<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, thanks! That toilet seat might turn into a goldmine, after all - LOL. I might still take my chances with them or Alaska, because the other choices all seem to have a change of planes in Chicago, which is a crapshoot in November.</p>
<p>Musica - do you have any favorite places in Kings Canyon for tent camping? I have backpacked there but haven’t tried any regular campgrounds.</p>
<p>I had a grand plan of visiting the southern Utah area this summer, but the reality of tuition payments is sinking in, so we’re going to go camping if I can find a good place that isn’t already booked up. It’s too late for most of the car campgrounds I’m familiar with. If anyone has suggestions (in California), I’d love to hear them.</p>
<p>If you are looking for interesting places in WA to stay:</p>
<p>[Semiahmoo</a> Resort Golf Spa](<a href=“http://www.semiahmoo.com/]Semiahmoo”>http://www.semiahmoo.com/)</p>
<p>Is quite pretty, very far north, right at the Canadian border, you look across the water at White Rock, BC. Another unusual option</p>
<p>somemom, thanks for the driving tip up I-5. I am going to impress the h*ll out of my family when I tell them to “shush” while I listen to the traffic report on AM 1130. 
We’re not traveling during a holiday, but it will be on a Friday in August, and I think it will have to be at a normal time. Maybe everyone else will be on vacation and not crossing the border at that time. ;)</p>
<p>Oh, yes, I second the BC ferries and drive up or down the I-5! Just do not forget that when you cross the border, the speed limits are posted in kilometers, not miles 
Takes a while to get used to.</p>
<p>BunsenBurner: Alaska Airlines has been around a long time as well. </p>
<p>
Why not camp in Southern Utah? Utah’s a fantastically scenic state with lots of camping areas, national parks, etc. I’ve 4-wheeled in Canyonlands NP, Arches NP, and some other areas in southeastern Utah (responsibly - on established trails). Zion and Bryce NPs are very nice as is Capitol Reef NP - all with plenty of camping. One of the most scenic highway drives in the country is highway 12 through Escalante. if you’re willing to camp, you can do a southern Utah quite inexpensively.</p>
<p>We’re going to Porchville (I’ll bet there’s one in your neighborhood too). With the price of gas and the cost of two kids in college, it will be a light vacation summer. I am driving to Ohio to visit my family with a friend. Does that count as a vacation?</p>
<p>Of course, ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, I’ve been flying them for n+1 years (n-> oo) H has a fabulous benefit - he gets to keep his Alaska miles from his business trips. So far worked out for a free trip to Boston for all of us and a couple of HI flights.</p>
<p>If anyone is doing any planning for next year, REI all-inclusive camping/hiking trips and guides are fantastic, according to my friend (this year all Utah trips are sold out :()</p>
<p>[Zion</a> & Bryce Canyon](<a href=“http://www.rei.com/adventures/trips/namer/utah_color.jsp]Zion”>http://www.rei.com/adventures/trips/namer/utah_color.jsp)</p>
<p>thumper, I’m going to enjoy Porchville and our little heat wave for the next 2 days. May be a good plan for the summer, too.</p>
<p>As his high school graduation present, I am taking my son to Rome for two weeks this summer. Neither of us has ever been to Italy (my son’s only previous trip abroad was when I went to England with him six years ago – to me, it seems like yesterday!), and history/art/museums are very high on both of our lists of things we love. So I’m almost as excited about it as he is!</p>
<p>Our vacation trip last year consisted of going to Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul to visit and interview at the U. of Chicago and Macalester, so this is a little more glamorous. But he understands that there won’t be money available to pay for any kind of vacation trip next summer. (Assuming that he’d even still be interested in going anywhere with me by then!)</p>
<p>Donna</p>
<p>
I would love to do that, but I don’t think we can make it work. It would be too expensive to fly (I’ve been watching prices) and I think it would take more time than we have to drive there. Maybe I should look at that again. But probably my kids would be more tolerant of someplace within a one-day drive.</p>
<p>Your description of the southern Utah region makes me want to go more than ever. I read some guidebooks during the winter and it sounds amazing.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of Porchville too. I’m going to try setting up an outdoor projector in the backyard to watch summer movies.</p>
<p>Not sure where you are in SoCal, but Page AZ is about 550 miles from the LA/OC area, so one long day’s drive</p>
<p>If you are hitting southern Utah/Northern AZ, there is the Grand Canyon, north rim:</p>
<p>[Tribe</a> opens glass-bottom deck 4,000 feet above Grand Canyon floor : North County Times - Californian](<a href=“http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/03/21/backpage/3_20_0715_18_33.txt]Tribe”>North County)
if you are not afraid of heights</p>
<p>Or check out Lake Powell:</p>
<p>[Lake</a> Powell Magazine - Complete Online Resource for Lake Powell and Page, Arizona Recreation.](<a href=“http://www.lakepowellmag.com/]Lake”>http://www.lakepowellmag.com/)</p>
<p>lots of links in that website
The lake is gorgeous, you can rent a boat or jet skiis for a day, camp, shore camp, take a tour boat to Rainbow Arch. It is one of a kind scenery.</p>
<p>If animals are your thing, while you are in Page, you can connect with</p>
<p>[Banjoko</a> Wildlife Preserve](<a href=“http://www.banjoko.org%5DBanjoko”>http://www.banjoko.org)</p>
<p>they have rescued Michael Jackon’s animals from Neverland Ranch and are constructing an animal preserve in Page- it is only beginning, but for your voluntary donation you can go see the giraffes and reptiles, camel, wild brids, etc. Any big cats are not there until the site is ready, but it is pretty sweet.</p>
<p>Calreader:</p>
<p>From San Diego we sometimes go skiing in Brianhead Utah which is in the southwest part (not far from Cedar City). We drive there in a day. Sometimes we break it up and drive to Mesquite, Nevada, just on the Nevada side of the Utah border, where the hotel prices are extra low in order to attract people there instead of Vegas yet they’re resortish hotels, then we drive up to the ski area the next morning and ski all day. On the way we pass by the western entrance to Zion NP. So, from LA or SD you can be in southern Utah in a day or a day and a half if you want to break it up.</p>
<p>But keep in mind that the desert areas can get quite hot in the summer. However, the adjacent/nearby mountains aren’t as hot and can be downright cold at night depending on how high you stay. Zion and Bryce are plenty nice - they’re at a bit higher altitudes. I once 4-wheeled in Canyonlands for 8 hours on one day and didn’t encounter a single other vehicle until I arrived at a campground and even that wasn’t very crowded (but it was hot).</p>
<p>Oh, and keying off of ‘somemom’s’ post, we once drove on a dirt road (can be done in a 2WD if it’s not wet) south from Bryce Canyon down through ‘Kodachrome Basin’, past Grosvenor Arch (we were the only ones there) and down to Page Az. That was pretty nice as well.</p>
<p>I’m actually in Northern California (near San Francisco), so I was thinking I’d have to go south and then across, so it would be two days’ driving for us. Google just told me it would be 12 hours - that’s almost believable. Hmm.</p>
<p>We’re taking a family roadtrip–leaving Florida for Savannah, Ga, Chapel Hill, N.C. (friend there) and on to Lexington,Virginia–and son’s school Washington and Lee Univ. Lexington is near Shenandoah Valley so we’re renting cabin with a Sound of Music mountain view. (we’ll also be visiting couple colleges for daughter ('09) any tips on roadtrip for four and fav stops in Southeast are welcomed! anyone want to rent out a nice pool house in S Fla?</p>
<p>Darling S & I are going to Iceland! Looking forward to a road less traveled.</p>
<p>This summer we’ll be two weeks in Aruba and one week in Hilton Head. We’ll also be in Palm Desert in December and Las Vegas in March. Obviously I have no tuition bills to pay.</p>
<p>I do like time sharing.</p>
<p>Calreader—sorry for the delayed response. We like the shady areas at Sheeps Creek. This probably still holds true—it used to be non-reservation and we always have been pretty lucky there(generally arriving on Thurs. nights). Plenty of nice trail heads are nearby for great day trips.</p>
<p>Yosemite Valley for an extended weekend; Mammoth/Tuolumne Meadows for a week of fishing and hiking; Carlsbad for a few days of beach camping.</p>
<p>H and I will drop our youngest off for his freshman year of college, head home, repack, grab the dog and head out for a week at Edisto Island,SC.</p>
<p>ucbCHEM----i JUST scored 5 days reservation at the Carlsbad site myself
(in August)–have you done that before (any tips??)</p>