Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:26:15 -0500
Reply-To: Ed McLean <email99@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ed McLean <email99@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject: Re: Vanagon Road Trippin in the New year!
Jonce,
I agree. Just do it!!!
We've taken many 2 to 5 week Westy trips with our sons across the country
over the past 18 years of Vanagon ownership and there have been some great
times. There have also been some "learning experiences" but we are all the
better for them.
One of the most important lesson learned was to take time to see what is
around you. Drive and then stop for a few days and learn about the place
where you are. This is a lot less stressful and much more educational and
fun than driving every day and stopping for a short time at many different
places.
Electronic devices are OK for the journey back home but for the first half
of the trip we found it better to let the boys read, plan what we are going
to do, and look out the windows.
Get you children involved early in planning where to go. They have plenty
of time to comb through the internet find things that they want to see and
do. They will surprise you. It also keeps them interested in the trip.
Try to keep the clutter under control in the Vanagon to reduce frustration.
Have a place to store everything so you are not tripping over stuff all the
time. This helps especially at night when everyone is inside.
Be sure to become familiar with Google Earth to help you plan. It will help
you see what you are planning and will help keep you from driving right past
something you really want to see. Google Earth is a fantastic vacation
planning aid.
Here are some places we visited on a 5 week trip in from North Carolina to
Glacier National Park in 1996 with our 8 and 11 year old sons. Maybe you
will find some of these interesting.
You can't see everything in one trip so select a few of the big attractions.
You'll go back again.
Frontier Days in Cheyenne, WY
July 20 through Aug 1, 2010
The World's Largest Rodeo and Western Celebration
A great place to see a rodeo
http://www.cfdrodeo.com/
Grand Teton National Park
Good hiking, camping, etc.
Great place for horse back rides.
A must see national park.
Sinks Canyon State Park
The Popo Agie River disappears underground only to reappear a quarter of a
mile down stream.
This short hike is good for a break on the way to the Tetons.
Yellowstone National Park
Old Faithful, hot springs, water falls, etc.
Another must see.
Good camping outside park in West Yellowstone
National Bison Range
Off US 93, 1 hour north of Missoula, MT
Self guided driving tour through bison herds.
Good for a break of maybe three hours on the way from Yellowstone to Glacier.
Glacier National Park
A must visit destination
Going to the Sun Hwy - Great drive
Fantastic views and many great hikes.
Great family Vanagon camping at Many Glacier Campground with store, showers,
Ranger led programs and hikes.
Deer walk through campgrounds
See big horn sheep and mountain goats on hikes at Logan Pass
Will probably see grizzly bears from safe distance on hike to Hidden Lake
Good place for horse back rides (at Many Glacier and Lake McDonald).
Fantastic historic national park lodges.
Be sure to ride the historic red Jammer buses
Devil's Tower and Mount Rushmore the weekend before Sturgis.
There's nothing like seeing the Fathers of our Country with 2000 of your
favorite biker friends.
Really, this was not a problem. Everyone we saw was well behaved. They
were, of course, having a good time...
Deadwood was wall to wall chrome at 10:30 on Sunday morning, probably left
over from Saturday night.
Chief Crazy Horse Memorial
Another one of our Founding Fathers.
Need to see this to understand US history.
http://www.crazyhorsememorial.org//
Sturgis Bike Rally
Aug 9 through 15, 2010
You wanted memories that will last forever, didn't you?
Actually, probably not a destination for this trip.
No problems but be aware that campgrounds will be crowded for 100+ miles in
all directions starting the weekend before. We stayed in the "overflow
area" of a couple of full campgrounds but that was OK.
Although your girls might not be interested in the following, my boys
certainly enjoyed these three:
Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, SD
South Dakota Air and Space Museum
Bus tour of Ellsworth AFB (B-1B bombers) and Minuteman Missile Silo tour
http://www.ellsworth.af.mil/communityrelations/index.asp
Call before you go to confirm details.
Strategic Air & Space Museum
Ashland, NE (between Lincoln and Omaha just off I80)
Lots of static display aircraft including B52, SR-71, B36, B29, etc
http://www.strategicairandspace.com/
Cody Firearms Museum
Cody, Wyoming
Probably every significant firearm since the beginning of time.
Many times the most remarkable memory we have of a trip is not the
destinations but things that happen along the way. These are the "memories
of a lifetime" we cherish. We even have some good memories of the time we
cracked a piston in the tiico conversion in Orderville, UT... And on this
trip we confirmed that traveling across the country in a rented Grand
Marquis is completely different and can not compare to experiencing the
country in a Vanagon Westfalia.
I hope this helps in your planning. Bus trips can be wonderful adventures.
Yes, you will soon be entering the phase of limited parental knowledge but
your children will remember that you take them to some really cool places
when they let you.
Ed McLean
