Lower 48

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Lol you assume correctly! My job is to drive and pay, the rest can be split up among the rest of them ?
I do that with most things, for example, dinner, I pay for it and shop, they can cook and clean it up. I haven't done dishes in years.
 
I just read your itinerary again and I wish to point out that if you wish to spend the night at Key West in February you must have reservations at least a year in advance. Make your reservation there soon.
 
I've added to my itinerary after some awesome suggestions (like going to Death Valley) but no, I'll have the RV on the main land and we'll take a car to the end and back, stopping for touristy stuff along the way, but not spending the night in the keys. None the less, I appreciate the advice, in case I were.
 
One thing I just thought about for you. There are many RV clubs you can join. Most are just after your money. However in your case Passport America would be a wise investment. It is great for saving 50% on campgrounds and RV parks. It is only good in most cases for one or two nights. No discount on long term. Last time I drove across country it saved me the $44 it costs in three nights. After that is 1/2 price. It is a system that needs to be studied a bit to be able to use it but they are legit, you really do save 50% and the parks I stayed at were really nice.

http://www.passportamerica.com/
 
Tom, Passport America is awesome! I wasn't sure it would be something I could use because I planned on boondocking some and staying in inexpensive state parks. But a lot of the places end up being the same price as a state park and more tailored to RVs obviously. I've just figured on the first half so far and it will save me a ridiculous amount of money. Thank you so much!
Ps- I'm sure I'll have no problem finding somewhere to blow all that extra money! Lol
 
The 25th! I'm excited, the seller is going to teach me everything I need to know. My youngest daughter is coming with me, so we'll get lots of one on one time on the drive home.
And I bought a Garmin, so many new toys, this is better than Christmas! Lol
 
We, too, will be traveling the Lower 48 over a 12 month period in the next few years (retirement trip!).  Our goal is to visit all the National Parks in the lower 48 and hopefully visit most states.  We are interested in outdoor activities, but also enjoy cultural activities and city visits.  How did you begin planning your trip?  What resources did you access to make planning less overwhelming?  Would love to hear about your trip and the good/bad/ugly adventures and lessons learned!  Have fun!
 
dcasement said:
We, too, will be traveling the Lower 48 over a 12 month period in the next few years (retirement trip!).  Our goal is to visit all the National Parks in the lower 48 and hopefully visit most states.  We are interested in outdoor activities, but also enjoy cultural activities and city visits.  How did you begin planning your trip?  What resources did you access to make planning less overwhelming?  Would love to hear about your trip and the good/bad/ugly adventures and lessons learned!  Have fun!
I plan my trips with Google Maps. I make a custom map and start by putting a pin in every place I want to visit. Then I use the line function to draw out a tentative route. I have two rules for the route. I never cross over the route and I go in a circle. I never backtrack.

I have been to all 47 of the National Parks in the lower 48 and it will be a worthwhile and memorable trip. I did it in two years. One week in each of the western NPs and then the next year I did one week in each of the eastern NPs. The big problem with doing them all in one year is weather, bugs and tourists. All three need to be considered when planning a trip to a National Park. You do not want to visit North Cascades in December and you don't want to be in Death Valley or the Everglades in July. It takes an awesome amount of planning to make sure you won't have problems with weather, bugs or tourists.

If you visit my photo site I have tons of NP photos. I also visited all 48 states.
 

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I started out knowing that I wanted to be up north all summer and head south all winter. I have a notebook (I write everything down) and researched top must sees or must dos of each state. (We're skipping the NE states that we've already been to) I did lots of Google searches. I made a tentative plan and then added a lot to it after getting advice here on this forum. If you read through this thread and the one on bucket lists, people have awesome suggestions. That's where I started.
There's so much to cram into such a short period of time lol, you realize how much there is to see and do once you try to plan it all in a 10 month period. You also need to remember to plan on time for laundry and "house keeping" like vehicle maintenance. I have a cram packed schedule, HOWEVER, I am using that as a suggestion and over planned instead of under planned. So there are things on our itinerary that we will probably not wind up doing if I need a down day or aren't up to driving, if someone gets sick (there are 7 of us so it's bound to happen at some point), if we have vehicle issues, if we decide to stay somewhere longer than planned to see more there, if we hit bad weather, if places are closed etc etc etc.
Also, like Tom said (and he is an AWESOME source of information, he's been a huge help to me over and over again) I also don't re-cross my path.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
Also, like Tom said (and he is an AWESOME source of information, he's been a huge help to me over and over again) I also don't re-cross my path.
Thanks Amanda but you shouldn't say things like that here. You might get tarred and feathered by one of my critics. :eek:

The reason I don't cross my path is due to planning. I find it much easier to look at a map with a circular route than one where you travel willy nilly all over. After I plan a route I spend at least 15 minutes a day reviewing my route and making adjustments. I go over the route section by section and look for ways I can cut some unnecessary mileage from the trip. I also look for interesting places to stop on my route. For my money the planning is about 1/2 the fun of a trip.
 
I've been traveling the lower 48 for 16 months now, admittedly without much of a plan...I've avoided backtracking for the most part, but have crossed paths a few times.  I think I have 9 states left.

It looks like you've got a good plan, it may definitely be a hustle in some places.  I think you need to reconsider December though.  I lived in Northern AZ for 17 years, you could end up in some cruddy weather for sure in December.  Flagstaff is usually snow skiing by then, and if not timed right you could end up in some good storms.  Same goes for CO, UT, and NM. 

Enjoy the trip!
 
ip076 said:
I think you need to reconsider December though.  I lived in Northern AZ for 17 years, you could end up in some cruddy weather for sure in December.
I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the weather. We may have to park one place and do day trips in the car if need be. Keeping my fingers crossed!
 
SeilerBird said:
You are such an angel. If you lived in Florida and I was 20 years younger I would challenge your boyfriend to a duel. :eek:
Lol thanks, but no boyfriend- too busy doing the mom thing
 
Well if you ever change your mind then sell your house, move into the RV and come live in Florida. I will get a phony drivers license listing my age as 39.  ;D
 
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