Two girls. Five days. Nine states. 40 Hours on the road.
After trying to get some sleep Wednesday evening, my friend, Kaylee and I packed up the car and hit the road at 1:00 Thursday morning. Our first destination was 13 hours away.
Let me take a step back to explain why this trip came to be. There’s a music festival in Vermont that has been on my bucketlist for years. Over the past couple years, I refined my bucketlist to be focused on 25 items I can complete by the time I turn 25. As I was turning 24, I pondered which items would actually be attainable. One day, I mentioned this to Kaylee and said this event was on my list, but didn’t think I’d be able to make it. She heard the opportunity for adventure and we went ahead and bought our event tickets. I couldn’t believe it. I was finally going to make it to the Frendly Gathering.
As time went on, we pondered the best way to make the journey. At first the goal was to fly out, but flight tickets continued to rise so we considered other options and decided on driving. Since we were heading that way, we decided to add Niagara Falls to the itinerary to break up the trip and check off another place we’ve never been.
So, we took off at one in the morning, passports in hand (well passport in my fanny pack) ready to go up to Canada so we could check off both sides of the Falls. The road trip started off strong and we were arrived to the border filled with excitement. The border patrol looked at our passports, asked where we were going, how long, where we were going after and sent us to customs to have our car searched.
Apparently, saying you’re only going to be in Canada for a day and then you’re going to a music festival must make you a little suspicious or we look like trouble makers. So we sat as they looked through the car and chuckled at the thought of how disappointed they must be to find coolers full of nothing but snacks, water, Gatorade and capri suns. They gave us the go ahead and we continued on our way through Ontario.
A little shaken and confused, we drove on and finally arrived in Niagara. I was feeling a little irritated and restless from sitting in the car for long as we found a place to park. After getting a little stretch in, we wandered the area and then saw them. Seeing Niagara Falls for the first time is a little unreal. I was expecting to be a little unimpressed, but honestly, I was in awe. The water is incredibly blue, you can tell how powerful the falls are from across the river and there were so many people taking in the views. It was incredible.
After taking in the views, we headed back across the border and didn’t have any issues returning to the US. We found a parking spot and took in the views from the US side.
In my opinion, the Canada side is definitely beautiful because of the view. It also offers a lot of touristy opportunities and activities. I preferred the US side though. On this side, you are right above the falls and can really feel the power of the water pushing through. You can also do things like the Cave of the Winds – which we unfortunately didn’t have time to do. A good alternative, if you’re looking for a similar experience, is to pay a little over $1 to do the observation deck, then ride down the elevator. Once you’re down at the bottom, there are stairs that lead a little ways up and you will get soaked from the falls. Definitely a wicked fun experience, but be prepared to be drenched!
So we marched a little further on and found a hotel a few hours away to shorten our drive on Friday. We got a good night sleep, slept in a bit and hit the road for the final destination.
Just so all of you are aware, Vermont has the cutest little welcome center. It’s like a little log cabin and has some adarondeck chairs around the outside to rest in. We made out pit stop and continued the drive through the mountains that were COVERED in trees. It was unreal and completely breathe-taking. After a few hours, we pulled up to Sugar Bush Mtn, got our tickets for the event and hopped on the shuttle bus to the festival.
The Frendly Gathering was amazing. We set up our tent higher on the mountain, but eventually moved it down below the ski lift to a little less trafficked area and a flatter spot. There were vendors, free filtered-water (you just had to bring a water bottle or cup to fill up), a bunch of food trucks, a mini half-pipe, two stages, a line-up of amazing bands and so many people. The energy was fantastic, the music was amazing and the views were beautiful. We got lucky and avoided the rain, but it got pretty toasty. To beat the heat, we found the river behind the family camp spots and hung out in the water for a little while. The water was extremely refreshing and gave us the energy we needed to head back up to the stages. Sunday morning, we got up, took our tent down, packed up and got in line to wait for the buses. That was probably the most frustrating part, but once I got some coffee in me, things got better.
After leaving SugarBush, we made a quick pit stop by Warren Falls – and wow. It was breathe-taking. The water was crystal clear, the rocks had been smoothed down by years of water running over and around them. We took the time to enjoy the views and take it all in before starting the 20 hour drive back home to Iowa.
This was an amazing trip. I’m so thankful to have a friend like Kaylee that is always up for adventure. I’m thrilled to be able to cross another item off my bucketlist. And I’m excited to (hopefully) make the journey to Frendly Gathering again next year with even more frends.
Do you have a road trip partner? How about any bucketlist items you’re looking forward to check off your list? I’d love to hear about them!
Live big.