Post Road Trip Thoughts- Part 3/3
This is the third part of a 3 part series. It is broken down by Preparing for a Road Trip, American Southwest Road Trip Destinations, and Post Road Trip Thoughts. This part discusses my reflection on the trip such as my favorite place, least favorite place, and things I would change for future road- trips.
General Thoughts
I think the trip overall went incredibly well. Particularly for being my first road trip of this nature. We were able to see some absolutely incredible places, had really no major issues, and we enjoyed everything we did. Going at the time of year we went allowed us to have some fantastic weather, with the exception of the heat. The heat in the Southwest is nearly unbearable during midday. It even hinders your ability to be outside and hike and mountain bike in some instances such as Fruita, Colorado or Death Valley National Park. Having a mix of camping, sleeping in the car, and hotels/ hostels was definitely the way to go as well. It was a good balance between saving money but also not getting burnt out having to constantly set up and tear down camp. This kept the process fun and enjoyable. The hardest part was definitely the distance to get to Yosemite National Park. Where it was absolutely worth the drive and a magnificent place, it may be easier to remain closer to other locations we are already hitting. It felt out of the way to go that far for just the one Park, but it is definitely worth the drive if doing it.
One thing I learned from this trip is that sometimes you just have to decide your going to go on an adventure then just go for it. Some of the best times on the trip were things that were completely unplanned and just happening in the moment. The beauty of a road trip is it gives you complete freedom to do what you want with each day. It teaches you to simply just to have fun in what you are doing in the here and now. A lesson I think many of us need to learn in the incredibly busy lives we all have. So if you are on the fence about doing a road trip, then stop thinking about it and go do it. You will not be disappointed! It doesn’t have to be in a foreign place or even for very long. Just grab your gear, prep your car, and grab that person or persons that you simply just enjoy living life with and hit the road. The fun is in the adventure of the uncertain, not in the destination. Have an open mind, be flexible, go with the flow, laugh at things that would normally be frustrating, and let the expiernce teach you something new about yourself and your life.
Questions Answered
What was my favorite place I visited? For this I have to break this into favorite National park and Non- Park locations.
My favorite National Park we visited was, without hesitation, Yosemite National Park! The place truly just felt like walking through a dream. It was nothing short of breathtaking. Every National Park we visited was fantastic, but this one just had something that added a little extra spice to it.
My favorite Non- National Park location was Crested Butte, Colorado. Crested Butte just had so much to do and so much variety in terrain nearby. It had everything from desert and canyon in Gunnison to the high alpine forests in the mountains of Crested Butte. In addition, the biking was astonishingly good and the people in the area just seemed so happy and fun to be around. The town itself simply felt like home the moment we stepped foot there!
What was my least favorite place I visited?
First off, none of the places we visited were bad by any means. I simply am saying based on the locations we visited, which one would I be okay leaving out next time? My answer to this is Pine, Colorado. It was a very beautiful destination with fun mountain bike trails, but having seen some other places in Colorado I want to check out, Pine would be the first place to get the boot if I redid this trip.
What would I change to improve the next road trip?
For my very first one month long road trip, I think it went really well! I certainly had an absolute blast and wouldn’t trade those memories for the world. But there are always things you can do to improve!
Planning:
I would spend a little bit more time researching places to photograph in each location. Not that showing up and figuring it as you go is necessarily bad, but planning shots out in advance has definitely proven to be a successful method. Not to mention spending less time staring at maps and your phone trying to find trails or locations to go shoot each day would be super nice.
Destinations:
I would forgo Pine, Colorado altogether as I mentioned above and add this day to one of the more interesting locations such as Salida or Crested Butte. I would also trade out going to Colorado Springs. Don’t get me wrong, Colorado Springs is a great time. But having been there a few times now, I would skip over this place and go to the Great Sand Dunes National Park or even some of the fun small mountain towns such as Leadville. I would also avoid Death Valley altogether (if there during the Summer) and spend that extra day exploring somewhere such as Sequoia National Park or Lake Tahoe. Having a day in one of these places would be much more fun during the summer heat and offer a little more variety of activities during the day.
A much as I loved Yosemite National Park, I would have to consider if I would want to drive all the way there again or make it part of a different trip altogether. I think I would put Yosemite as part of an even longer road trip or as a separate road trip hitting more areas around Yosemite/ California. It just is very far out of the way from the rest of the route. I think in its place I would add visiting the Black Canyon, Sedona, Grand Canyon, or a handful of the incredible state parks in Colorado, Utah, or Northern Arizona. This way I could visit more places that are still incredible, but have more time in those places since there is a lot less time in the car to get to them.
If I was to do the road trip at the exact same time of the year again, I would also probably change where in the United States I was going simply due to the heat. I would look more into a Pacific Northwest trip for this time of year. It is still very hot, but the heat is significantly more manageable than the Southwest.
Vehicle setup:
Using a big Ford F-150 with 2 people actually worked out extremely well. What I would change however is utilizing a roof top pop up tent as opposed to having to setup tents at every campsite. Not only would this make the campsite setup and tear down easier, but it would open up a little more space in the truck.
SPOILER!!! I recently purchased a Ford Transit Cargo Van and will begin converting it myself into my own, perfect for me, adventure vehicle! This will in fact solve many issues with road tripping (and add some different ones I am sure)!
Packing List:
I would plan to bring a portable shower. many campgrounds we stayed at didn’t have shower facilities. When hiking and biking in the extreme heat of the day, a cold shower in the evening is a very welcome sight before settling in for the evening around the fire. Just be sure to use environmental friendly soap if you do this as well!
I would bring less clothes and re-wear a lot of it. I would plan to have 2 outfits that I keep nice for heading to dinner and grab a beer in, but plan to re-wear a small handful of outfits otherwise for hiking and biking. (SPOILER #2!!! You are road-tripping and adventuring! Being kind of gross is part of it!). I have a tendency to overpack clothes and in this instance it caused more problems than it solved.
Bring a nice cooler. We used a pretty cheap Walmart cooler and had to constantly replace the ice. The cost of ice racks up pretty quick in the heat we were in and definitely became a pretty significant hassle. Having a nice, heavy duty cooler (such as a Yeti) to make sure ice doesn’t instantly melt would go a long way in saving money, time, and headaches.
Having a camping stove with 2 burners would also make cooking breakfast in the morning much nicer!
I hope you now feel prepared to tackle your own grand road trip adventure! I promise it is something you will not regret doing and will cherish for the rest of your life. Buddah once said, “The greatest mistake is to think you have time”. Life gets busy. If you continue to push off whatever dreams you have, it may only get harder and harder to fulfill those dreams. Go get after what you want to do and don’t wait any longer!
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For a full List of the Gear I use for adventures like this, check out My Gear page HERE