2020 Cross-Country US National Park Plans: Cancelled
We’re Taking A Rain Check!!
Well it’s official…..Covid-19 trashed our summer plans. I know it’s been a while since I have last posted, but during the later months of 2019 and January of 2020 I was diligently planning our summer trip and following the virus that has since thrown the world into disarray. I’ve been concerned, I really have. Since December, I felt this one was different. Governments seemed to really struggle to figure out what was going on and more importantly how to get ahead of it. My colleagues probably thought I was nuts with what seemed like wild predictions at the time. That’s ok. They know how I am, and when I get a hunch, it’s usually right. In this case, I unfortunately was.
This was to be my second cross-country trip. The first was with my parents in a converted van when I was twelve. That trip inspired me. I was at a great age to appreciate the 5000 mile trek. Equipped with my memories and a jolt of enthusiasm, I set out to design a trip that equaled my father’s. I like to be a consumer of information and diligently look at as much material as I can while planning an extended cross-country trip like the one we were going to do. Yes, I’m a planner, but love when a plan is flexible. I figured I would give you the quick overview and then explain where we’re at.
The Itinerary (7 full weeks)
Days 1-4 Traveling from NY/PA border head to KOA campgrounds in Toledo, Ohio, Waterloo, Iowa and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Days 5 - 8 Cedar Pass Campground in Badlands National Park
Days 9-12 KOA Palmer Gulch/ Mount Rushmore When President Trump announced that there would be fireworks at Mt. Rushmore for, we would be there.
Day 13- Cody, Wyoming at Wapiti, Campground with a planned stop at Devil’s Tower National Monument on the way.
Days 14-16 Canyon Campground in Yellowstone National Park
Day 17 - 19 A long 13hour drive to Bryce Valley KOA near Bryce Canyon National Park
Days 20 - 23 Ruby’s Inn and RV Park at the entrance of Zion National Park
Day 24 - 30 Head to Grand Canyon Trailer Village RV Park **A highlight as this campground is less than a mile from the South Rim.
Day 25 - 27 KOA Holbrook Petrified Forest to see Petrified Forest National Park
Day 28 - 30 Head up to Taos, New Mexico and stay at Santa Barbara Campground elevation 14000ft
Day 31 Overnight at Fort Supply Lake (Right on the water)
Days 32-39 would be spent traveling to and visiting with family in Fayetteville, AR
Days 40 -44 Buffalo Point Campground to visit the Buffalo National River
Days 45-47 at the Eureka Campground at Land Between The Lakes in Kentucky
Day 48 Boondocking in Williamstown, Kentucky. I just really wanted to visit the Ark Encounter. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it’s when you “park” in a parking lot of a store/shopping mall for a night.
Day 49 Boondocking near Pittsburgh, Pa
Day 50 Finally get back home.
At this point you’re probably asking; why all the KOA’s. I just like KOA campgrounds. They’re generally quiet, have super clean facilities and I have a Value Card which helps reduce the cost a bit. I also have the use of a Thousand Trails membership through my father. The problem with those is that there were not many of their campgrounds near our route.
Any RV enthusiast knows that planning a trip like this can be a logistical nightmare. Finding campgrounds and prepping a vehicle can be difficult as well as costly. Being prepared for anything that can and will go wrong is tedious and a bit nerve wracking.
Sunshine
It’s probably a good time to introduce “Sunshine”. That’s our teardrop trailer we had planned on towing throughout the trip. It’s a great base camp. It’s a 2008 yellow and orange T@B built by Thor Industries. A company now owned by NuCamp. It’s a great little rig. A solid build with an aluminum frame from Germany and an alufiber exterior. This thing is LIGHT. 1620 pounds with a GVWR of 2000 lbs. The camper can be towed with a small SUV or even a Subaru. We don’t have a problem towing as we have a 6 speed Nissan Xterra that is rated for 5000 lbs. I sometimes forget that I am towing with the teardrop design. It’s very aerodynamic and I end up getting about 16 miles to the gallon while doing so. The T@B is generous with the amenities. It has air conditioning with a heat pump, a 3-way refrigerator as well as a kitchen. We convert the table into a king size bed. Plenty of room for us and our pug!! In addition, we have an awning and a tent extension to utilize some outdoor space. In another post, I’ll take all of you on the official tour. I’ll put a link below so you can check out the new ones. For now, here are a few exterior photos::
The Next Step
It was all booked. Can you believe we actually got a campsite that close to the Rim of the Grand Canyon or a site at Canyon Campground in Yellowstone. Most of the camping is paid for. So now what? We have weighed our options and are concerned about a second wave of infections. Since we don’t have our own bathroom in Sunshine (just a port-a-potty), we will be forced to use the restrooms and showers at the facilities along the way. That’s quite a bit of contact with people. This concerns us due to current social distancing rules and reports regarding Covid-19’s airborne threat. (I personally know 5 people who have succumbed to Covid-19….pretty scary) As I write this, I believe that some areas of the US have yet to experience a first wave of infections. Another problem we face is that our government has closed many of the national parks and monuments, such as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon; or in others limited the facilities and services available to visitors. Once again, logistical problems…….. What happens if we make our way out there and they are still closed or close as a result of issues with the spread? Remember, this is a pandemic. There really hasn’t been a pandemic like this since 1918, and that lasted two years.
So today we determined that it’s a no go. The risk outweighs the reward and we consider ourselves to be fairly pragmatic people. We’re not in our twenties with a nonchalant, throw caution to the wind attitude. We can’t afford to act that way anymore. Yes, it will most probably cost us a bit of our deposits, but our lives are worth much more.
We’ll save these plans for another time. Yes, it’s disappointing, but there WILL be another time. In fact, I would actually like to spend some time in the Grand Tetons, which I should have added to this trip, but everything had already been booked. And on that note, I’ll leave you with this quote. “All journey’s have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware” ~Martin Buber I’m hoping this journey or lack there of, leads us to a secret destination. Stay tuned, I’ll let you know.
“Always remember the future holds a little ray of “Sunshine!” ”
Several years back on a trip to Tennessee.
