Something Happened

Something happened to me this summer. 

There was this idea floating around in my head for about a year.  This idea that I live in the US and haven’t seen much of it.  I’ve only left CA a handful of times and mostly for school functions so it wasn’t like I got to experience the places I traveled to.  If I settled with my So Cal life I would miss so much.  I wanted my kids to experience the amazing things that are around us.  To appreciate the gorgeous things God created for us to enjoy.

So, as we began our adventure to hit all 50 states in the next 10 years, I totally fell in love with it. Seeing pictures or movies with places that are stunning are no longer a, “that’s cool”, but a, “Hey! Let’s add that to our list and actually GO there”.  This sense of adventure I didn’t know I had.  Let’s not get crazy…I mean you won’t find me doing a backpacking trip like EVER, but the quick 1-2 hour hikes are totally awesome.  You won’t find me travelling down an unpaved road inches from plummeting to my death in the car, but give me some defined lines down the pavement and we’re good.  Stepping more than like 5 feet off the hiking trail is a no-go, but following the beaten path to beautiful waterfall is fantastic.

What is this something that happened? I got this excitement that screams, “what’s next?!”  AND then as we were talking with some friends it occurred to me to share this crazy experience.  So that’s what I am doing now.

Do you want to travel with us next summer?  LET US KNOW! I can give you the details, but here is what we are doing:

• Arizona: Prescott National Forest, Grand Canyon, 4 Corners, and Little Jamaica
• New Mexico: Bandalier National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, White Sands National Monument, and Roswell
• Colorado: Mesa Verde, Glenwood Springs/Caverns, Rocky Mountain National Park
• Nebraska: Lake McConaughy, Carhenge, Scottsbluff
• Wyoming: Castle Gardens Petroglyph Site, Thermopolis, Yellowstone National Park
• Utah: Timpanogos Cave, Zion

That includes walking through caves, sand sledding, hiking to awesome rivers/waterfalls, exploring homes built into mountain sides, dipping in some natural hot springs, standing on the edge of amazing canyons, and random little things in between. About 5,500 miles over 16 days (Leaving on a Saturday and returning on a Tuesday). This trip is not for those that like to take their time to fully enjoy everything these awesome places have to offer. This trip it to see the “best of” these amazing states (or at least the “best of what is actually on a driving path that makes sense”).  Justin and I are building our own little list of places we want to go back to someday to fully enjoy, but this trip is to get a sampling. We never stay in 1 place more than 1 day, we drive an average of 5 hours a day, with a couple of days up to 7 hours (audio books and a bucket full of snacks are your best friend), and we will end every night in a hotel pool (Jacuzzi) because for some reason the kids still have energy to burn every night.

If you can manage getting the time off work to join us, the cost is the next big factor. That’s why I’m sharing this now 8 months before the trip. It takes us a year to save enough for these trips and I had to cut places out this year to make sure we fit within the budget.  Depending on if it is just you or an entire family here are the approximate costs:

• Hotels: $1,500-$3,000 (this might be lower depending on how many of you there is)
• Gas: $1,000 (this is at 16mpg at $4 per gallon)
• Food: $10-$15 per day per person
• Misc for attractions/tickets: $100 (plus any souvenir money you want)

Some of those costs could be significantly decreased for anyone that might want to travel with us solo since we could probably fit you in our car and/or some of the hotel rooms with us.

If you are interested in details let me know and I'll get you more info. I would need a solid answer by March when I'll start booking actually rooms.