Big travel announcement!

 End of Summer Roadtrip! Boom!

"Work hard, play harder."

Alright y'all, so I'm super excited to announce our 'end of summer' road trip. We are getting stupidly close to finishing out this renovation which can only mean one thing... Road trip!!

We are going to do a 'test run' get-a-way on August 10-13th to a regional state park, Somerville Lake State Park to make sure everything is up to snuff for the big trip. I will be writing up a review of that trip and the state park once we get back. 

This trip actually originated as an idea over a year and a half ago. We had the wild idea to take an extended road trip taking advantage of Brittany's 7-on, 7-off work schedule. I would effectively drive the rig to a major city, Britt would fly in, we would explore for 7 days, fly Britt back, I would stay around until the next week and start the process again. The only caveat was that I graduated. Well, check that off my list. The only other issue was how cold these northern places get in the winter. A Texas boy definitely isn't used to those temps, so that requires a summer trip! When we decided to sell and renovate our second Airstream, I figured the trip was off the table since this could take a while to complete find another Airstream to renovate. Fortunately, we will wrap this reno up with plenty of time to take our trip! 

So where did we decide to go?

Photo Source: https://ourstate.events/events/yellowstone-mount-rushmore-wild-west/

Photo Source: https://ourstate.events/events/yellowstone-mount-rushmore-wild-west/

1. Yellowstone National Park, Montana

First stop on our trip is a real crowd favorite. Yellowstone National Park! I will be leaving College Station with the dogs on a Thursday to begin our journey. I will meet up with Britt in Salt Lake City on Sunday when she flies in. From there, it is a 321 mile drive to Yellowstone. Finding lodging was quite tough since they have a scheduled closure of the RV facilities at Yellowstone for an entire year coming up. Fortunately, we were able to find 1 night available at Fishing Bridge RV Park. The following night with be at a KOA site around 6 miles outside the gates. These 2 days should hopefully let us get our feet wet. Next we are off to...

Photo Source: https://rootsrated.com/stories/6-accessible-backcountry-lakes-in-glacier-national-park

Photo Source: https://rootsrated.com/stories/6-accessible-backcountry-lakes-in-glacier-national-park

2. Glacier National Park, Montana

Personally, this park looks memorizing. I've only recently started reading up on this park but the pictures look like heaven on earth. I was able to get us 3 nights on the river at Big Creek Campground. This will be a real test on the rig since it is boonedocking (staying at a location with no water, electric or septic). Basically, we will have to live off batteries and bottled water. One of the good things about colder weather climates is that the furnaces run off 12v batteries and propane. Its easier to stay warm boonedocking than staying cold. After our stay at Glacier, we will be driving up to Calgary, Canada to fly Britt back home for the work week. During this time, I will be hanging around Calgary, jumping from free Casino parking lot to municipal airport. The idea is to stay moving but free of overhead costs. Just survive. Fast forward 1 week when Britt flies back into Calgary, we will continue our journey to...

Photo Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/parks/banff-canada-park/

Photo Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/parks/banff-canada-park/

3. Banff National Park, Canada

For a place as absolutely stunning and wondrous at Banff, I was quite surprised I had never heard of it until quite recently. It stays a frozen block for most of the year, but when it thaws it reveals a picturesque landscape. A few of Britt's colleagues have made the quest to Banff within the year and sing songs of its beauty. We are super stoked to get our chance. We will be staying at the Banff National Park Trailer Court for 4 nights. We wanted to spend a lot of time here exploring and hiking. Another very close park we wanted to visit was...

Photo Source: https://www.mustdocanada.com/three-days-in-jasper-national-park/

Photo Source: https://www.mustdocanada.com/three-days-in-jasper-national-park/

4. Jasper National Forrest

Only 179 miles North West from Banff is Jasper National Forrest. This will be our most north point on our journey before heading back south. We are to spend 2 nights at Jasper NF before heading back to Calgary for Britt's flight home. 

Unofficial #5. Journey home

Britt will have returned home Sunday, September 23rd. I will be left with the realization that I am 2086 miles away from home with 3 dogs and a 34' rig behind my truck. Even though my PIC (partner-in-crime) will have finished her voyage, I will make the most of my remaining miles. I will huff and puff the trip back making stops in...

  1. Great Falls, MT
  2. Billings, MT
  3. Casper, WY
  4. Denver, CO
  5. Amarillo, TX
  6. Lubbock, TX
  7. Home

Each day will consist of an early departure, travel my miles and reach my destination mid-afternoon. I will hopefully have the time and energy to explore these stops to the best of my ability. Who knows how I will feel at this point in the trip. I might just crash and sleep until I wake to drive some more. 

If you know of any great stops or venues along this route, comment below to help me plan our trip!