I'm pumped - the road trip is going to happen and it is fast approaching! I wrote a while back that I was thinking about a trip out west with my SO. At the time it was all just talk - now it's a reality! And now I need "to do" ideas! And I just want to share my excitement of course!
We are flying into Phoenix and staying with my boyfriend's cousin before the three of us head to the Grand Canyon. We have two camping permits, so we'll be able to hike to the bottom of the canyon, stay overnight, hike halfway out, camp, and then the other half (provided we don't die somewhere along the way of heat stroke.... and I'm only half kidding :yikes The canyon is pretty much all planned out considering that hiking will be our main to do and I'm just praying that the running, biking, and hiking I've been doing to get in shape will keep me alive.
From the Grand Canyon, we drive to Las Vegas. Here I need ideas! We're on a budget - but I know Vegas is known for having lots and lots of free attractions and deals. Any must do things while we're there!?
From Vegas we part ways with SO's cousin and take my sister's car from Vegas (I know she won't read this, but I feel the need to give her a huge virtual thanks for her and her husband's kindness in loaning us a car) and drive to where my sister and brother-in-law live, near Joshua Tree National Park. We'll do Joshua Tree and definitely spend some time just visiting since I don't get to see either of them all that often. There's not much out there in the middle of the desert, but if you know of anything fun to do or see in the 29 Palms area, do let me know!
From 29 Palms, we book it West to LA. Two nights in a LA hostel and no real plans as of yet... Ideas!?
From LA, we head to Pismo Beach, CA and from Pismo Beach we drive North to Cambria, CA. Each is just an overnight. Ideas are welcome for these two locations as well.
After Cambria is Yosemite, where we will be spending four nights and three full days, so we should hopefully have some good time to hike and explore. I already have a few ideas of hikes and such to do, but if you've been to Yosemite, I'm happy to hear input. Due to booking late, we have to switch campsites each night, but we're staying at Crane Flats and Hodgdon Meadow Campgrounds and a hostel for the last night. Ideas?
After Yosemite is Sequoia for two nights where we meet back up with my sister and brother-in-law, but we'll probably just be doing some hikes with them there. Ideas are still welcome. My sister and BIL are hiking Mt. Whitney and need to get acclimated to the altitude before they embark on the 22 mile day hike (!!!)... my boyfriend and I will just be doing some of the prep hikes with them.
That's pretty much the end of the trip - we then book it back to my sister's house and fly out the next day!
Trip is about three weeks total and I'll be stoked if we can do it in less than $1,500 each. We shall see - I'm definitely being optimistic, but at the same time, knowing some family out there and having my sister be kind enough to let us borrow a car has made a huge huge difference.
Anyhow, ideas are welcome. Regardless, I just wanted to share - I'm sure I'll be taking millions of photos while I'm out there, so be prepared for updates!
YAYYYYYYYYYYY!
We are flying into Phoenix and staying with my boyfriend's cousin before the three of us head to the Grand Canyon. We have two camping permits, so we'll be able to hike to the bottom of the canyon, stay overnight, hike halfway out, camp, and then the other half (provided we don't die somewhere along the way of heat stroke.... and I'm only half kidding :yikes The canyon is pretty much all planned out considering that hiking will be our main to do and I'm just praying that the running, biking, and hiking I've been doing to get in shape will keep me alive.
From the Grand Canyon, we drive to Las Vegas. Here I need ideas! We're on a budget - but I know Vegas is known for having lots and lots of free attractions and deals. Any must do things while we're there!?
From Vegas we part ways with SO's cousin and take my sister's car from Vegas (I know she won't read this, but I feel the need to give her a huge virtual thanks for her and her husband's kindness in loaning us a car) and drive to where my sister and brother-in-law live, near Joshua Tree National Park. We'll do Joshua Tree and definitely spend some time just visiting since I don't get to see either of them all that often. There's not much out there in the middle of the desert, but if you know of anything fun to do or see in the 29 Palms area, do let me know!
From 29 Palms, we book it West to LA. Two nights in a LA hostel and no real plans as of yet... Ideas!?
From LA, we head to Pismo Beach, CA and from Pismo Beach we drive North to Cambria, CA. Each is just an overnight. Ideas are welcome for these two locations as well.
After Cambria is Yosemite, where we will be spending four nights and three full days, so we should hopefully have some good time to hike and explore. I already have a few ideas of hikes and such to do, but if you've been to Yosemite, I'm happy to hear input. Due to booking late, we have to switch campsites each night, but we're staying at Crane Flats and Hodgdon Meadow Campgrounds and a hostel for the last night. Ideas?
After Yosemite is Sequoia for two nights where we meet back up with my sister and brother-in-law, but we'll probably just be doing some hikes with them there. Ideas are still welcome. My sister and BIL are hiking Mt. Whitney and need to get acclimated to the altitude before they embark on the 22 mile day hike (!!!)... my boyfriend and I will just be doing some of the prep hikes with them.
That's pretty much the end of the trip - we then book it back to my sister's house and fly out the next day!
Trip is about three weeks total and I'll be stoked if we can do it in less than $1,500 each. We shall see - I'm definitely being optimistic, but at the same time, knowing some family out there and having my sister be kind enough to let us borrow a car has made a huge huge difference.
Anyhow, ideas are welcome. Regardless, I just wanted to share - I'm sure I'll be taking millions of photos while I'm out there, so be prepared for updates!
YAYYYYYYYYYYY!