Day 7: 1K Country Adventure Comes to an End

Yesterday, on our last full day of the 1K Country Adventure we found out our mystery final destination was…. College Station, Texas? Believe me, when we headed south from the Dallas area Saturday morning (from the lovely College Inn & Suites Lewisville, with its rock-star shortbread cookies; hi to DaRon & Jose!) we figured for sure we were ending our fun week-long road trip in Austin — and we were super excited. But when we received our final video clue that sent us to College Station, we were… confused.

Then it all became clear… the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson College Station had just opened and it was the brand’s 500th property! A huge milestone for the Carlson family. And this particular brand-spanking-new hotel is absolutely lovely — classy and elegant and cozy all at the same time.

The best part for this road-weary crew? A fabulous outdoor pool! It was the first outdoor pool we’d encountered all week, and we took advantage of it! In fact, since we’d arrived at the property at 3 p.m. — the earliest we’d “finished” our day yet — nearly all of us cooled off and relaxed in the pool before dinner. My son got tossed around not only by his own dad, but by Sharlene Earnshaw’s husband, too!

While we were frankly disappointed to make it to central Texas and not see Austin, the week wrapped-up beautifully. Had we been in a city where we really wanted to sightsee, we likely wouldn’t have kicked back and just relaxed and chatted with the Earnshaws, and played in the pool with our kids. It was by far the most relaxed I was all week!

And, truly, getting to know the Earnshaws, the Svebacks, the social-media team at Country Inns & Suites by Carlson and all of their marketing partners has been an absolute pleasure. The amount of ground we covered (2,000 miles, not 1,000!) the sights we saw (St. Louis’ Gateway Arch tops the list), the amazing countryside we passed (Wisconsin’s green hills, red barns and dome-topped silos are etched in my memory) were all phenomenal, but I think it’s the new friendships we made that really enhanced our trip.

In the courtyard at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

I also learned that my kids are phenomenal road-trippers; we had few meltdowns, even at the fast pace we traveled, unpacking in a new hotel every night. I was so proud of my well-behaved road-warriors! And, as usual on vacation, I fell in love with my husband all over again. When I panic because we’re lost, or I get frustrated and snap because I’m tired, or I’m hot and cranky (oh, Texas is steamy in the summer), he is continually even-keeled and patient with me. Plus, the man drove the bulk of the trip — at least 1,800 of the 2,000 miles we covered! He is a saint.

Would I do this trip again? Absolutely — just not in one week. I’m absolutely thrilled we got to experience so many Country Inns & Suites in such a short amount of time (and, really, the service was excellent at all eight). But I’d have loved to linger longer at each of them — getting to know those areas of the country even better. For our next trip, this family will definitely be stopping to smell the roses a lot more.

Spying on a spider at the Las Colinas flower clock.

We’re so appreciative of Country Inns & Suites By Carlson for hosting us, of Avis for providing our cool Ford Flexes to drive. We had fun using our JVC camcorder and Samsung Moment for Sprint; the Duracell charger came in handy; and the kids loved the Polar Bottles, Travel Kiddy activity kits and Table Topics. Many, many thanks to all who worked so hard to provide the Williams family with a road-trip of a lifetime! We’re forever grateful.

Suite Stops Day 7

• Mustangs of Las Colinas
• Las Colinas Flower Clock
• Cowboys Stadium, Arlington
• Country Inns & Suites College Station

Previous posts:

• Day 6, 1K Country Adventure: Oklahoma to Texas
• Day 5, 1K Country Adventure: Kansas to Oklahoma
• Day 4, 1K Country Adventure: Missouri to Kansas
• Day 3, 1K Country Adventure: Illinois to Missouri
• Day 2, 1K Country Adventure: Wisconsin to Illinois
• Day 1, 1K Country Adventure:  Minnesota to Wisconsin
• Pre-Trip Excitement
• My Family is Going on a Mystery Road Trip

If you’ve had fun following our road-trip adventure, consider planning your own here: www.countryinns.com/1kcountry.

Disclosure: A significant portion of the costs and resources for my family’s participation in the 1K Country Adventure was provided by Country Inns & Suites By Carlson.