Roadtrippers who will be on the road at the start of October should be aware that it appears the US Government is about to go into shutdown mode, as Congress and the President have not agreed to a budget deal, and it does not appear they will reach an agreement by 11:59 pm tonight, Sept. 30, 2013.

During a shutdown, all non-essential services will be closed, including National Parks. The parks will be closed to all day-use visitors, and those who are already camping within the parks will have 2 days to pack up and leave. These closures also impact other federal areas, like the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, most Presidential Libraries, and National Historic sites and memorials.

If you will be traveling in the coming days, I'd be ready to make alternate plans and find other things to do, if you were planning to spend time at National Parks or other such attractions.