Friday Favorites: Roadtrip!
July 26, 2013
I've taken a little bit of a break from thinking about my Pinterest party this week, and with our upcoming family getaway to Destin, I've been more in vacation mode.
Hubs and I love roadtrips and spending time together just the two of us, so we thought it would be fun to plan one. When it comes to vacations, we are usually tight wads (i.e. waiting until November to take them because rates are so much cheaper, driving instead of flying, etc...although that's not always the case). Why even take a vacation at all? Working 40 hours a week can get stressful (especially for Hubs), and when you do it 52 weeks a year without a break, it takes a toll on your mind, attitude and overall well-being. Getting away is a huge relief, plus it makes you appreciate coming home.
Who knows when this roadtrip will actually happen, but sometime in the future, it definitely will, and here's what it will look like:
If you know me, you know I am a planner. You should see the organized, detail-oriented binder I have for this trip. It's great!
Day One: Grand Canyon
964 miles, 14 hours driving
We will cross 4 states the first day, the longest one-day drive of our trek. There's not much to see between Oklahoma and Arizona, and we've never been to the Grand Canyon, so it will be a welcome sight.
There are tons of lodging options on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, but we will be taking our tent and staying under the stars in the national park. I've read summer is the perfect time to camp there, so we will be taking full advantage.
We hope to get there the first night in time to see a spectacular sunset, then the next day we will have plenty of time to be tourists. We will definitely do a short hike down into the canyon and hopefully get some stunning photos, like the one above.
Day Two: Vegas
276 miles, 4 hours driving
When we're finished taking in the awe of the Grand Canyon, we will make a short drive over to Vegas. This will also be a first for both of us, and I'm pretty excited.
Groupons and LivingSocial deals are ALWAYS luring buyers to Vegas, so on this night, we will take advantage of one of those great one-night hotel deals, hopefully on the strip. We are not gamblers, but it will be fun just to see the city for ourselves rather than through Clark Griswold in Vegas Vacation.
Day Three: SoCal
464 miles, 7.5 hours driving
After we have our fun in Vegas, we will head to LA to get on the Pacific Coast Highway. I am SO excited about this day.
We will drive right through West Hollywood, down Mulholland Drive and Sunset Boulevard until we reach Santa Monica where we will hang out on the famous pier before we head up the coast to a state beach where we will pitch our tent for the night. Doesn't that sound fun?!
Day Four: Wine Country
457 miles, 10.25 hours driving
Visiting California Wine Country is one of the many things on our travel bucket list, so on day four, we will continue our trek up the west coast through San Francisco (I can't wait to ride a cable car), over to Napa & Sonoma. You can bet one of our souvenirs will be a bottle (or two!) of wine straight from one of the vineyards.
We will stay at another state park right off the PCH this night, too!
Day Five: Oregon Coast & Crater Lake
483 miles, 9.75 hours driving
On this day, we will cross from California to Oregon, but not before witnessing the magnificence of the redwoods. Driving through a tree trunk will be pretty cool. Then, it's on to Crater Lake! We watched a National Geographic special on Crater Lake one time, and ever since, we have wanted to visit it. Supposedly, the water is a beautiful deep blue, and the fact that it's at the top of a non-extinct volcano is neat, too.
Day Six: Twilight Tour!
469 miles, 10.5 hours driving
Most of this day will be spent driving along the Pacific Northwest coast, which I've heard is the most beautiful part of the drive. It will also be our last day on the PCH. :( We will go through Forks and Port Angeles, and you know what that means... :)
Besides seeing the real-life places that inspired the Twilight saga, I read that a ferry-ride from Port Angeles to Victoria, British Columbia is a must. We've never been to Canada, so if we have time, we want to do that, too!
It's usually pretty easy to find a Groupon for a hotel in Seattle, so after three nights of tent-camping, we'll be staying in downtown Seattle.
Day Seven: Seattle
406 miles, 6 hours driving
Hopefully, we can time our trip to where we can spend the day of our anniversary in Seattle. I planned a short(er) drive for this day because we want to have plenty of time to explore this city we've heard so much about. Pike Place Market, Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, Mt. Rainier...so much to see and do.
That afternoon, we will head to a campground in Montana just past the Idaho border to stay for the night.
Day Eight: Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks
424 miles, 7 hours driving
This is supposed to be some of the best scenery in America, so hopefully the weather will cooperate and I will get some great photos!
Besides visiting the obvious Old Faithful geyser, we will definitely do some hiking in either Yellowstone or Grand Teton N.P before setting up camp. Maybe we'll even see some waterfalls!
Day Nine: Arches & Canyonlands National Parks
490 miles, 8.5 hours driving
On this day, we will cross into Utah and head to the beautiful Arches National Park, where we will camp for the night. Not too far away is Canyonlands National Park, both of which are famous for their red rock formations. We may take a short hike, depending on how tired we are from the day before. Our campground for the night is right on the Colorado River, so maybe we can do some rafting, too!
Day Ten: Colorado
350 miles, 5.5 hours driving
Our last night before being back home in Moore will be spent at a hotel in Denver after camping the previous three nights. Like Vegas and Seattle, Denver is a regular on Groupon and LivingSocial.com so a good hotel deal shouldn't be hard to find. We both have been to Denver before, so that won't be anything new, but we hope to---if we don't whitewater raft the day before in Utah---do some rafting in Glenwood Springs on the way to Denver. I will most definitely have to stock up on my favorite chocolates from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory while we're there, too!
Day Eleven: Great Plains
689, 9.75 hours
Sure to be the longest drive ever, but then again it always is. The loooooong, booooooring drive across Eastern Colorado and Kansas makes coming home to Central Oklahoma seem like a vacation in itself!
So there you have it! Our future roadtrip! We're not sure when it will happen, but when it does, we are going to love it!
In case you were keeping track, that's
- 5,472 miles
- 92.75 hours driving
- 14 states
- 9 national parks
- 8 items checked off our travel bucket list
We can't wait!!
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