4 week Cross country camping trip Detroit-San Diego

[michigancamper]

This link has most info regarding a visit to Havasu Falls. From the Hilltop it's an 8 mile hike each way and is not classed as easy.

Only 8 miles? (OP note: actually 10 miles... even better!) Piece of cake. Not. If we were 20 again. And didn't have 12 and 14 year old daughters at the time. Clearly she didn't investigate the logistics behind getting there. A big thank you for taking the time to find the info Dave!!

Without posters like you, newbies like us would been embarking on a hike to **** joined by the "Bickersons'" LOL

anyone looking for some info on Havasu Falls
http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/Hav...vasuCanyon.htm

[michigancamper]

San Diego family friendly:

San Diego Zoo -- best zoo in the US
Wild Animal Park/Safari Park -- related to the zoo, but a lot more open.
You can buy a combination pass that will include both places.

Old Town State Park -- park and walk around this historic area. Just outside of the State Park area is the Mexican neighborhood with lots of fun shops and good restaurants. All are pretty family friendly!

Mission San Diego -- another historic place.

A great one day road trip: from Santee Lakes, head north on Rt 67 towards Ramona and Julian. In Ramona, the route changes number, so just follow signs to Santa Ysabel and Julian. There are some antique shops in Ramona, as well as a few good Mexican restaurants (one is right behind McDonald's, called La Salsa). The other is in "downtown" called La Cocina. In Santa Ysabel, you may find the aroma of a bakery -- stop at the bakery there, they make fantastic bread! Up to Julian in the mountains, there is an old gold mine, plus some museums and of course the famous Julian Bakery --- try an apple pie. (Yes, this is somewhat an eating trip!) Continue out of Julian towards Laguna on the Sunrise Highway, or go to Cuyamaca State Park if you'd like instead. Once off Sunrise Highway or Hwy 79 to Cuyamaca and Descanso, head west on I-8 back to Santee. If you go through Pine Valley on Olde Hwy 80, you can stop at the Pine Hills Lodge -- I believe that is where a ghost lives. :-)

The beach is ALWAYS family friendly. We are military and always use the one at North Island, but others love Mission Beach, or Del Mar State Beach, or go further up the coast to one of the state park beaches. Just watch out if this trip is in June ... we have "June Gloom" where the sun doesn't like to burn through the marine layer until noon!

Hope this gives you some ideas.


Donna

Great ideas, thank you so much for taking the time to share Donna! I know at least two of the days will be spent at the beach. Another question for you - Best place to see fireworks?? We will be there over the Fourth of July holiday..

[michigancamper]

Ok - more refining Dave - with going as far north as we may with some of your great suggestions - is it worth to go Colorado and see Pikes Peak than down to the Ozarks?

We may never make it home.. LOL

[Southwest Dave]

This starts to come down to personal tastes and style of travel etc, but if it were I, Yes I would tend to head into Colorado. It would seem you have about 10 days between Hoover Dam and the Ozarks which for me would be an opportunity to stretch yourself a little thinner in stops and reach out a bit more. Pikes Peak would be one of many options.

From GC through Monument Valley you could head towards Moab where nearby is Arches and Canyonlands NP's. From there along I70 you have the likes of Colorado National Monument, Glenwood Springs, Loveland Pass and Rocky Mountain NP near to I70, as well as heading to Pikes Peak.

If you were to head to Durango from Monument Valley [nearby is Mesa Verde NP] then you could head north on the spectacular 'Million Dollar Highway' [US550] through the mountain towns of Silverton and Ouray. Heading east from Montrose on US50 you would pass Black canyon of the Gunnison, Currecanti Recreation area and over Monarch Pass to Poncha Springs and then through the Pike National Forest to Woodland park [Pikes peak] and Manitou Springs [Garden of the Gods and Cave of the Winds.]

Either option could be 'tweaked' in many different ways and each would be about 4 days of driving betweeen the Dam and the Ozarks. If you want to get a better picture of the area, you will find my trip report titled 'Denver through Four Corners Loop' among the stickies in the Roadtrip Field report forum.

So what about you ?

We may never make it home.. LOL

Too true !!

[iam1bearcat]

2 adults
2 kids - 12 and 14 at the time of the trip

After some great advice a few weeks ago on this board, just checking back in with an update on our planned trip. While trying to not schedule our trip day to day, we are having to in some cases of course due to reservations in popular areas. So far this is what our trip is looking like with the input of the wife and kids:

Leave Fenton MI
Stop in Wisconsin Dells for the night
Stop in Mitchell SD for the night
Stop at Corn Palace for the night
Yellowstone for 4 days
Twin Falls ID for the night
Bosie for the night
Crater Lake Area for the night
Redwood forest for the night
San Fran for 4 days
LA for 3 days
San Diego for 7 days
Hoover Dam for the night
Havasu Falls for the night
Grand canyon for 4 days
Sante Fe for 3 days
Amarillo Tx for the night
Oklahoma for the night
Ozarks for 3 days
Yellville AR for three days (family and friends there)
Springfield IL for the night
Home.

don't know if you've ever been to Wisconsin Dells, WI before, but if not, you will find a plethora of neat things to do for the entire day (heck, an entire week!) from mini golf, rollercoasters, the waterparks, helicopter rides over the city and rivers, to restaurants to campgrounds and fishing and boat rides and other awesome things.

so if you're just stopping there to look around for a few hours, sleep and then leave, you may want to find another city, one that is not so... fun and distracting (if sleep and rest is your goal) :D

[michigancamper]

This starts to come down to personal tastes and style of travel etc, but if it were I, Yes I would tend to head into Colorado. It would seem you have about 10 days between Hoover Dam and the Ozarks which for me would be an opportunity to stretch yourself a little thinner in stops and reach out a bit more. Pikes Peak would be one of many options.

So what about you ?

Too true !!

back to the drawing board! LOL. Based on your pictures alone, I think we need tweak our route a bit to maximize those 3-4 days. thanks for the ideas!!

[michigancamper]

don't know if you've ever been to Wisconsin Dells, WI before, but if not, you will find a plethora of neat things to do for the entire day (heck, an entire week!) from mini golf, rollercoasters, the waterparks, helicopter rides over the city and rivers, to restaurants to campgrounds and fishing and boat rides and other awesome things.

so if you're just stopping there to look around for a few hours, sleep and then leave, you may want to find another city, one that is not so... fun and distracting (if sleep and rest is your goal) :D

Haven't been to the dell's, but was looking for a spot to spend the night as thats about 8 hours from home and our first night out. If we leave early enough, we can get pretty far, all depending on traffic in Chicago. Although now that I think about it more - maybe we'll head up through the UP and over and down - it does about 3 hours to the driving but, we avoid the fun of driving in chicago with a Trailer. And to be honest - I've been to Chicago a million times for work and pleasure. Hmmmm.

[iam1bearcat]

Haven't been to the dell's, but was looking for a spot to spend the night as thats about 8 hours from home and our first night out. If we leave early enough, we can get pretty far, all depending on traffic in Chicago. Although now that I think about it more - maybe we'll head up through the UP and over and down - it does about 3 hours to the driving but, we avoid the fun of driving in chicago with a Trailer. And to be honest - I've been to Chicago a million times for work and pleasure. Hmmmm.

i personally, would avoid this part of the route (Chicago) since you've been here before. it will make that part of the trip just "blah" and not very fun since you've seen it before. also, Chicago, like many major cities, is awful to drive through (unless your plan was to go around it and not so-much through it) and i personally HATE major cities and freeways, so i would say avoid it for those reasons.

[michigancamper]

i personally, would avoid this part of the route (Chicago) since you've been here before. it will make that part of the trip just "blah" and not very fun since you've seen it before. also, Chicago, like many major cities, is awful to drive through (unless your plan was to go around it and not so-much through it) and i personally HATE major cities and freeways, so i would say avoid it for those reasons.

Thank you for the confirmation on what we were thinking. While Chicago is great, been there, done that and as you said - the whole traffic thing, coupled with a Trailer, could be a major kink in the fun quotient. even though going through the UP will add about three hours, thinking it'll be better than the possible mess in Chicago.

[DonnaR57]

One of our radio stations sponsors the 4th of July Fireworks set to music, often patriotic music. The locations are all over the county. There's a place in Santee, or there usually is. (A long time ago it was in the center of Santee, but that's been 20 years.) I'm sure the grocery stores or shops in Santee will know where the closest place is.

Donna