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chalker7
Mar 18, 2012, 8:32 PM
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Registered: Mar 18, 2003
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Seeing as how climbers tend to be fairly well travelled, I am seeking some advice on travel destinations that aren't necessarily climbing related. That doesn't mean they can't be climbing areas, just that I'm trying to take a trip that requires no climbing gear, that will still be entertaining. This is to be my less traditional honeymoon. My fiance and I are both climbers, but we also dabble in whitewater rafting and mountain biking... bottom line is loving to travel though.
Trip beta thus far:
-10 days, 9 nights
-Starting July 16th
-Want to started by flying (maybe taking a train??) to West Coast and swimming in Pacific Ocean.
-Plan to rent a car and drive back to PA
- Want to spend and a day or two in Yosemite
- Want to get shit faced in a cool city (like "get arrested" type shitfaced)
-should have a budget of about $5,000.
-Camping is fine (except for the shiface-cool-city part)
-Would like to hit atleast three other interesting places on the way back across the country. National Parks rank pretty high.
-Las Vegas is not an option.
(Note: Dear RC.commer that is about to suggest that I do a search, No. Go fuck yourself, I'm not doing it. I already searched 3 pages deep on 5 different query titles. I don't have the time to worry about duplicating posts.)
Thanks yall,
Challenger
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granite_grrl
Mar 23, 2012, 4:51 PM
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non-climbing travel...isn't that where you have to do to a relatives wedding and miss out on a weekend of climbing?
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chalker7
Mar 23, 2012, 5:01 PM
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Registered: Mar 18, 2003
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Yeah, in this case its my wedding, so bring me wedding gifts of cash to support the honeymoon, which may or may not involve climbing.
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edge
Mar 23, 2012, 9:48 PM
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Registered: Apr 14, 2003
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My honeymoon, 25 years ago this July, was spent in Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. We did a 3 night backpack on the Teton Crest Trail, fished in Yellowstone Lake from a rented boat, rafted the Snake River, did some nice short hikes and the whole touristy thing in Yellowstone, and tooled around Jackson Hole and it's killer shops, which would be an awesome place for drunken dam foolishness.
Driving back to PA from there via SD is infinitely better than the more southern routes through Kansass or Nebraska.
Congrats on your upcoming nuptials.
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chalker7
Mar 23, 2012, 10:46 PM
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Registered: Mar 18, 2003
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Thanks a lot for the insight. Wyoming never crossed my mind. I have a whole new avenue to consider.
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edge
Mar 23, 2012, 11:03 PM
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Registered: Apr 14, 2003
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You could easily sneak in some bouldering in the Tetons for an afternoon, and on your way back hit Devils Tower, then the Needles and Badlands in SD. After that, the next 1000 miles or so East will suck, yessir you betcha, but better than I70 or 80 and with cooler temps.
I don't drink any more, but I seem to recall Madison, WI as having a ton of breweries, so also a good place to get sloshed and break up the return.
(This post was edited by edge on Mar 23, 2012, 11:16 PM)
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clymbrchk
Apr 2, 2012, 8:19 PM
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Registered: Mar 25, 2007
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My hubby and I stayed at a nice little cabin in a canyon near Rocky Mountain National Park for our honeymoon. The best thing about the canyon is that cellphones rarely work. yeah. We went hiking in the park and there was also great fishing - a non-climbing hobby that we happen to have.
Based on your criteria, I might do something like:
Fly into Denver, stay in the city for some urban fun. Hit Rocky Mountain National Park and Eldorado state park for climbing, fishing, hiking, biking. Or, you can hike and watch climbers and bikers, if you really want to travel sans gear.
If you're adventureous, most of the ski resorts offer downhill mountain biking during the summer. You can rent gear (including bikes) at the resort. Or, you can go and just people watch.
Option A would be to catch the train west to San Francisco and then drive to Yosemite. It follows the I70 corridor through the mountains and across the Colorado Plateau.
Option B, for max National Park hits would be going to RMNP, Black Canyon, Great Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde in Colorado (pretty much in that order). All of them have really beautiful hikes. Mesa Verde is near Durango, which is a great place for, ahem, college type fun.
From Mesa Verde, head west to Indian Creek and check out Newpaper rock on the way to Canyonlands National Park. Then go north to Moab, and hit Castle Valley, Fishers, Arches, and the North side of Canyonlands. If you like clipping bolts, I recommend a jaunt down Wall Street. If you're into bouldering, i would stop at Big Bend for some fun bouldering.
From there, hit capitol reef and the san rafael swell on your way west. (Still in UT.)
From there, since you want to pass on vegas, swing down to zion national park, and then head over to yosemite.
Catch the train back east to Denver and rent a car for the push back to PA. (Actually, you could catch the train all the way back to Chicago and spend a night in the city .. in which case, i'd add pizza, sailboating, and wandering around lakeshore to the list.) And then catch your car.
You will find loads of rafting and mountain biking anywhere in the west.
since this is a day-dream type break from my work day, i did not bother googling prices, but i have done trips like this in the past on a very tight budget - shoot for camping on BLM land to manage costs pretty aggressively. cooking over a campfire can also help manage costs and can be pretty darn romantic. you'd have to pick and choose the locations that you like best to fit on your 10 day schedule.
have fun!
(This post was edited by clymbrchk on Apr 2, 2012, 8:25 PM)
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