien abduction just to shake up the monotony.

Arizona: come for the cacti, stay because your tires are melting into the pavement and you physically can’t leave.

Let it be known: on previous road trips we spent plenty of time in these amazing states. But for now, the mission is speed—tempered with lots of breaks because, again, Millie needs her TLC (and frankly, so do we).

It may not be glamorous, but hey—turns out all you need for road warrior success is caffeine, decent story narration, and the blind optimism of people who forgot how big Texas is.

So onward to Southern California—land of In-N-Out burgers, surfboards, and the kind of sunsets that will definitely make it onto our blog if we can get a break from the infamous June gloom.

We’ll check in again soon—hopefully with fewer miles behind us and a little more beach in front of us.