06Fargo wrote:Grit dog wrote:tatest wrote:
We went Detroit to Helena, Missoula, the family settlement on the Clark Fork near Lozeau, side trip to Glacier, then Yellowstone on the way back in about much time. Wasn't a pickup, rather a Country Squire. Not just three kids, but Mom, Dad, age 70+ grandparents, six kids age 15, 14, 13, 11, 6, and 3. 16-foot TT (might be called 18 or 19 today) slept us all. This was before any Interstate highways in the rural middle of the country, so it took a bit longer, hauling that TT at 50-60 mph.
Not only did we survive, but most of us enjoyed the trip immensely. No electronic entertainment, but we had a foot-high pile of comic books and Mad magazines. What made it work was adjusting the travel pace to the needs of this collection of humans. It was about the whole trip, not getting to the destination as quickly as possible, spending a lot of time there, then rushng back to Michigan.
So I don't think the trip is insane, or undoable, but I think your plan is the wrong pace. There is a whole lot to see and do between Michigan and your nominal destination, and Inthink family road trips go better if you are seeing and doing every day, rather than focusing on fastest travel to a single dedtination, with a long stay. Your collection of ages, 4-6 days of Yellowstone will probably be less interesting than all the different things to see and do along the way.
Rethink it as the driving is the vacation. Maybe stiil 12 hour days, but maybe 6-8 hours moving, 4-6 hours a day sightseeing. If the destination is the vacation, then fly out, stay in good lodging, book tours. But for your age group, 6-10 days inthe same place is likely to be more boring than seeing something new every day.
What's a country squire? A covered wagon?
Maybe the scenery was better between the Mississsippi River and the Rockies back in the day, but now it's just 1000mi of farm fields, nothingness and truck stops.
Get in the truck, buckle down, get where you're going so you can do some quality vacationing in the mountains.
Country Squires'z:
