30 Days of Pure Bliss!

[CamperForLife]

Me, my hubby and our 3 kids (ages 11, 9 and 6) just got back from a 30 day, 6,291.6 mile trip with our camper in tow. We spent 172 hours in the truck, used 627 gallons of diesel and drove through 18 states!! It was the most amazing time ever. We hit a wedding in St. Joseph, MO (spending 2 nights boondocking on a 40 acre farm) and then spent 6 days in Nebraska visiting family. After that, the real exploring started...4 nights outside Custer State Park, South Dakota; 5 nights near West Glacier; 4 nights near West Yellowstone; 2 nights on Fremont Lake (near Pinedale, Wyoming); 4 nights in Estes Park, Colorado and then our journey home. While we were at West Glacier, West Yellowstone and Fremont Lake we dry camped which was something we had never done. It was great and I would never hesitate to do it again - the spots were SO MUCH BETTER than full hook up places (like the campground we stayed at in Estes Park which was a parking lot and your only view was other campers packed in next to you). If anyone is looking for total tranquility, I highly recommend Murray Bay Campgrounds (outside of Martin City, MT near the West Glacier Park entrance). 22 miles of dirt road (that took us an hour to travel with the camper) but the view is spectacular. We cannot wait to go West again - maybe hit the southwest next time.

[GrumpyDad]

Completely agree that some of the best locations are off the beaten track. Generally around here, if there's more than about 15 minutes of driving on gravel required, you reduce the crowds by 1/2 or more. Sure dust gets everywhere, but I'd rather be dusty and relaxed. I swear beer tastes better when I have no cellphone reception too.

[Vasquez Kid]

Sounds amazing. What great parents you guys are for sharing this beautiful country with your kids - they will talk about it for the rest of their lives.

And thank you for some great suggestions that I'll add to my long list of places to go!

Cheers,

Jeff

[oldmanAZ]

"...the most amazing time ever."


Thanks for sharing and for the burr under our saddle to get back out there!

[stateboy]

I know what boondocking is (haven't done it yet) but is that similar to dry camping?

[2edgesword]

Sounds like a fantastic trip that the kids will remember for a lifetime. Glad you got the opportunity to do this.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by 36fire412

I know what boondocking is (haven't done it yet) but is that similar to dry camping?

IMO, they are different terms for the same thing: Self-contained camping; no hookups for water, electrical, or sewer.

[stateboy]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

IMO, they are different terms for the same thing: Self-contained camping; no hookups for water, electrical, or sewer.

Thanks! I was thinking it was the same but unsure. Now... back to the regularly scheduled program, "30 Days of Pure Bliss."

[CamperForLife]

I guess we technically were dry camping because we were in a campground (just didn't have water or electricity hook ups). I called it boondocking just because it sounds so much cooler!!

[Witt74]

Congratulations! Sounds like you had an amazing trip!

[Hazman65]

Sounds awesome! Glad you had such an great time. Memories that will last a lifetime.