I’m planning a trip to run over the next 3 weeks to 30 days. I was laid off from the oil field in early March and it looks like it may be the end of the year before it picks up again, if then. I find myself with some free time on my hands and enough saved up to support one final long holiday before old age and work schedules keep me from doing so again. This will be a solo trip because the wife can’t take this much time off, and frankly, I plan to visit some places she’s not really interested in.

I’m opening this in the 5th Gen forum because I’m not really sure where in the main page to put it, and most of my time and what friends I have made here are in this sub forum. Below is the rough itinerary for my route. I plan stops at or near each of these cities and along the way, with the most time cruising national parks in Utah. I do plan to run some of Moab, and weather permitting I want to run Black Bear Pass into Telluride and climb Pike’s Peak.

I would greatly enjoy a meet and greet over coffee or a meal with any members who may live along or near this general route (~10,000 miles). I have always had a great time meeting members from this and other forums on previous trips. I’ll be posting pictures as I go and relating what I have seen. If you’re interested in meeting send me a PM with your cell number and a city and state you live in. I should be able to call 24 - 48 hours before I come through your area. I plan to camp when the weather is decent and motel when it’s not. By the time I finish this trip I will have at least set foot in all 50 states of the Union, and Guam, and Puerto Rico at some point in my life.

Here is the route itinerary. I've added tentative dates and names. Thankfully it looks like my dance card is filling up! If your name isn't in here it's because I haven't thought that far ahead yet. And yes, there are members from 2 different forums in this list.:

Leesville, La (depart 4/7)
Mobile, Ala (Battleship USS Alabama)(tour 4/8 am, meet 850sub?)CHECK
Pensacola NAS (4/9)CHECK
Savannah, Ga via Jacksonville (I-10 – I-95), (8th Air Force museum)(4/10, dominicanborn @ Hunter AAF)CHECK
Charleston, SC (Fort Sumter)(4/11 am)(kalonji)CHECK
Greenville, SC (4/11 pm)CHECK
Asheville, NC (Blueridge pkwy)(4/12)CHECK
Charlotte, NC (NASCAR country) (Mon 4/13)CHECK
Richmond, Va (4-13pm)CHECK
Fairfax, Va (NRA firearms museum)(4/14, Vrrooom)CHECK
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | National Air and Space Museum(4-14)CHECK
FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL, PA(4-15) CHECK
Columbus, Oh (4-15)(Rubb)CHECK
Dayton, Oh (USAF museum)(4-16)(lklawson)CHECK
Des Moines, IA (4-17)(speedmaster)CHECK
Mitchell, SD (4-18) (Corn Palace)Check
Mount Rushmore, SD (4-19)CHECK
Bowman, ND (Dipping north into the SW corner of ND)CHECK
Crow Agency, Mt (wanderMT)(4-20)CHECK
Little Big Horn(4-20)CHECK
Billings, Mt(4-20)CHECK
Yellowstone national park, Wy(4-21)CHECK
Idaho Falls , Id (Mesa falls)(4-21)CHECK
San Raphael Swell Utah(4-22)CHECK
Utah Bryce Canyon NP(begin 4-23)CHECK
Utah, Zion NP(4-23)CHECK
Monument Valley AZ/UT(4-23)CHECK
Utah Arches NP(4-24)CHECK
Moab, Ut (trail ride)(4-25 W/Jhalco)CHECK
Pike’s Peak, Co(4-26)kind of CHECK
Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, Ks(4-28)CHECK
Kansas Aviation Museum, Wichita, Ks(4-28)CHECK
Oklahoma City, Ok (Murrah National Memorial)(4-29)CHECK
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum(4-29)CHECK
Toyota Jamboree, Gilmer, Tx (4-30 - 5-3)CHECK

I will be making other stops along the route as sights catch my fancy.

Moderators, if this thread should go elsewhere please move it.

Ambitious and looks like fun. I'll see you at the Jamboree and expect to hear great stories and see lots of photos.

BTW, Black Bear won't be open until the first week of July, typically.

I was afraid of that. It's one of the reasons I was tacking it on later in the trip instead of starting to the west first. Thanks for the FYI.

PM me when you hit Utah. If I'm free I'd love to show you around.

Enjoy your trip!

I've always found that when I have the time for things like this, I don't have the money, and when I finally have the money, I don't have the time!!

Helluva life ...

Hence my decision to do this now. I only had the thought about 5 days ago, and have been convincing myself and the wife that I NEEDED to do this while I could. I just really wish she could go too. But I'm grateful she is supporting me to do it.

Skip the Meteor Crater, Az. It was a waste of time and money to me. since you are close to Flagstaff at that point plan on doing some nice trails around that area.

sounds like a fun trip. Looking forward to your pictures and experience. Safe travels and have fun.

I may do that since I can't do Black Bear. I'll have to look into some when I get down that way. I understand the Meteor Crater may be overpriced but I've wanted to see it since the movie Starman came out. And I have lots of time.

Have a safe trip...

Have a safe trip and be sure to take lots of pics and post them on here! I'm near VA in MD, will PM you my info if you have time for a coffee or something when you're in the area.

Yeah move this thread somewhere I can't see it because I'm insanely jealous.

pm me when you are going to be in route from Charlotte to Fairfax to Dayton. If possible I would be glad to meet you somewhere and buy you dinner.

Give me a shout when you are in Colorado. We can do breakfast and (native Coloradoan) there are very few places in the west I haven't been so happy to answer any questions or make suggestions.

Off the top of my head I would recommend to you:

1) Allow some time to spend in the area of Mesa Falls, ID. My wifes uncle has a cabin in Island Park, ID and we did a trip there last year and to be honest with you, while I love Yellowstone (have been there four times in my life) there are places in Idaho like Mesa Falls that don't have any shame in comparison to what Yellowstone has and you don't have to deal with the tourist barrage like you will in Yellowstone.

He took us trout fishing on a river that looked straight out of the movie A River Runs Through It (it was actually Henry's Fork of the Snake River where we went) and it was one of the most serene and beautiful places I have had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with my fishing pole and thoughts.

2) In Colorado, set your GPS for Buena Vista. IMO it is one of the most scenic areas of Colorado (and not as touristy as say RMNP - see a theme with me here?) and not too far out of your way in getting ultimately to Pikes Peak. Once at Buena Vista head west to a ghost town called St. Elmo. Beautiful little ghost town and Tincup Pass runs right through it. Tincup Pass is an old mining road and easily passable (at least to a point) with 4WD and ground clearance and will not beat your truck up. If you want to do St. Elmo and I have enough notice, I would probably be game to meet you and take a day trip up there. It is one of my favorite day trips.

If you want to get a taste of Colorado gold and silver mining history - this is one of the places to do so.

3) Oklahoma City. I strongly recommend ALL Americans see the Murrah Memorial (officially called the OKC National Memorial & Museum) in their lifetime. The museum is beautifully done and I guarantee you will leave a slightly different person after seeing it. In some ways it has more impact to me than 9/11 because it was one of us (an American) that did so much harm to his own.

The Hall Of Records building sits across from the memorial and that is where the museum is located. Little trivia for you that you would never know if you didn't talk to a park ranger (which I highly recommend you do) is once you locate the Survivor Tree in the corner of the memorial go across the street and look up about 30 or so feet at the corner of the Hall of Records building.

You will see a large chunk of limestone broken off of the building. That is from the rear axle of a car that was in front on the rental truck McVeigh parked in from of the building. It flew from the bomb site clear across the street, ricocheted of the building and landed on the roof of the bank across the street from there.

If you are a movie buff and like the movie Silkwood, the Kerr-McGee plant the movie was based on is in the Crescent City/Cimarron area which is a nice trip and not too far from OKC. It is eery. You can't go into it or anything because it's still considered a radioactive hazard site, but you can pull off the road and walk up to the gate/fence (and it's ominous federal government no trespassing warning signs).

4) And last but not least, when you are in North Carolina I strongly recommend you eat as much 'Carolina style 'Q as you possibly can. Look for the Hole In The Wall spots - avoid chains. They take their 'Q very seriously in the Carolina's and I would argue it is the best one can find anywhere.

:-)

Lol. My wife is from South Carolina, and BBQ the first thing we do when we go there.

I really appreciate all the recommendations folks. Keep them coming. As I said in the first post, that was a tentative itinerary. I am leaving lots of time for the details. I've already added the Naval Aviation museum at Pensacola onto it after Mobile.

And for all who have expressed a willingness to meet me, I will try to give you a 24 - 48 hour heads up before I get to your area. I'm prepping now and should be leaving in the next couple days. Thanks a bunch!