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twogypsies · 08-19-2019, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reubenray

It will be our longest trip at 93 days. We leave around the middle of April and get back home around the middle of July.

Our longest was 16 years! Constant travel.

Don't think of yours in terms of total days. Just do one chunk at a time. It will go by fast. Enjoy!

stang37 · 08-19-2019, 07:42 PM

The only thing I see is 3 days at Devil tower. Their's no much there except the tower and that's maybe one day. You could make a day trip to Deadwood South Dakota or maybe its your rest stop. Be sure and go to the Ponderosa Cafe & bar in Hulett Wy. about 9 miles. If you don't mind a bar type atmosphere with good food go to the back bar area. They also have a family type restrauant in the front. Hulett has the only grocery store close.

JakenJo · 08-23-2019, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reubenray

I am fine tuning my main stops and below are the days at each of the main stops. I built in an extra day for chilling at some stops. There are also several overnight stop between some of the main stops.

1) Grand Canyon - South Rim - Trailer Village - 5 nights
2) Page & Lake Powell - Wahreap RV - 3 nights
3) Zion NP - Zion River RV Resort - 5 nights
4) Bryce NP - Kodachrome SP - 4 nights
5) Capital Reef NP - Wonderland RV - 3 nights
6) Moab, AZ - Portal RV - 5 nights
7) GTNP - Colter Bay Village - 5 nights
8) YSNP - Grizzly RV - 7 nights
9) Devils Tower - Devils Tower KOA - 3 nights
10) Mt. Rushmore + - Rafter J Bar Ranch - 5 nights

Hi

DW and I just finished a very similar trip to yours starting in FL just shy of 8500 miles. We stayed at many of the same parks (Trailer Village, Wahweap, Zion River, Colter Bay and Grizzly). We did Ruby's at Bryce after Zion then headed to Vernal UT Dino Monument and then through Flaming George to GTNP and YSNP. We probably stayed one day less at most stops than you are planning and found it not too much traveling. You are going to love it. We were sad to see the beautiful mountains in our mirrors.

Did not stay in Black Hills which looked very touristy to us and Rushmore visitor center all torn up with rebuild. We stopped in very NW Nebraska at Ft Robinson SP which is a very interesting place. Looks nothing like the rest of Nebraska. Great history and nice hiking which might be on your way home.

BTW our first stop out of FL was at Lake Osprey where I think you have a lot. Very nice place. We may have seen your coach there. Were you there 5/10 or so?

reubenray · 08-26-2019, 04:29 PM

I need to start making reservations, but I still have concerns about the timing and weather. I have GCNP penciled in for the first week of May (April 29 to May 4). This will set me up to be stationary during the Memorial Day weekend at Portal RV in Moab. Yellowstone will be the first week of June.

Is the last week of April/first week of May to early?

JakenJo - we may have been there when you came, but just barely.

lass · 08-26-2019, 05:26 PM

Ray. I’m checking in at Portal on May 26 and leaving on the 31st. We may meet there.

twogypsies · 08-27-2019, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reubenray

I need to start making reservations, but I still have concerns about the timing and weather. I have GCNP penciled in for the first week of May (April 29 to May 4).

Is the last week of April/first week of May to early?

It will be perfect!

tmw188 · 08-27-2019, 02:11 PM

We had some snow fall at the NR around middle of May but was gone in couple of hrs it was pretty. Good weather just cool enough to be perfect.

reubenray · 09-02-2019, 02:41 PM

I finally started making my reservations today. I started with some of the main ones first. Trailer Village, Wahweap and Zion RV Resort are booked. I only have 29 more to go.

reubenray · 09-23-2019, 02:00 PM

In my continuing getting longer Huge trip (98 nights) I need some campground recommendation between Rapid City, SD to North Denver and then over to Kansas City. I have some overnight stops picked out, but it would be great if there was some campgrounds that had something to do for a few more days. I am learning again that the process of driving, staying one night and then driving again is tiring.

762vram2043 · 09-24-2019, 05:11 AM

Between Rapid City and Denver you might check out Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford, Nebraska. Jeep rides, stage coach rides, museums, Toadstool Park, Agate Fossil Beds, Scottsbluff National Monument, Chimney Rock (Oregon Trail sights) Carhenge are all within an hour or so. Take US 385 south to Chadron, turn west (right) on US 20. Campground has lots of mature trees, RV sites aren't packed so tight. Make reservations early, especially if you plan to be there over a holiday weekend.

reubenray · 11-16-2019, 05:25 AM

Here is the final map (hopefully) for this trip. It is 97 nights and just over 6500 miles. This is over twice as long as our longest trip which we just got back from. We leave the first week of April and get back the middle of July. The main campgrounds in Utah, Montana and Wyoming have been booked already.

I am hoping the map can be opened!!

allenb12 · 11-16-2019, 03:51 PM

This is the trip we took.

twogypsies · 11-16-2019, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reubenray

Here is the final map (hopefully) for this trip. It is 97 nights and just over 6500 miles. This is over twice as long as our longest trip which we just got back from. We leave the first week of April and get back the middle of July. The main campgrounds in Utah, Montana and Wyoming have been booked already.

I am hoping the map can be opened!!

Your trip looks awesome. You're covering a lot and sounds like it will be a winner. Now you can start relaxing.

Isaac-1 · 11-16-2019, 09:56 PM

Looks great, I just returned a week ago to western Louisiana from our 25 day, 3,200 mile trip to Santa Fe, Page, the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest NP, then back down through Gila National Forest in western NM to El Paso and back home to Louisiana.

Since you will be hitting some of the points we just covered on your proposed route, I would like to make a few comments and possible suggestions:

Consider taking I-20 across Texas instead of I-10, doing so lets you miss the mess which is Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Beaumont, Houston and San Antonio.

Second It appears on your map that you will be staying around Fort Stockton, then driving up to Carlsbad. I skipped Carlsbad on this trip due to the awful road conditions between Pecos and Carlsbad at the moment, this is in the middle of the Texas oil patch with lots of oilfield trucks beating up that road. I did stay in Fort Stockton at Fort Stockton RV park on KOA road, just off Warnock Rd, which I have used before and recommend, just be aware there is a new RV park in Fort Stockton called Fort Stockton RV park and resort, which is a different park, and far inferior from what I have heard.

We stayed at Mathers Campground at the grand canyon which is about 1/3 mile from Trailer Village, though at 29 ft we were pushing the size limit for Mathers. One of the things I was amazed about with the Grand Canyon was the size of the crowds even in the off season being there in mid October, the place was busy the day we arrived the visitor parking lot was full with people circling trying to get a space, thankfully it was almost check in time at the campground when we arrived. Even with the shuttle buses running every 15 minutes, they were standing room only about half the time, in fact I saw people having to miss buses and wait for the next one because they were full at the main visitor center.

We also stayed at Wahweap campground in Page, this is a nice modern campground though be aware it is about 3/4 mile from the shore of the lake. Checkin is at the camp store, which if I recall closes at 4 pm (might have been 5, but I think it was 4) Also if you have a TOAD you may want to disconnect before pulling into the campground store parking lot as the RV parking spaces may be too short to fit with a TOAD, and with the lot layout you would probably be blocking traffic. While in Page we did the Lower Antelope Canyon Tour, as well as the Glen Canyon half day float trip https://www.riveradventures.com/glen...ience/half-day. Both I highly recommend, though be aware you need advance reservations, and lots of people do these. I think we booked 60 days out for the Antelope canyon tour, and even then were limited on available time slots. Well worth doing, but the thing most of the photos don't show are the crowds. The guided group size is reasonably small, the problem is the number of groups. Our group had 8 people plus the guide, the issue is there were 17 groups that left in the same half hour time slot as we did (we were in group 13). As to the canyon float trip, it was great, well worth the money, my only regret to a degree is doing the half day and not the full day float trip, though the half day is a long half day, so was probably for the best.

Ike