ZephyrHawk
Confirmed Disneyphile
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2007
Well, it looks like my and DH's big road trip West is back on (despite my financial misgivings). I am now the proud owner of two hydro-packs and a pair of hiking boots. I have never hiked. Never really even road tripped, and not into camping (cheap hotels are the watchword for this trip). Can you tell it was DH's year to choose the vacation? However, I am big on photography and from the 4+ cameras we'll be dragging along, I'm hoping to get some excellent pictures. We'll be gone from the afternoon of September 4th through the 20th and I'd appreciate any help you guys can give on the following we'll-decide-as-we-go tentative itinerary:
Day 1- Drive MI to Madison, WI
Day 2- Madison to someplace (Murdo?) in SD, stops at SPAM museum in MN, Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD
Day 3- Badlands, Wall Drug, Wind Cave, stay in Custer or Rapid City
Day 4- Jewel Cave, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, drive to WY and see Devil's Tower before stopping in Sheridan
Day 5- Bighorn Canyon, end at Yellowstone (we have reservations at the Old Faithful Inn, the only place I managed to convince DH to get reservations for the trip)
Day 6- Yellowstone
Day 7- Yellowstone
Day 8- Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, stay in or near Kemmerer
Day 9- Fossil Butte, Salt Lake City (?), stay near Cedar City
Day 10- Bryce (want to do a horseback riding tour)
Day 11- Zion
Day 12- Page, Az where we want to see Antelope Cave and the Horsehoe Bend, finish the night near the Grand Canyon South rim
Day 13- Hike Grand Canyon trails
Day 14- Monument Valley, Natural Bridges (?)
Day 15- Arches, then drive to Cortez, CO
Day 16- Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes (?)
Day 17- Drive home across very boring parts of Iowa/Nebraska...depending on what we choose
So, anything along the way we're skipping that "should not be missed"? Any quirky little out of the way things that are totally worth the stopping time? Any places we've allocated too much or too little time to? Any favorite local eateries you can point out (we'll mostly be eating out of a cooler, but we want to try some non-fast food places along the way...especially breweries with local beers to try!)?
Day 1- Drive MI to Madison, WI
Day 2- Madison to someplace (Murdo?) in SD, stops at SPAM museum in MN, Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD
Day 3- Badlands, Wall Drug, Wind Cave, stay in Custer or Rapid City
Day 4- Jewel Cave, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, drive to WY and see Devil's Tower before stopping in Sheridan
Day 5- Bighorn Canyon, end at Yellowstone (we have reservations at the Old Faithful Inn, the only place I managed to convince DH to get reservations for the trip)
Day 6- Yellowstone
Day 7- Yellowstone
Day 8- Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, stay in or near Kemmerer
Day 9- Fossil Butte, Salt Lake City (?), stay near Cedar City
Day 10- Bryce (want to do a horseback riding tour)
Day 11- Zion
Day 12- Page, Az where we want to see Antelope Cave and the Horsehoe Bend, finish the night near the Grand Canyon South rim
Day 13- Hike Grand Canyon trails
Day 14- Monument Valley, Natural Bridges (?)
Day 15- Arches, then drive to Cortez, CO
Day 16- Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes (?)
Day 17- Drive home across very boring parts of Iowa/Nebraska...depending on what we choose
So, anything along the way we're skipping that "should not be missed"? Any quirky little out of the way things that are totally worth the stopping time? Any places we've allocated too much or too little time to? Any favorite local eateries you can point out (we'll mostly be eating out of a cooler, but we want to try some non-fast food places along the way...especially breweries with local beers to try!)?