shesus

This summer we are planning on taking a road trip. We're going to follow Rt 66 (as much as we can anyway) to New Mexico. Then we're heading south to Roswell because it's a place I've always wanted to visit for fun. Then we're heading north through Denver to Wyoming and back to Chicago following the Oregon Trail or I-90 as it is now.

We have a few stops planned, but mostly it's going to be exploring. I'm getting pretty excited because it was supposed to be our honeymoon trip 6 years ago. We figured we should stop the procastination since this might be the last summer of it just being the 2 of us.

My questions are:
1) Has anyone ever done this and do you have any tips?
2) We're going to get a tent and camp overnight along the way to save money and then stay in dives the rest of the time since we can't really make reservations in advance. Any tips or stories to share on this?

Thanks.

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ubertuber

It's not EXACTLY on the way, but it would really be a shame to go through any part of Wyoming with a tent and miss Grand Teton National Park. Bonus: it's like 30 miles from Yellowstone. If you are at all into outdoors activities, you can beat the National Park system for cheap and amazing!

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The_Jazz

I've done something fairly similar but it was when I was in middle school. I'd alternate nights of camping and motels, if for no other reason than to feel clean more often. But that's me. Also, don't be afraid to change your plans because of the weather. There's a running family joke about my dad trying to get us to stop at a campground in Eastern Colorado late one afternoon with storm clouds looming. After we had one tent set up, my mom basically put her foot down and insisted that we all stay in whatever motel we could find. I think divorce was mentioned, but we ended up at some motel at a wide spot in the road with tornados 5 miles away and the streets literally overflowing with rainwater. The storm dumped like 2" in an hour or something like that.

Stop at the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah (I think). That's one of the coolest places I've ever been, but I was a 13 year-old boy at the time and easily impressed.

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kurty[B]

Pending my house being done, but if you go out of your way to get to Dinosaur National Monument you may as well swing by my place for a BBQ. Dinosaur is right on the Colorado/Utah border, and I'm two hours from there.

Aside from 66 are you planning to use Interstates? If you are not in a hurry to get anywhere avoid them.

My suggestion would be after Roswell, go to Taos or Angelfire, New Mexico there should be plenty of camping in the vicinity, enjoying the view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. Then go North on New Mexico Highway 522 which turns into Colorado Highway 159 to Blanca, Colorado. Then you could go to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. From there I could go on all day about Colorado highways, PM me if you want to know more about scenic driving through Colorado.

I would definitely recommend swinging through Rocky Mountain National Park. I also agree with ubertuber on Grand Teton and Yellowstone. From the Front Range of Colorado you really have two driving choices. Either going North on I-80 from Rock Springs, or from Rawlins. The southern part of Wyoming can be boring and super windy in the afternoons, but there are some hidden gems (like free hot springs in Saratoga). Both outside of Rock Springs and Rawlins is kind of ho-hum, and does not get interesting until you are almost to the National Parks (50-60 miles out). If you take the Rawlins road just be mindful that there are 150 mile stretches with no gas stations.

It also depends what you want to do, are you looking for more camping style, or want to experience food joints, or see different cities?

If the National Parks interest you, buy a National Parks pass (should only need one for the vehicle). It's $50 for a year, and you can go to any National Park. It'll be a lot better than paying $25-35/day just to drive through each one. If you plan on camping at the parks make sure and reserve a spot LONG in advance. If you want opinions on camping sites at Rocky Mountain National, or the Great Sand Dunes let me know. I really like the camp sites on the western side of Moraine Park campground in Rocky Mountain National (you're away from the main part of the camp, and have a great view of where the creek comes down from the mountains).

Road-trips are fun!

shesus

Thanks for the suggestions. We have been doing some research and looking into what where we want to go. I think we have decided to stick with the Rt. 66 thing to NM and then head down to Roswell. We weren't planning on going as far west as Utah, but the land looks gorgeous there so we're going to swing up through NM to the 4 corners to hit Utah.

So, kurty, we might be close enough to you to get a cooked meal.

Uber: We fell in love with the site of Grand Teton National Park so that is going to be a destination on the trip. Then we're going to hit Yellowstone, might as well since we'll be close. I looked at the park passes and it looks like that might be a good investment.

Now, I'm wondering how easy it is just to find a place to camp without reservations. Since we're not really making a timeline for our trip, it's going to be hard to make reservations. Anybody know how packed these places get around the end of June/first of July? Thanks.

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kurty[B]

The National Parks are pretty difficult during the summer to find camping without a reservation. Outside of the National Parks in many areas it is relatively easy, and many campsites are first come first server.

squeeeb

see the VLA (very large array) on the way, the group of huge dishes beaming stuff out to aliens....along route 66, while in flagstaff, arizona, drop down about 30 minutes into sedona, see submarine rock and the church in the rocks...as for camping, i've always slept in my car at a rest stop...., or on the side of the road

pack baby wipes for an instant shower, have a gallon of water for drinking and a quick rinse down. have a great time.

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amonkie

Going just about anywhere in Colorado is nice, and I will vouch for Taos - It was one of my favorite views when I was moving from AZ to NY.

if you're in Colorado, check out Glenwood Canyon - there's a campground there that I stayed at once and didn't need a reservation, and there's some caves as well as hiking trails and the Colorado River for some relaxing.

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roachboy

well, i would go here no matter what. it has nothing to do with your planned route but it justifies the detour through its lovely lovely massiveness and the barely contained lunacy beneath...in fact, i think i will go here...wait, this is not about me....ok so:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attra...ARforever.html

this place is just crazy--huge too: the kinda thing that makes you wish that america was still understood as a place full of cranks and prophets and other weirdos and not this stifling empire of donnareeds.

if you need persuading as to the mystical value of this place, there is a film called "mana beyond belief"--which is amazing once you get by the ultra-cheesy introduction--that has footage of the forevertron.

this place is off 80 in nebraska and is probably one of the 2 or 3 stupidest roadside places i have been to. you can buy little flamingoes made from pipe cleaners and dreid cowshit there. these things really help you think about the relations of production:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/NENORftcody.html


this is north of route 66, but not terribly far: i would consider going here just to stand on it:

http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/four_corners.htm

i understand there is supposed to be 1 square mile of virgin prarie left and it is in southeastern kansas:

http://www.nps.gov/tapr/

rt 66 will take you through barstow, where there is nothing--but you could get ahold of harry partch's piece "barstow" the words for which are transcribed graffiti from beneath a bridge where partch was hitch-hiking in the mid 1940s....and it is a cool piece--you can spin it as you drive through scenic barstow, and it will give a lilt to your thinking "there is nothing here..absolutely fucking nothing."--you'd be wrong about the nothing ness, but it probably wont matter. death valley in august. yum.


i suspect you already know about this website, but in case you dont:

http://www.historic66.com/description/

any righteous roadtrip requires that attention be paid to the soundtrack.
here are some suggestions:

harry smith's anthology of american folk music
kraftwerk: autobahn
alan lamb: night passage
let me know and i can help you build a suitably unnerving audio environment...

since you'll be Out There during the summer, it is Reasonable (maybe even Meet) that you would listen to am radio from time to time, particularly at night, and particularly to any of these:

1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450 and 1490 kHz

which are the "graveyard frquencies" on which no stations of over 1000 watts operate. crazy stuff. they're the kind of thing that helps you be of a mind such that when you look up into the night sky, you see an enormous hole.

spiritual preparations would have to include watching terence malick's "badlands," "in cold blood" and episodes of the old tv series "route 66" so that you, too, can know what is being talked about when it is suggested that you get your kicks on route 66.

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Grasshopper Green

I've been to most of the national parks here in Utah, and I don't think I've ever camped at a designated campground. Most of the places I've been have areas you could camp at for free pretty close by (I don't know if this is the case anymore though) If you are serious about staying overnight in Utah somewhere, I'd be more than happy to ask my dad where a good place to camp is. He is a camping guru and knows all of the good, out of the way spots.

Dinosaur National Monument is pretty cool if you manage to make it up there...but like the Jazz...I haven't been in a long while, it might be neater when you are younger

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shesus

Thanks for the suggestions. I will check them out.

Trip is hopefully about a month away. Gas prices are going to be a factor, but hopefully not too bad. I'm getting very excited!

__________________
Whatever did happen to your soul?
I heard you sold it

Choose Heaven for the weather and Hell for the company