Actual Itinerary

"Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience." - Francis Bacon

After several false starts, and more changes and rearranges than I care to think about, we are actually doing this thing.  My mom can't come along because my stepdad suffered a stroke and can't stay alone for that long.  We switched back to plenty of camping - perhaps more than we are sure we can do.  We added destinations, took them away, added more, changed plans a hundred times.

But now I have a binder of information.  And reservations for each and every night of the trip.  And wonder of wonders, four tickets to Comic-Con, after a frantic morning of waiting in a virtual queue with hundreds (perhaps thousands) who were not so lucky.  I have a budget that is just barely workable.  I have a car that has been babied and carefully maintained for the year since we purchased it.  We are really leaving, in only 31 days.

So, our itinerary, in brief, is a mixture of education, entertainment, and experience.  It involves quite possibly too much driving, tons of sightseeing, and a crazy number of stops.  Here's the "short" description:

Sunday, July 7 - Drive to Pokagon State Park in Indiana for a night of camping.
Monday, July 8 - Drive to Chicago.  See the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium.  Drive to Great Bluffs State Park in Minnesota to camp for the night overlooking the Mississippi River.
Tuesday, July 9 - Drive to Mount Rushmore. Stay in cabins.
Wednesday, July 10 - Sightsee at Mount Rushmore and the surrounding area. Stay in cabins.
Thursday, July 11 - Drive to Yellowstone. Camp, and see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Friday, July 12 - See Old Faithful, Hayden Valley, and the rest of the lower loop. Camp.
Saturday, July 13 - See Tower Fall and Mammoth Hot Springs on the way to Missoula, Montana.  Stay in a hotel.
Sunday, July 14 - Drive to Bremerton, WA for a visit with my sister.
Monday, July 15 - More visiting with my sister.
Tuesday, July 16 - Drive to Patrick's Point State Park, and camp overlooking the Pacific.
Wednesday, July 17 - Make the impossibly long drive to Anaheim, stopping halfway to visit the Jelly Belly Factory. Camp at Anaheim RV Village - apparently an urban campground.
Thursday, July 18 - Go to Disneyland. Camp.
Friday, July 19 - Go to California Adventure. Camp.
Saturday, July 20 - See the California Science Center (with the Space Shuttle Endeavor) and the Hollywood area. Camp.
Sunday, July 21 - Attend San Diego Comic Con.  Stay at a hotel.
Monday, July 22 - See the USS Midway and go to Coronado beach.  Stay at a hotel.
Tuesday, July 23 - Drive to the Grand Canyon, and sightsee for an hour or two.  Drive further to Flagstaff, AZ and stay at a hotel.
Wednesday, July 24 - Drive to Amarillo, TX.  See various Route 66 attractions.  Go to the Texas! show at Palo Duro State Park.  Stay at a hotel.
Thursday, July 25 - Drive to St. Louis, Missouri.  See the Gateway Arch and the Westward Expansion museum. Stay at a hotel.
Friday, July 26 - Drive to Dayton, Ohio.  See Gaelic Storm at the Irish Fest.  Stay at a hotel.
Saturday, July 27 - Drive home.

This feels crazy, and heady, and scary, and thoroughly amazing.  Now I just have to figure out a better way to pack the car...