Trip Preparations

A trip of this magnitude takes a lot of planning.  We have been talking about and writing out imaginary plans for this trip for years. When we went the Badlands, we were told to wait until Griffin was at least 10 to go to Utah.  With the boys at 11 and 16, we think it is the perfect age to go.

We decided to commit to the trip last October.  We gave the boys a choice: ten days in hotels or about a month of camping.  They choose the bonanza package. In December, we had to replace our truck, and decided on a  minivan, which eliminated our ability to take our pop-up camper. So tenting became the accommodation of choice, by default.  I agreed, but only if campgrounds had a pool, shower, and flush toilets.  

For Christmas, we wished for gift cards of many sorts, especially gas gift cards, VISA gift cards, and fast food restaurants. We also wished for things to take on our trip, like camelbaks, hiking poles, and other camping gear.  We were generously given gifts to help our trip come together.  

Next, we needed to buy a tent that could fit the four of us.  While we have two tents for scouting, we found that many campsites were one-tent-only.  We had a gift card to amazon from my 2014 class and put it toward the purchase of an 8-man tent (which will just barely fit four air mattresses.) I drew the line at having to sleep on the floor or a tent pad.

Once armed with some gear and a decision to tent, we began to map out the itinerary.  We knew that Ethan would most likely have an audition at the end of the school year and had Boy Scout camp later in the summer, which left us a five week door-to-door calendar to fill.

We spent time on every national park website and other travel sites, including trip advisor, Joe Braun Photography, visitutah.com, and any other site that could give us info.  We borrowed library books by the dozen.  Travel brochures covered our coffee table. Derek had a map and marked off all of the national parks and state parks in Utah. We went through all this info, writing down all the things that looked interesting and doable for our skill set and fitness levels.  From there, we determined the number of full days needed at each spot.  




The problem with such a big trip is that you want to keep going farther away and add in more stops.  We had a hard time containing our enthusiasm and reeling in the schedule.  We had to remember that we want to know a place well instead of driving through every stop.  

We decided to add Grand Canyon North Rim.  Looking at a way out of there, we noticed we would need to go by Monument Valley.  So we added that.  When we thought we were done, Ethan asked if we planned to do Mesa Verde, because he always wanted to see it.  

The reservation process began on January 1, when many campgrounds began to open up reservation windows. Most private campgrounds are not as competitive that early, but the National Park campgrounds can fill up in minutes.    By the end of January, we had a solid plan.