"The Extra Mile" - the Tracks & Trails blog

As of 10:15 this morning, the Telegraph fire is 20% contained, yet firefighting is difficult due to the terrain. Hwy 140 is partially open. The lastest maps show that this road is the most threatened and CalTrans is suggesting motorists to use alternate routes. All of our clients visiting this area do not use Hwy 140 because of damage from a landslide incident that occured some time ago. Hwy 120 that enters Yosemite from the west (Groveland and the SF Bay Area) and Hwy 41 that enters from the south (Fresno) are both open. The park is open as well despite smokey conditions.

As our clients come back from their trips, we occasionaly get pictures. The Harper's took a 13 night trip that started in Billings, MT. They traveled the Beartooth Highway into Yellowstone, then through the Grand Teton National Park, on down to Jackson, WY and back to Billings. This family was really adventurous.

We thought we'd get at least a partial staff picture here so that you could put a name with a face. I'm taking the picture and Dan & Sheri are out and about, so we're not in this one. And that's okay, since most of our clients will be interested in who they talk to the most. From the left, it's Nancy, Karen, Shannon, Lisa and Ann.

So how do you reconcile driving a big, American-style RV that gets around 10 miles per gallon of gasoline in the current energy and environmental concerns in the US? We could talk about this subject for a long time and will probably revisit this in later posting. For today, I thought I would tell you about two of our recommended RV rental companies and what they are doing that point to your concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and overall cost of your trip.

We read the papers, watch TV news and read many articles in the travel trade and the general media and it's obvious that the nation is worried about the economy. And yet, many believe that taking a vacation every year is their "birthright". So how do you consider all the options for a vacation and try to pinch a few pennies? We consistently see and hear that RV vacations are not only cheaper but bring together a family in the great outdoors.

If you have the time, want to miss the crowds and like the weather a little cooler, then maybe you should be thinking of taking that "summer" vacation in September or October. Both are great months to travel to beat the crowds, beat the heat and feel like you have the National parks all to yourself. We have found that for families that homeschool their children, traveling after Labor Day is a great time to create an awesome field trip and a vacation at the same time. And for those folks that would be traveling without children, most campgrounds are a bit quieter and hiking trails are a bit more deserted.

This is the time of year for us at Tracks & Trails where most of the planning and reservations are complete for our clients' summer trips. And we get feedback on how much fun everyone has had. Including pictures! This is great for us in the office to see through our clients' eyes what they liked and didn't like. We use this information for planning future trips and talking to prospective clients about the type of trip they would like to take.

A recent NY Times article discussed how many travel/tour operators are taking bookings as much as 18 months in advance in order to lock in today's rates for a variety of travel options.

At Tracks & Trails, we can also help facilitate making your vacation arrangements for 2009.