we do 8-10 days at the beach and shorter trips as we can get them planned into our schedule.
next year I am planning a 20 or 24 day trip out west.
so from NC to Arizona is what I am planning. dead straight mostly on I40 across country to AZ (grand canyon is the big destination)
it takes about 28 hrs for this trip from NC to AZ.
SO, since I have alot of time should I stop MORE along the way to relax and enjoy the trip and see all I can along the way---or should I hi-tail it fast as I can into the AZ/NM area which we would love to truly explore in depth.
just not sure how to break this trip up into 'seeing a ton of things' without killing ourselves to 'see it all along the way'.
I just need some long driving trip advice on how you plan your trips. any tips would be appreciated. first time on a longer trip like this to a new area.
First, remember the 28 hours is (I assume from some mapping software) the calculated driving time, not the total travel time. When you add in time for eating, fuel, rest stops, etc, it will be considerably more than the estimated driving time. So you are looking at 4 long days (or 3 VERY long days) each way just in travel time. Not including any time for sightseeing along the way.
There is a awful lot to see and do between NC and AZ so it is just a matter of what your primary interest are. Historical sites? Museums? Natural wonders (besides the GC)? Entertainment venues?
Knowing your interest maybe people familiar with each area could suggest possible points of interest and you could then prioritize them and reduce them to a somewhat manageable level.
Personally, we would stop in Nashville for 2-3 days.
Memphis 1 or 2 days (for their ribs, of course)
Gore, OK (you can visit DW's relative in Porum and say "Hi" for us)
Palo Duro Canyon
Since we're both retired, we only travel 250-mi, 5 hr days (more or less). Get into campground early to check out the area, and leave shortly before checkout time.
I like to plan out 3 possible landing spots for each days drive. If we don't like the 1st, move on down the road to 2, etc. No stress trying to locate campground after hard days drive.
FunnyCamper wrote: ...next year I am planning a 20 or 24 day trip out west.
it takes about 28 hrs for this trip from NC to AZ.
SO, since I have alot of time should I stop MORE...
LOL... That totally depends! There was a time when we could cover those miles in approximately 28 hrs. straight. Given the same time constraints today, it would take me 8 to 10 days just to get there, 2 days looking at a hole in the ground, and 8 to 10 days getting back.
The big difference now is that I know the attraction will still be there when I arrive and it's becoming less of a necessity to be back at a particular spot in time. While engrossed in the thoughts of those two extremes, for the life of me, I can't (or don't want to) remember what I did in between. You'll find your niche, I'm sure.
For the trip we're planning in 2014, we're putting numbered dots on a U.S. map with corresponding notes as to what we want to do there and old friends we want to visit. As the trip gets closer, we will set prioritize, make final choices, and plan a route and schedule, leaving enough slack for impromptu stops.
Sounds like most of your dots would be in New Mexico and Arizona. Therefore, I would hightail it (more or less) over there, get your desired exploring done, and then if there is time available, make some stops on the way back.
I hope you're planning to visit Arizona in some months other than May through August. In general, the really hot weather hits in May, then peaks in June until the monsoons start. Depending on the year, the monsoons will cool it off some but can also interfere with your sightseeing. Personally, having lived there for 13 years, I would go in March or October.
I would start the Arizona part in Tucson and plan to spend two or three days at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Musuem before you do all your exploring. There you will learn all about the wildlife and landscape that you're about to see, and that should enhance the experience when you actually see it. It may also give you some ideas of things to see that you may not have thought of.
FunnyCamper wrote: we do 8-10 days at the beach and shorter trips as we can get them planned into our schedule.
next year I am planning a 20 or 24 day trip out west.
so from NC to Arizona is what I am planning. dead straight mostly on I40 across country to AZ (grand canyon is the big destination)
it takes about 28 hrs for this trip from NC to AZ.
SO, since I have alot of time should I stop MORE along the way to relax and enjoy the trip and see all I can along the way---or should I hi-tail it fast as I can into the AZ/NM area which we would love to truly explore in depth.
just not sure how to break this trip up into 'seeing a ton of things' without killing ourselves to 'see it all along the way'.
I just need some long driving trip advice on how you plan your trips. any tips would be appreciated. first time on a longer trip like this to a new area.
thanks!
Not enough information... How many kids? How many adults? anyone with chronic illness? pets? What is your general traveling style-- Fast & furious? wanna see some sites? the destination is the thing?
I can tell you how we did it. Five years ago we took our two youngest children, then 12 & 14, on a cross-country RV trip.We sat down in a family meeting to talk about the 2-3 Very Important Things that we each wanted to do. Since both DH and DS have disabilities, we knew that we would have to build in plenty of extra time. We chose to drive 2 or 3 days, then stop for 48hrs. Most days we got up early and on the road by 8:15. We stop for lunch, usually at a rest area where i can just whip up something in the camper. Along about 3pm I would start looking for someplace to stop for the night. I don't feel comfortable boondocking in a parking lot with kids, so we stayed in state parks and KOAs a lot.
The longest day we ever drove was 450 miles, which took us about 13 hours. Believe me, by the time we stopped we all felt like we had been personally hauling that monster behind us. Sometimes you just have to do it, but we found that we couldn't do many long days without someone getting sick.
"Those who dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."--Rachel Carson, environmentalist, 1956
2009 Ford F250 XL
2006 Dutchmen 25F
Me & DH in non-parenting mode!
I don't think ANYONE would ever be going wrong to slow down and enjoy an area rather than waving at it as you drive by. It all depends on if you have an INTEREST in what you're passing and if you have the TIME to spend. Remember if you plan on spending a LOT of time at GC you're going to need some reservations and in some cases a year or two in advance (float trips for example). reservations are also required to stay the night at the ranch at the bottom of the canyon but probably not THAT far in advance.
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
BB TX--you are right. that is straight fly time. we will stop, eat, walk the little mutt and it will add many hours onto this trip. So true. I definitely need to factor that time into this situation.
one stop I think will be Tom Sawyer CG on the Miss. river.
I did ask hubby if he wanted to see Graceland. Nope. lol. that took care of that. I actually have no interest in it either but the River does so I think easy exploring of Memphis definitely.
We took I40 accross Country in April this year. We found some slow sections. Lots work by Albuquerque. Between trucks, road work ect. I believe it will take at least 28 solid road hours. I did not find it a difficult drive by any means. I might suggest you get off In few place and see route 66 remnants. It runs along side I 40 most of the time. We found rock shops and Indian products. Stop at the the big meteor crater along the way, we enjoyed that great deal. These interesting attractions do burn daylight. We loved it and btw rest areas were generally clean and safe!
I just need some long driving trip advice on how you plan your trips. any tips would be appreciated. first time on a longer trip like this to a new area.
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You'll find your niche, I'm sure.
