My wife and I just finished driving to California and back with our three boys. We live in the Eastern Time Zone, so this was a substantial road trip.

Why would anyone drive cross country with three little boys? Are we crazy?

Apparently.

We went to California for my sister-in-law’s wedding. The cost of flying the family there and then renting a minivan for several days was a big factor in the decision to drive.

Plus, we’re crazy.

Sane people would have gone into debt to fly. Probably. Honestly, I have no idea how sane people think.

Driving 5,000 miles (8,000 km) with a one-year-old, a three-year-old, and a seven-year-old was a fun adventure – the kind of fun that takes years off your life.

I’m older now, and wiser. It’s the kind of wisdom that’s only useful for those driving consecutive days with children, which is something, God willing, I will never have to do again. So, it may turn out to be useless wisdom; that would be the best case scenario.

Happy, soothing pictures from the Pacific Ocean to calm my nerves.

In case any friends out there find themselves with such a daunting journey ahead of them, here are some nuggets of wisdom I learned on our trip:

• Nothing makes a preschooler have to pee more urgently than traveling a mile past a rest stop.
• Driving is often touted as a great way to see the country, but America all looks pretty much the same at night. The dashboard lights are the same everywhere.
• One-year-olds can be amazingly peaceful car passengers, for a little while.
• Speed limits are unnecessary if there are enough trucks on the road.
• A three-year-old and a seven-year old can fight over which movie to watch for longer than any movie lasts.
• Everyone knows “I’ll turn this car around and go home!” is an idle threat.
• To Daddy, “I’ll turn this car around and go home!” is a beautiful, forlorn daydream.
• The western states are too big. They should be divided up so kids don’t have to ask, “Are we still in Colorado?” 300 times.
• A seven-year-old + a third row seat + the Rocky Mountains = puke. It’s simple arithmetic.
• The rift between the McDonald’s and Wendy’s factions can tear a weary family apart for the duration of the highway break.
• Regardless of who won the restaurant debate, you’ll have an upset stomach for the next 200 miles.
• Sprint does not operate a single cell tower within the state of Nebraska.
• When the Garmin tells you your next turn is in 524 miles, you are someplace you don’t belong.
• Despite what seems like constant tumult, kids do actually sleep in the car. You realize this when, after arriving home at 7 a.m. and going straight to bed, the kids wake you up two hours later.

Driving across the US and back with small children is not for everyone. Rational, mature, reflective adults have no business attempting it. It’s a fool’s errand, and only we fools know how to do it right.