Family Trip Planning Day

All five of us hung out in my office and got serious about planning this trip.  We need to set dates and start making reservations or we could end up camping in Wal-Mart parking lots. (Yes, they let you do that. And nothing says Family Vacation like Wally World, but yet, we have decided to go all crazy traditional and camp in a campground.) 

By the end of the day, we had a start date for our vacation and and end date. Our vacation will be a total of 56 days long. Whoa!!! That is exactly eight weeks! 

We sent our calendar off to the experts (my parents) who have traveled out west with an RV on many occasions to see if they had any feedback. Based on their feedback, I'm sure we will switch a few things around. 

We will all sleep well tonight knowing that we took such a big step in planning our great National Park vacation. 

To Glacier or Not to Glacier....Is it really a question?

Is it an option to skip Glacier National Park on this vacation? It is REALLY out of the way...

We don't really think so. Here's why: It's disappearing!!!

There used to be 125 glaciers. There are now 25.


Picture courtesy of Glacier National Park Service

And now scientists are saying they could be gone within the decade...as in: before my oldest even graduates from high school!

Bottom line: If we want to see the glaciers of Glacier National Park, we need to drive several miles to the Montana/Canada boarder on this trip. It will add time and quite a few miles to the trip, but it will be worth it.

Here is a link to an article on the topic with very interesting comparison pictures. Glacier National Park Article

Our Plans for an EPIC National Park Trip

• ONE vacation.
• TWENTY FIVE National Parks.
• FIVE family members. 
• THIRTY foot RV Trailer.
• EIGHT weeks. 
• ONE HUNDRED year anniversary of the National Park Service. 

One day in late August 2013, we had an idea. Actually, it was originally more of a moment of panic. We suddenly realized that we only have so many summers to travel as a family on summer vacations...and there are a lot of places to go!

I traveled a lot as a kid growing up. My parents saw to it that I had seen all but six states by the time I was 16. We took most trips driving, but flew to a few destinations as well. I loved these vacations. Some of them I loved more in hindsight, but I loved them just the same. I like that I have seen most national parks, oceans, gulfs, great lakes, waterfalls, destinations spots like Disney World & Land, and many other sights of this country and Canada (back when you could go without spending hundreds of dollars on passports).

If our three kids (now ages 13, 11 and 7) were going to see even half of the places I had seen by the age of 16, we would need to get busy. I would also add that my husband has not seen many of these places, and I am excited to re-experience them as an adult with him. So I made a list of a few vacations we might like to take. The list grew...and grew...and grew. Exactly how many vacations would we have to take each year to accomplish all of this?!

And so an idea was born: Take an EPIC 5-6 week family vacation (it has now become 8 weeks) and visit as much of the western states as we could. Our focus would be National Parks, but a few other "must sees" might slip in. The details of the trip are sketchy at best and can be summed up with: Go West. That's pretty much it. We don't even have a time frame yet.

We began planning in late 2013, yet for various reasons, we will not actually take the trip until the summer of 2016. (We are telling ourselves things like: good things come to those who wait, or patience is a virtue, but seriously, we cannot wait to go!) And did I mention that 2016 is the 100 year anniversary of the national park service?

Thus begins our journey as we research the states and national parks and begin to outline a plan. We will use this blog to document our thoughts. Sometimes the kids might write entries, but I'm guessing it will usually be me (Mom).

Let the planning begin!


National parks we plan to visit:

1. Rocky Mountain National Park
2. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
3. Mesa Verde National Park
4. Arches National Park
5. Canyonland National Park
6. Capitol Reef National Park
7. Bryce Canyon National Park
8. Zion National Park
9. Grand Canyon National Park
10. Joshua Tree National Park
11. Channel Islands National Park
12. Sequoia National Park
13. Kings Canyon National Park
14. Yosemite National Park
15. Lassen Volcanic National Park
16. Redwood National Park
17. Crater Lake National Park
18. Mt Ranier National Park
19. Olympic National Park
20. North Cascades National Park
21. Glacier National Park
22. Grand Teton National Park
23. Yellowstone National Park
24. Wind Cave National Park
25. Bandlands National Park

Definition: Crazy Happy Lifestyle

Crazy Happy Lifestyle - noun : A typical way of life for an individual or family which includes an out of the ordinary passionate preoccupation with enjoying life to the fullest while being characterized by well-being and contentment

Welcome to my crazy happy lifestyle! There are a lot of lifestyles out there to choose from, but this is the one for me. Overall, it is not hectic, harried, or frustrating as the "crazy" part may imply. Nor is it overall a blissful perfect walk in the park as the "happy" may imply. But it is a combination of crazy and happy that allows us to see the bliss in the frustration, and the ordinary perfection that often comes out of the hectic.
In short, it is a balance. A balance that makes our lives worth living. We've heard it all before, but it's worth reminding ourselves that with the ups come downs and the downs come ups.
Everything happens for a reason. This is the principle from which my peace of mind centers. I put faith in the reason that I cannot see or understand. This is how I get through the good and the bad.
So that is a conceptual summary of my life...Stay tuned for the real stuff.