**Need suggestions for One-Month trip!**

[txairdream]

We'd like to take the month of July to go on a one-month trip this summer.

Details:

- It's me and my wife with 3 kiddos, ages 2.5-7.5. We have a 30' Flying Cloud Bunk.

- We can do a combination of boondocking, parks, RV places.

- I am very new to steaming, having only taken her out locally a couple of times. I will have taken her out in late April to Savannah, GA and Disney World for two weeks (the RV park there).

- Because of aforementioned April trip, we won't be interested in going to the South.

- We live in Amarillo, TX - so I-40 is our starting point probably.

So, where do you suggest we go? I have this crazy idea in my head we can make a loop around the U.S., but that's probably not doable in 4 weeks, is it?

Thanks for your help!

[Bill M.]

Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Watertown-glacier, flathead lake. Or Oregon and California coast.

[youngpeck]

You might start here at the National Park Service "Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary" site:
Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Series - Heritage Education Services Program--A program of the National Park Service

And there's so many more resources through the NPS web site. Like the National Trails System: National Trails System
and http://www.nps.gov/nts/maps/National%20Trails%20map.pdf

Get the kids into it!

[webspinner]

I like using google maps for trip planning. Google maps can save a particular map that has your trip details on it (look in the left hand task bar). You can add individual places and code them by color - things to see, places to stay, places to eat. And you can see how your route looks as you string the places together in a trip, giving you miles between stops, etc.

On your trips this spring, you'll learn how far it is comfortable for you to drive in a day, how much time to allow for setup, etc. Use your experience of what works for you to make a trip that fits your family.

[Goal15]

Having done a trip to the Northeast and DC in a popup when my kids were a couple of years older than yours in 22 days, I would say the four week loop of the country would be all driving and no fun....

So I would pick a month long trip that does one region of the country, then repeat with different regions in ensuing years.....

You have one distinct advantage in living in Amarillo, unless of course your desire is to camp only in Texas, in that unlike most of us in Texas, you can get out of the state in three different directions within a couple of hours . . . would love to go to NM or Colorado for a weekend but most of the weekend used up just coming and going from where we live.....

Have fun!

Originally Posted by txairdream

We'd like to take the month of July to go on a one-month trip this summer.

Details:

- It's me and my wife with 3 kiddos, ages 2.5-7.5. We have a 30' Flying Cloud Bunk.

- We can do a combination of boondocking, parks, RV places.

- I am very new to steaming, having only taken her out locally a couple of times. I will have taken her out in late April to Savannah, GA and Disney World for two weeks (the RV park there).

- Because of aforementioned April trip, we won't be interested in going to the South.

- We live in Amarillo, TX - so I-40 is our starting point probably.

So, where do you suggest we go? I have this crazy idea in my head we can make a loop around the U.S., but that's probably not doable in 4 weeks, is it?

Thanks for your help!

[mojo]

Since this sounds like your first extended trip without a single destination, I would suggest not trying to rack up the miles. And since July will be hot, you may want to stick to the mountains. A loop through northern NM & AZ, southern UT and western CO will eat up 4 wks in rapid time. There are a multitude of national and state parks with magnificent scenery on this route.

[polarlyse]

If your tow vehicle is a truck w/ 4x4 there are lots and lots of trails through the Rockies. You can base yourself for a few days in the Teluride, Ouray, Lake City area and you'll have a great time checking out some of the high passes. OH, and get out of the Texas summer heat as well. Beware, you'll be in the company of a lot of other Texans with the same ideas. A month trying to make the whole loop would be full time driving, almost. Break the trip up into sections and you'll get much more out of it.

ENJOY

[blickcd]

Some great destinations have been suggested. I would mix it up as far as places you stay, that is maybe some boondocking and at least one stop at a resort with all the amenities.

If staying in National Parks, reservations would be a good idea. If staying in private campgrounds, I'd find a few in the areas you plan to visit and just call ahead when you are close.

This way if you want to stay an extra day or two at one location, you aren't forced to leave because you have reservations at another campground and have to leave or else face cancellation charges. Also allows for any minor technical difficulties that might slow you down.

If your wife does not drive when towing, now is her turn to learn. Don't log all those miles behind the wheel by yourself.

[RangerJay]

.... with kids that are 2.5 to 7.5 years old you are asking the wrong crowd ....

.... ask your kids ....


Have a great trip.


Jay

[Rollster]

I don't know - I might go to California. A variety of things to do on the coast for the kids and in the Sierras. It would be cooler (I've not been to Southern California yet, but it was cool along the Pacific in the northern part of the state) both on the coast and in the mountains. There would be neat things for the older kids to see, like the unforgettable sights of the redwoods and sequoias, or seals at the ocean, and probably tons of other interesting sights. As east coasters, we were very surprised at the beauty and varied topography of the state, and even enjoyed driving through the vast farmlands of the Central Valley. You'll have to let us know what you decide ...

[purdytj]

I'd agree with asking the kids. Get out an atlas, lay some tracing paper over it, and let them draw loops of routes. You could also have them put stars next to points of interest. I think REI and the National Parks Service have different log books / journals for kids to track their outdoor adventures. My 3 year old daughter just got a kids' digital camera for Christmas (it has 2 view windows - like binoculars) and she will be creating a digital library of all of our Airstream adventures.

[Someday'59]

Originally Posted by txairdream

So, where do you suggest we go?

I have the opposite problem. I have a list a mile long of all the places we want to go... but getting the time off is another thing entirely...

What about the Olympic Peninsula (west of Seattle?)
or a New England trip?

[Wishing]

Txairdream-let me know how your April trip to Disneyworld works out! We are contemplating the same trip in June with our kids (we are in Clovis, NM-pretty close to Amarillo). How very cool to have a month...if it were us, we would probably work our way from Southern California to Portland!

[jmpratt]

Hey, we're doing the same thing! Leaving San Diego around 1 July, working up to Seattle, over to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, then further east to the Great Lakes and finally down to Cincinnati. We'll be in Yellowstone/Teton area from 12-17 July. Maybe our paths will cross!

-Jason

[SeeMore]

I have fond memories of family road trips as a little kid but maybe that was because we never did daily driving on our trips beyond the first and last two days to escape Texas (San Antonio). We did a day or two before moving on thereafter. Every year my parents picked an educational theme for our 3-4 week trip and we did similar places along the way.

My Mom was good at distracting driving games; license plate spelling games, sing alongs, cards, identifying birds from a guidebook, etc. We smiled and played along 'cuz Dad got grumpy otherwise, but it was the stops that provided the 'fun.'

Whether we followed Route 66 or old migration trails West, each leg was a story as seen through neat museums, parks, vistas, or places where a young mind could be transported via imagination to another time. Dinosaurs in Colorado, wildlife in Wyoming, Cliff Dwellers in NM, cattle drives through grasslands, or Native American lands (Canyon De Chelly), every destination was chosen for its offerings.

Dinner and a campfire ended each night with one or the other of my parents reading or telling tales of the next destination. Nowadays, you can get DVDs for the same effect. You can check them out at the local library. Old westerns like "Son of the Morning Star" before Little Bighorn Nat'l Park or use the net to find documentaries that can tell the story for you: The Mystery of Chaco Canyon | Watch Documentary Online for Free

Given the ages of your kids, maybe only your eldest would be engaged by a theme trip this summer. To my mind, less miles and more experience is better if you want to come back rested or restored by your time away from work. Whatever you decide, choose with your kids interests in mind to spark a family tradition all enjoy!

[Woosch]

We did the Grand Circle of National Parks a couple of years ago. Seven parks a a bunch of state parks. (Colo, AZ, & UT) Really awesome.

[graysailor]

Don't spend all day driving. Plenty to do and see in NM, AZ, CO. I like to limit my driving to about 50-100 miles and stop and stay a few days or even longer if I like the location. Just suggesting that you don't make the trip a marathon run.