It's Now or Never - 1 year country tour

tragusa3 wrote:

spoon059 wrote:

MPond wrote:

4runnerguy wrote:
I've been almost everywhere you've got on your map, and I have to say you'll miss some of the most fantastic scenery in the country if you can't make time to visit SW Colorado (the San Juans, Salida/Buena Vista, Mesa Verde, etc.) and southern Utah (Bryce, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands). I'd gladly give up several of the weeks you have scheduled for Nebraska, Oklahoma, TX, and going to Pikes Peak :p to be able to take your kids to some of the most wonderful and magical places in the US. Places like Durango, Moab, Salida, and St. George will have the business facilities you might need on the road

...

I would pay serious attention to these comments from 4runnerguy. The SW Colorado (San Juans) and Southern Utah areas are absolutely breathtaking. We go back there every couple years, and never get tired of it. We're going again this year and are counting the days..

In the San Juans I'd highly recommend Ouray, CO and Silverton, CO, and in Utah I would never miss a chance to stop at Canyonlands NP (Island in the Sky region).

I'll third that notion. I had some great memories from our trip. The American Southwest are among the best.

Carlsbad Caverns was one of the coolest places I've ever been. Standing in the 4 corners was a fun experience. The Mesa Verde cliff dwellings were amazing. The landscape and colors of the desert out their were breathtaking. 20 years later, still very vivid memories.

A fourth here...I took my family to this area for 6 weeks last summer. It was an experience beyond our dreams. I have a trip report here if interested.

Good on you for making this happen for your family. Having a "unique to your family" adventure is worth its weight in gold for your relationships with each other.

I'm in a unique position for our family to do 2 month trips each year (probably less than 1% of working folks)....you are the .1% to have a YEAR.

Research, research, research!

Mpond also has a great log of his family travels -- do a search - If I am correct he is also into the Programing thing.

Let me just add to Kens comments - IMHO the trips east and west are OK but what we have learned is so much better to work North South and use the elevations to cool off in the summer and the desert to warm up in the winter. You are much better served with the use of your time to stay put and sort of circle out to explore.

Just one more emphasis on the Southwest - Yellowstone is the most diverse and expansive place on earth. Glacier is just plain Beautiful.
Having been to most of these places many times I personally have never had more pure enjoyment for the Wild Unspoiled Beauty that is available in Colorado and Utah. If I only had one year to explore 50% of the time would be in the Southwest - Mountains, Rivers, Red Rocks, Wild, uncrowded, and just simply the BEST.

Having six granddaughters now, I can understand why Micky and the Rockies with the Ski resorts and Large lakes can add some diversity in the summer for the DD, just a thought. After a visit to Maroon Bells one September I ask the GD's what was the most enjoyable thing we did "skipping rocks on the creek" They just want to have fun, but they will remember.

No matter how you do it will never be forgotten and always appreciated.

BOL,

Just poking my nose in here to follow your adventures. You are doing what most campers dream about.

Have a wonderful trip. We took the kids for a month long trip west and as adults they have wonderful, funny, and some intense memories that we talk about a lot. I would suggest keeping a journal of your adventures, campgrounds, and all the funny things that happen.

spoon059 wrote:

MPond wrote:

4runnerguy wrote:
I've been almost everywhere you've got on your map, and I have to say you'll miss some of the most fantastic scenery in the country if you can't make time to visit SW Colorado (the San Juans, Salida/Buena Vista, Mesa Verde, etc.) and southern Utah (Bryce, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands). I'd gladly give up several of the weeks you have scheduled for Nebraska, Oklahoma, TX, and going to Pikes Peak :p to be able to take your kids to some of the most wonderful and magical places in the US. Places like Durango, Moab, Salida, and St. George will have the business facilities you might need on the road

...

I would pay serious attention to these comments from 4runnerguy. The SW Colorado (San Juans) and Southern Utah areas are absolutely breathtaking. We go back there every couple years, and never get tired of it. We're going again this year and are counting the days..

In the San Juans I'd highly recommend Ouray, CO and Silverton, CO, and in Utah I would never miss a chance to stop at Canyonlands NP (Island in the Sky region).

I'll third that notion. I had some great memories from our trip. The American Southwest are among the best.

Carlsbad Caverns was one of the coolest places I've ever been. Standing in the 4 corners was a fun experience. The Mesa Verde cliff dwellings were amazing. The landscape and colors of the desert out their were breathtaking. 20 years later, still very vivid memories.

A fourth here...I took my family to this area for 6 weeks last summer. It was an experience beyond our dreams. I have a trip report here if interested.

Good on you for making this happen for your family. Having a "unique to your family" adventure is worth its weight in gold for your relationships with each other.

I'm in a unique position for our family to do 2 month trips each year (probably less than 1% of working folks)....you are the .1% to have a YEAR.

Research, research, research!

MPond wrote:

4runnerguy wrote:
I've been almost everywhere you've got on your map, and I have to say you'll miss some of the most fantastic scenery in the country if you can't make time to visit SW Colorado (the San Juans, Salida/Buena Vista, Mesa Verde, etc.) and southern Utah (Bryce, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands). I'd gladly give up several of the weeks you have scheduled for Nebraska, Oklahoma, TX, and going to Pikes Peak :p to be able to take your kids to some of the most wonderful and magical places in the US. Places like Durango, Moab, Salida, and St. George will have the business facilities you might need on the road

...

I would pay serious attention to these comments from 4runnerguy. The SW Colorado (San Juans) and Southern Utah areas are absolutely breathtaking. We go back there every couple years, and never get tired of it. We're going again this year and are counting the days..

In the San Juans I'd highly recommend Ouray, CO and Silverton, CO, and in Utah I would never miss a chance to stop at Canyonlands NP (Island in the Sky region).

I'll third that notion. I had some great memories from our trip. The American Southwest are among the best.

Carlsbad Caverns was one of the coolest places I've ever been. Standing in the 4 corners was a fun experience. The Mesa Verde cliff dwellings were amazing. The landscape and colors of the desert out their were breathtaking. 20 years later, still very vivid memories.

4runnerguy wrote:
I've been almost everywhere you've got on your map, and I have to say you'll miss some of the most fantastic scenery in the country if you can't make time to visit SW Colorado (the San Juans, Salida/Buena Vista, Mesa Verde, etc.) and southern Utah (Bryce, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands). I'd gladly give up several of the weeks you have scheduled for Nebraska, Oklahoma, TX, and going to Pikes Peak :p to be able to take your kids to some of the most wonderful and magical places in the US. Places like Durango, Moab, Salida, and St. George will have the business facilities you might need on the road

...

I would pay serious attention to these comments from 4runnerguy. The SW Colorado (San Juans) and Southern Utah areas are absolutely breathtaking. We go back there every couple years, and never get tired of it. We're going again this year and are counting the days..

In the San Juans I'd highly recommend Ouray, CO and Silverton, CO, and in Utah I would never miss a chance to stop at Canyonlands NP (Island in the Sky region).

That helped. Yes, you will be East of Sierras on second trip. You have a pin at Carson City. I expect you intended to make the side trek to Lake Tahoe but if not, you want to do that. You can drive around the lake in one day with stops at interesting places.

Your route through Louisiana puts you within 30 miles of my home town.

OutdoorPhotographer wrote:
Early May is perfect for Yosemite. You do NOT want to be there after school gets out. After the dogwood bloom in May, it goes downhill and the park gets crowded. Don't get me wrong, there is no bad day in Yosemite but the crowds in the summer make it frustrating. Glacier Point Road will almost certainly be open. Tioga Road will depend on the winter. If Tioga Road is closed, the falls will be better so you get one or the other.

On the CA Coast, like someone said, you do not want to drive the Pacific Coast Highway towing a trailer but you must make the drive. I recomend leaving your camper in Monterey area and driving down to Cambria and then back to Monterey. You'll have to cross Pacheco Pass to get to I-5 from Monterey but that's doable. I couldn't tell your route for your second CA trip. It looked like you were doing Yosemite, then Tahoe, then heading south on the East side of the Sierra's to Death Valley. Is that accurate? If you had Sequoia on your list, you could go to Mariposa Grove in Yosemite to see a sequoia grove and skip Sequoia. I'm not saying Sequoia isn't great (though I prefer Kings Canyon - the adjacent NP), but if you are in a time crunch, it's a stop you could trade for something else.

Too much beauty, not enough time! My kids are now old enough to realize how blessed they are to see as much as they have being Navy brats but it just makes them want to travel more!

Sounds like I'm hitting Yosemite at a better time than I knew! :) I really have no idea of my route in California- I figured I'd play it by ear and check for specific details as I get to those legs. But I'll keep this thread and the recommendations handy.

As for the second Califnornia visit- I'm not positive what all places that we are hitting. I was a little shocked how little geography that I knew of these Good Ole USA. See if zooming into this route helps your questions:
http://rvparky.com/trip/5811140770660352

My spring is going east to west from Florida to California before heading north to head east if that makes sense.

As for our driving days- my goal is to make as many as possible in just one day or one long day and a short day up to 500 miles or so.

Oh yeah, two days full driving is about as much as you want to do to keep it from being a slog. We tried to be on the road by 8:30 but be set up by around 6pm so we could get dinner, have a little break and get to bed at a decent hour to be out by 8:30 the next day.

Early May is perfect for Yosemite. You do NOT want to be there after school gets out. After the dogwood bloom in May, it goes downhill and the park gets crowded. Don't get me wrong, there is no bad day in Yosemite but the crowds in the summer make it frustrating. Glacier Point Road will almost certainly be open. Tioga Road will depend on the winter. If Tioga Road is closed, the falls will be better so you get one or the other.

On the CA Coast, like someone said, you do not want to drive the Pacific Coast Highway towing a trailer but you must make the drive. I recomend leaving your camper in Monterey area and driving down to Cambria and then back to Monterey. You'll have to cross Pacheco Pass to get to I-5 from Monterey but that's doable. I couldn't tell your route for your second CA trip. It looked like you were doing Yosemite, then Tahoe, then heading south on the East side of the Sierra's to Death Valley. Is that accurate? If you had Sequoia on your list, you could go to Mariposa Grove in Yosemite to see a sequoia grove and skip Sequoia. I'm not saying Sequoia isn't great (though I prefer Kings Canyon - the adjacent NP), but if you are in a time crunch, it's a stop you could trade for something else.

Too much beauty, not enough time! My kids are now old enough to realize how blessed they are to see as much as they have being Navy brats but it just makes them want to travel more!