Tentative Travel Plans

Chris , how wonderful that you can do this with your family ! You are not committed for any length of time and you have a home base to go back to with your inlaws .   I know in towns around our area you can park for 14 days without having to move on .   I believe they might charge $5-10 a night max  to plug in and dump sites are free.

Get some Off the Beaten Path Books .   Go to the tourist building of each town .     There is just so much to see !   I know I would start out by following the route of my family tree . They  landed 5 years after the Mayflower and built the first church .. yes that is where I would start .   You might start with the part of History that intrests you most .  

Oregon Trail is where we are ... give a shout when you make it here.   Remember we are not fancy  but could show you around and have a good time .

FM

Check in once in here once in a while to give us an update.  

.

Does that mean "seize life"?  Well, it should.   I think this is a fantastic plan Chris.  I agree with JAG, we can't know the future so enjoy the present.  Sounds like the whole family is aboard so who cares what others may think?  Sally forth into the fray!  RVs can be had for a song these days and could be a good way to start the voyage- having a bit of a "home" while you get into the vagabond gig.  All the personal connections you've made that you described will give you a bit of a "safety net" and you never know what magical places and events will transpire from making those in real time.  If you find yourself in the Sandwich Islands, look me up.  Maybe the guest quarters will be finished by then... Maybe I'll have you remove my appendix or something for some traveling money.  Though after this election cycle I may need a lobotomy....    Aloha, Steve.

Well,

I don't know where to begin.

So, here I go. First, I think there is a huge "reserve" in everything about the economy so a SHTF "Max Max" scenario is highly unlikely.

To undertake an adventure such as you describe, one has to be very liquid and if TEOTWAWKI happens while you are on your sojourn... You may just be positioned the best of all of us.

That out of the way, how far do you plan on traveling? International? National? That would be the only difference in my advice. International travel is great and lessons learned can not be "untaught." With that, I mean any lesson learned, good, bad, or tragic. I hope you plan on starting with North American travel and see how it goes. Home schooling has never been my first choice because I think certain group dynamics can only be learned in the classroom. But, we are not talking about "home schooling" in the traditional sense are we. Only you know your boys. And I agree with "do-it-now" the 14 yo may already be at the tipping point.

Locum work should be plentiful for you and your wife if necessary. I have met some wonderful people doing that type of work and they were great practitioners as well.

Three "prepubescent" boys will be a hand full. Treat your wife along the way with some strictly feminine experiences. She may say that she does not need them, but I have never known a woman that has turned down a day of doing "girl things." Seriously. My wife was the first girl in her city to buck the "boys only" baseball rule and was a better fielder and base runner than her teammates. She worked on a farm through her under-grad work in animal science and became a "certified in large animal insemination." She never turns down a trip to the "day spa" to be pampered!

Have a "home-base" for things like taxes, bank accounts and the like. If Iowa makes sense because of family, then by all means that is the place to anchor the tether.

And, if you get a chance, come to North Carolina. The outer banks are unique and there is never a shortage of local amusement!

Best of Luck!

C.

Hey Doc

we have a guest cabin along our private 1/2 mile of blue ribbon trout stream.  our farm is in middle of national forest and throwing distance to Glacier National Park.

As to travel options - we have owned and love Airstreams.  They are the most durable (90% of all of them made are still on the road) and highest resale - I wish we had never sold ours but actually sold it for more than we paid.  For a tow vehicle I'd look into a F350 crew cab diesel with 7.3L engine - those engines last forever if cared for and you can get an extended fuel tank (100 gal) for almost 2000 range.

as re pop-ups - they tend to be too cold out west (I know) as even in summer the radiant cooling can drop temps 60 degrees.  Pop ups also get 'tossed' about easily by the high winds we experience out here.  Don't get me wrong - high winds with any tow behind or in an RV is no fun - you often need to pull over or do your driving before 2 PM

my wife works at local rural hospital as a Head Nurse and our nearest neighbor is one of the ER Docs so I'm confident we could help introduce you (if wanted)  as re locum tenens

we home school our teens (2 daughters and 1 son) and would welcome other kids for special project work -- and our kids are very active in Scouts (I am Scoutmaster) so your sons would be welcome to join in on those activities

fyi, on separate forum I posted we may be inviting CM members to join us on our farm in case SHTF ... if interested follow that thread and PM me as folk with your skill sets and adventure mind would be welcome

congrats on the bold move

Jake

Chris,

Some of my best memories as a child are the long road trips we used to take as a family, camping across the American west.  I really wish I was in a place where I could do something like that with my wife and sons but I am still very much a member of the rat race.  It would be such a life changing experience that I am very jealous. 

If you make it out my way be sure to let me know so we can get the families together.  Good luck!

I'm glad to see you have your priorities straight.  Baseball always came first for us.

I'm also glad to hear Glacier NP is on your must do list, I was going to recommend.  Thing is, get there in July or August.  And when you do, hike the 'Garden Wall' for a while.  It follows the divide and is one of the most spectacular places I know of in the US.  While you're in the NW, check out the Cascades and Olympic peninsula also.

I hope you make time for Cape Cod while you're in the east.  The National Seashore is wonderful.  I know a good campground near P'town if you're interested.

I differ somewhat with ao.  We tented for a lot of years and I backpacked long before I had a family.  A lot of things can and do go wrong in tents, and most of them have happened to me.  The move up to a pop-up was a pure luxury move, particularly with kids. 

Keep us posted on your progress.

Doug

Aaron,

Think over the real estate issue very carefully.

http://dont-tread-on.me/?p=12613

Gee, where shall I start.

There was the time a couple friends and I pitched our tent on a nice sandy spot and woke up at about 3AM in a thunderstorm and discovered that our tent site turned into a stream during heavy rains.  When you're backpacking or tenting in campsites, once your gear gets wet, there's nothing to do about it but lug it out.

Then, there was the time my family and I camped in a state park next to my wife'ssister's family.  As I tend to do, I took off on a three day hike in the mountains alone.  The first night out I camped in a lean-to and woke up to another storm.  I was lucky to be in the lean-to because tree branches were falling all around.  Back at the state park site, my wife and kids and the in-laws all huddled up in their tent.  Our tent pulled up stakes and blew away.  Sandy soil.

This one didn't happen to me, but did to some friends.  They were camped in a state campground when a 'microburst storm' came through.  Again, trees fell all around,  A tree fell right next to their tent and the father was quick thinking enough to get his family out of the tent and took shelter under the tree that just fell.  Four people died in tents in that storm and the largest intact stretch of original growth forest in the northeast looked like giant pick-up-sticks.

And, just generally, sleeping on the ground tends to be damp and lumpy.  I much prefer having a roof over my head, a table to sit at, electric lights and real mattresses to sleep on.  Plus, pop-ups have the built in conveniences of stoves, refrigerators and heaters.  If its raining you can sit inside and have room enough for everyone to be comfortable rather than sitting cross legged in tents that barely, if its big enough, have room to stand up.  I've had more of those experiences than I care to think about.

I guess I'm getting old and crotchety, but I Iike conveniences and comfort.  I'm pretty much done roughing it.

Doug

Chris

You are truly living a dream to do this. This will be life altering for all of you. Do it right to make it good. Here are my tips from a lot of experience with extended road trips.

This will NOT be a short vacation. This will be a way of life. You will be living on the road every day for months on end as a family of five in constantly changing environments. Out west in August temperatures go down to freezing in the mountains and dessert. The burden of keeping feed, warm, clean, and everything else will be much higher, and even if everyone pitches in, the bulk of it will fall on your wife. It is critical to keep that burden tolerable or this wonderful experience can go sour fast. You won’t always have a camp ground handy without overly restrictive planning. You have to be able to live on the road.

A smaller RV on a van chassis would fit your needs well. Don’t go big. You can rent them. Add bicycles or a dirt bike for running errands or touring. The RV drives well enough and gives you comfortable shelter, cooking etc.. In a pinch, you can stay in a truck stop, trailer park, motel parking lot, or Wal-Mart (they encourage this). You also have walls and a locked door at night. You don’t have to pack and unpack gear. You always have a kitchen and fridge handy to reduce the costs of meals, and shelter to eat them. KOA is good for showers and laundry. You are home wherever you are, and that gives you great flexibility and peace of mind so you can enjoy the sights.

A pop-up tent trailer would be a minimum, but it would get old fast in your situation. It has a much higher burden for daily chores, especially cooking, and only enough storage for essentials. No kitchen when it’s down. Wind can shred them quickly and high winds are common out west.

Tents – I second what Doug said about sitting around when it rains and dealing with wet gear. You can’t just drive away to better weather. Unpacking and packing all the related gear adds up. You are more limited in where you stay, cooking and clean up are much harder, and need to be done before dark, which limits your options. Bears are a factor in camping some places, particularly out west.  You always need to keep food segregated and sealed.  A determined bear can come into any vehicle, but most won't try if you are careful.  In a tent you feel helpless. 

The West is the best.  Seldom rains, not humid, mosquitoes are rare, spectacular scenery, exotic landscapes, micro environments that change quickly with elevation. For scale and variety it can’t be beat.

Parks – See every national park and national monument you can. The “monuments” are equivalent, but were created by presidents instead of Congress. Not mentioned so far are Dinosaur, Arches, and Mesa Verde with the cliff dwellings. You would love them.  National forests, and reserves (Bureau of Land Management) can also be spectacular and very peaceful, with lovely simple campgrounds, and without the crowds. The mountain parks get a lot of snow so they don’t open until about May and I think they close about October.

Route – Starting in July means you should get far north first, head west, hit the coast by fall, work south from there but avoid staying in mountains. Follow the Mexican border east during winter. Don’t rush it or plan it to death. You will learn about lovely places by talking to other travelers. Take your time and stay loose.

Travlin

PS -- By all means take a tent so the boys can "camp out" and you and your wife can have some "quality time".  Ground jacks at the corners of the RV are reccomended. 

Chris

I exchanged a few emails with you in the past.  Im the urologist in Saratoga Springs NY.  We're located just south of the Adirondack state park and about 25 miles west of the state of Vermont.  Plenty of small organic farms and horse farms around here.  There is even a vascular surgeon here who raises cattle (organic).  So I believe there would be plenty of opportunity for your boys to gain some life and work experience here... and Im sure the general surgeons here would love to have someone here to share some on call duties with them.

Best of luck

Brian

Ao’s suggestion is my ideal for a tidy couple. With three rambunctious boys I’d want to go bigger with something more like this size for example. http://www.trucktrend.com/features/travel/163_0910_born_free_20_foot_mini_motorhome/index.html I don’t see seats for the boys while driving, and I’m sure there are better lay-outs, but this size is very drivable and gives good shelter for inclimate conditions. There are also small pop-up trailers with hard sides to consider if you are comfortable pulling one. You can unhitch and have your vehicle free for touring

It won’t always be warm and dry. You have to plan for rain, and cold, so you need to be able to sit inside. Remember this is not a short trip. You will all live in this every day for an extended period. You need a sheltered place to sit, and do lessons, and fix a quick meal. Also when the buffalo herd surrounds you before breakfast. (They were just grazing very slowly through the campground.)

You can do it in a smaller vehicle if you are Spartan, disciplined, and have the experience to know that it works for you. Lacking that you are taking a gamble, especially on the burden on Julie. This needs to be enjoyable for everyone. I have always been a Spartan traveler myself. But an extended tour with a family is not like camping for a week in one place. You are going to move many times.

There will probably be a big RV show in Des Moines very soon where you can see 100 RVs side by side indoors. All five of you can get inside them and picture how it works for you. Think about clothes, gear, making and un-making beds, setting up the table, cooking, washing, traffic flow, and all the actions you have to do everyday to maintain your household. The simpler and easier the better. These are very personal choices so there is no “right” answer. I’m sure you’ll find what works for you. Just give it lots of thought before you decide.

Travlin 

Wow, sounds like you're gonna have a GREAT adventure! The boys will be talking about this for years, and will carry the memories for the rest of their lives!

If I were in your position, I would definitely do this with my family. This is NOT FOOLISH! If you are concerned about TEOTWAWKI, there's no better time than the present, if you are concerned about a possible collapse in the future. After it occurs, if it occurs, a trip like yours would be a lot less fun and likely not feasible. Besides: It doesn't matter where you and your family might be if TEOTWAWKI occurs. A surgeon and a nurse will always be needed.

I know others have mentioned renting an RV or purchasing a used one. I don't suggest renting from a commercial outfit, because it can be prohibitive. Obviously buying used is generally preferred, but you might also consider BORROWING - or offering to make the monthly payments on one while you use it - from a family that may not have plans to use theirs for a year or two. You would want to stipulate in the contract what to do about insurance, breakdowns, wear-and-tear, or accidents, of course. I agree with the others that driving a larger-sized RV makes more sense than a pop-up camper.

You may also consider rail for part of your trip: Trans-Canada or across America.

I echo the others in suggesting a visit to Glacier National Park. You'll get to see buffalo and mountain goats up close and in person. I highly suggest California's Pacific Coast Highway a few weeks after the spring rains to catch the wildflowers, cattle grazing by the ocean, elephant seals, California missions, Monterey Bay Aquarium, San Francisco itself - between Santa Barbara and Fort Bragg, whether north or south. Definitely see the redwoods (I was married inside a redwood tree in Humboldt Redwoods State Park). I don't suggest Los Angeles unless you want to see what an urban concrete flatland is like. Summer in Alaska and British Columbia (I've been in BC in the winter, not worth it), winter in the Southwest (Saguaro National Monument, Arches National Park) and Florida (I've been in Florida in late fall, and the Everglades, fan boats, and alligators were awesome).

I live in Southern California. I don't know if it's really worth visiting where I live, but if you want to meet up at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park - one of the best zoos in the country - let me know. We have annual passes.

Poet