# Our Big 2006 Trip



## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

Well, now that we've winterized, it's time to start planning our big 4500 mile trip for next year. Here's our route.

Our 2006 Trip Route

We're looking for suggestions in these areas:
1. Great Campgrounds
2. Sights Not to Miss (like Grand Canyon, etc.)
3. Recommended alternate route if there are better attractions, etc.

Our longest stays will be near Oceanside/Carlsbad, California and Chico, California visiting family.

Thanks for your help!


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## Crawfish (Sep 14, 2005)

WOW!







Now that is a trip. How long will it take you 2 maybe 3 weeks or longer. I would like to take a trip like that. Maybe a month.









"*Let's Go Camping*"

Crawfish


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## ee4308 (Aug 23, 2005)

Looks like a fun and exciting trip for sure. Only suggestion I could have that I am familiar with would be a deep south loop through the Gulf coast. Wouldn't add to many more miles to your plans.


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

Crawfish, 3 weeks or so.

ee4308, That's for another trip.


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## W4DRR (May 17, 2005)

I'm sure you have already researched the more obvious big-time attractions in CA, like Yosemite, Sequoia, Big Sur, etc. Here is my list of favorite places that are a little more out of the way.
Mountains: Camp Edison at Shaver Lake
Beach: New Brighton Beach State Park
If you want bake in some heat: Millerton Lake State Recreational Area
Really off the beaten path, but scenic: Pinnacles Campground at Pinnacles National Monument
These are just a sampling...there are lots more neat places. 
You might want to adjust you route south in New Mexico and take in the Carlsbad and Alamogordo (White Sands) area. Also, on your way back, the Flaming Forge (WY and UT) area is really nice.
And a word of caution: when travelling through Amarillo,TX on I-40 and Coalinga, CA on I-5, put the AC in recirculate. There are cattle holding pens at those 2 places that are...shall we say...rather fragrant.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

7heaven,

Looks like a great trip!









I would be remiss however, if I did not put in a plug for the Northwest. We have some absolutely beautiful areas, and the Oregon coast is not to be missed. Not as warm as what you will see in SoCal, but much more beautiful!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## W4DRR (May 17, 2005)

PDX_Doug said:


> 7heaven,
> 
> Looks like a great trip!
> 
> ...


Actually, the ocean water temperature is a little warmer along the Oregon coast than it is on the central California coast during the summer. 
Today's little known fact.


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## CJ999 (Aug 11, 2005)

If you have kids, between Oceanside and Chico, you could make an educational side trip to my neighborhood, Coloma CA and camp right across the river from the exact spot where John Marshall looked down into the river and found the yellow sparkly stuff that started the California Gold Rush.

There are hiking trails, a museum, docents dressed in period clothing, and places to pan for gold yourself.

White water rafting is huge. Floating around on an inner tube is cheaper and probably just as much fun.

There's a Thousand Trails/NACO campground and other campgrounds as well.

If your sign on name is an indicator that maybe you will be looking for a church to visit, ours is walking distance from the Thousand Trails and about 3/4 of a mile from the others... hopefully you don't mind deer looking in the church windows while the service is going on. It can be distracting for the kids!

I personally think a great idea is to take Highway 49 from Yosemite to Coloma. It travels through all the little towns that sit just below the sierra snowline and made up the gold rush mining camps.


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

Maybe we'll run into you somewhere. We are doing Oregon to New Hampshire and back next summer.


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

Great tips so far! Thanks.

CJ999, Is this the campground near you? If not, pls send me a link.
http://www.thousandtrails.com/site/page/pg3487-as60.html

We used to live in California, and loved Yosemite, Sequoia, Camp Edison at Shaver Lake. We probably won't be able to get into Yosemite or Sequoia. I'll look into some of the others as well.

W4DRR, When we lived in Georgia, we had a great week at Jekyll Island, although it was in a rented house. I highly recommend Jekyll Island.

My dad also recommended dipping down to White Sands, so we'll look at that (time permitting).

Keep the ideas coming, Outbackers!


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Looks like a nice summer adventure. It is nice to live in the middle of the country because your withing reach of more of the country.

We live on the east coast and it takes a lot longer to get out west for us.

Mike


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## summergames84 (Mar 6, 2004)

I see you are planning a stay in OKC. The Memorial at the bombing site is sobering, but beautiful.

We stayed in the RV park at the Grand Canyon South Rim and enjoyed the convenience to the rim and the shuttle busses.

We stayed at the Oasis in Las Vegas.....nice place and very convenient to the Strip.

Looks like a great adventure! And half the fun is planning and anticipating!


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## CJ999 (Aug 11, 2005)

Yep, that's the link to the Thousand Trails by us. It's a great place in it's own right, and it's about 1/2 mile from the state park.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Mike it would take longer for us.
But it would be fun and worth it.
Trip out west is on my list to travel to.
One of these days

Don


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## Nickens (Oct 6, 2005)

Have lots of ideas, but don't want to write a book right now...

If you tell me a little about your interests (if you have kids, their ages and interests, then I can fine tune some recommendations.


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

You are bypassing Colorado completely??? In favor of southern Wyoming and Nebraska?









Randy


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Don t take it personally Randy


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## Devildog (Sep 8, 2005)

Wish I could add suggestions for out west, but most of my travel consist of the Southeast. I was stationed in California a long time ago, but never did any official "camping" at that time, it was forced upon outdoor education!

Nice tips in here though, I wish I had time to take off to do some extended traveling, but time does not permit at this time in my career!


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

Randy, Talk to me! The routing is from randmcnally.com; I can override it by inserting a point of interest or two in Colorado.

Nickens, Kids are 15, 13, 11, 9, and 6 (yes, every two years like clock work until the last one...)







(genders are b,g,g,b,b in age order)

We like to visit historic places. We lived in Europe for a year and seeing all the history there made us thirsty for visiting our own historic or majestic sites.


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Well, after SLC I would catch I-70 East and head towards Grand Junction and visit Colorado National Monument and Colorado's Wine country. From there, continue East and stop in at Rocky Mountain National Park. From there you can either catch I-80 again or cruise through Kansas on your way home.

The Trip software probably chose I-80 through Wyoming and Nebraska not for its visual pleasure but more travel convenience and speed. I-80 through Wyoming is a lot of nothing while I-80 through Nebraska is a lot of corn.

Randy


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## Crawfish (Sep 14, 2005)

Bring alot of pictures back. We want to see all the good stuff.

"*Let's Go Camping*"

Crawfish


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## ee4308 (Aug 23, 2005)

LarryTheOutback said:


> Maybe we'll run into you somewhere. We are doing Oregon to New Hampshire and back next summer.
> [snapback]63943[/snapback]​


That should be an interesting trip also, from coast to coast with lots of great sites in between. Hope you enjoy the trip. sunny


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Now that is a trip. It sure wish I could go as well









Maybe you could detour and make the Northeast Rally







it would only be an extra 1000 miles or 2









Thor


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## campntn (Feb 20, 2005)

I watch your results with excitement. We are already in the planning stages of nearly the same trip. Date is June 2007. We're gonna take that long to plan it. We're taking off a whole month. I've already told the boss (the real one, LOL) and he's ok. I want the high spots along the way. 
I figure this is a once in a lifetime gig with the kids. They or us ain't gettin any younger. also, if you don't set aside/plan/designate something like this, well... you just don't ever "get around to it".
So...June 2007, we're on the road out west camping for a month. I'm interested in your trip!
take a lotta pix.








Mark
Oh, I plan on having a diesel tv by then, but we'll see.


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## Nickens (Oct 6, 2005)

Alrighty then 7's,

Based on the kids ages, your interest in history, etc., here's our thoughts/suggestions:

- Two weeks in CA doesn't leave much time for sightseeing and visiting family. Most of the regional destinations within CA require a 3-4 day stay to marginally experience.

- Oceanside/Carlsbad/San Diego: great campground on Mission Bay www.campland.com . Things to do/see in order (1) Marine World, (2)Legoland, (3)the Wild Animal Park, and if you have time San Diego Zoo. One day each

2 hrs North
- LA/Anaheim: Disneyland (2 days midweek, min. AAA has best deals for tickets), Universal Studios. Several campgrounds near Mouse Town, no recommendations. Avoid the LA freeways between 7-10AM, 11AM-2PM, and 3PM-7PM.

1 day (6-7 hours) driving to Choice A or B. If you want to try both, plan on 4 hour drive from A to B

A.1 - Yosemite: I-5 to US 99 to CA 41. Visit Castle AFBâ€™s Aviation Museum on the way to Yosemite. Get a campground outside the South entrance, take your TV into the park. 1-1.5 days in the park should do it. There is a neat narrow gauge 2-3hr train ride through the redwoods there. Keywords are Yosemite, South and Sugar Pine.

A.2 - Sacramento: Hwy 49 to CA 140 to US 99 to Sacramento 5 hours. No decent camping near the Capitol, best bets are the KOA in Shingle Springs, or Beals Point - Folsom Lake State Park. 1-2 days to visit the State Capitol, Sutterâ€™s Fort, State Railroad Museum & Old Sacramento, State Indian Museum (easy ride on Light Rail from Folsom). Â½ day to visit Historic Folsom, Folsom Prison (must for fans of the man in black), Folsom Dam and Folsom Powerhouse (first one West of the Miss.). 1 day to visit Sutterâ€™s Mill/Gold Discovery Site and do a Whitewater Raft Trip (nice wineries and breweries up there too).

- - - 
B.1 - Hearst Castle/San Simeon: spend about Â½ day on the way to Monterey.

B.2 - Monterey 2 full days via US 101 - Great State Parks on the beach (New Brighton SB, Seacliff SB, or Sunset SB) or in the coastal redwoods (Henry Cowell SP). Plenty of commercial campgrounds, but locations are not as nice. Day-1 to Santa Cruz Beach & Boardwalk, day-2 drive to Monterey Bay Aquarium & Cannery Row, visit an old mission while youâ€™re there. If you camp at Cowell, take the Roaring Camp Railroads excursion train through the redwoods to Santa Cruz.

B.3 - Point Reyes National Seashore & San Francisco via US 101: Nice commercial campgrounds in Olema. 1 hr drive to SF. Visit Golden Gate Park Â½ - 2 days and the Presidio. Ca Maritime Museum (go aboard a clipper ship, Liberty Ship Jeremiah Oâ€™brien, and a WW2 Sub USS Pampanito), visit Alcatraz & Fishermanâ€™s Wharf will take 1 very full day.

B.4 - To Sacramento via Napa or Sonoma, visit a winery or two. There is a Spanish mission and the Seat of the Bear Flag Republic Revolt to visit in Sonoma. 5-6 hours including winery stops. If you go to Sacramento via Vallejo and Benecia, you can say you visited every Capitol of the State of Kaleefornia! (Sonoma, Monterey, Benecia & Sacto)

B.5 - Sacramento (see A.2)

Ran out of time - will finish the last leg this weekend. What route are you planning to take to return home?


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

We haven't decide the trip order yet.

With Randy's coaching, we'll probably take I-70 instead of I-80 in one direction and then I-40 the other direction.

In other words, we may go west via I-70 and head north first; or we could go I-40 first out to SoCal and then come back home via I-70. It depends on our families out west schedules. We should be able to finalize the order of the trip before Christmas.

Nickens - Wow, thanks for the thorough suggestions. We'll probably skip the amusement parks (the kids have done Disneyland and Six Flags before). I love the coast route ideas. Haven't done Hearst Castle in years. We used to camp at Yosemite every year, but the last time was 1998.

In another thread, someone suggested Guajome County park in Oceanside. I went by there last week when I was out on business and it looks pretty good for a base camp in that area. Although, I've wanted to stay at Campland on the Bay since I was a kid, so maybe we'll do that!

Avoid the LA Freeways, now that's a good one! LMAO! We'll have to plan our SoCal arrival for sometime during the night!

This is fun!






















You guys are great!


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## CJ999 (Aug 11, 2005)

Wow, Nickens put a lot in a very tight space! The effort and brevity are outstanding. My comments are intended only to enhance anyones trip, not criticize that post...

Don't stay at the KOA Shingle Springs unless you can't get a spot anywhere else, and you can tolerate camping on the freeway. You won't sleep a wink. It's on a hill, and you will hear big rigs gear grinding up it and jake braking down all night!

I grew up in the area so I may be tainted here, but the state capitol and surrounding museums would be a hard sell to kids who might rather do something outdoors.

For adults, Folsom Prison is really something to see. Try to schedule a tour. It will change the way you see the world forever. The train Johnny Cash sings about hasn't run since before he sang the song but there is MAJOR history there! My dad has worked there for the last 30 years so I know there is way more to see inside than outside... but everything that you will see there is guarunteed to make you go "WOW!"

I give B2 and B3 a full thumbs up as well.


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## skills4lou (Nov 10, 2005)

Just a plug for Cheyenne, WY. If you come by the last week in July you'll see the biggest outdoor rodeo in the world, AKA Cheyenne Frontier Days. If you're looking for a place to camp, then I suggest Vedauwoo (say Vee-Duh-Voo). Cool rock formations to climb on, lots of places to dry camp and even some with hookups. But that's only if you come through on I-80.


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## Nickens (Oct 6, 2005)

CJ's right about KOA Shingle Springs, but I believe it's the only commercial campground with hook-ups in the Greater Sacramento area. True they could go down into the Coloma Valley to some nice Comm CGs, but it wouldn't be a good base of operations for visits to Sacto (plus there are 9-13% grades goin in and out.)

No offense taken CJ

-B


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## CJ999 (Aug 11, 2005)

Hey Nickens, maybe we should start a thread on where to go in Northern California and what to do when you get there. We could be like Siskel and Ebert each giving our opinion of a movie!!!(LOL)







I'm packing the Outback today for Thanksgiving in Olema!

Nickens is right, the trip in and out of Coloma Valley is steep no matter which route you take. I live in the valley, so I think it's worth it.

Just in case anyone ever digs this thread up later, I recommend LOTUS ROAD in and out of Coloma Valley unless you are driving a diesel or really powerful gas TV. Lotus Road has a broad shoulder in the steepest section and it's not nearly as twisty as the other routes.

Stay off Cold Springs Road at all costs! It has grades steeper than 13%!

Highway 49 is twisty in addition to steep between Placerville and Coloma Valley but it isn't as bad as Cold Springs Road.


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## ARzark (Aug 9, 2005)

wow







what a great trip! Hope you have a great experience!
If you can swing it, SW Utah is an awesome place. Just a wee bit south of SLC.
So much to see there. For a quick pass thru I would suggest Zion NP. Our favorite place to stay there is Zion River Resort Maybe someday we can pull of a rally of sorts there!

At any rate, enjoy the trip


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

WAcamper, Thanks! I have Zion and Bryce both highlighted on my map as potentials. If I can only do one, you suggest Zion? Thanks again.


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## ARzark (Aug 9, 2005)

If you have limited time, then Zion would be the choice. Especially if you stay at Zion River Resort. Not too far off the main drag. It's a beautiful place for sure. Bryce can be done as a day trip from Zion, and it is very beautiful as well, yet very different than Zion.

SW Utah is a unique place. Hope you can spare the time to see it. You sure do have a great trip planned









Good luck and keep us all posted!


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