U.S. National Park Free Days for 2014

The United States National Park Service offers free entrance to their parks on certain days (or holidays).  For 2014, here they are:

• January 20, 2014 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• February 15 to 17, 2014 for Presidents Day weekend
• April 19 to 20, 2014 for opening weekend of National Park Week
• August 25, 2014 for National Park Service Birthday
• September 27, 2014 for National Public Lands Day
• November 11, 2014 for Veterans Day

Obviously expect crowds. On our trip to Yosemite, it happened to be during the National Park Service Birthday of that year and so in addition to the usual volume of visitors, I am sure there were extra people present.

If you want to avoid those crowded days, just get an annual pass. Currently they run about $80 per year.  If you are 62 years of age or older then your price is $10 per year!  Click on the below link for more information.

Related website:

• Free Days: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm
• Different Passes: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm

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Possible Road Trips...

As we are mulling over future road trips, I ran a couple of these sites for ideas.


USA's 5 Best Road Trips was first featured back in May 2013 and was written by David and Kay Scott.  The two of them have driven more than 250,000 miles over 4 1/2 decades.  These are their choices (I don't believe they are in any particular order).

• Pacific Coast Highway or California 1: 1,700 miles from Southern California to Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Kid stops: 
• San Diego Zoo
• Skunk Train
• Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
• Hoh Rain Forest.
• Florida State Highway A1A and the Overseas Highway: 600 miles along Florida's Atlantic coastline. Kid stops:  St. Augustine's Marineland, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Palm Beach Zoo, South Florida Science Museum, Everglades National Park, Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
• Newfound Gap Road, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Skyline Drive.  This one takes you through three national parks including Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blue Ridge, and Shenandoah National Park.  The ideal time is Spring for blooms and fall for foliage.  Kid stops:  
• Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg
• Rafting in Asheville
• Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.
• US Highway 395 in California.  This 1,300 mile drive connects Southern California with the Canadian border.  Features include Lone Pine, California, Death Valley National Park, Lake Tahoe, and Reno.  Kid stops:  
• Bodie State Historic Park
• California Virginia Truckee Railroad train ride
• Reno's Discovery Museum, Pendleton
• Oregon's Familiy Aquatic Center, Sacajawea Interpretive Center in Pasco, Washington
• Children's Museum and Science Center in Spokane, Washington.
• US Highway 2. This is the northernmost U.S. highway and stretches 3,300 miles from Washington to Maine.  It includes a 700-mile portion in Canada.  Places of interest include Glacier National Park and three of the Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, and Huron).  Kid stops:
• Coulee Dam tour
• Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
• Soo Locks
• Vermont Capitol tour

They offer suggestions on ways to cut costs on trips including the following:

• Compare rent vs. using your own vehicle
• Use reasonable driving speeds and make sure tire pressures are correct
• Look for the lowest gas prices when you have enough fuel to be selective
• Take snacks including a cooler with veggies and drinks
• Carry reusable water bottles
• Stop at a grocery store to pick up breakfast items to eat in the room or on the road
• Picnic for lunch or dinner
• Check for restaurant and motel coupons
• Ask for discounts at motels and hotels:  "Is that the best you can do?"
• Consider buying an America the Beautiful pass for $80. 
• Ask where the locals eat and what to do

They recommend looking into the following apps:

• GasBuddy
• AroundMe
• GoogleMaps
• MyRadar
• Hotels.com
• Oh, Ranger! Park Finder
• MapsGalaxy
• Tripit
• Yelp

For more details, read the complete article click here.

I did some quick internet searches and found ideas for similar road trips.

I hope you found this helpful.  Click here to see how you can support me.

Trafalgar - rediscover the romance of travel

If you are looking for some travel ideas, this is a great place to start.  Their catalog and website have a pretty amazing list of vacation ideas that start at about one week in duration and can go up from there.  I have not personally participated in any of their packages, but most of the lodging and food and travel appear to be included.  There are some meals and optional activities that may not be included.

If you do not like to "micro"-plan your vacations, then just buy one of their packages.  If you want to have full control over your itinerary and pace, then you pay want to see what their schedule is like and try to reproduce it.  Of course, you need to balance this with the possible increase in cost to your trip. 






I had previously posted on a similar service that Disney offers called "Adventures by Disney" which you can read by clicking here.

Related websites:

• Adventures by Disney
• Trafalgar

I see some itineraries that look very interesting.  Just need the time and resources to go.

To see how you can support me, click here.

Ken Burns: Favorite Civil War Sites

The current USA Weekend issue features Ken Burns' favorite Civil War Sites.  I think everyone should be fascinated with the significance of this war and how it tore our country apart.

It would be great to visit some of these sites but logistics would be huge to try and take a "tour" of these sites since they are pretty spread apart and we are on the West Coast.

The sites include:

• Fort Sumter, South Carolina
• First Battle of Bull Run, Manassas, Virginia
• Shiloh, Tennessee
• Antietam
• Fredericksburg, Virginia
• Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• Vicksburg, Mississippi
• Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Petersburg, Virginia
• Appomattox Court House, Virginia

Click here to go to USA Weekend

Adventure Cycling Association for maps

In this a previous post (http://2raising4.blogspot.com/2009/07/pbs-show-walking-great-divide-and.html) I described a PBS show that showed how you can walk the continental divide.

In a recent Men's Health Issue, which I am receiving free (disclaimer), there was a short blurb about how you can ride your bike on part of the trail.  You can get maps here:  http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/index.cfm.  For the section from Butte to Jackson Hole, it required two maps for $15 each.

Visit? Snow Play in the San Bernardino Mountains

We went to the Big Bear Snow Play earlier this month.  It looks like there are at least three that are in the San Bernardino Mountains.  You can view pictures from our trip by clicking here.

• Big Bear Snow Play. $25 for the day. Bring cash. http://www.bigbearsnowplay.com/
• Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain. $25 for the day.  Bring cash.  http://www.alpineslidebigbear.com/
• Snowdrift Park.  $12 per hour.  This looks like you need to walk up to the top.  http://www.snowdrift.net/index.html

AAA Westways - Travel Resolutions for 2011

I like this!   In reviewing a recent issue of Westways (the magazine for AAA members), here are some travel resolutions for 2011 by Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman:

• Participate in a community service project sometime during my trip
• Seek out a learning experience during a trip
• Let the kids plan a complete day of activities on our next family vacation
• Learn to travel with only carry-on luggage
• Build a relationship with a good travel agent
• Spend more time in sidewalk cafes

For more details, click here for the on-line entry.

LATimes.com: Extending the shelf life of frequent-flier miles

I like reading David Lazarus' columns.  I do not currently subscribe to the Los Angeles Times, but every once in a while I come across a copy.

In the October 15, 2010 issue, he discusses what to do with airline miles and extend the "life" of the miles without them expiring (and you losing them).  Some of the options include:

• Flying somewhere
• Buying miles
• Buying non-miles-merchandise on-line / Subscribing
• Viewing promotional videos and responding to surveys
• Take on-line surveys
• Gifting/Transfer miles (usually for a fee)

Click here to go to LATimes to get more details.

Joel Stein: Space Invaders

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I have been receiving Time Magazine for free (well, without charge).  According to the label (if I read it correctly), it looks like I will be getting it until May 2011.

Recently, I linked to a previous Time article on bedbugs and now Joel (who usually has the last article in the magazine) also mentions them.  

Click here to read his humorous column.

To subscribe to Time Magazine, click here for 1-year with auto-renewal.

AAA Westways: Connecting with Kin / Calico Ghost Town

I had an earlier post as part of my "Visit?" series about going to Calico Ghost town.

In the recent issue of Westways Magazine which is published by the Automobile Club of Southern California, there was a short feature on a family's annual reunion to Calico Ghost Town.

This family has been doing this for 30 years and they have some tips including the following:

• Begin planning early
• Discuss the budget
• Plan something for each age group
• Bring family photos
• Relax and enjoy yourself

For more details, click here to go to the article

AAA Westways: Ways to Gather (for family reunions and groups)

In a recent issue of Westways which is published by the Automobile Club of Southern California, there was a feature that claims "The best destination family reunions offer quality time together - and apart"

They offer these recommendations (and of course a AAA Travel Agent can help):

• Take a cruise (all-inclusive or nearly so)
• Stay at a Resort or Ranch
• Plan a Disney Vacation
• Go Camping

They also suggest some strategies for success:

• Schedule time together
• Enlist a travel agent
• Make family reunion t-shirts
• Take a group picture
• Make the memories last

To read more, click here to be taken to AAA's website.

Time.com: This really sucks

Recently I have been going on anywhere between two and four trips per year.  I have friends who easily do that in any given month.

If you have been reading my blog, I am still getting Time Magazine for free.  In a quick skim of the current issue, there is an article covering the recent conference in Chicago about bedbugs.  I have been lucky, but I probably need to be more careful.

Click here to read the article on Time.com

Click here to see pictures of the bedbugs

To subscribe to Time magazine, click here for 1 year with auto-renewal:

Westways: Careening in a Can

In the June 2010 issue of Westways, the magazine for Auto Club members, there was a nice (and interesting) article about one family's "adventure"vacation in an RV.  We have been thinking about renting an RV and using it as a base for a similar "adventure."  With six people in the family, logistics is a little more difficult.

Now as for buying, we are not sure whether we could commit.  Some of the nice entry-level RVs run anywhere from $150k to the high $300s.  It seems to make it not worth it unless you are really going to use it the equivalent of about one weekend each month.  In addition, there is the maintenance on the engine, storage, sun damage, etc., etc.

An alternative is to get a trailer.  There are some nice trailers that can sleep six people and run below $30-40k.  One would need a truck that can handle the towing, maybe a 4x4 or a dually.  A truck could serve a dual purpose of running errands or for commuting as compared with an RV that serves one purpose. The dually would not be as practical for getting around town because of the wide rear axle.  The problem with a truck is that it needs to be able to hold six passengers and tow a decent sized trailer.

I am sure there are benefits with having a single electrical system in an RV, but the cost of a nice truck and trailer is much less than an RV.

Bottom line: not ready for an RV or a trailer/truck combination.

Click here to read the whole article.

Update:

I guess there are some Class C motorhomes that are priced between $75k to $100k that can sleep up to eight people at a time.  This may be an option in the future.

Visit? America's Greatest Train Rides

The Parade magazine from a recent Los Angeles Times had an article titles "America's Greatest Train Rides."  What child has not had a fascination with trains at some point in their lives?

The article has brief descriptions of longer routes such as Chicago to Los Angeles.  It also has some Day Trips by Region.

Related sites:

• Click here to view possible items of interest on Amazon
• Click here to go to the article
• Click here to view a slideshow from the trains
• Click here for the LA Times  

Adventures by Disney: Worth it or not?

While at the local American Automobile Association office to renew a car registration, I saw a video on these guided tours targeted for families.  They are run by Disney and I recently checked out their website.

Most of the trips are around a week in length and run in the thousands per person and usually do not include airfare.  If you review the itineraries they look like outstanding "adventures" and great family experiences.  I think there probably is some minimum age for the kids to enjoy this (maybe somewhere between six and eight years of age?).

Even though these look tempting and I am sure the service is superb, with a family of six and the cost per person in the thousands, some of the trips may reach the tens of thousands in overall costs.  It would probably best to review the itineraries and develop your own similar (and likely less expensive) experience.

Click here to go to Adventures by Disney.

Fly unlimited for $599 on JetBlue from 9/8/09 to 10/8/09

But read the fine print. Here are key points:

• Purchase by 8/21/09 (or while supplies last).
• Book 3 days in advance (before 11:59 PM)
• Pay $100 if you don't show or your "pass" will be suspended.
• If you already have booked a flight during the travel period, you can "upgrade" by paying the difference.
• Does not include Taxes and Fees to International destinations and Puerto Rico.
• $30 for the second bag.

Click here for more details and also make sure you read the "Full terms and conditions"

50 Tours of a Lifetime

Another magazine I've been getting sent to me free (disclaimer) is "Traveler" as part of the National Geographic organization. In a recent issue, they have "50 Tours of a Lifetime" which is divided up into Active, Cultural, and Classic types.

Ahh, to have excess resources (read Money, Time, older kids)....

They also have tours from 2006, 2007, and 2008 linked there as well.

If you're reading this post, which one would you go on and why?