Thank you so much for stopping back in to read the Young Footsteps Around the World #blog. We think you'll enjoy reading about as well as see the pictures that Julia captured of our recent #RV #roadtrip.
Living in Colorado, we've grown to love #camping. We usually tent camp, but this year we decided to rent an #RV for spring break. One of the options when we start #fulltimetravel is to start out in an RV touring the US and Canada, so we thought we should try it out to see how we like it.
Planning Phase
One of the ways we use #instagram is to add destinations to our #bucketlist. When we see a picture of a beautiful destination, we go straight to Google Maps and save the location. We use the green flag "Want to Go" list for our bucket list. So, to plot out the route of our road, we immediately went to Google Maps. We had been seeing a lot of pictures lately of Kanarraville Falls, Bryce Canyon, and Antelope Canyon, so these were must stops. We also wanted to keep our daily drives less than 4 hours, so the #roadtrip itinerary quickly fell in to place.
After doing some online research, we discovered a locally owned RV rental company called Hightened Path RV Rental right here in town. There are many large, chain RV rental companies, but we really wanted to support a #smallbusiness. Looking over their inventory on their website, we quickly chose a 24-foot Class C #motorhome. A couple of reasons for this...you don't need a special license to drive, we weren't too comfortable towing a travel trailer, and the kids could spread out while we drove.
and we're off
We got driving after Papa got home from work. Unfortunately, a snowstorm slowed our driving and we didn't get into Glenwood Springs until after midnight. The next morning, we woke up to more snowfall. So, instead of taking pictures of the RV with beautiful Mt. Sopris in the background, we got back on the road for #Moab, Utah.
In Moab, we stayed at the KOA. We really like KOAs for the kids' sake. At KOAs, there is usually a pool, a playground, clean bathrooms, and kids' activities. This #KOA even had a bike washing station, so we were able to clean all the road grime off of our dirty mountain bikes. After washing their bikes, the boys spent the rest of the day riding around the campsite. The next day, we headed to Dead Horse Point State Park. We chose it over the Canyonlands National Park, so the boys could #mountainbike. We must say, we were extremely satisfied with our decision. The boys loved the trails, and we loved the amazing views of the Colorado River.
BACK ON THE ROAD
After burning some energy, we got back on the road for Cedar City, Utah. Around dinner time and after a seeing a sign that said "Next Service 120 miles", we decided to pull off at the San Rafael Swell View Area. Mama got to cooking and the boys once again started riding their bikes. We couldn't get enough of the views of the rocks as the sun was setting. After eating Mama's delicious dinner and snapping some pictures, we got back on the road. The kids jumped up in the bed above the cab, and were quickly fast asleep while Mama and Papa drove on!
Our main reason for going to Cedar City was to hike the #KanarravilleFalls. This #hike has gotten really popular as a result of Instagram, and the town now limits the number of hikers through a permit system. We highly recommend buying tickets in advance as the town now limits the tickets to 120 hikers/day. Another #traveltip is to take at least an extra pair of socks, if not shoes, because you will get wet. The slot canyon has water from side to side. Despite some really cold water, it was a really fun hike and the waterfall made the hike all worth it. The next day, we mountain biked the Southview Trail System, and had a ball. We had no idea there was such great mountain biking in Cedar City.
After a quick stop to see dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs in Parowan, we drove on to Bryce Canyon National Park. We stayed at another really nice KOA in Cannonville, UT, and for the first time on the trip had a fire pit. Needless to say, the kids had a fire going in no time, and we had S'mores that night after grilling steaks! The next day, we hiked to Mossy Cave and then headed into Bryce Canyon National Park. Due to the amount of snow, only the Rim Trail was open. We took in the magnificent views at Sunrise Point and Inspiration Point before getting back on the road for Lake Powell.
We arrived at our campsite at about 9 PM to find an RV already parked there. After double-checking the campsite number, we politely informed the occupants that they were in our spot. We had a 8:15 tour booked at Antelope Canyon, and needed to get some rest.
Although we loved the motorhome during our drives, we quickly learned their downside. We were up at 0615 to eat breakfast, get dressed, and prepare the motorhome to drive (disconnecting power/sewer lines, pulling in slides, stowing plates). We barely made it to our tour!
It was a good thing we made it to the tour on time, because #LowerAntelopeCanyon was absolutely amazing!. For an hour, we were totally in awe of Mother Nature and her ability to carve these beautiful #redrocks. It was impossible to walk ten steps without stopping to take a photograph. At the end of our trip, everyone in the family voted it as our favorite site of the whole trip.
After Antelope Canyon, we made the short drive to Horseshoe Bend. It was starting to get warm, but the hike was totally worth it. For once again, we witnessed the majestic view of the Colorado River flowing in the shape of the letter U about 2,000 feet below.
We spent another day at Lake Powell before heading onto Monument Valley. Mama and Papa woke up early to watch the #sunrise, and then started getting the kids ready for our tour. The whole family once again loved the red rocks, meeting Native Americans, and 4-wheeling on the dirt and sand roads.
After getting back on the road, we had to make camping plans. We had purposely left the last few days of the trip unreserved, but we quickly found out that it was still camping offseason in and around Durango, CO. We called about 10 different RV sites before we got someone to answer. It was Echo Basin Cabin and RV Resort that answered our call. They said as long we don't mind some snow we could camp there. The owner of the resort met us at about 9 PM, and showed us to our our campsite. There was about 2 feet of snow on the ground, but our site was plowed and clear.
The kids woke up the next morning and quickly put on their hat and gloves to play in the snow while mama and papa prepared breakfast. The campsite and the cabins looked really nice, so we'd like to go back in the summer when the weather warms up. We made a quick pitstop in Durango at the boys' favorite BMX pump track and to eat lunch before heading on to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and then on back home.
All in all, we had a great time on our road trip, and would highly recommend renting an RV for a vacation. We didn't kill each other, saw some great sites, and learned a lot of lessons about RVs and road tripping:
1. We were a bit too aggressive with our itinerary and picked too many places too see on our trip. As a result, we only stayed one night at most stops. This created more work to set-up/breakdown the motorhome.
2. Driving in the afternoon during nap time or after dinner when the kids went to sleep made driving a breeze.
3. We took advantage of the RV fridge and kitchen and made all but 3 meals in the RV which saved us a lot of money. We brought a decent supply of food and stopped at supermarkets along the way to re-stock.
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Happy travels! The Youngs
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