Date:         Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:55:27 -0500
Reply-To:     Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Subject:      Re: 2 weeks enough to cross country - w/kids?
Comments: To: John <kayakjr@JUNO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <20050323.141828.11740.39526@webmail23.lax.untd.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

I've lost track of the number of times I've driven across the country.
You can go from one coast to the other in 5 days without much strain.
But it is nothing but driving. If you want to sight see along the way,
a couple of weeks is great (one way voyage).

Along the northern route there are a number of great places to visit.
Olympic National Park around Crescent Lake is high on my list. You can
also do Yellowstone, Devil's Tower, Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse
Monument. Across the plains, mileage is the main thing. Two days to get
from the Front Range to the Mississippi.  Cross the Mississippi and you
have more places to visit (in Chicago, for instance, there is the
Field's Museum. Museum of Science and Technology, Sears Tower.) In
Pennsylvania you can stop in at the Pine Creek River Gorge (Grand
Canyon of Pennsylvania).

In essence, divide your time, into two sections. Exploring the cool
places in the west separated by the drive across the plains, and then
exploring some places in the East. Don't plan on getting home on a
Sunday. Get home on a Friday or early on a Saturday so that you have a
little bit of wind down time before heading back to work. This is
really important, in my opinion.

On Mar 23, 2005, at 5:18 PM, John wrote:

> I am buying my friend's 87 Wolfburg (Weekender-no stove) Westfalia.
> The only problem is it is within 5 miles of the Pacific Ocean in
> Washington state and I and within 5 miles of the Atlantic Ocean in
> Massachusetts.
>
> My wife and I are trying to decide if 2 weeks is enough time to cross
> the country with 2 kids under 11 - and still enjoy it.  I can't get
> away for more than 2 weeks from the office.
>
> The van is a stock 2.1 4-speed, no AC.  We used it for 2 weeks around
> Washington state last year.
>
> The other optins are shipping  -about $1300 or so or getting the van
> witha friend and doing the drive in one weeks time (the most time he
> can give me).
>
> Any opinions and experiences appreciated.
>
> John
>
> The next thing to being clever is being
> able to quote someone who is
> -Mary Pettibone Poole