Nebraska and Back: 10 days, 6 states, 5 hotels, 1 speeding ticket and 3,000 miles in a 2013 Cadillac SRX

Honestly, before this trip I would never have considered getting a Cadillac. To me, luxury meant European - preferably German. Caddys were what grandmas in Boca Raton drove. But after 10 days of practically living out of the back of the 2013 SRX, I'm now obsessively wanting to get one. Without a doubt I can say this was THE best car for our family road trip and we loved (almost) every minute of riding in it. 

Our trip took us out to Omaha NE to visit Jason's family for Thanksgiving. The route took us up the I-15 through Nevada, the corner of Arizona, Utah, up through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and across the Western plains of Nebraska. Some areas were breathtakingly beautiful and serene, while others were…um… not. I lost my favorite pair of flats, the kids watched about 25 movies (some a few times) and we experienced a trip of a thousand family memories. 

"Like a Lear Jet on Wheels" - Jason on Twitter

While the SRX is a crossover SUV, it drives like a sedan. Smooth and quiet, this car has power and our model had all the bells and whistles. The moon roof that stretched back over the backseat was perfect for not feeling "cooped up" after 7 hours of driving, and offered the kids a panoramic view of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains and unique sandstone canyons of Utah. The back-up camera helped us to make sure we were not about to run over a left-out piece of luggage, while the side mirrors signaled if there was someone in our "blind spot." And did you know that after a long day in the car, the seat warmers act like a heating pad to ease your sore back? That's not something you see in the literature! 

The Cadillac CUE system kept the kids entertained in the back with the Blu-Ray player, and mommy and daddy happy to be able to listen to the music THEY wanted to in the front. The navi led us astray once or twice - but for the most part kept us on route, with weather and traffic updates in addition to where the closest Starbucks was located. We even got the "chance" to test out OnStar's emergency service when we came upon the scene of an overturned big rig outside of Moab just minutes after it flipped. 

And yes, the car drove so smooth and quiet that Jason even got a speeding ticket. 

In his defense, he was going 10 MPH more than the posted speed limit and within the flow of traffic - but I'm sure that NE State Trooper saw the CA plates and thought there was no way we'd be back to fight it. Regardless - what's a road trip without a ticket of some sort? 

And we put that car through the paces. Packing it up, in and out, fast and slow, up and down altitudes of thousands of feet above sea level and across rolling, flat plains - the SRX PERFORMED. It got good gas milage and looked as good in Moab, Utah as it did pulling up to the Aria in Las Vegas. We were all comfortable and able to charge up when needed with the multiple USB ports throughout the car. My kids normally can't drive to Target and back without fighting, and while the trip wasn't scuffle free, they did about 90x better than I expected them to do. And yes, I will happily give the SRX credit for that.  

I will admit, when they came to take the car back yesterday I considered chaining myself to it and screaming "NOOOOOOOO!"

1 vehicle, 3,000 miles and about a bazillion memories….

*Thank you to the GM West News PR team for allowing us to drive this car for our trip! Opinions are true and our own. While we were loaned the car for the purpose of this travel, we were not compensated for any tweets or posts. But we would totally be okay if the car reappeared in the driveway with a note saying "it's yours!" tomorrow. Just throwing that out there. You know - "the secret" style and all. 

Holiday Insanity? Prepping for a 10-Day Family Road Trip

What happens when 2 bloggers and their 2 kids hop into a 2013 Cadillac SRX Crossover?

Yeah... I'm not so sure. 

Sometimes I wonder about my sanity. On top of work, my blog, the gala I'm helping with and the impending holidays, we decided it would be a good idea to take a 10-day roadtrip out to Omaha, NE to see Jason's family for Thanksgiving. While Jason grew up with road trips and actually sees them as relaxing all I think is "OMG STUCK IN THE CAR WITH THE KIDS FOR HOURS ON END!" as I start to hyperventilate. 

The key to a road-trip is obviously to make the driving as fun as possible and I have to say I'm very excited to be making the drive in the SRX, on loan to us from GMC West for the trip. With the entertainment system in the car, plus all our various iDevices, I'm hoping the trip flies by in a series of naps, movies and photo stops. But the complusive planner in me is stressing, which is why I thought I would share my (non-expert!) list on prepping for a road-trip.

1) Plan out the route - but don't set it in stone

The last time we made this trip we were re-routed a few times by weather. Instead of going up and over the Rocky Mountains as planned, we ended up taking a southern route though New Mexico and Kansas. While stressful at the time, we saw parts of the country that we never even expected to see. But we also lost money on hotels paid for in advance. Luckily with all the apps out there we will never really be stranded without a room for the night, so while we are making reservations, we are not paying for anything up front.

2) Packing smaller "hotel bags"

While I plan on taking the big ticket items out of the car at night (ie: computer bags, iPads), it's nice to not have to take everything out of the car. We pack smaller "trip bags" with just the things we need for the on-the-road part of the trip so we don't have to unpack and repack each day of the drive.

3) Mapping it out with the kids

While the getting out to Omaha, NE part of the trip will be the direct route, coming back we decided to take an extra 2 days and let the kids chose where to stop - well, to an extent. While they wanted to see the Grand Canyon, after looking at the map we realized that probably would be too much of a non-direct haul, so we decided to stop in Moab, UT and see Arches National Park. 

And the 2nd stop that the kids wanted? Vegas, Baby. I guess it stems from us always saying how fun Sin City is... but even though we won't be partying it up, we are staying on the strip and going to show them some of the tamer sights the city has to offer. 

But you know the trip wouldn't be as much fun with out Jason and I broadcasting our every move. So yes, we will be tweeting, blogging, instagraming and updating statuses along the way. 

Follow along with us at #SRXRoadTrip - tell us where to eat, what sights to see and if there is someplace we need to stop.