I've decided to blog our Grand Canyon road trip adventure for several reasons: 1) I want to remember this trip and I want to eventually create some type of scrapbook 2) Several have said that they might take an epic adventure and would like to follow us on ours 3) I love reading other people's blogs :-)
So here goes. . .
First, some things you need to know about our family--
1. We are not "rough it" type people. At first, I thought about turning us into campers on this adventure, but then I thought that just taking this trip is stretching our comfort zones. We will be staying in hotels--and I looked for hotels based on the following criteria in the following order a) Tripadvisor rating of 4 or above b) close to the interstate c) cleanliness rating of 4.5 or better--I'm a germaphobe d) price. Please notice price is not first. I want to sleep every night. Also, I researched RVs and campsite cost. I found it to be cheaper to stay in hotels than to rent a travel trailer, RV, or such. It is also not much more expensive to stay in a hotel when you factor in the cost of buying a tent and all the camping stuff (we own nothing and we are not "rough it" type people, so we would need all the gear). We will be spending approximately $1250 of our budget on lodging. If we camped, it would cost us around $900 for camping gear and reservations, and if we rented an RV it would cost us around $3000 (the gas for an RV is CRAZY!!)
2. We prefer as a family to snack rather than eat big meals. Generally my children graze all day long. I might fix an egg for Logan or a peanut butter sandwich for Emma, but they are happier if they can just eat cereal, granola bars, apples, popcorn, pistachios, and pretzels whenever they want during the day. I'm figuring we will keep this up on the road. My plan is for us to eat breakfast in the hotel, snack in the car (no lunch), and then eat out for supper.
3. Brad and I love to eat out. Eating out is our family's entertainment. Some of our eating out will be fast food, but I imagine that most will be fun places along the way. This is part of our adventure.
4. I have just decided to chronicle everything on my iphone. I don't own a fancy camera, and let's face it, we are not a fancy family.
5. My children are FANTASTIC at entertaining themselves.
6. We HATE being hot. Every single last one of us sweats like who would have thunk it in our heads, and we sweat a lot.
7. I love planning. Seriously. In my next life, I just want to plan stuff for people. It is so much fun.
Budget (we will be gone 14 days):
$1250 for lodging
$850 (OUCH! I budget around $400 a month for us during the school year for gas.)
$50 for in the car stuff (a travel journal for both kids, a road atlas, a guide to the rest stops on the interstates, a book about the United States for Emma, magnetic travel games, etc)
$220 for snacks, breakfast, lunch, drinks, first aid (how much I spent at the grocery store on preparations)
$450 eating out (our budget is usually $250 a week for food, so this is over-budget. However, this is part of the fun for us)
$350 our splurge (a Hummer trip in Antelope Canyon)
$120 Tickets to Graceland
Total: $3290
Entertainment--
Comfort--
Clothing--
Food--
Itinerary (I used the app Roadtripper to plan the trip and stops along the way; if you want the link to our actual plan with addresses, phone #s, etc, just email me)
Day 1:
Make it to Memphis :-)
Day 2:
Graceland
Spend the night in Paris, TX
Day 3:
Lubbock. TX; visit with the Byars
Day 4:
Cadillac Ranch
Midpoint Cafe
Spend the night in Albuquerque
Day 5:
El Mapais National Monument
Wigwam Village
Blue Mesa Trail
Petrified Foret
Stay in Sedona, AZ
Day 6:
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Red Rock Scenic Byway
Slide Rock Canyon
Stay in Sedona
Day 7:
Watpaki National Monument
Look around Flagstaff
Arrive in Grand Canyon
Sunset Tour of GC
Day 8 :
Grand Canyon!!!
Take bus tour of Grand Canyon
Day 9:
Depart for Page, AZ.
Hummer Tour of Antelope Canyon
Day 10:
Monument Valley
Stay in Moab, UT
Day 11:
Arches National Park
Stay with Dustin in Denver
Day 12:
Church with Dustin
Lunch with friends
Drive, drive, drive through Kansas
Day 13:
Arrive in Nashville; eat with Michelle and David
Spend the night with Matt and Meredity
Day 14:
Head home :-)
So let's see how this plan goes. I figure one of the things that God is teaching me in my life is that plans usually go awry, so the rest of the blog will probably be titled "How Jami's Plans Went Up in Smoke." So stay tuned :-).
So here goes. . .
First, some things you need to know about our family--
1. We are not "rough it" type people. At first, I thought about turning us into campers on this adventure, but then I thought that just taking this trip is stretching our comfort zones. We will be staying in hotels--and I looked for hotels based on the following criteria in the following order a) Tripadvisor rating of 4 or above b) close to the interstate c) cleanliness rating of 4.5 or better--I'm a germaphobe d) price. Please notice price is not first. I want to sleep every night. Also, I researched RVs and campsite cost. I found it to be cheaper to stay in hotels than to rent a travel trailer, RV, or such. It is also not much more expensive to stay in a hotel when you factor in the cost of buying a tent and all the camping stuff (we own nothing and we are not "rough it" type people, so we would need all the gear). We will be spending approximately $1250 of our budget on lodging. If we camped, it would cost us around $900 for camping gear and reservations, and if we rented an RV it would cost us around $3000 (the gas for an RV is CRAZY!!)
2. We prefer as a family to snack rather than eat big meals. Generally my children graze all day long. I might fix an egg for Logan or a peanut butter sandwich for Emma, but they are happier if they can just eat cereal, granola bars, apples, popcorn, pistachios, and pretzels whenever they want during the day. I'm figuring we will keep this up on the road. My plan is for us to eat breakfast in the hotel, snack in the car (no lunch), and then eat out for supper.
3. Brad and I love to eat out. Eating out is our family's entertainment. Some of our eating out will be fast food, but I imagine that most will be fun places along the way. This is part of our adventure.
4. I have just decided to chronicle everything on my iphone. I don't own a fancy camera, and let's face it, we are not a fancy family.
5. My children are FANTASTIC at entertaining themselves.
6. We HATE being hot. Every single last one of us sweats like who would have thunk it in our heads, and we sweat a lot.
7. I love planning. Seriously. In my next life, I just want to plan stuff for people. It is so much fun.
Budget (we will be gone 14 days):
$1250 for lodging
$850 (OUCH! I budget around $400 a month for us during the school year for gas.)
$50 for in the car stuff (a travel journal for both kids, a road atlas, a guide to the rest stops on the interstates, a book about the United States for Emma, magnetic travel games, etc)
$220 for snacks, breakfast, lunch, drinks, first aid (how much I spent at the grocery store on preparations)
$450 eating out (our budget is usually $250 a week for food, so this is over-budget. However, this is part of the fun for us)
$350 our splurge (a Hummer trip in Antelope Canyon)
$120 Tickets to Graceland
Total: $3290
Packing List
First Aid/Emergency--
First Aid/Emergency--
Band aids
blister pads
small first aid kit
calamine lotion
neosporin (sp)
tweezers
tums
ibuprofen
benadryl
allergy meds
cold meds
eye drops
ear drops
nebulizer
little scissors
duct tape
thermometer
blister pads
small first aid kit
calamine lotion
neosporin (sp)
tweezers
tums
ibuprofen
benadryl
allergy meds
cold meds
eye drops
ear drops
nebulizer
little scissors
duct tape
thermometer
Entertainment--
Markers
clipboards
Mad Libs
magnetic games (dollar store)
Travel journals
Road atlas
iPad
movies
audiobooks
books
playlist
chargers
clipboards
Mad Libs
magnetic games (dollar store)
Travel journals
Road atlas
iPad
movies
audiobooks
books
playlist
chargers
Comfort--
2 quilts
4 pillows
sleeping bags
fan
4 pillows
sleeping bags
fan
Clothing--
14 outfits with underwear in ziploc bags (so everyone can grab a bag and go)
At least on pair of jeans a piece
One jacket per person
Bathing Suits
Towels
1 Sunday outfit that can travel
Hats for each
Flip flops
Tennis shoes
Sandals
At least on pair of jeans a piece
One jacket per person
Bathing Suits
Towels
1 Sunday outfit that can travel
Hats for each
Flip flops
Tennis shoes
Sandals
Toiletries--
Deodorant
Body wash
shampoo
conditioner
lotion
hair ties
sunscreen
bug spray
face wipes
witch hazel
tissues
wet wipes
hand sanitizer
powder
Body wash
shampoo
conditioner
lotion
hair ties
sunscreen
bug spray
face wipes
witch hazel
tissues
wet wipes
hand sanitizer
powder
Food--
60 Caprisuns
Drinks for Brad
4 gallon water jugs to refill water bottles
28 granola bars
14 instant breakfasts
14 chocolate milks
28 packets of Cheerios
60 packets of snacks (popcorn, pretzels, nuts, chex mix)
14 squeezy fruits
Peanut butter and peanut butter packs
2 boxes of crackers
Oreos
14 microwave bags of popcorn for the hotel
paper plates
4 water bottles
plastic silverware
cooler
picnic blanket
Paper towels
sharpie
Drinks for Brad
4 gallon water jugs to refill water bottles
28 granola bars
14 instant breakfasts
14 chocolate milks
28 packets of Cheerios
60 packets of snacks (popcorn, pretzels, nuts, chex mix)
14 squeezy fruits
Peanut butter and peanut butter packs
2 boxes of crackers
Oreos
14 microwave bags of popcorn for the hotel
paper plates
4 water bottles
plastic silverware
cooler
picnic blanket
Paper towels
sharpie
Itinerary (I used the app Roadtripper to plan the trip and stops along the way; if you want the link to our actual plan with addresses, phone #s, etc, just email me)
Day 1:
Make it to Memphis :-)
Day 2:
Graceland
Spend the night in Paris, TX
Day 3:
Lubbock. TX; visit with the Byars
Day 4:
Cadillac Ranch
Midpoint Cafe
Spend the night in Albuquerque
Day 5:
El Mapais National Monument
Wigwam Village
Blue Mesa Trail
Petrified Foret
Stay in Sedona, AZ
Day 6:
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Red Rock Scenic Byway
Slide Rock Canyon
Stay in Sedona
Day 7:
Watpaki National Monument
Look around Flagstaff
Arrive in Grand Canyon
Sunset Tour of GC
Day 8 :
Grand Canyon!!!
Take bus tour of Grand Canyon
Day 9:
Depart for Page, AZ.
Hummer Tour of Antelope Canyon
Day 10:
Monument Valley
Stay in Moab, UT
Day 11:
Arches National Park
Stay with Dustin in Denver
Day 12:
Church with Dustin
Lunch with friends
Drive, drive, drive through Kansas
Day 13:
Arrive in Nashville; eat with Michelle and David
Spend the night with Matt and Meredity
Day 14:
Head home :-)
So let's see how this plan goes. I figure one of the things that God is teaching me in my life is that plans usually go awry, so the rest of the blog will probably be titled "How Jami's Plans Went Up in Smoke." So stay tuned :-).
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