We received a lovely wedding gift on Friday from a…
Wedding Wednesday: Road Trip!
Rob and I spent a significant portion of the last few weeks researching countless honeymoon options. Eventually it all boiled down to quantity vs. cost. We could do 6-9 days in an exotic locale with our costs starting at $8,000 or 20+ days for the same price or less in the good ol’ states.
That’s right: we’ve made a date today to see the USA in our Chevrolet Honda Fit!
America is such a good value compared to the rest of the places we were looking at, so we have a lot more flexibility and time. The plan is to spend three weeks driving around, riding our tandem bike, maybe camping a bit and staying in fancy historic hotels. Maybe we’ll even stay in a tipi like this.
Yellowstone, Zion, the Grand Canyon and Santa Fe are on the list so far. I’ve only ever been to seven states, so it should be a big adventure.
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Awesome–what a great way to honeymoon! I grew up right next to Yellowstone, and it is a magical place.
awesome, you should keep heading west and we can meet ya somewhere! We loved Zion and you could go visit Steve and Eunice in Santa Fe! Fun times. You should register for gas cards, that would be cute!
Great choice! Although I am a huge fan of traveling outside of the States, I know a couple of people who decided to go the same route as you (same $$, more time) and they absolutely loved the extra time and the togetherness of exploring the country together.
This is great! This is pretty much what my husband and I did. We were moving to CA from Virginia, so we decided to just head out after the wedding. We got married, and basically used our reception as a big going away party/barbecue, and then hit the road for a road trip. We had a great time, and saw some of the funniest things. This country of ours is a hilarious place, let me tell you.
What a great idea! There is nothing better than a road trip. And it’s a beautiful part of the country to explore.
I remember hiking the Grand Canyon when I was 18 and thinking, this is where I will come for my honeymoon. It’s a treacherous hike (at least on the way back up) but so amazingly beautiful and the whole experience was so much cooler than sitting lazily on an exotic beach somewhere. (Although some time over the last 10 years I’ve developed a strong liking for lounging on exotic beaches…).
Anyway, have fun!!
You must look at going to the Oregon coast. Besides also being able to do Portland (very cool city), that stretch of ocean is one of the best. It’ll be great on the tandem bike!
That sounds great! If you’re in Santa Fe you should definitely pop up to Southern CO and check out the Sand Dunes. These amazing dunes in the middle of huge mountains – really breathtaking & fun to play in! It’s a National Park so you can easily find info about it on the Nat. Park website…
If you are headed to zions.. just drive a bit north and visit the Unintah Mountains.. lots of people like the red rocks best, but there are parts of the Unitahs that look like the Garden of Eden to me.. they are just so pretty.
Chico Hot Springs in Montana is just north of the North entrance to Yellowstone. I highly, highly recommend it, no matter the time of year.
http://www.chicohotsprings.com/
You’ll have a great time. We went to Chicago right after we got married last year (we’re doing a longer Europe trip this year) and the best part was just being with my husband and not having any obligations or have anyone ask us a question.
I second the Oregon coast! You can cycle, go to the Rogue brewery and even stay in a yurt!
if you do Zion, you should also check out Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks and if you want to climb I can recommend some amazing places – I spent my college years climbing in the hills of southern Utah. Seriously great stuff – fun sandstone outside St. George, Utah in Snow Canyon and of course Red Rocks outside Vegas. What a fun way to honeymoon!
Oh, one more suggestion, if you are going to Yellowstone, check out Island Park in Idaho – canoeing on Henry’s Fork near Mack’s Inn is incredible. You almost always see moose and other wildlife.
sounds like a FABULOUS idea! may i recommend texas? i have a feeling that austin would be right up your alley!
I think you still have quantity & quality here…I love the idea of finding historic hotels to sample America!
This sounds so wonderful! Did you see great Sunset magazine feature that had a wonderful looking Wyoming-Montana loop a bit ago (I think this is the link: http://www.sunset.com/sunset/travel/rockies/article/0,20633,1201936,00.html)? Julia In PDX
From all the great comments, and the sound of your trip so far, you will have more than enough places to visit and an amazing experience!
Maybe as a first anniversary then, and for a relatively easy and cheap getaway for us West coasters, this place in Mexico is amazing…
http://www.adobeguadalupe.com/en/index.html
Happy honeymooning!
I could not possibly be more excited that you are going to Santa Fe. That’s where we honeymooned and not a week goes by that I don’t wish I was there again. Love, love, love it.
Is it wrong that I am now craving Chile Rellenos at 8:30 in the morning?
Great idea!
I think that this is just a wonderful, wonderful idea!
I thought of you this morning while watching the Today Show. They had a spot on “Recession-Proof Travel” and gave a bunch of tips and ideas of places to visit while not taking a toll on your wallet. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16486761/
That’s a really great honeymoon idea. I LOVE road trips and am craving one really badly. sounds fantastic!
I really like all those places.
If you’re going to Santa Fe, might as well make a trip down to the Carlsbad caverns. The ear doctor and I did it 2 years ago and it was really cool…unless your scared of bats.
Also, try to get some passes to hike the Narrows in Zion’s national park. Really cool hike, but the waiting list is LONG.
While you’re in the area, you might look at hiking to Havasu Falls in the Havasupai Indian Reservation. Coolest hike I’ve ever been on!
If you end up stopping in Utah, you should consider this place. http://www.sorrelriver.com/
It is amazing and in a completely fabulous location.
My husband and I did a road trip up the west coast for our honeymoon. It was a blast! Also, we stayed at a lot of nice independent hotels (my favorite was the Benbow Inn in Garberville, CA) that gave us either free upgrades or cheaper room rates when we told them we were honeymooning!
I’m going to give a second recommendation for Carlsbad Caverns in Southern New Mexico – I saw them on a cross country road trip a few years ago and they’re truly amazing. Road trips are SO much fun – you’ll have a blast.
This actually seems like the perfect choice for the two of you. Very spontaneous, adventurous, and providing all the outdoor activities you could dream of.
If you drive to Glacier Park (which I highly recommend) stay at the Prince of Wales. http://www.nationalparkreservations.com/glacier_princewales.htm
It’s such a cool, old, historic place. And the surroundings are breathtaking.
This sounds like so much fun! If you find yourselves around Jackson Hole, Wyoming…you have to treat yourself at stay at Amangani..then eat breakfast at The Bunnery. Jackson Hole is a MUST on your trip! You can’t go wrong. Also, if you are around Bozeman, Montana I recommend staying at The Gallatin Gateway Inn..this fits the bill for historic hotels…then eat breakfast at Main Street Overeasy!! SOOO GOOD! If you do go to Glacier you should go into Canada to Banff! Another amazing stop!! Ok..I’ll get off my soapbox!! Have fun!
Yum I second the chili reinos.