New to ABD

[airbear]

Hi this is my first time posting here. My first ABD will be this July. We are doing Southwest Splendors. I read Say Hello's trip report and it looks like a blast. I am getting nervous about the heat and altitude. Has anyone done this trip in July? If so, what was the weather like? (I have never been to the desert)

 

[Turtlemom]

Hi Airbear--
Welcome to the DIS Boards. Sorry no one has answered you yet!

We did the Southwest Splendors ABD in August and had a fantastic time. Yes, it was incredibly hot, but its a dry heat. . . LOL
Seriously, although it was very hot, the guides had plenty of water on board and they also carried extras in their backpacks in case someone ran out on the trail. We all were given cooling mist sprays and "cool-danas"--a bandana with a cooling gel in it to wear around your neck or your head. And the swimming pool at the end of the day was a huge hit! Just make sure to bring some extra t-shirts to change into. There is a coin operated laundry at Red Cliffs Lodge, and many of us did a load or 2 of sweaty clothes when we got there.

You will have a fantastic time!

Turtlemom

 

[airbear]

Thanks Turtlemom, I was pretty bummed out when nobody responded to me. You have made my day. I will be sure to pack extra t-shirts for my husband and myself. This will be our 1 year anniversary trip so we are both really excited.

 

[Bobo912]

We're a small group and normally not all that active, although we do have our moments. Keep you questions coming! If anybody knows the answer, you will eventually get a response.

 

[sayhello]

Airbear! So sorry we all seemed to somehow miss your post! Next time that happens (what? It will *NEVER* happen again! ) just post again with "bump" as your post. It will bump it back to the top of the list, and then we'll see that we missed it. Yay for Turtlemom for spotting your post!

So glad you liked my Trip Report! I think it's inspired more than one person to go for Southwest Splendors! I still maintain it's one of ABD's best itineraries (and I'm not prejudiced at all!) I think you're going to love this trip. It really *was* a blast!

DO drink TONS of water! The guides will make sure it's readily available for you. Use the mister & the cooldana. It's really worth it for the fabulous things you'll see!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Sayhello

 

[airbear]

Thanks everyone for the responses. This little abd community seems like a lot of fun. I'm happy I found it.

 

[WeLoveABD]

It IS little by comparison to some of the other disboards--I've been following the Baltic Cruise threads at the DCL disboard, and can't keep up. Information overload! But here...well, we are more of a little coffee shop and love to tell tales of our adventures, and hear tales too! So...stay with us!

 

[glassslipper2004]

The heat really wasn't bad on SWS - even in August when we were there last summer. Definitely bring a hat - it was a lifesaver on the hike to Delicate Arch (which was a wonderful, wonderful thing). The only time the heat really felt uncomfortable was on the horseback ride (optional, but many in the group did it) - but that was probably due more to the fact that I didn't enjoy the three hour long tedious ride very much. I was certainly hot, dusty and tired by the end, but have learned an important lesson (don't go horseback riding!)

This is a fantastic trip and you will love it. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have - there are a group of us who have done SWS and we like to chat...

 

[airbear]

Thanks so much Glassslipper. Your message was very reassuring. Like I said before, I've never been in a desert climate so I was very unsure about the heat in July. Ideally, we would've taken this trip at a cooler time of year but it's an anniversary trip and we got married in July. It just wouldn't be the same if we went at any other time. Plus I'm a teacher so I gotta go when the kids are out of school. No adult only trips for me.

 

[Kurby]

I'm new to this side too but not the DIS board. sometimes it takes a little time to get an answer, sometimes you don't get one and sometimes you get tons of advice.

have a wonderful trip - we're DVC members and have heard lots of great things about ABD but haven't booked one yet.

i'm now just starting to look at them and think we might just have to start travelling with them

 

[Turtlemom]

If you're doing SW Splendors, do consider the ATV excursion when in Red Cliffs Lodge. (We declined to go horseback riding because of the heat and we wanted to spend some down-time at the pool with the kids). The ATV trip follows old mining roads through these incredible red rock canyons and through streams (which feel great when you get splashed).

I would say it was one of the absolute highlights of our trip.

Hope your trip turns out to be truly wonderful!!!!

Turtlemom.

 

[glassslipper2004]

If I had to do it again, I'd do the ATV - the horseback ride was tough in the heat, and very long - way too long for novices and kids (3 hours with no getting off the horses). But Moab and the Red Rocks Lodge was beyond amazing - I was surprised at how very much I loved that place.

 

[sayhello]

I was there too early in the year for the ATV excursion. They weren't offering it yet. But I've heard it was plenty fun! The Red Cliffs Lodge is fabulous. I'd go back there in a heartbeat!

Sayhello

 

[airbear]

We will definitely sign up for the ATV's. Every trip report I have read said that these are awesome. For those of you who have rode them, are they hard to drive?

 

[kristilew]

ITA about the ATV ride. It was a highlight of our whole year, actually. No, not hard to drive at all. A quick lesson, and I was roaring away!

The heat was not at all bad, and we went in late June. I see you are from up north, so probably have a slightly different heat tolerance than I do , but really I thought the "dry heat" factor made it much more bearable. You can get dehydrated quickly, so drink lots of water, and bring some good lip balm and facial moisturizer. But you won't be nearly as miserable and "dewy" as you would here in NC in June!

And Airbear, we'd all love to read a trip report when you get back. ABD continues to tweak this trip, and I'll be curious to see what they change this year!

 

[airbear]

Thanks for the tips Kristilew. Especially about the face cream and lip balm. I will be sure to pack some. I would love to post a trip report when I get back. I hadn't thought about it cuz there are already several reports on SW Splendors. I didn't think anyone would be interested in another one. If they continuously tweak trips, which makes sense if they do, then it would be worthwhile to post a report. 5 months to go (it still seems so far away) but everyones feedback has got me more excited then ever.

 

[Bobo912]

Thanks for the tips Kristilew. Especially about the face cream and lip balm. I will be sure to pack some. I would love to post a trip report when I get back. I hadn't thought about it cuz there are already several reports on SW Splendors. I didn't think anyone would be interested in another one. If they continuously tweak trips, which makes sense if they do, then it would be worthwhile to post a report. 5 months to go (it still seems so far away) but everyones feedback has got me more excited then ever.

If you have the time and inclination to post a trip report, please do! Besides changes that may have been made to the itinerary, each of us has our own unique perspective. On this board, we have big families, small families, single parents, singles who take adult-only trips, singles who take the regular trips, etc. I'm sure there are many of us who would love to read about your experience. Don't forget to take lots of pictures!

 

[Turtlemom]

Hey Airbear!
One other thing about the ATV's. There are 2 types. One type is like a small 4-wheeled motorbike. The other is like an overgrown Barbie Jeep. (I think they call them Rhino's). We asked for the Barbie Jeep version, since our girls were 7 and 10 at the time and we felt more comfortable riding side by side. Just a tip!

As for trip reports--we always LOVE to read trip reports! Everybody brings their own perspective to a trip, so I wouldn't hesitate to add your version!

Turtlemom

 

[Tozzie]

Thanks for the tips Kristilew. Especially about the face cream and lip balm. I will be sure to pack some. I would love to post a trip report when I get back. I hadn't thought about it cuz there are already several reports on SW Splendors. I didn't think anyone would be interested in another one. If they continuously tweak trips, which makes sense if they do, then it would be worthwhile to post a report. 5 months to go (it still seems so far away) but everyones feedback has got me more excited then ever.

I don't think there can be "too" many trip reports, people have different perspectives and see things differently and I think the more info the better. It will help people to make decisions on trips if they can see the different ways people see the trip. I say post one.

 

[sayhello]

I agree with the others, airbear! Please do a trip report! It's always fun to read someone else's perspective and see their pictures!

It also helps remind me of how fun my own trip was. A little bit of re-living it through you, so to speak!

Sayhello