Elvis, A Wedding and the Southwest National Parks
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
And this is why we got an RV …
14 States
47 Nights
5851 Miles
If it wasn’t for the pandemic, there’s no doubt that we’d still be traveling to distant locations around the globe. Meeting fascinating people. Immersing ourselves into unique cultures. Experiencing and capturing the many wonders of the world. We’ve been fortunate enough to have done a fair amount of travel across Europe and Asia in the past and expect that there will be more international travel to come.
But that will have to wait. Because when Covid gives you lemons, you get an RV! And a Jeep. And take some time to explore the good ole US of A.
Myrtle Beach State Park in South Carolina
We’ve already had some great trips in our Winnebago View - starting with our inaugural journey from Forest City, Iowa to Bluffton, South Carolina - and leading to several winter jaunts around the Southeast US.
With over 10,000 miles and dozens of nights under our belt, it’s now time to spread our wings.
As Horace Greeley said, “Go west, young man”.
And so it began. Countless hours of planning using previously unknown web resources such as Campendium, RVTripWizard, and The Dyrt. Quickly learning that there’s no single authoritative source for researching and booking campgrounds. Hey TripAdvisor - are you listening?
We settled on the National Parks of the Southwest, with a focus on Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Hitting all the hot spots, such as Arches, Canyonlands and Zion National Parks. And, of course, the obligatory stop at the Grand Canyon and more.
So after many months of planning and dry runs … we are ready to roll!
Lisa is ready to take the wheel …
Chloe is ready to navigate …
And Scott is still tweaking the optimal route …
While we’ll have plenty of kitschy stops along the way, the core of the trip has been planned around visiting and capturing the natural beauty of the Grand Circle, including …
Canyonlands National Park
Arches National Park
Capital Reef National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Zion National Park
Antelope Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park
Oak Creek Canyon
Montezuma National Monument
Monument Valley National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Santa Fe National Forest
When late in the planning cycle we found ourselves fortunate enough to be invited to a wedding weekend in Park City, Utah, we of course were thrilled to adjust the route! Just a little nudge up and to the left. Piece of cake.
Over the course of the next week, we’ll be dinking our way out to Park City, Utah with a goal of no more than 8 hours of driving per day. We’ll also be trying to keep it under 500 miles for each segment and mostly one night stays. Once we get out there, we’ll take a much slower pace.
This first week includes planned layovers in
Chattanooga, TN
Memphis, TN (staying at Graceland RV Park!)
Oklahoma City, OK
Dodge City, KS
Colorado Springs, CO
Steamboat Springs, CO
That’ll take us to the wedding in Park City (including a stay at a swanky boutique hotel) and then we’re off to the National Parks!
Stay tuned for periodic updates and images …
And we’re off …
