The New "Last Reservation"

Booked in Yellowstone for the "last official" reservation before the 2,100 mile run back to the beach!  I still can't bring myself to cancel the original "last official" reservation at the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim.  I'm slowly coming to grips with giving it up.....but buying lottery tickets too!!

Lost A Week!

The first major redraw of the map due to an even shorter summer. The lost week included Salt Lake, Park City (Moose's Pub), Deer Valley (Chicken Chili), Alta, and at least one of the Utah parks like Bryce, Zion, Arches or Grand Staircase, The North Rim, Mesa Verde, and Telluride. I knew when I booked the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim it was too good to be true! No way to keep that reservation and commute 2,000+ miles before breakfast the next morning. On the plus side, the new route adds Devils Tower, The Black Hills, Deadwood, Sturgis, Mount Rushmore, The Bad Lands, and The National Grasslands. Maybe we can even squeeze in lunch at Warren Buffet's favorite cafe in Omaha!

The Map had been tweaked to perfection.  From the original plan, we dropped Southern California, and rerouted to add Death Valley, Jasper, and Banff.  (Nothing against SoCal....we’ll pick that up on a 2 week fly in trip in the future.)

The Revised Map due to the lost week, some good, some bad!

Jasper and Banff

Impossible to see Banff and Jasper National Parks even if just on Blu-Ray and not change the plan!  They are now on the Map!  What's 3 more hours in the van when you have 165 hours on the schedule already?

Best Pool in Vegas (for kids)?

Mandalay Bay was my first choice.  What the heck is going June 21st at Mandalay?  Total sellout all 4,400+ rooms!  Is that really possible?

Swapping Sequoia for Death Valley

The "Plan" continues to evolve.  Added Death Valley and dropped Sequoia National Park.  Lots of big trees still on the schedule in Yosemite, Big Sur, Humbolt, and Redwood NP.  Is skipping Sequoia a mistake?