# Where Do I Begin?



## lori26 (Jul 23, 2007)

Hello Everyone-- This is a huge,broad topic but any advice would be great. We are talking about taking a trip from Charlotte N.C. to Grand Canyons next year. I have a mapquest route which is mainly I-40........now I'm overwhelmed. Any advice or stories about long trips you guys have made such as planning, things you would do differently, thinks that worked, how long you were on the road(too short, too long),methods used to pick locations to stop at, or anything else would be great. Hoping this will spark me into planning a great trip. Thanks.

Lori


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## ron4jon (Sep 26, 2005)

Well, I am not sure where to start but the first thing that comes to mind is how much experience do you guys have making long distance camping trips? We have been camping for 42 years (in tents 1st 30 years and then in a class C MH for 2 years then in a pop-up for 5 years and now with our SOB 5er for 2 years and we still don't feel ready just yet for a trip to the west! Our longest trip was with our young daughters (3 and 5 back then) to Williamsburg VA pulling a borrowed Scottie TT with our station wagon and we had some car trouble but made it kind of OK. Our 2nd longest trip was 700 round trip miles this past spring to TopSail SP FL with our 5er and learned some more; primarily that we need to learn and PREPARE more! Our 5er is in the shop right now having improvements for the next long(er) trip. So, what I am getting at is be very sure you are prepared - which means building up experience with your rig and being able to handle any thing that may possibly occur. Getting to this level of experience may mean taking shorter distance trips and build up to a 4000 plus round trip like you propose.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

lori26 said:


> Hello Everyone-- This is a huge,broad topic but any advice would be great. We are talking about taking a trip from Charlotte N.C. to Grand Canyons next year. I have a mapquest route which is mainly I-40........now I'm overwhelmed. Any advice or stories about long trips you guys have made such as planning, things you would do differently, thinks that worked, how long you were on the road(too short, too long),methods used to pick locations to stop at, or anything else would be great. Hoping this will spark me into planning a great trip. Thanks.
> 
> Lori


Too late for me to think tonight. I'll post my thoughts tomorrow. Our longest trip to date was 7000 miles in 3 weeks.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Nathan said:


> Our longest trip to date was 7000 miles in 3 weeks.


Holy cow man. lets hear how it went. Im assuming you were not in a plane....


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## outbackgeorgia (Jan 28, 2004)

Lori26,

Wow!
We did that trip from Atlanta in 2003, but an I-40 trip sounds boring!
We went to Vicksburg, Palo Duro Canyon, TX, Meteor Crater, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, Signature Rock, Lava Tubes, Ice Cave, Route 66, Grand Canyon (By Train, we stayed in Williams)-highly recommended, Karchner Canyon, Bisbee, Deadwood, El Paso, Texas Hill Country, San Antonio-Alamo, New Orleans, and many other places along the way.
Over 3500 miles, what a great trip. I can give you more details, but the point, is we camped off the interstates, State Parks mostly. Two pre-teens, my wife and I, and two big Dobermans in a 21RS towed with a 2000 Durango. Only two mis-haps, stolen videocam and a flat in NM.
If you want, I will dig up the itenerary and reply with some lessons learned!
This was a GREAT TRIP!

You will have fun, but planning is necessary.

Dave


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## slik4x4 (Sep 5, 2007)

i see there being 2 ways you can do this. one is to dilly dally around, find points of interest on the way, and a place to camp nearby. the other is to hall ars to your destination and spend as much time as you can there relaxing or what have you. i would say 2 weeks min. time period to get any relaxation and enjoyment from the trip.. i would also suggest a laptop with gps antenna. trailer life makes a map program wich is gps enabled, and has campground listing, with descriptions and CG info. you can buy just the gps antenna on ebay. the way we do long trips is usually dilly dally on the way out enjoy ourselves, and hall ars back. but always leave a cushion of a day or 2 for the return trip just in case. if you boogy along, make sure you are ready to just sleep in a walmart or cabela's parking lot. they both welcome over night stays from RVer's. and dont do what my lovely Wifey does(i don't know what DW is short for, so i better not use it yet) and pack clothes for every day of the trip. for some reason or another, we always end up doing laundry. there will be alot to see so make sure you plan outing days and stay at camper, loungen' days.

good luck

sam


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Ok, I'm awake, at work and sufficiently caffinated, so here we go:

Here's a brief summary of our trip:
_-We left on a Friday night and drove from Ann Arbor, MI area to La Salle, ILL (stayed at a WalMart)

-Hauled across I80 the next day to North Platte, Nebraska (another Walmart stop)

-Sunday took us into Colorado on I76 and the I70 out of Denver and up over the Rockies. Stopped that night in Grand Junction, Colorado at a private CG (don't remember the name). We were suprised to find a lot of wineries there.

- Monday took us into Utah where we spent 1/2 day at Arches NP. It was late June, 95 degrees and a 20-30mph wind. We dropped the trailer and drove the loop around arches. I could see spending a full day to even two there if you were into photography or it was cool enough to do some short hikes. We wrapped up the day by getting back on I70 and taking that to I15 and to the Walmart at Ceday City, UT. NOTE, be VERY careful about fule levels on I70. You go a good 100 miles without a fuel stop. When you see the station, fill up as there is nothing out there(not even cell phone reception).

- Tuesday, we drove I 15 to near LA and then headed south on I15 to San Diego. We actually stayed north of the city in Guajome County Park due to the location of the family reunion. It was a good 1 hour drive north of downtown.

- Week spent at reunion, including the Harbor boat tour that was nice and trip to sea world.

- Saturday we spent driving to Yosemite. At the time, the main entrance was closed due to a landslide so we drove in the south entrance and went out the north entrance to a private campground (Yosemite Lakes). That was a VERY long day of driving. Also, watch out for the tunnels in Yosemite. Clearance is 10' at the curb so I was hugging the center line! Any private campground is a way out of the park and the drive back and forth gets tiring. However it was our only option as we had difficulty getting a spot in the park.

- We spent 5 days in Yosemite and enjoyed it very much. Don't miss Tioga road and Tolumne meadows. The Valley is of course scenic.

- Friday We left Yosemite and drove to Sequoia/Kings Canyon (a 1/2 day's drive). What a difference! We camped in sight of Sequoia's in a 1/2 empty campground with no reservations needed. Kings Canyon is very nice and Sequoia park has beautiful trails. Everything is being redone and it is wonderful. Only spent 2 nights there due to our schedule but would have liked to spend at least 3 days.

- Sunday we headed back down to Bakersfield and then East across 58 to I40. The desert was 112 degrees F for most of the day. Again, very few stops for Gas or anything(But not as bad as Utah). We camped short of the Canyon in Pine Springs AZ (I beleive).

- The next morning drove up to the Grand Canyon and spent most of the day checking out the south rim (I've been to the North rim before and it is nice, but if you want to stand on the edge and see the "CANYON" go to the south side). 
We headed east out of the Canyon around 4:00 and figured we would drive a ways to get toward Colorado. Foudn that there is no camping along hwy 160 (Navajo Indian Reservation) and ended up arriving in Cortez, CO at around 12:30am. No overnight parking allowed so we payed for a private campground.

- Monday we visited Mesa Verede National Park (another park that could use 1-2 days devoted to it) and headed to Durango.

- Tuesday we spent riding the Durango - Silverton train. It is an all day trip up a Canyon on a narrow gauge steam engine train from the 1880's. Definetly a don't miss if anyone is a train fan, but get reservations ahead of time in case they are busy that day. I have to look up the campground we stayed at. It was north of town and the train literally runs through the campground.

- Wednesday we headed to Great Sand Dunes NP. It is a little out of the way, but I think it is great. Plan a full day if you like sand!

- Thursday morning we spent at the dunes, and then when the thunderstorm moved in, we moved out and began the trip home (east to I25, to I76 to I80 to home)_

As you can see from our trip, we tend to haul across the flat part of the country (no offense to anyone who lives there) and spend more time at our final destinations. The previous trip was with my parents 3/4 ton Ram (w/ Cummins) pulling a 5er and is the reason we now have an OB.








We do Walmart stops at night during our driving time to save on time and money. In my experience, we travel best when we hit the road between 7 and 7:30 am. We can then get 4 hours under our belt before a lunch stop. Afternoons tend to be more painful for us, so I usually make sure there is at least a mid afternoon stop(ice cream), and there usually ends up being two. After the dinner stop, I usually get a second wind and am good for another 3 hours of driving. With young kids we make sure we stretch legs every couple hours with the exception of the evening when we are trying to get them to sleep.

As for Vehicle prep, we make sure the oil is changed and maintenance is up to date. If there is anything that is bothering me (like a battery, or worn brakes), I get that taken care of first. We start the trip with a full fresh water tank. That allows for lunch stops on the road, Walmart camping, and always knowing you will have a bathroom available







. Watch out for limited gas stations as you get out west. I try to never get below 100 miles to empty because I never know exactly what I am going to find. Also, if you are going to try walmart stops, buy the Walmart edition of the Rand McNally road atlas. It is cheaper and has a directory of walmart locations.









Finally, I always want a couple extra days in my itinerary. That way, if I am driving down a road and see a sign for something interesting, I can check it out. Also, if traveling is very rough for some reason, you are not pressured to push on and take unnecessary risks (i.e. overly tired, severe weather, etc). This is also the reason I don't like reservations... they restrict our trip and make it more stressful (IMO). Remember if you push too hard, the trip won't be fun for anyone. Here's an example itinerary of our trip out west next summer. The hours are mapquest travel times. Notice it is rather vaugue in many areas and there are extra days:
- Leave in afternoon, drive past Chicago -5 hrs
- Drive to near Fargo, ND - 9.5 hrs
- Drive to Teddy Roosevelt NP - 5 hrs
- Drive to Red Lodge, MT - 5 hrs
- Beartooth Mountains - 2 hrs (est)
- Drive into Yellowstone - 3 hrs (est)
- 5 days in Yellowstone
- 3 days in Tetons
- 1 misc day
- Drive to Mt. Rushmore - 8 hrs
- Mt Rushmore, wind cave, badlands
- Drive to near Rochester, MN - 8 hrs
- Drive Home - 9.5 hrs
- 2 spare days for flexibility in scheduling.


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## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

Lori, one of our members, "Campntn" made a similar trip, starting at Jackson, TN. I recall he also had a trip blog posted. Why don't you PM Mark and pick his brain?


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Very nice write up Nathan!! And next year, dont be surprised if you see me following along behind you. We were thinking of a VERY similar trip.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Sayonara said:


> Very nice write up Nathan!! And next year, dont be surprised if you see me following along behind you. We were thinking of a VERY similar trip.


Good, I might need a push to get over the Beartooth highway if I haven't upgraded by then















Not to hijack further, but here are a few picts from last year's trip.Trip to California


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## lori26 (Jul 23, 2007)

Morning all -- Few adds --- Yes we feel ready for this trip. My husband did a great deal solitary camping with tent back in the day (when he was a young stud) rock climbing and such. He loves scenery and hiking now(no more rock climbing) He has traveled in the southwest mostly. I grew up camping in Ga in tents and pop-ups. We made the trip to Grand Canyon, petrified forest etc as a child with the family. Steven and I had a trail-lite for 3 years doing mostly local camping. in N.C. This is our first year with our outback. We have camped mostly in NC mountains and couple trips to beach and local camping in N.C. and S.C. We haven't camped as long as most of you but we are empty nesters and my husband is a smart, careful planner. It's not camping but we traveled the southeast for 10 years showing horses. Between us we have traveled a lot, this will be our first big trip together. Can't tell you how excited we are to plan this trip. Now that I feel like I just did a quick "camping resume" ...............

First, Nathan thank you so much for the time you put in your post and your pictures are incredible.







There is a lot of information there that I will study. Dave thanks to you also and any addtional info. would be great. I'll be sure to contact campntn when I figure out what a pm is.









The route is still overwhelming to me. We were first thinking of 14 days I suppose we could add a couple more days. I liked the idea of taking time out there and hauling a** back. Is 5 hrs day a good goal? I thinking this is just at 2,000 each way or approx 30 - 35 hrs. Seem right. We would like to go through northern Arkansas (it is beautiful) and a couple day stop in Dallas (family there). Other than that we are open. I was thinking 4-5 days out there. Is this realistic? Any talk about time of year?

Any knowledge on Railside RV Ranch. Taking the train sounds great. Any other areas of attractions? Again thanks guys so much. I'm afraid I'll be beating this topic a bit more.

Lori


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

lori26 said:


> The route is still overwhelming to me. We were first thinking of 14 days I suppose we could add a couple more days. I liked the idea of taking time out there and hauling a** back. Is 5 hrs day a good goal? I thinking this is just at 2,000 each way or approx 30 - 35 hrs. Seem right. We would like to go through northern Arkansas (it is beautiful) and a couple day stop in Dallas (family there). Other than that we are open. I was thinking 4-5 days out there. Is this realistic? Any talk about time of year?


Don't let the route overwhelm you. Mapquest now allows up to 10 stop routes. That makes it a lot easier to plan a route, including stops and see how much driving you will do each day.

Now, being just the two of you, I would think you could make decent time! In the days of our pop up (and no kids), my wife and I could put over 1,000 miles in a day (remember, when heading west, you get an extra hour each day or so







). Now with 2 kids and a TT, my longest planned day is ~600 miles. (I hope to get that back to 800 miles as they get older)

Keep posting on the plan. It is always fun to see what other's are planning!


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Lori26, 
Keep it up! Good planning will certainly help. Im looking in to one of those portable GPS (Tom-Tom, Garmin, etc.) they will allow multiple stops and are really helpfull. Good luck and keep us posted!!


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

I'm looking forward to hearing from tdvffjohn. He went from NJ to the Western Region Rally in Utah and then on to California. Here's a real pro that could offer some good tips.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

I did the trip this summer, 8,249 miles, but I was gone for 4 weeks. Mileage each day can and will be different. Rain will slow you down as will kids moods each day. I was lucky on my ride out as it was overcast almost every day which made driving easy. I also did the trip cross country 25 years ago. The one thing I would advise is do not try to see too much. You will be be exhausted. It is better to enjoy 5 things than rush thru 10. You will get sick of driving`so I also advise to drive first to the furthest point and sightsee on the way home. This way the ride home is broken up and in some ways shorter. It also allows you to deviate from your original trip plans, if needed, easier.

Summer heat can be considered a problem (Zion was 115 in July this past rally) but early spring or late fall will close some things because of snow. So, what you plan to see will also determine when is best.

I would recomend, based on this past years trip, to go to the North rim of the Grand Canyon because then you are only 2 hrs from Zion and, or Bryce Canyons. Just a thoght, but I see that you are planning a southern route so far (Texas) so the south rim would be better probably.

Winging it as far as campgrounds go when travelling was easy. Mid afternoon, I would determine how far I would probably get that day and using Woodalls or in my case, mostly KOA s, call ahead for availability. Obviously , tourist areas are different. Even in busy, tourist areas, sometimes you can get lucky if you want to stay more than one night, just tell them you will be happy to move to a different site if necesary.

John

If you have specific questions, pm me if you want.


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## Kenstand (Mar 25, 2004)

GoVols said:


> Lori, one of our members, "Campntn" made a similar trip, starting at Jackson, TN. I recall he also had a trip blog posted. Why don't you PM Mark and pick his brain?


Here is a link to their trip Blog Out West

Be sure to click the 'older links' at the bottom to see all the post


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> We would like to go through northern Arkansas (it is beautiful)


This sounds like a great trip! Wish I had the time and or energy or $ to do that ,too.

One word, though......Unless you're going to take the interstate through northern Arkansas be prepared for winding roads, hills, and two-lane highways. My parents live in North central AR (Horseshoe Bend) and to put it bluntly, there ain't no good way to get from A to B.

Enjoy your voyage!

Mark


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

I think you mean Tombstone instead of Deadwood, when you mention it with Bisbee in the same breath. Your trip sounded great, though. I highly recommend getting off the Interstates and really see America. I prefer scenic routes instead of boring Interstates -- as long as I have the time.


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## wateree (Jul 4, 2006)

Hi Lori & Steven, can't give you any advise. Just that we are planning this trip next year also wife, myself, & Abby(welsh corgi). Have been planning this for 3 or 4 years. 
We are planning to take 4 months if it takes this long, don't know. Not planning to be in any hurry.
Plan to leave South Carolina the first of April. We have been camping for a number of years, but have never been out west.
Plan to stick to the interstates while towing and drive to the sight seeing locations when possible.
Have woodalls, trailer life, next exit, gps, laptop, & info & maps from each state. Plan to start out on the southern route & return on the northern route.
Keep us in your prayers & we will do the same for you & Steven.

Have a blessed trip.

2004 Chevy Duramax
2005 Outback 28FRLS


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

Lots of good advice so far. We've been taking long trips for many years now both with and without the trailer. One of the things I've found is that if you want to stop at a variety of places it is better to do it on the way to your main destination. We've tried to do the scenic stops on the way home after a couple of weeks away and have found that by then the urge is just to get home. Now we plan all of the sightseeing on the way to where we're going and then we make a straight shot home.

I know some don't like to make reservations but I find that keeps me from driving too far and I know I've got a place waiting for me.

Good Luck


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Lori

You are doing the right things. Start asking. I also ask on this forum on places to stay depending where I am going. So far Outbackers.com is batting 1000 on places to stay. I also use Woodalls and google the area for things to do.

Are long trips are 4000-5000 km in 2 weeks.

We try and plan our route that makes a loop
We leave a few nights open during the trip (flexibility)
Mainly go with the flow - camping is fun

Thor


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## lori26 (Jul 23, 2007)

Hey thanks so much for all the thoughts so far guys. Waterlee---we may pass on the road since we plan on leaving in April too. After researching average temps out west we feel like that month will give us great days to enjoy the outdoors. I did this trip as a child with my family and am looking forward to it as an adult. We have picked our first two stops. First night will be Nashville Tenn. My husband's brother and family live there so we feel the need to work it in the trip to see them. It will be an 8 hours or so drive for us and give us a jump start to the trip. We are mainly wanting to spend time in the southwest. As some of you have mentioned, and we agree, that we will stop at places on the way out and zip home. Steven actually loves to drives so this is an advantage. Second stop will be in northern Ark. to see Steven's other brother. This should be an easy 5 hr. drive. Our next decision is to either go south to Dallas(I have family there) or straight through OK. We went through OK. years ago and I remember it being beautiful. There are some parks and lakes on the eastern side that I have been looking at that seem interesting. Any great places in OK let us know. So thats the update for now -- TN, ARK first stops in early April. Will share more as we figure it out.

Lori


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