Over 28 days, across 25 states, totaling 9100 miles, the Fravel family, under unprecedented times, decided to make their quarantine days a little more exciting.

Around two years ago Dan Fravel, father of three, presented an idea to his family to travel across the country, via truck and motorcycle, over a month-long time period. At the time, his proposal fell flat with the family. However, this past spring, along with the pandemic, such an idea saw hope within the family. 

The youngest of two sons, Gavin Fravel, stated, “When he brought it up again [during the pandemic] my initial thought was ‘yes.’” 

He continued to express his worries, but once he found out his sister, Lexi was on board, he said, “Let’s send it.”

Such an extensive trip was not something they could do on a complete whim. The family took a small excursion to make sure they had all of the essentials. 

“The week before, we did a family tenting trip locally to Pine Creek to ensure we had all the essential camping gear,” Dan said.

Once they completed their small trip, they were ready to begin the full 28-day trek across the country. They started in the state of Pennsylvania, where they then first stopped in South Dakota at the Black Hills. From there they would visit 24 other states including, Nevada, Oregon, and Arkansas. Within their journey, some of the more prominent places they visited were Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, and even the Rockies in Colorado. Now, with such a jam packed trip, Dan even fitted time in to go visit an old college roommate who he met up with in San Francisco for four days.

Along such a journey, there were many highs within the family’s experiences. One of Gavin’s all time favorite places to visit along the trip was the Salt Flats in Utah. “To see such a wide open flat area of just salt,” was something he would never forget. Additionally, he described how in the Grand Tetons, Wyoming, being able to fly fish and see the “13,000 foot elevation snow capped mountains” were also highlights among his experiences. 

Dan, however, though he shared similar likings to the Grand Tetons and the Salt Flats, one of his favorite places was the Grand Canyon. He marveled at how “insanely massive” the Grand Canyon appeared in person. 

As every great thing in life has to come to an end, so did the Fravel’s journey. Such an adventure is bound to leave lasting memories and experiences throughout the family that will be told for years to come. 

“[I] would not change a thing other than doing a 60 day trip instead of a 30,” Dan said.