Best adventures and places!

[graycurlsvanning]

Hello again!

I love hearing from all you wonderful folks who take the time to write these thoughtful answers to my posts. It fills my day and head with beautiful dreams and ideas of what I have to look forward to. Recently on a podcast I heard about the 'fresh start effect' (I might have mentioned this already) that happens at any time point in our lives when we have a chance to begin again: like a birthday, New years, a divorce etc. It's called a temporal landmark. We can create these moments ourselves with 3 simple steps.
1. Make a wish
2. Start taking action that align with that vision/wish
3. Find the proof that you can do it

This is a long winded way of saying that you all are my proof that I can eventually fulfill my vision of living the van life! Yes, my fresh start moment will be the death of my elderly mother, but I can head out knowing that I helped her for a lot of years.

So tell me the places you love the most and why. What are your most memorable moments? I appreciate your stories. Thanks.

 

[bullfrog]

True remote areas where you can be alone are getting hard to find and many here choose not to share them as it pretty much guarantees their demise. Just so you know!

 

[graycurlsvanning]

Oh I see. Then I am not sure how I will find them. And I wasn't necessarily asking for GPS locations just general areas that were enjoyable and beautiful or fun.

 

[user 423]

Alaska ferry. Driving thru the Canadian Rockies. Motorcycle trip thru northern NM and southern Colorado. Driving down the Mississippi river from St.Paul, Minnesota to Dubuque in October.

(I have time to edit so will add the Oregon coast that Camper mentions below).

October is my favorite month to travel and I've debarked on several 'new beginnings' in that month. Great weather, colorful, way fewer touristas on the roads, lower gas prices, festival and car show weather and more. Dang, makes me want to hit the road right now!

 

[Camper]

Hi FL neighbor.... if you find a prettier place than the Oregon coast, please let me know.

 

[graycurlsvanning]

Alaska ferry. Driving thru the Canadian Rockies. Motorcycle trip thru northern NM and southern Colorado. Driving down the Mississippi river from St.Paul, Minnesota to Dubuque in October.

(I have time to edit so will add the Oregon coast that Camper mentions below).

October is my favorite month to travel and I've debarked on several 'new beginnings' in that month. Great weather, colorful, way fewer touristas on the roads, lower gas prices, festival and car show weather and more. Dang, makes me want to hit the road right now!

Sounds wonderful! I have family in Colorado too so that will be a must. I was out there years ago and the altitude took some getting used to. I love the New England fall myself and have family there. And Canadian friends so that will hopefully be trips too. I would like to see British Columbia if possible. And I have heard Oregon is beautiful. It all sounds perfect.

 

[eDJ_]

In the bottom link of my signature line there is a portal of trip planning sites. "Trip Planning at Home or on the Road". You can sit at home and literally tour as if you were driving your own Van with Google Street Maps. Like actually being there.

Tipomatic offers you to plot where you are and where you would like to go. It will ask you how far off the road (in miles) you would like to go to take side trips to see interesting places. When you enter this the roads turn "blue" and then you can use your mouse cursor to lift the orange "pegman" icon and place on any of the blue roads. Within a few seconds you will be looking at that location like you are there. There is a compass so you can turn your view all around just like being there. On the roads there are arrows you click on to advance down the road toward your destination. It is easy to learn to use and fun. And for someone "trapped" at home out of necessity it can be a real escape.

This youtube tutorial shows how to do it and there are several other website that do this beside Tripomatic. Spend some time with it whether at home or on the road and see what is possible. It's virtual traveling at it's best !

Youtube Tutorial on using "Pegman"

 

[WanderingRose]

Wow, I have never heard of Tripomatic, but it sounds kinda fun, and a great way to virtually travel.

I agree that most folks are not going to share their favorite spots, for obvious reasons, and you will find your own.

I, personally, am not a fan of extreme heat nor deserts any time of the year, preferring forests, mountains, waters and waterways of all kinds.

I like to go West and North in the summer months, and South, Southeast in the winter.

If you have the financial means to explore, pick an area of the country that interests you, immerse yourself, drive the backroads, rinse and repeat.

Find a good map app, my personal favorite being PocketEarth, and use this to guide you.

It is a beautiful, diverse country, full of history and interesting people.

 

[graycurlsvanning]

In the bottom link of my signature line there is a portal of trip planning sites. "Trip Planning at Home or on the Road". You can sit at home and literally tour as if you were driving your own Van with Google Street Maps. Like actually being there.

Tipomatic offers you to plot where you are and where you would like to go. It will ask you how far off the road (in miles) you would like to go to take side trips to see interesting places. When you enter this the roads turn "blue" and then you can use your mouse cursor to lift the orange "pegman" icon and place on any of the blue roads. Within a few seconds you will be looking at that location like you are there. There is a compass so you can turn your view all around just like being there. On the roads there are arrows you click on to advance down the road toward your destination. It is easy to learn to use and fun. And for someone "trapped" at home out of necessity it can be a real escape.

This youtube tutorial shows how to do it and there are several other website that do this beside Tripomatic. Spend some time with it whether at home or on the road and see what is possible. It's virtual traveling at it's best !

Youtube Tutorial on using "Pegman"

I am not sure where to find your signature as I am still figuring this all out here. I would love to see what you mean. I use Google maps all the time at home and when I was considering buying another home after I left here, I would always go into the street view and look all around the neighborhood and area to check it out. I didn't know about pegman though, and that looks like fun. I will try that for sure. Now that some interesting places are coming in, I can use this idea to check them out!!

 

[graycurlsvanning]

Wow, I have never heard of Tripomatic, but it sounds kinda fun, and a great way to virtually travel.

I agree that most folks are not going to share their favorite spots, for obvious reasons, and you will find your own.

I, personally, am not a fan of extreme heat nor deserts any time of the year, preferring forests, mountains, waters and waterways of all kinds.

I like to go West and North in the summer months, and South, Southeast in the winter.

If you have the financial means to explore, pick an area of the country that interests you, immerse yourself, drive the backroads, rinse and repeat.

Find a good map app, my personal favorite being PocketEarth, and use this to guide you.

It is a beautiful, diverse country, full of history and interesting people.

Tripomatic sounds cool. And pocketearth...will check it out! Thanks.

 

[abnorm]

Signatures ?.........................YOU chose what you see in your feed.................

Click on your NAME top right

Select: ACCOUNT DETAILS

Select PREFERENCES.............Scroll down the list....under CONTENT OPTIONS

Select: Show people's signatures with their messages

 

[StacyK]

I love sandstone and juniper country in the Four Corners states—the earth tones have such warmth, and the views tend to be expansive and intriguing. And juniper smells so spicy when the sun has warmed it. Probably best enjoyed in the shoulder seasons.

My favorite moments have involved either friendly encounters with fellow travelers (which surprises me, because I’m not a people person) or driving on unfamiliar roads and seeing one surprise after another. (Utah Rte. 12 through “canyon country” is one example—winding through canyons amid gigantic rock formations, with something new around every curve.) I’ve found myself literally howling with delight on some of those drives. I rely on a good old-fashioned Rand-McNally road atlas to point out the most scenic routes. Other favorite moments came from just relaxing fully in a camp chair and soaking up beautiful days.

I don’t know if this helps provide proof that you can do it, but I do all this while being about 80% housebound with (stable) chronic illness. Moving my home around has given me access to a larger, better (and, to be fair, much scarier) life than I had in my fixed dwelling. That doesn’t mean it will work for anyone else, but it sounds like you know how to be smart, and you know yourself. You can make this happen.

 

[graycurlsvanning]

Signatures ?.........................YOU chose what you see in your feed.................

Click on your NAME top right

Select: ACCOUNT DETAILS

Select PREFERENCES.............Scroll down the list....under CONTENT OPTIONS

Select: Show people's signatures with their messages

Ok I already had it set for that...hmmm, now I need to know what I am looking for.

 

[graycurlsvanning]

In the bottom link of my signature line there is a portal of trip planning sites. "Trip Planning at Home or on the Road". You can sit at home and literally tour as if you were driving your own Van with Google Street Maps. Like actually being there.

Tipomatic offers you to plot where you are and where you would like to go. It will ask you how far off the road (in miles) you would like to go to take side trips to see interesting places. When you enter this the roads turn "blue" and then you can use your mouse cursor to lift the orange "pegman" icon and place on any of the blue roads. Within a few seconds you will be looking at that location like you are there. There is a compass so you can turn your view all around just like being there. On the roads there are arrows you click on to advance down the road toward your destination. It is easy to learn to use and fun. And for someone "trapped" at home out of necessity it can be a real escape.

This youtube tutorial shows how to do it and there are several other website that do this beside Tripomatic. Spend some time with it whether at home or on the road and see what is possible. It's virtual traveling at it's best !

Youtube Tutorial on using "Pegman"

I figured out how to find All the information you posted under your signature! It took me a minute. WOW!!! That is a fantastic list. Holy smokes. It should be on every newbie list. Thanks so much, I can't even tell you how much I appreciate you putting together something like this. I am looking forward to going through it in my downtime of which I have a lot!!

 

[Tony's Dream]

I get the "starting fresh" with every trip I go on. I'm not a full time van dweller, instead I travel on trips of 10-14 days at a time. The first day I set out I am excited on what I will find "around the next corner" as I travel. My trips are carefully planned out and take me to the sites I want to see (mostly national parks) but include points of interest along the way. For example, at a stop along the interstate I read about a burial site of an indian princess from a histoical marker that was only a few miles off the interstate. While traveling in northern Neveda I heard about a warm spring with free camping. It felt so good to take a warm swim and shower. It's places like this that really add to my adventures. Most people either fly to their vacation spots or drive right through a state and miss out on so many little things. Sometimes I stop along the road and simply sit and listen to the sounds of nature or water rippling along the rocks. I like traveling during the off seasons, no waiting in lines and most of the parks are only 25-30% filled. Recently I took a cave tour and I was the only person on the tour other than the guide. I like traveling the west more than the east because of the wide open spaces.

Two years before I began traveling, I bought a Rand McNally map and mapped out over 17 trips that would take me to every national park I wanted to see. I used google earth to look at points of interest, often there are pictures so I can see what others have seen. Then using mapquest, I plot out my trips. The trips are not so ridge that I can't take a deviation for a festival or stop for an over look. I like talking to interesting people who might have some insight on places they have been.

 

[Carla618]

Two years before I began traveling, I bought a Rand McNally map and mapped out over 17 trips that would take me to every national park I wanted to see.

Tony, I have this bookmarked, but I can't remember where I found it. Maybe you posted it here? If not, you may find it interesting. They mapped the routes that hit every national park. Curious what you think of the routes.

https://matadornetwork.com/read/mapped-optimal-road-trip-see-us-national-parks/

 

[barefootrebel]

Wherever you go, see the beauty. That makes it memorable.

 

[graycurlsvanning]

I get the "starting fresh" with every trip I go on. I'm not a full time van dweller, instead I travel on trips of 10-14 days at a time. The first day I set out I am excited on what I will find "around the next corner" as I travel. My trips are carefully planned out and take me to the sites I want to see (mostly national parks) but include points of interest along the way. For example, at a stop along the interstate I read about a burial site of an indian princess from a histoical marker that was only a few miles off the interstate. While traveling in northern Neveda I heard about a warm spring with free camping. It felt so good to take a warm swim and shower. It's places like this that really add to my adventures. Most people either fly to their vacation spots or drive right through a state and miss out on so many little things. Sometimes I stop along the road and simply sit and listen to the sounds of nature or water rippling along the rocks. I like traveling during the off seasons, no waiting in lines and most of the parks are only 25-30% filled. Recently I took a cave tour and I was the only person on the tour other than the guide. I like traveling the west more than the east because of the wide open spaces.

Two years before I began traveling, I bought a Rand McNally map and mapped out over 17 trips that would take me to every national park I wanted to see. I used google earth to look at points of interest, often there are pictures so I can see what others have seen. Then using mapquest, I plot out my trips. The trips are not so ridge that I can't take a deviation for a festival or stop for an over look. I like talking to interesting people who might have some insight on places they have been.

Sounds awesome. Are those the primary ways you find the places that you will visit? How about the little out of the way places? Where do you figure out how to find those places or do you stumble across them? I took a 1600 bike trip years ago and it was an amazing way to travel also. Of course I could never have the strength to do something like that now but I agree, simply flying somewhere you miss a lot! Thanks for this great reflection.

 

[Tony's Dream]

Tony, I have this bookmarked, but I can't remember where I found it. Maybe you posted it here? If not, you may find it interesting. They mapped the routes that hit every national park. Curious what you think of the routes.

https://matadornetwork.com/read/mapped-optimal-road-trip-see-us-national-parks/

Looking at the map, I have traveled some of those miles. Most appear to take you down major interstates and through major cities.......something I tend to ignore. I will travel an extra 20-30 miles to avoid going through major cities.

 

[Morgana]

I will travel an extra 20-30 miles to avoid going through major cities

I spent a day once avoiding Houston (Port Arthur > Bolivar Peninsula > Galveston > Bay City + on). It was so worth it. (Nothing against Houston, just the Houston freeways.) The trip before that I had tried to avoid it, but by the time I got to the exit I had mapped out, I was already in the thick of it. Houston is huge!