"The Extra Mile" - the Tracks & Trails blog

For nearly all of our clients that start their trip in Salt Lake City and are heading north to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks, the first night is almost always at Bear Lake.  Straddling the Utah and Idaho border, Bear Lake is a great place to get familiar with your RV as well as camping in the West.

Bear Lake is one of the largest natural lakes in the Western United States, known for its intense turquoise blue water, due to suspended limestone deposits.  The greatest depth is 208 feet, with an average depth of 100 feet.  The summer water temperature of the lake is a cool 70 degrees.   The lake is 20 miles long and between four to eight miles wide, and lies half in Utah and half in Idaho.  The lake is excellent for fishing, boating, and all water sports, but watch out for the “Bear Lake Monster,” a legend that is perpetuated to this day!  There are campgrounds on the west (Bear Lake Marina State Park), south (Rendezvous Beach State Park - our favorite!), and east (East Side Beach State Park) sides of the lake that make sailing, swimming, and scuba diving easily accessible. 

My first visit to Mesa Verde National Park was a last-minute weekend getaway; not a carefully-researched, thoughtfully planned-out destination.  At the time, I did not realize that a one-day visit would not allow sufficient time to see both the Chapin and Weatherill Mesas, or that I would be drawn by its mystery and want to explore more archaeological sites as a result of that brief visit.  On my next (more extensive) trip, not only Weatherill Mesa, but other archaeological sites in the area beckon to me – Hovenweep, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Canyon de Chelle, and the list goes on. 

As you can probably tell, visiting Mesa Verde had a profound effect on me.  No wonder that National Geographic Traveler named Mesa Verde as one of the fifty “must-see” places of a lifetime!  When I arrived at the viewing platform for Cliff Palace I expected to see some rubble that one could possibly discern was once a cliff dwelling. I can now understand the astonishment that the ranchers who found this hidden gem felt on that cold December day in the late 1800’s when they first saw the ruins from across the canyon.  I was stunned to see the astonishingly intact 150-room Cliff Palace.  It has been preserved so well that I could visualize what it must have been like in 1200 AD, and could almost see the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly Anasazi) bustling about as the children played. 

We absolutely love it when our clients have a great time on their Tracks & Trails vacation.  As we have said in the past, many of our clients have used the Internet to document their trip and have used many different ways to show friends and family how things are going on their trip.  The Anderson's just completed a trip over the Christmas holiday to southern California and created a blog called Survivor Anderson.  They took lots of pictures, video and wrote great little tidbits about their trip as they went along (my personal favorite is the RV Toilet Confessionals).  Check it out and you can see what a Tracks & Trails road trip is all about.  If you want to take a similar trip that the Anderson's took, check out San Diego, Palm Springs and the Anza-Borrego Desert.

A little too chilly where you are?  Too cold for too long?  How about just tired of putting on and taking off all those layers?  Ready for a break from winter?  Even Florida is cold right now.  Check it out - Phoenix and Tucson are right around 70 degrees for highs - so is San Diego.  Wanna go?

While most of our clients are families that are looking for a great National Park destination during the summer season, many of you may not know that Tracks & Trails offers itineraries to both Arizona and Southern California during the winter months.  Getaway for a week or longer and thaw out!

If you're looking for a bit more of the old west, want an adventure in a great cavern system or just want to see historic ruins and the OK Corral, then pick Tucson, Tombstone and the Sonoran Desert for your winter escape.

If the beach and California desert is your cup of tea, then pick San Diego, Palm Springs and the Anza-Borrego Desert.  You'll have plenty of time to see the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Legoland and the Wild Animal Park befor you head out to the desert areas of southern California.

Either way, we can help cut through the ice and snow for just a little while and give you and yours a much needed break from it all.  Just call one of our trip consultants at 800-247-0970, contact us through an email or use our new live chat to ask any questions.  RV's are available and the pricing for these trips is lower right now, so don't wait any longer and get started on that winter tan!

In light of the Dec. 25 incident on a U.S.-bound flight, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration is mandating that every individual flying into the United States from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening effective Jan. 4. The directive also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on U.S. bound international flights.

In addition, the Canadian government has banned all carry-on bags for passengers traveling to the U.S. because new screening requirements are causing excessive delays. Only exceptions are purses, cameras, coats, laptops, musical instruments, medical devices and items for baby care.

Regarding domestic U.S. flights, the TSA Web site states, "(U.S. airports) have the ability to quickly implement additional screening measures, including explosive-detection canine teams, law enforcement officers, gate screening, behavior detection and other measures both seen and unseen. Passengers should not expect to see the same thing at every airport." At this time, security checkpoint requirements for passengers departing U.S. airports remain the same and do not need to do anything differently. Additional security measures may be noticed at the airport.

Click here for further information from TSA about airline security regulations.

While the photo of the Christmas Tree Cluster at the right is not the traditional image for a Christmas tree, we at Tracks & Trails hope that it's just as beautiful as your tree at home.  We sincerely wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. 

At this time of year we have a few clients that are trying to create a truly unique present for their families.  There are many great itineraries to choose from on our re-launched website.  The new Trip Finder helps you find the trip you are looking for by choosing a destination, trip length, time of year and travel mode.  And we have included much more destination information to help you decide where you want to go.

This is also the time of year when we get to take a bit of a break but don't fear, someone will always be here to either take your phone call, answer your inquiry from a Contact Us form or to answer your live chat question.  We also want to thank all of our clients this year for making our year much more successful than most others in the travel industry.  Your support and trust in us continues to make us feel that we've achieved our main goal which is to create fantastic, driving vacations that get you all outdoors, either in the National Parks or to some other great destinations!

Thank you again for a great year!  We hope 2010 is going to be even better!

Good morning everyone!  Here in Grand Junction, Colorado, we have been dumped on!  I just shoveled 9" of snow off my driveway and the roads are a mess.  The big winter storm you've been hearing about has closed schools, created power outages and made many roads one-way with problems with street lights to make things worse.  So we are declaring a SNOW DAY and will not be in the office.  We are also experiencing some network issues so I can't access our email from home.  Please be patient with us and I'm hoping that we will be back to normal tomorrow.  If you have a question, please comment on this blog entry and I'll do my best to answer it today. 

Thank you for your patience!!!

So, Black Friday is here and gone.  Cyber Monday has had its moment in the sun, too.  And while it appears that folks are spending less this holiday season, more are out there looking for bargains and deals.  So where does Tracks & Trails fit in to that?

Well, if you are thinking of surprising your family with a truly unique summer vacation, look no further!  While we know you are busy with parties, shopping, baking and still trying to get regular stuff done, we can help create a gift idea that the whole family can enjoy.

Maybe it's a family reunion in the great outdoors - for that we have a special section where we have handpicked trips from our catalog that would be great for getting everyone together for a big vacation!  Instead of the big resort or a Caribbean cruise, why not go to one of our incredible National Parks?  Check out this section of our website (Family Reunions) that will hopefully give you some great ideas to surprise everyone!

There are other trip themes that we have created so that we could help you find those special destinations where you can take the best pictures or you can find cultural and historical information to help with homeschooling curriculum.  Check those out too to see if there is a good fit for your family's needs.  And you can always use our new Live Chat feature - just click 'more options' under Eddie the Eagle on the upper right of any page on our website - we're ready to answer all of your questions!

It's great to see when our clients use the power of technology to document what a great time they've had on their Tracks & Trails driving adventure.  Many use personal blogs, Flickr, Picasa or other sites to create personal journals of their trips.  Some even include video.  From time to time, we'll be posting client experiences here in our blog in order to give you an idea of what you can expect while on the road.  Don't forget to check out our client reviews as well to get an idea of how much fun our clients have had!

The Boxers & the Lufranos are two couples that took the Exploring the Southwest's Canyons and Lake Powell trip this past September.  While we work mostly with families, these guys are a great example of folks that we love to work with because their travel schedules can be a little bit more flexible since they don't have to travel during the summer.  I won't steal any of their thunder by reposting any of their pictures.  Check out their blog http://travelingfoie.blogspot.com/ to find all the details!

Welcome to our new website!!!  We've been working feverishly over the summer and fall to bring you an updated and upgraded website that we hope you find useful in planning your next western driving adventure!

A couple of new things that you'll find on the new website:

1. The Trip Finder is a mini-search engine within the site to help you find the trip that fits what you're looking for.  If you're having problems let us know.
2. We've added live chat so that you have yet another way to contact us.  See Eddie the Eagle and click "more options" to start a chat.
3. We've added trip themes to help you find a trip that fits a particular activity that you are trying to do during your trip.  We've started with Photography, Family Reunions and Homeschooling.  Look for more themes in the future like Historic Trains and Spelunking!
4. We've also added three "other" adventures.  These trips are western trips but not road trips.  We've had a number of requests over the years for trips based on a single destination.  Check out the trips on a houseboat, a raft trip or at a dude ranch.
   
5. The blog is here!  We had our blog on a separate site and have put all that great content right here in one place.  This is where we will give you quick updates on the latest in travel, status on forest fires, weather updates, road conditions and stuff that's new in the world of Tracks & Trails.  Happy reading!
6. We also have a store now where you can purchase stuff that will make your trip a little easier and more comfortable.  We've handpicked the items for sale and are working with Amazon.com to help facilitate your purchase and shipping.  If you have suggestions for us to add to the store, let us know.

1. Try traveling in the early season to a summer destination park, before summer peak travel and prices hit. You’ll have fewer crowds, but you might have to put up with some inclement weather. Or go over the winter break to places like Death Valley or Joshua Tree National Parks. It’s prime season there, but demand for RVs is lower, and so are the prices.
2. Don’t plan on driving, and driving, and driving. Pick a couple of key parks and stick to those, spending multiple days in each. You’ll really get a feel for the park and it will allow you to take in the ranger programs, films, campfire talks, etc, and just hang out fishing or playing in the creek or ocean for a day.
3. Pick a couple of exceptional activities to do, ones that will really be highlights. Our boys still talk about the whitewater trip from 2 years ago, where we dropped into the Big Kahuna wave, with Gabe (then 4) hanging “face” in the front of the raft. What fun!
4. Even visiting out of the way places can be memorable. The date farm outside of Death Valley is a good example – almost 3 years later, the $4 date milkshakes are still a topic of discussion, and the boys wonder when we can go back there, along with the hot springs soaking in Yellowstone (which was free).
5. Let’s face it, when you live in a city, there are plenty of great places to eat out, so why spend your money and your time in line, waiting for food that isn’t that great while you’re on your vacation. Try a campfire cookout instead. It’s inexpensive, a great way to spend time with your kids in a positive way (rather than trying to corral them into table manners in a hotel dining room), and fun. From starting the fire together, to sticking a hot dog or marshmallow on a stick, to burning the paper plates in the fire, there’s something everyone in the family can do.

1. Hotels in many areas have a legal maximum of 4 people per room or do not have rollaway cot options, which means for a family of 5 or more, you're looking at paying for 2 rooms. The average price of a hotel room is now $100, and that's not in the peak seasons or in the national parks. In the popular areas like Jackson, Wyoming, even the least expensive hotel in the summer can be over $150 per room.
2. Then there's a rental vehicle cost, which can run you up to $75-$80 per day for a minivan that can hold your family plus all your bags.
3. Meal costs can be very expensive as well. The lodges within the national parks have several dining options, but they are all costly. Even if you plan on taking a cooler and eating lunch out in a picnic area or on the trail, you'll still need to have dinner and some sort of breakfast at the hotel. Dinner entrees in the park lodges' dining rooms can start at $20, with very limited choices for kids. Kids are almost always hungry and when you start having to buy those in-between meal snacks, drinks, etc., these costs definitely start to add up per day. Prices outside the park in the adjacent communities are high too. The quality of food can vary wildly as well. We like to eat out on our trips a few times, and we don't mind paying for good food, but it's hard to pay high prices to mediocre food day in and day out.
   
4. Entertainment costs can sneak up on you. If you go to a theme park like Disney, you can spend up to $90 per person per day just for admission fees. Even with the multi-day tickets, it's still a heck of a lot of money. For as little as $20, you can get a multi-day pass to a national park, where there are multitudes of things to do. Take a hike, have a swim, climb around on some rocks, take part in a ranger program, soak in a hot spring, build sandcastles, watch for wildlife, build a campfire and roast marshmallows. They're all free once you get inside the park and you can do them all over the course of a few days. You can also sign up for guided activities like rafting, horseback riding or bicycling, but you're not committed to doing something every day, over the course of a week you still haven't spent that much on entertainment.