OK, well I put a deposit down on a trailer today. There is this saying, if you find what you want, and dont grab it when you can, you will never get it again. Unless the prior people looking to get this trailer has by some miracle financing happen, which the saleman thinks won't happen, ,then I get first dibs. Its a 2003 KZ 2405. The floor is a little soft in it, and a couple pieces of trim are loose inside on the slider, but he said they will fix that when they detail it. Outside its in really good shape, appears to have been kept indoors, there is very little UV damage to the plastic. The only thing I see I need to replace, don't have to replace it, removing it will do, but the prior owner had the right idea, there is OSB under the area where the LP and battery is stored, and that area inside is pristine clean. So I may just take those off and copy them. Will use Marine grade and paint it white so it lasts.
Seems like most of the trailers I looked at have soft floors, not sure why.
As far as the trip goes, we may do a loop around Lake Michigan instead, and maybe hit Dayton OH as the final stop before home. EAA Oshkosh is that week too, so we ay see if we can get a slot for one night there. Thats an easy first leg of the trip, 4 hours tops from here driving like an old man (was going to say granny, then remembered how my mother drives).
There is a place in Michigan that I read about that is equally as dark as Bryce, so that might be a good second stop for a night, would love to get some good time lapse pics of the night sky. Tried it from my house, but there is still too much light pollution even though I am way out in the country.
Maybe hit up Kalamazoo, there is(I still hope) an air museum there. Then onto Dayton where the Air Force Museum is. I know each one of these trips is an easy 8 hour drive tops from my house, been to each one several times pulling a trailer, except the upper Michigan one.
I only have a 26 gallon tank, so I know I will be stopping every 180 - 200 miles to fill up, but that's about what I normally drive before stopping anyway.
It's going to be an interesting experience for all of us. My kids are good travelers, they were fine driving back from Orlando to Rockford in 21 hours, and my mom would be fine too, we are a hearty bunch when it comes to being on the road. Somewhere I have a pic of them all after a long day at the Milwaukee Zoo, passed out snoring while I was driving.
Each one of the destinations I am considering would be an easy drive for me hauling a trailer, but that GC one, yeah, agreed, that is way too far to plan only a week out, it is at least a 2 week trip in order to take it all in.
there is also a place in PA that is very dark, and I have driven that one a couple times, not to that particular place, but to PA, trying to think of the name of it, its a ski lodge/golf course. I did some Cisco training there a few years ago. Drove to it in a day. I would consider that a two day trip for us with the trailer.
Lots out there, just have to decide on where we would all like to go. My mom hasn't been anywhere west of Minneapolis, and that is one of her buckets. I think Devils Tower isn't very far from Mount Rushmore. So we could do that too. Looks like quite a bit of western activities up in that area, so will look into that as well.
Thanks for everything guys and gals, you have all been helpful.