From Florida to California and Back: 6,169 Miles of Adventure in Our Jeep Gladiator There is something special about packing up the Jeep, pointing it west, and watching America unfold mile by mile through the windshield. What started as a road trip from Florida to…
Driving from Gallup to the Grand Canyon Through Flagstaff and the Arizona High Country Leaving Gallup and heading west on Interstate 40 toward Arizona is one of the most scenic stretches of a cross-country road trip. As the miles roll by, the landscape slowly changes…
A Stop on Route 66: Staying at Hotel El Rancho in Gallup, New Mexico on a Florida to California Road Trip Driving from Florida to California is the kind of road trip that feels like several vacations in one, and one of the most memorable stops along the way is Gallup,…
Buc-ee’s Amarillo, Texas: The Ultimate Road Trip Stop for Food, Shopping, and Cheap Gas Buc-ee’s in Amarillo, Texas, is much more than a gas station—it feels like a destination all on its own. Conveniently located along Interstate 40, the massive travel center is hard…
A Spiritual Detour Along Route 66: Visiting The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Groom, Texas After leaving Wichita Falls during our cross-country road trip to California, we decided to make a detour west toward the small town of Groom to visit the incredible Cross…
After a long day of driving across Arizona, we made an overnight stop in Kingman before continuing west on our cross-country road trip. We stayed at the Clarion Inn Kingman I-40 Route 66, which turned out to be a comfortable and relaxing place to recharge for the night. The hotel was clean, quiet, and conveniently located near Interstate 40, making it an easy stop for travelers making their way across Route 66 and the Southwest. After spending long hours on the road, having a nice clean room and friendly atmosphere made the evening much more enjoyable.
One thing I wanted to try while traveling through the western United States was the famous In-N-Out Burger. Since there are no locations near home in Florida, this was my first opportunity to finally see what all the hype was about. The restaurant was busy and clearly very popular with both locals and travelers passing through town. The burgers were fresh, the service was fast, and the food was good, but after hearing so much about it over the years, I personally felt it was a little overrated.
Everyone has their own burger preferences, but for me, I still prefer Five Guys burgers overall. I enjoy the thicker burgers, larger topping selection, and fresh-cut fries that Five Guys offers. That said, trying In-N-Out Burger was still a fun part of the road trip experience and one of those iconic stops you almost feel required to make when traveling through the Southwest.
After getting some rest in Kingman, the adventure continues with the next major stop: Hoover Dam. The drive toward Nevada and seeing Hoover Dam for the first time was an experience all its own, and that will be featured in the next blog post from this unforgettable Florida-to-California road trip.
