Step 2: Santa Monica

OK--now I'm getting anxious, and it's still a little more than 3 months out--but I put in another reservation. I think I will try to do this early--especially with the ones where I can use the discount...

So the next room, the night of 10 AUG is in Santa Monica, CA. The website said it is only a little less than 5 hours. Across the desert, so no big deal with driving straight. This hotel is only 2 blocks or so from the beach in Santa Monica. It is also conveniently located just off HWY 1 if we take that North up the coast! Here is the link: http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=SMOPCDT

Enjoy!

Step 1 in locking it in: Las Vegas

OK--so the first semi-permanent reservation has been made. I have booked a hotel (Homewood Suites, Henderson, NV) in the Las Vegas area from check in on 8 Aug and check out on 10 Aug. The rate was only $39, and it is a suite. Here is some info from the website:

"All suites and studios have a fully equipped kitchen, full sized refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker, phones with data ports, High Speed Internet Access, and video cassette player or on-demand movies. Iron, ironing boards and hair dryers are standard in all rooms. Luxurious outdoor heated pool and whirlpool and exercise facilities complete with treadmill, cardio equipment and free weights. The 24-hour Business Center is complimentary as is the breakfast that can be enjoyed seven days a week, the Welcome Home©Manager's Reception Monday through Thursday - Manager's Reception, grocery-shopping services and local phone calls. Snacks and sundries are available in the Suite Shop© 24-hours a day."
http://homewoodsuites.hilton.com/en/hw/hotels/index.jhtml?moreDesc=true&ctyhocn=LASHWHW

So that is the first step--just trying to show people this thing is ON! So get on board and start saving some money!

Documentation

OK--so here is another idea, and one that I think we definitely SHOULD do. We need to properly document this trip. For starters, pictures--enough said, I am sure we'll be good on this. I have a video camera and I'll make sure it's all charged up and stuff so we can have some video too! Once we get back, I can make up a DVD of the trip with my computer program.

But another aspect that I think would be awesome to do is a community journal of the trip. I will buy a journal of some sort--and I think it would be awesome if everyone on the trip would take time and write in it. Someone to write every day on the activities, on whatever they are thinking of. The same person doesn't have to write every day, and multiple people could write about the same day or event. We could do it so that no one should read the other peoples entries during the trip--but all entries should be expected to be read upon return...as a retrospection on the trip. I think that would really be cool. To just have different peoples views of the trip.

Any other ideas on this??

Costs

Ok, so I've been getting some questions on how much this thing is going to cost. Short answer, I have no idea right now. Too many variables this far out. I am estimating as gas prices continue to rise, that $600 per vehicle is probably a safe estimate. Other costs will be food, lodging, and any activities. National Park pass, for those, I will take care of for one vehicle (the yearly pass is $50 and I want it anyway). Food we plan on doing groceries versus fast food, restaurants for most the trip to keep costs down. Also, for lodging, there are a few ways to keep costs low, like camping, using Amanda's discount when possible, etc. but this will be a significant cost if we do stay in hotels or whatever...we can always do the hole-in-the walls, like on North Nevada Ave near Garden of the Gods (unless they scare you). Of course, other activities are going to cost as well--i.e. tours, shows.

Sample Idea--Itinerary

OK--so based on what Barry wrote--about going North a bit, too...I got to thinking. Here is a possible scenario for the trip:

Colorado Springs to Durango: 314.2 miles (5 hrs 50 min)
Durango to Grand Canyon National Park: 315 miles (6 hrs 37 min)
Grand Canyon to Boulder City [vic. Hoover Dam]: 333.1 miles (5 hrs 59 min)
Boulder City to Las Vegas: 26 miles (27 min)
Las Vegas to Santa Barbara, CA: 359.4 miles (5 hrs 05 min)
Santa Barbara to Cambria, CA [vic. HWY 1 coast]: 125.7 miles (2 hrs 14 min)
Cambria to Monterey, CA: 103.3 miles (1 hr 49 min)
Monterey to San Francisco: 118.4 miles (1 hr 48 min)
SF to Yosemite National Park: 202.7 miles (3 hrs 47 min)
Yosemite to South Lake Tahoe: 151.4 miles (3 hrs 07 min)
Lake Tahoe to Reno: 63.6 miles (1 hr 19 min)
Reno to Moose, WY [vic. Grand Tetons NP]: 715.3 miles (11 hrs 28 min)
Moose to Yellowstone National Park: 95.4 miles (1 hr 59 min)
Yellowstone to Colorado Springs: 648.3 miles (11 hrs 10 min)

TOTAL: 3571.8 miles (62 hrs 39 min)

Or, if you break this down over 14 days of travel time, only an average of 4.5 hours of driving a day. So I think that this would be doable--some days, no travel, others maybe 8 hours of driving...it is lots of driving. Or of course if we didn't get to all these spots, we could break off little portions (Grand Canyon or Yellostone are easy to reduced a couple hundred miles).

This doesn't show where we would spend the nights, etc. Obviously some places like Monterey, Lake Tahoe or Las Vegas based on where they are in the trip.

So what you all think?