Gumbo4x4
Note to the ladies who forgot to
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2012
- Messages
- 25,659
Okay, I'll look at that. Although the max speed on our motorhome is 70 (just really won't go faster than that!) And even though we have a bathroom onboard, we make the kids stay buckled up and stop at restrooms along the way. (With 7 of us, that's always a long stop. Plus stopping to nurse the baby.
We took the motorhome to Florida last year and the trip home when we didn't have time to stop much was miserable.
True, it is different traveling in a motorhome than a car, and with that many people you're sure to require more frequent breaks. Then, there's the time setting up & tearing down each morning. So, that's a consideration.
Still, that's a pretty straight shot there & if you get early starts, I think it's a good chance to make some miles. For us, we can cover 600 miles a day pretty leisurely in the car going East (IL, KY, TN, GA) or 700 going West (MO, KS, NE, SD, WY, etc). The giant gaps between major cities is a real help here as is the lack of traffic. My BIL and I cranked out 1,085 miles one day, but that was pretty hard driving and no kids

Anyway, you don't need to cover nearly that much ground, but do look into stretching a bit more in the early part of your trip. OTOH, if you have enough time to take it more leisurely, do so


In Yellowstone, you'll definitely want to see:
Old Faithful (and the attractions in this area will consume 1/2 a day)
Grand Prismatic Spring
The Mud Pots
Mammoth Hot Springs
The upper & lower falls
and many other things.
If you have binoculars and a spotting scope, they will come in handy for spotting wildlife along your trip. By the time you get to Cheyenne, you will begin to see antelope (and to a lesser extent, mule deer) EVERYWHERE, and all times of the day. If you try to stop though, they'll run off. They're used to moving cars. Stopping cars means hunters, and they know not to hang around for that. They're less skittish in the National Parks, as you'd expect.
Grizzly bears are a reality in Yellowstone and you should look into the food storage recommendations before you get that far. You may or may not see one on your trip, but they are definitely there - ditto for any campgrounds North of Rawlins or anywhere within 100+ miles of Yellowstone.
You're coming into Yellowstone from the South and this gives you a pretty good chance to explore the park tracking North. This will take 3 days to do properly, maybe 4 - especially if you like to get out and explore on foot. Leave the park through the Northeast exit toward Red Lodge, MT. The views on Beartooth pass are spectacular!! You'll be moving slowly through here. IIRC, you have to detour a bit off the highway to get to Custer National Battlefield. It's a great historical stop, but not at all scenic. Then, you'll dip back down into Wyoming as you head East. Devil's Tower is your last stop in WY before you get into SD. Devil's Tower to the Badlands could easily take 3 days to explore.
