road trip via car ...any suggestions ?

12 years ago

DH and I are leaving AL mid Aug . We are taking our camping stuff and our bikes and heading out. Destination is MT by Aug 21st. I have an exciting project going on there for a week.

To get to MT we are going to head due west and then due north. We are trying to go only about 350 mi a day so we will have time to set up camp and then hike/bike before dark .

To plan the trip I have used the most wonderful book that I found last Spring on the internet, Parks Directory of the US- 5th Ed. I got it used for $15 !! It is an 1100 pg. hardbound library copy. I followed up each place that looked interesting by going on line. We are taking the book with us as a reference for the rest of the trip.

1st stop is near Memphis TN- Meeman Shelby Forest SP

2nd stop-Montgomery City MO- Graham Cave SP

3rd stop- Scott City KS- Scott SP

4th stop- either Glendo or Guernsey WY-both have state parks

5th stop- Cody WY ( I just really want to go there cause Mom and Dad were there before my DD was born in 1982 and they came straight to our house in AL for her birth. They loved the area so much.)

6th stop-Whitehall MT-Lewis and Clark Caverns SP

When I finish my project we will head over to Glacier and into Canada to see the park and ride and hike. We leave MT and work our way to Bellingham WA where DH's sister and her DH live. We will stay in the state of WA for a bit and revisit a GW friend and also back out to Vashon Island where we vacationed last Summer. We will then head down the West coast via state parks and interesting places. Any suggestions are MOST welcome for this part.

Destination is San Diego where our DS2 lives and where I finished my bike trip last year. We will hang there for a bit and then we are going to work our way back across the US via the route I rode last year...more or less.

Definitely Silver City NM and La Mesilla NM and a couple places in AZ where the camping was really beautiful last year. Then ALL the way across TX...Langtry and Austin and Valentine and Marfa I want to revisit the Davis Mountains for sure, Honey Island ...and lots of other wonderful little places . We are hoping that the heat won't do us in.

When we hit New Orleans , I stopped there last year to see family , we will stay a bit and then home. We figure about 6000 miles ! If any of you have suggestions or are near the areas where we will be visiting I would love to hear from you. Either here or via email. Looking forward to the experience and the comments :) c

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Comments (8)

forhgtv
12 years ago
There are new state park facilities in Laguna Beach that probably aren't in your book. They are a part of Crystal Cove, but were just built this year at Moro Campground. I've provided a link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moro Campground
Faron79
12 years ago
Shoot!
No ND then Girl?!?!?
The Badlands in western ND are usually stunning...especially late in the day!
In Teddy Roosevelt SP, you can drive thru/among Bison herds!!
(REAL Bison....not NDSU Bison...;-))

See link below:
I've always liked Teddy's quote below the pic...

Sounds like an awesome itinerary!
Can I stow away with you?!?!?!?

Faron

Here is a link that might be useful: ND's Badlands info...
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sarahmakes6
12 years ago
Driving from Washington down through Oregon, you might consider driving up to Mt St Helens to see the volcano in person. http://mountsthelens.com/

I'd also suggest possibly staying at some McMenamins hotels... they are quirky but so is the Northwest. :)
http://www.mcmenamins.com/Hotelshttp://www.mcmenamins.com/Hotels

Consider Silver Falls State Park and the town of Silverton.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/silver-falls-state-park-sublimity

Cannon Beach is a beautiful place.
http://www.cannonbeach.org/

And if you want some cheese... you can't miss the Tillamook Cheese Factory. :)
http://www.tillamook.com/cheesefactory/index.html

And I can't resist one more. If you love books, a trip to Powell's is in order. It's the largest independent bookstore in the world.
http://www.powells.com/
sarahmakes6
12 years ago
It seems my links aren't working, sorry. :(
User
Original Author
12 years ago
forhgtv: I looked at the link. Great place. Only problem with the camping is it is a 3 mile hike away from the water up into the hills !! We will stop to see the beach as it sounds wonderful but will have to camp elsewhere.

faron: you know I have been looking at the map....we were looking at going straight North from KS into SD and ND...problem is my fixation on WY....we'll see...I really love the idea of seeing the Badlands.

sarah : Thank you for all the links ! Even though they don't work I have written them all down and am checking now to see how they will fit in our plans. We will be right by the coast all the way South from WA to San Diego so anything that is pretty close to the coast will be in our sights. Thanks again...I love Powell book stores !! c
DLM2000-GW
12 years ago
trailrunner can I just say that I'm green with envy that you can take the time for such a fabulous trip??!! Seriously - it sounds like an incredible adventure and I hope someday I can convince my DH that the world won't stop spinning if he actually takes a break from work for a while! What is your time frame for this trip?

I have no suggestions for places since the only area I'm at all familiar with seems to be one where you have more experience than I - my son lives in North Cascades Nat'l Park so we've seen a few of the place you mention in WA when visiting him.

If you can tear yourself away from the coast, Joshua Tree Nat'l Park would be the only suggestion I'd make.
forhgtv
12 years ago
I'm so sorry that I gave you bad information. I thought the new facilities were for RVs and the like. I'll definitely have to check into that further. I guess you could stay at Doheny instead. It's still right on your way to San Diego.

Here is a link that might be useful: Doheny in Dana Point
User
Original Author
12 years ago
dlm : you are sweet ! DH retired a year ago May and I stopped working ( I cal myself retired) in Sept 2004 so we have a lot of time on our hands. We are really enjoying it I must say. I hope you and your DH can hit the road too . Your son lives IN the park ??? How cool is that ???! We are planning on hiking some in the Cascades. I have never been there.

forhgtv: not to worry. I looked at the Historic cabins that they have restored at the Crystal Cove and there is a very cool tour you can take to look at them and also a wonderful cafe plus the beach so we will be stopping.

Doheny is just up a ways from SD so we may stop on the way to see DS2. Thank you for taking the time to respond . c

road trip via car ...any suggestions ?

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road trip via car ...any suggestions ?

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