Three Weeks in a Confined Space

Originally, we had planned to go to Spain for our honeymoon.  This was sometime before the reality of how much a wedding really costs set in.  For some time, I had been playing around with the idea of going on a road trip to some of the National Parks, but hadn’t mentioned it to Nick.  We had both talked about a desire to see the National Parks, but never as part of our honeymoon.  Then, Nick brought it up to me.  We figured that if we’d both thought of the idea separately, then it must be a good one.  Honestly, we won’t be spending much (if any) less money than if we’d gone to Spain, but it feels like an entirely more appropriate Honeymoon.  Spain is a place we’d like to go with Nick’s family, and as his sister Julianna pointed out to us, we were not allowed to take family on our honeymoon.  Also, we’ll get to be gone for much longer than we would if we’d had gone to Spain, hence the title of this blog post. 

Our plan is to rent a Westfalia or Eurovan from either Westfalia Rentals out of Victoria, BC or from Road Trip Oregon out of Portland.  So far, Road Trip Oregon looks like the more promising rental company, since we haven’t been able to get a hold of anyone at Westfalia Rentals.  While Oregon Road Trips is slightly more expensive, they also provide more amenities within their vans.  Another fact drawing us towards the Oregon company is that we’re due to be back in Portland towards the end of our trip for a dear friend’s wedding, so it may turn out to be the best bet after all.  During peak season, Road Trip Oregon charges $1155 per week for a three week rental, and their vans get about 20 miles to the gallon.  While this is not cheap, it is a pretty good deal compared to other types of RV rentals.  Let’s just say that Nick and I are hoping people will notice that we only have a honeymoon registry...

Eurovan from Oregon Road Trips

We will stay at campgrounds along the way, and maybe inside some of the parks, but we will also be staying in hotels.  I know that we will both want a big comfy bed and a nice shower once in a while.  We’re also going to balance camp food with food out.  We both want a comfortable and relaxing honeymoon.  And we like traveling together, so we’re pretty confident in the length and manner of our trip. 

As far as our route goes, we’re not limiting ourselves to National Parks exclusively.  We’d like to stop at/in Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Las Vegas (which is its own sort of park), The Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, possibly Lake Powel, Yellowstone, and possibly Glacier National Park.  We’re not sure which direction we’ll head first, but do know that we will keep to the general loop these locations create.  We had talked about stopping at places like Joshua Tree and the Salton Sea, but they’re just too far out of the way.  

Merced River, Yosemite; Mather Point, Grand Canyon; Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone - via Sunset Magazine

We’d really love to hear feedback from people who have been to these places, and places nearby.  Where are good places to stay, both campgrounds and hotels?  What places should we stop at in between?  Are there parks we should stay at longer than others?  Is there anything we should skip?  Share your experience with us!  If you had to pick half of the locations we’re planning to go to, which ones would you pick and why? OR if you don't have suggestion, tell us a story about your trip to one of these places!