Epic (for us) road trip
My 16 year old son and I are going on an epic road trip. It may be mundane for many of you, and would be for me as well, except that for the last 25 years or so I've pretty much stuck to areas within 500 miles of home.
We are leaving Bristol, Virginia tomorrow morning and heading West on I-40. We're not taking the camper (I don't trust my Suburban for that sort of distance, and I couldn't afford to feed it anyway). We are, however, going to be tent camping for most of the trip (all of it if he has his way).
We're looking for not only the normal touristy stuff (Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite, etc.) but also the kitschy stuff (Cadillac Ranch, for example). I recently discovered Canyon de Chelly and we'll be stopping there as well.
We'll leave Vegas and head towards Highway 1 and drive up the coast for a while. I really want him to see that view. Then we'll visit Yosemite. After that, it will really depend on time. I have to be back in mid-July for some teacher in-service stuff. He wants to see Yellowstone as well, so I'd love to take him there and to Mt. Rushmore.
He says he's tired of visiting "old dead guy's houses" so this trip we're looking for more natural and odd things to do. He's not going to be interested in memorials and such (though I may make him go to the Civil Rights Museum and Graceland in Memphis anyway).
We're on a budget (teacher salary here), so any advice on cheap but safe camping spots is greatly appreciated. I know that due to our uncertain travel dates reservations are impossible and it will be hard to find spots in some places like Yosemite. Working in our favor, though, is the fact that we're not locked into a schedule, so can show up early weekday mornings at some of the non-reservation sites and hopefully get lucky. Also working in our favor is that I grew up in Las Vegas and we'll be staying with my friend in her nice air-conditioned house instead of in the tent. :)
Thanks for any input. I want this to be a very memorable experience for him...a true tour of much of our country.
We are leaving Bristol, Virginia tomorrow morning and heading West on I-40. We're not taking the camper (I don't trust my Suburban for that sort of distance, and I couldn't afford to feed it anyway). We are, however, going to be tent camping for most of the trip (all of it if he has his way).
We're looking for not only the normal touristy stuff (Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite, etc.) but also the kitschy stuff (Cadillac Ranch, for example). I recently discovered Canyon de Chelly and we'll be stopping there as well.
We'll leave Vegas and head towards Highway 1 and drive up the coast for a while. I really want him to see that view. Then we'll visit Yosemite. After that, it will really depend on time. I have to be back in mid-July for some teacher in-service stuff. He wants to see Yellowstone as well, so I'd love to take him there and to Mt. Rushmore.
He says he's tired of visiting "old dead guy's houses" so this trip we're looking for more natural and odd things to do. He's not going to be interested in memorials and such (though I may make him go to the Civil Rights Museum and Graceland in Memphis anyway).
We're on a budget (teacher salary here), so any advice on cheap but safe camping spots is greatly appreciated. I know that due to our uncertain travel dates reservations are impossible and it will be hard to find spots in some places like Yosemite. Working in our favor, though, is the fact that we're not locked into a schedule, so can show up early weekday mornings at some of the non-reservation sites and hopefully get lucky. Also working in our favor is that I grew up in Las Vegas and we'll be staying with my friend in her nice air-conditioned house instead of in the tent. :)
Thanks for any input. I want this to be a very memorable experience for him...a true tour of much of our country.
