I just found your website and it is amazing!!! Thank you for writing all this and sharing all this information. Your website is very helpful!!!

Thanks Tamuna - It's nice to hear that others are being helped by our efforts.

Your website has inspired me to create my own website. I have started playing with Drupal. Did you make those maps on your homepage or did you find a software program that does that?

You have some great features on your site. Do you have any recommendations for literature on drupal modules.

Hi Bryan,
I'm glad someone has appreciated my efforts in website development!

This site was actually developed around 2003 when we decided we needed to document our travels to both help others, and inspire ourselves to continue.

It was my first effort in a database backed website, and I used Macromedia Dreamweaver with an Microsoft Access Database and vbscript. (Lorry knew a bit about database design from her work as a systems analyst) It was a bit of a thrill for me as I didn't have any professional background in programming or development.

The maps were taken from a Microsoft Streets and Trips jpeg file that has a Photoshop filter applied. I then used an old feature in Dreamweaver called Timelines, I think?, that generated the javascript that would scroll through the images and show/hide the trip stop layers. I haven't been able to figure out how to do it using Flash, (the show hide layer part), and so I've just been hacking at the original Dreamweaver javascript to update the website.

When the site started getting somewhat popular, we got a bit of spam in the comments and contact forms. I learned about "Content Management Systems", and after some research decided that Drupal would probably be worth the investment in time required to properly use it. I managed to convert my original site to a Drupal 4.7 site and have had lot's of fun learning and converting it to each new version of Drupal.

With that somewhat long winded introduction, I would only consider Drupal for this kind of site if you are seriously interested in website development and would enjoy the investment in time that learning to customize Drupal requires. The http://drupal.org/ website has a lot of information, as does http://www.lullabot.com/

I have also gotten a few books from http://www.amazon.com/ on Drupal. Just search for the most popular books for beginners.

If you don't really need to customize your presentation, the a http://www.blogger.com/ is easy, and Tessa Hill has documented her impressive RV travels across the globe at http://www.travbuddy.com/TessaHill/blogs.

Good luck in your travels and website development. Let us know when you've got something to view.

Hi there! I have had SUCH fun just reading through your VERY informative site! I feel like I have found a real gem as we begin our travels through the states! We have looked forward to doing this for our entire 40-year marriage! We tent-camped for 25 years, then gradually tried different trailers and 5th wheels. We just bought an A-class (and now it's really sinking in that we are actually retired and time is not an issue!!!!) and will hit the road the end of September. We realize that it's too late for cross country, but want to head to upstate NY this fall. We are finding that there are very few facilities at State or National or Corps of Engineer camps that have 50 amp service or can accommodate a 34-ft motor home. Do you have any suggestions? We want to go to the Catskills, Adirondacks, Finger Lakes and Niagra Falls. Thanks and keep up the great work - LOVE this site!!!

Hi Mimiof5 - I'm glad our website is helping others plan their own travel adventures! If you have the time, end of September still gives you a lot of time for a cross-country trip.. but NY and New England is great in the fall. I'm afraid we have no experience with 50 amp service requirements. If it's just for running your air conditioning, then maybe you won't need it for October in NY and 15 amp would suffice. I would think 34' should be able to squeeze into most of the larger parks. Certainly Niagra Falls should not be a problem. Once you leave the driveway you would be surprised how often things just seem to fall into place. Safe Travels! Herb

Lolo and Herb,
For folks like us who are "on call" or otherwise cannot plan ahead, the best trip investment we made recently was in a DROID. On the fly we can immediately "Google" information on our environs, get reviews of campsites and attractions, and make reservations. If only I could figure out how to answer the #$!% thing.

BTW, thank you, thank you for the inspiration you have given others by kindly sharing with us your experience and family. Though we have taken other RV trips, we are about to embark on our first cross country trip and your insights have been invaluable. Perhaps it is wishful thinking on my part, but I see many parallels in our life journeys:
We also grew up in the metro area (me=CT he=NY), I also graduated from HS in '74, we also have 2 boys, he also has a brother in Westlake Village, CA, we both left our professional corporate careers and bought a motorhome after my husband spent 9/11 and 2 days following at ground zero - our "life changing event". Were we diverge is, we didn't marry until 1995 so our boys (twins) are only 10 years old NOW. And here is were we really diverge...you guys are still in awesome shape!

Hi Hope,
You're quite right about the DROID. At this point, we are a 3 DROID family with both boys and myself having the addiction. I have found it to be a truly life changing device... similar to the PC and IPOD when they where first introduced.

Thanks for the kind words about our website. It's great to know that it is helping others plan their own cross-country adventures. The parallels you found between our backgrounds are extraordinary! Though not shown in the website, I drove our towns ambulance to Hoboken in response to the 9/11 attacks.. (And also worked for 13 years on the 91st floor of Tower 1)

Thanks for for compliment on our "shape" - We run a lot of miles, and try to lift a bit as well.. It just gets a little tougher as the years accrue and the aches accumulate but the boys don't want us to slow them down.

Safe travels!

My family and our friends family will be taking our 1st cross country trip next summer and your website has been soooo helpful!! I can't wait!! I have taken my 4 boys from NC to the Adirondack Mts. for years and we love the travel and memories we have made!! I can't wait to see the rest of the US!! Thanks for documenting your fun!!

Herb and LoLo:
Thanks for sharing your adventures via this website! So much good information for people like me and so many great memories for you and your sons! We live in South Jersey and reading this website (just since this June) has been the main driver behind my wife and I re-evaluating our family vacation plans for ther next two years and deciding that we are going to try to do a 3 week "Go West" driving vacation in June-2011 (and possibly also in June-2012). Your time tested examples of three week vacations fits us perfectly as my accounting job effectively restricts my vacations slots to the last three weeks of any month. We always have taken limited, shorter vacation (visiting Grandmom in IN, etc) but talked often about wanting to see the West. We just returned from a one week driving vacation to Orlando, Dunedin, etc. after which our oldest son (15 yr old) said he was now looking forward to seeing some of the sights out West as a family before "it's too late" (college, summer jobs, etc). Your personal story has really provoked me/us to re-think our priorities and "get planning". Thanks again!
Mark

Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comment. It's always great to hear that our efforts are appreciated, and are actually helping others plan their own Cross Country adventures. Please be sure to revisit us after your trip, and comment on any of the same stops that you happen to visit. Safe travels,
Herb

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the time you have invested on your marvelous site!!! I fell as if I have found a gold mine of information and inspiration for my upcoming trip. Everything form being able to track your trips on a map to your myriad of handy tips are extremely helpful!!

I am a 45 yr old mom with two girls, 6 and 9. I have this dream to homeschool my children next school year for a year and travel the country in a series of numerous 2-3 week trips over the course of the year. I have purchased a used Class A 34' Winnebago (perhaps a little big, but I guess we have plenty of room), and am now in the process of learning to operate the little stuff on it, (propane, water pump, levelers, etc.). Thankfully I have plenty of experience in driving a big rig from my horse show days.

We will concentrate on American History and the natural sciences with visits to appropiate historical sites and National Parks across the nation. Unfortunately, my husband will only be able to visit for short trips, so I will be solely responsible for tackling this adventure on my own.

I would love to create a website so friends and classmates at home can track our progress and interact with us during our adventures.......yet my technical experience with computers is mastering how to turn it on! Do you have recommendations for "building and maintaining a website for dummies"??

Much thanks, Beth

Hi Beth,

I'm glad to hear that you are finding much of interest in our site to help you with your own RV travels.

I highly recommend keeping a website based travelogue of your travels! Not only do you get to share your experiences with your friends, but a few years down the road you will really enjoy reliving some of your past travels. It's amazing to me how little we can recall from some of our early adventures if they haven't been immortalized with photos, videos, and hopefully a compelling narrative in a website.

Please see my answer to Bryan above on how to easily get yourself on line. http://www.blogger.com/ seems to be very popular, and you can check out what others have done at http://www.rvtravelogues.com/

Since you'll be a solo Mom trying to homeschool your children, you might be interested in the impressive RV travels across the globe of Tessa Hill at http://www.travbuddy.com/TessaHill/blogs

Lolo used to say that planning the trip is half the fun.. I'm not sure if she really meant it, but I think she would spend almost as much time in the planning phase, as we did during the execution phase.

It sounds like your getting all the pieces ready for a great adventure! Have fun, and please keep us updated when you get out on the road.

Safe travels, Herb

great site...was researching a possibleroad trip for the family for next year and found your site very helpful. Thanks for sharing with us. :)

Thanks for the compliment Kelly. It's great knowing that we are helping others enjoy their own cross country travel adventures.

Great website and very inspiring stories. I was looking for suggested itineraries for a 2 weeks RV trip in Alaska and found your site. I found great ideas to add to my Alaska trip plans and also interesting stories and beautiful photos from your other trips. What an amazing family.

Hi Nava,
Thanks for your comment, and I'm glad we are helping you plan your Alaska trip. It's an awesome place. Have a great trip, and please comment on the trip stops if you visit any of the same places we did. It always helps to have some updated information.

Wow, just awesome. Great site and you have done very well with keeping it up over the years. We live in Kentucky and would like to take an RV trip to southern Maine in the fall. First stop in Niagara falls then cutting across to the east coast and traveling north. What do you think of this trip? How much time would we need to have? Due to work, we can't do 2 1/2 or 3weeks. Would it be possible to do this trip in 8-10 days. We were also debating on taking our dogs. What are your thoughts on traveling with animals

Any help would a appreciated.

Matt

Hi Matt. Thanks for the the kind words about out website. Your trip is a little aggressive, but then again, so were ours. I'm not exactly sure of your starting point in Kentucky or your destination in Maine, but it is about 2,200 miles round trip, which means you would be averaging about 220 to 275 miles a day. That is similar to the average miles per day of our trips, but most of our mileage was piled up on the first 3 days just hammering to get out West and the final 3 on the way back home. Kentucky to Southern Maine is definitely doable in 8 to 10 days, but go for the 10 days if you can. Also, make sure you stay put in the same place for at least 2-3 days in each of your destinations. As far as the dogs go, we don't have pets, so I'm sorry that I can't be too helpful there. I would suggest that you call ahead to the campgrounds you intend to stay at to make sure pets are allowed. Good luck and happy travels!

Lolo

Lolo and Herb - You've provided a wonderful service to those of us looking to venture out to see this beautiful country of ours so thank you. My wife and I are planning a trip to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon, Moab with stops along the way (MT Rushmore, Devils Tower etc.) over 18 days. We are traveling with our 3 kids (ages 9, 12 and 14) and plan on picking up our RV rental in Missouri. The RV is 21 feet which we've been told is large enough. Do you think we're better off with something a little bigger? The next size up is 31 feet, but from some of the research we've done some of the national parks don't allow anything larger than 25 ft. We are avid campers that have a pop-up so we're used to cramped quarters. We're also pretty used to traveling in our van for long trips as we live in CT but make frequent trips to Ohio to see my wife's family. Any info. is appreciated.

Hi Steve,
I'm glad we're helping to inspire others to get out and see the country.

Regarding your 21' RV vs a 31' for a family of 5... Well, it would probably be "best" if you could find something in the 25'-27' foot range. That size lets you easily get into almost all campsites, and would provide much more livable accommodations for your family.

If you're just worried about National Park size restrictions,,, I don't think that it will be a problem. For the most popular parks you will need advance reservations anyway, and so you'll be able to get a site that will fit. Getting the reservation early however is essential. When we booked Yosemite I think almost all the sites were gone within the first minute of the reservation window opening.
I would try to see the 21' layout before you commit to the rental and imagine how 18 days of living and sleeping would work with your family. If you packed a separate tent that might help some with sleeping, but would add additional complications to setting and breaking camp.

Regardless of what you chose, you'll have a great trip! Please be sure to leave us updated comments on the trips stop pages.

Safe travels..

just came across your site and it's really amazing! my wife and i are thinking of taking a trip from Los Angeles to the Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah to see the milky way galaxy in the night sky there (http://www.nps.gov/nabr/parknews/news040507.htm). instead of just piling our three boys (ages 4, 2, and 3 months) into our toyota highlander, we're considering renting an rv. as this is our first time, it sounds really exciting, but at the same time, a little daunting. how many days do you think we should plan for the trip to make it most enjoyable? also, any tips on size and where would be best to rent an rv from or just any general advice for a first-time rv road trip? thanks in advance, and again, love your website and gotta say that you have a really beautiful family there! :-D

Hi Ted,

Renting an RV for the first time can be a bit daunting, but it is really an excellent way to see if this mode of travel is for you -- and your boys are at the perfect age to begin a decade of family road tripping. Some of the bigger rental outfits are Cruise America (www.cruiseamerica.com) and El Monte (www.elmonterv.com). They have locations in most of the major cities and you can even do a one-way rental if you like. You could either start and end your rental in LA, or perhaps drive to Las Vegas and do a loop trip from there. The websites usually show different layouts and sizes, so you can decide which one makes the most sense for your family.

Are you considering visiting other places on your trip as well? Some great choices would be the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce. We visited those three on our first cross country voyage in 1999 and they were absolutely incredible. I am sure you would also be great places for milky way viewing. However, these parks do get quite busy in the summer, so if you choose to visit them, you might want to make some advance camping reservations (www.reserveamerica.com).

If you have any further questions, you can contact me directly using the contact form on our website.

Good Luck and Happy Travels!

Lolo

I just discovered your site this morning and am crusing through it as I type. Amazing what one can find just by googling certain key words. Wonderful way to go. My mother and I both have gone through breast cancer and while she is gone now, she was a 30 year survivor.
My hope is to someday, before I get too old, is get a small motor home and just wing it! What freedom. Thank you both for sharing your experiences and as I proceed to write about my current fictional ladies, you have given them validity to drop everything to share friendship and joy together.

Hi GLee,

I'm glad you found something of interest in our site. As I continue to be inspired towards further travels from people I meet on the road, it's good to hear that through our website we are helping others do the same. I wouldn't wait for anything to start your own travels. Start with a tent and car camping, and then see what people are using before making an investment. We rented before buying, and it was definitely worthwhile.

Please keep us updated on your progress,

Herb and Lolo