* Updated with Pictures Post 220 * 45 Day 'Round the US Camping Trip w/ Grands

John Cooper

?Now I Got One A Them Banner Things
Pappy don't know if you looked at it or not, but since your going into Arizona I would recommend spending at least a day in tombstone, if it's not to far out of your way.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
Pappy don't know if you looked at it or not, but since your going into Arizona I would recommend spending at least a day in tombstone, if it's not to far out of your way.

i appreciate the input, but we won't be within 6 hours of Tombstone on this trip. We will be going from Flagstaff to Albequerque and then a southern shift to Roswell so the kids can see all the aliens... legal and illegal. lol
 

Milkman

Deer Farmer Moderator
Staff member
I don’t know if it would be of interest to your group.
One thing I plan to do whenever I get up in the Ky/ Mo area again is see/visit the 3 major river confluence areas.
The Tennessee/Ohio
The Ohio/Mississippi
The Missouri/Mississippi
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
I don’t know if it would be of interest to your group.
One thing I plan to do whenever I get up in the Ky/ Mo area again is see/visit the 3 major river confluence areas.
The Tennessee/Ohio
The Ohio/Mississippi
The Missouri/Mississippi

That would be interesting. I want the kids to see the Mississippi up north and then again when we cross it coming back from Shreveport to Jackson, MS. I want them to see just how much bigger it is when it is down south
 

Milkman

Deer Farmer Moderator
Staff member
IIRC there is a bridge you can see the Ohio/Mississippi confluence from. Near Cairo Ill I think.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
Our first night stop will be at Nashville, TN. We should be in there by 3pm, and staying the next night also. What to do around Nashville with the kids?

One of them is a big Roy Clark fan, so I am looking for something with that, and I would like to take them on a tour of the Ryman Auditorium. Does the Wild Horse Saloon still have line dancing lessons around noon for the kids?

I was thinking maybe a dinner cruise on a boat if you can find on that has a family friendly program.

Thoughts?
'
 

Milkman

Deer Farmer Moderator
Staff member
Glen
Do you use Trip Advisor when trying to find attractions and such ?
I have found it to be a great tool. Many major attractions/areas even have a discussion forum of sorts on the page of a particular area.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
Glen
Do you use Trip Advisor when trying to find attractions and such ?
I have found it to be a great tool. Many major attractions/areas even have a discussion forum of sorts on the page of a particular area.

I have looked at Tripadvisor and found it to be congested looking. I didn't care for the layout of the information, so I have avoided it mostly. I will have to give it another look, and see if I can glean some information from there.
 

Milkman

Deer Farmer Moderator
Staff member
I have looked at Tripadvisor and found it to be congested looking. I didn't care for the layout of the information, so I have avoided it mostly. I will have to give it another look, and see if I can glean some information from there.

Yeah it’s a little cluttered until you get used to it. You have to use their “back” arrows instead of the browser arrows or it gets confused. since you asked about Nashville go to their Nashville page and click on attractions. Every thing has reviews.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
Yeah it’s a little cluttered until you get used to it. You have to use their “back” arrows instead of the browser arrows or it gets confused. since you asked about Nashville go to their Nashville page and click on attractions. Every thing has reviews.

one thing I am going to do for sure is meet Bo$$ at the Wagon Wheel for a meal.

@KyDawg
 

antharper

“Well Rounded Outdoorsman MOD “
Staff member
Can’t be if any help , but sounds like a great trip that your grandkids will never forget !! And u are one brave man
 

KyDawg

Gone But Not Forgotten
one thing I am going to do for sure is meet Bo$$ at the Wagon Wheel for a meal.

@KyDawg


Whoooo, that sounds great Pappy. Just let me know when yall gonna be here. If you running short on some good Southern food we will eat at Monells in Germantown. It is like a boarding house, as they bring out all the good Fried chicken and all the vegetables, and you just pass them around until you are full. They always have another meat, and on Friday it is Catfish. You already know how good the WW steaks are.
 

rip18

Senior Member
Late to the party, but that sounds like an awesome trip.

Yep, Wonders of Wildlife in Springfield is pretty cool.

You might run through the Petrified Forest National Park between Flagstaff & Albuquerque (I-40 cuts through the Park).

Don't forget that most of the national parks have Junior Ranger Badges that the kiddos can earn by completing activities in a booklet that helps them learn about the park.

Have fun!
 

Browning Slayer

Official Voice Of The Dawgs !
one thing I am going to do for sure is meet Bo$$ at the Wagon Wheel for a meal.

@KyDawg

Outside of seeing the Boss, drive thru the flyover states and really let your adventure start out West. You could spend your entire trip in southern Utah and still not see what you wanted to in just 45 days. Zion is hands down the prettiest place on Earth! Make sure you hike the Narrows in Zions. It's a water hike but man alive it is flat out AWESOME! Angels Landing is an absolute must! I would not recommend hiking the summit with the youngin's but you can hike to the landing. Don't let them out of your site. It's a couple thousand feet straight down! Yellowstone is well.. Yellowstone! Looking at your map it looks like you are staying in St George. I would cut out the Grand Canyon after leaving St George and work your way over to Moab and go to Arches, Dead Horse & Canyonlands. Once you go to CanyonLands you won't need to see the Grand Canyon! You can cut back into New Mexico/Arizona down 191 from Moab.

When you stay in Provo, go up Provo Canyon all the way to Heber city and have lunch. 30 minute ride but as you come back down the Canyon make a right on 92 and head up past Sundance and you can drive through Mt Timpanogo's. You can follow 92 all the way back out to 15 just north of Provo..

I got to run now but I'll be back to this thread. Great trip ya got planned!!





Sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands

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Dead Horse
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Delicate Arch
30171689_1628444787247204_6646847992351850209_o.jpg


Angels Landing
11053451_847751395316551_9058575423507871737_o.jpg


The view from Angels Landing.
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The Narrows in Zions
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NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
thanks Slayer... We are going to be spending most of our time out west. Only a couple of days rest here and there so the kids don't go stir crazy in the truck. Meeno has about convinced me to take a day to let them play at 6 Flags in St Louis.

After that it is 11 or 12 hours a day on the road til we get to Cody, Wy. One day there, one night at the Cody Nite Rodeo, and then into Yellowstone for 5 nights.
 

cjones

Senior Member
I'm sure you already know this, but there will be a whole lot of nothing between Nashville and the mountains of western SD - at least in the kids' eyes. Once you turn west from Sioux Falls, it's interesting to see how the terrain changes as you go west. Where I90 crosses the Missouri River Valley is really pretty. There are some massive sunflower fields in central SD that I would love to see when they're blooming in the summer - they were all dry and brown when I went through there this past October, but it was still really interesting to see.

There is a nice area on the west side of St Louis on I64 - Chesterfield. That's where we typically stay when we're going to Iowa (I'll likely be there Sunday night, actually). It's a nice clean area with lots of hotel options and an outlet mall if y'all need to stretch your legs for a bit. BTW - I64 gives the best view when driving through STL - it passes right by the Arch and Busch Stadium.

I guess the biggest suggestion is don't be discouraged if the kids get insanely stir crazy on those first legs. My kids have 'survived' the drive from ATL to Des Moines several times now, but it's still not much to look at along the way. Once you get into WY, you can start seeing antelope, deer and maybe a bear in the mountains along the road that should be something new for them to see. Once you get into the mountains, there's always something to see.

I'm envious of your trip! My job will let us take a 5-week paid sabbatical after 5 years of working there. I will have 3 years in February. If I stick around to 5 years, I hope to do a similar trip with the family.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
this is a list of the town where we are looking at staying.

I am about to set this in concrete so I can make reservations out west.

Any suggestions?

Slayer I am looking over your suggestions about Arches, Dead Horse and Canyonlands

NASHVILLE, TN
ST. LOUIS, MO
CAMERON, MO
OMAHA, NE
SIOUX FALLS, SD
DEADWOOD, SD
CODY, WY
YELLOWSTONE PARK
WEST THUMB, WY
PROVO, UT
SPRINGDALE, UT
NORTH RIM GRAND CANYON
MARBLE CANYON, AZ
GRAND CANYON PARK, AZ
ALBUQUERQUE, NM
ROSWELL, NM
SWEETWATER, TX
GLEN ROSE, TX
SHREVEPORT, LA
JACKSON, MS
BIRMINGHAM, AL
TOCCOA, GA
 

4HAND

Cuffem & Stuffem Moderator
Staff member
Man y'all are gonna have a blast!

We love to travel.
 

Milkman

Deer Farmer Moderator
Staff member
We just finished a short 24 hour overnight stint with 3 of our grands. A 2.5 yr old boy, girl almost 7, and 10 year old boy.

You and the Mrs. are brave to sign up for a month in a camper with 3. :eek:
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
We just finished a short 24 hour overnight stint with 3 of our grands. A 2.5 yr old boy, girl almost 7, and 10 year old boy.

You and the Mrs. are brave to sign up for a month in a camper with 3. :eek:

well, 2 of them already live with us ( their mom and little sister are here too), so we are already established as authority figures in their lives. The other one is very compliant and won't be any trouble either. I actually wish we could fit a 4th on in the truck for a comfortable trip, but there is no way to do that.
 
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