Ultimate Adventure Vehicle on the National Park to Park Highway

Camper Truck

We are so pumped to take off on Stage 2 of our National Park to Park Highway Tour in just a few days! Today I’m giving you a tour of the Ultimate Adventure Vehicle we’ve created thanks to some help from some of our sponsors. But before we get to that it’s time for a history lesson.

On the 1920 inaugural tour of the National Park to Park Highway, not all of the vehicles were thin wheeled automobiles. One vehicle stood out from the others as bigger and stronger, yet understated.

The White Truck.

The name may not be that original, and compared to modern day pickups it might be better described as a covered wagon on wheels, but the 15-45 model truck was essential to the success of the group.

Here’s what some of the tour members said about it.

“The duties imposed upon the one, model 15-45 White truck on this tour, have been numerous, varied and strange. It has at once been baggage wagon, music hall, rescue car, fruit truck and passenger train. Through the trip it has accommodated the wardrobe of the entire party. At intervals of merriment the electric-bell piano, with which it is equipped, has been worked overtime.” San Francisco Chronicle, October 10, 1920

 

“No other truck, perhaps, could as well have served as big brother or guardian as the White, for its mates by the hundreds are being used in these selfsame parks.” The Morning Oregonian (Portland), October 24, 1920

 

“The White, model 15-45, used by us on the National Park-to-Park Highway Association’s official journey has been a jack of all trades. Whenever any one of the dozen or more touring cars in our caravan gets stuck in the mud, or caught on a snag of the Sierra, we S.O.S. to our White truck to come and pull us out or off. This it has always done Obediently.” Milton Lusk, San Francisco Chronicle, October 10, 1920

We think it’s fitting that our National Park to Park Highway vehicle is also a White Truck. In fact, it may be the perfect vehicle for any adventure. Check out this video for a tour:

Features we love:

  • Yakima SwingDaddy bike rack allows access to the back of the truck without having to unload our Woom bikes.
  • Decked drawer system keeps our camping supplies organized and provides a sturdy sleeping platform
  • Leer DCC Commercial Truck Top from Sam T Evans allows for ventilation, storage, headroom and more. 
  • Yakima LoadWarrior basket will allow us to store our Burley D’lite Bike Trailer.

Psst…See how our National Park-to-Park Highway journey turned out by signing up for the exclusive photo ebook here in the box after this sentence:

This post includes affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you purchase something by clicking through these links. Thank you to our 2016 National Park to Park Highway Tour sponsors, several of whom are listed here. Check out our Sponsors page for more info about them.

 

The Best Waterside Campgrounds in North America

My tots aren’t as excited about hiking and biking as I am, so when we go camping we make sure to spend some time at the campsite just hanging out. While s’mores and ghost stories are great for nighttime entertainment, the one thing we love to do during the day is play in water.

That’s where choosing the best campsite is key. Whenever we go camping (or hiking) we try to find a river, lake or stream to entertain the kids. It’s great to play in, can cool off a hot day, and is a source for drinking water when filtered. It’s even better when that water is right by your campsite!

That’s why we’ve teamed up with some great outdoor family bloggers to share the best waterside campgrounds in North America. I listed some of my favorite camping spots near water, including some Oceanside jewels that have been some of the best family vacations we’ve ever had.

Ocean:
Leo Carrillo State Beach, California – The campsite is a short walk to the beach.

Carpinteria State Beach, California – The tide pools are absolutely amazing!

Lake:
Payson Lakes, Utah – This spot is popular with campers and fishermen. Up in the mountains, surrounded by pine trees, it’s a lovely place and fun to swim in.

Tony Grove, Logan Canyon, Utah – This alpine campground has amazing wildflowers in June.

Primrose Campground, Kenai Preninsula, Alaska – This campground is on the border of Kenai Lake, with a stream running beside it. Best of both.

Black Ridge Reservoir, Utah – This isn’t a campground, but still a great place to play in the water.

River:
Green River, Dinosaur National Monument, Utah – This campground has a great view of a canyon wall. Even if you don’t camp there it’s worth going to play in the river.

Preston Valley and Guinavah-Malibu Campgrounds, Logan Canyon, Utah – There are several campgrounds along the Logan River on this National Scenic Byway.

Exit Glacier Campground, Glacier National Park, Alaska – This was one of the coolest campsites I’ve been to since it was a hike in tent site with a glacier fed river nearby.

One dream vacation I have is to rent a house boat and live on the water for a week at Lake Powell or Lake Tahoe. I’m waiting until my kids can all swim for that one.

These campgrounds are our family faves, but there are so many other great ones to explore. Whether you’re by an ocean, lake, river or stream there’s lots of fun to be had camping by water. Check out these reviews and please comment below – where are your favorite places to stay near water?

Mommy Hiker: Find Your Inner Glamper at Santa Barbara’s El Capitan Canyon

Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockes: The 5 Best Waterside Campgrounds Near Calgary, Alberta

Chasqui Mom: Family Approved: Best Waterside Campgrounds

Play Outside Guide: Vanvouver Island’s Best Seaside Campgrounds for Families

Kid Project: Camping and Swimming at Sand Hollow State Park UT

Baby Safety On and Off the Campsite

Camping with a baby is tough. When they’re little lumps who sit happily on a picnic blanket it’s easy. Now that Baby L has opinions on where she sits, what she eats, what she plays with, who picks her up, and everything else it’s hard.

She’s at an awkward stage. At 15 months old, but not quite walking, she is literally in the dirt on every camping trip. What’s more, she’s a great climber and crawler which means I have to constantly make sure she hasn’t gotten into the fire pit. Babies in the outdoors take work and some extra gear. That gear can make a huge difference.

Portable Highchair
The coolest new baby gear item we’ve tried is the Kidco DinePod. This highchair folds up like a regular camping chair so it’s easy to travel with. When set up, the legs are as sturdy as any restaurant highchair with a buckle for baby. Baby L can eat at any campsite we visit without sitting on my lap and sharing her food with my clothes. 

Holding a wiggly almost-toddler while they grab at your plate requires patiently wrestling, readjusting and moving things out of reach. I hate it. It’s so much better to have a KidCo DinePod so both Baby L and I can enjoy meal time. My one complaint is that the push button to fold up the seat gets stuck easily. I’ve had to wrestle the chair closed a few times. It wasn’t pretty.

Hiking Carrier
If you want to get out of camp and on the trail you’ll need a quality baby carrier. Different carriers work better depending on the age of your baby. Tales of a Mountain Mama has extensively tested almost every baby carrier on the market including soft sided options like LILLEbaby and Onya as well as framed carriers from Deuter, Osprey and Kelty.

We use an older version of Kelty’s Pathfinder framed pack mostly, but on quick trips or when we are packing light I’ll wrap Baby L in a Moby Wrap and call it good. We reviewed these more extensively here.

Baby Tent
One item we’re excited to try out on our National Park to Park Highway tour is the Kidco PeaPod Plus. The infant travel bed works like a pop up tent. It collapses into a convenient case and comes with a built in sleeping pad. We’ll be attaching the KidCo PeaPod Plus to the tailgate on our trip so Baby L can sleep close to us in the back of the truck, but not on top of us while we’re trying to sleep.

I have a friend who used a KidCo PeaPod nightly to keep her climbing toddler boys from escaping their crib. They zipped them up at night and didn’t have to worry about broken arms or legs from their adventurous boys climbing out. Nice.

Stair Gates
The number one baby safety item that has changed my life recently is not one we’ll be taking on our National Park to Park Highway Tour. It’s attached to my house.

One of super climber Baby L’s favorite activities is to climb up and down our stairs at home. With a spiral staircase to our basement and openings between the steps to the upstairs, I am constantly worried she will slip through and fall.

When we asked Kidco to be a sponsor for our National Park to Park Highway Tour, I mentioned that our stair gates at the time consisted of a guitar case and a plastic gate bungeed to the banister. It wasn’t pretty and only 50% effective at keeping Baby L from sneaking up the stairs. Luckily Kidco sent me two Angle Mount Safeway Gates to protect my littlest tot from danger.

The KidCo Angle Mount Safeway Gate is great for non parallel attachment points. The gate hardware allows you to choose the direction the gate will swing and it’s easy to control once installed. The dark wood looks great with our balustrades and the gate itself can handle openings ranging from 27 to 42 inches.

The installation was tricky however, and I’m pretty handy with a drill. The toughest part was making sure I positioned the hinges at the same height on both sides of the stair opening. Kidco sent templates to help with that, but their directions weren’t very clear. Also the top latch comes off easily, especially when older siblings are opening and closing the gates.

With that said, having these KidCo Angle Mount Safeway Gates has changed my life. I’m no longer dropping what I’m doing every second to follow Baby L up the stairs for the twelfth time that day. Now I can control if and when we go up and down stairs. The worry that Baby L will tumble down has been erased from my mind. Plus the gates look great.

Baby safety indoors and out is something all parents have to worry about. Thankfully the right gear can take some of that worry away. Do you go camping with a baby or toddler? What gear has helped in your outdoor adventures? Let me know by leaving a comment!

This post includes affiliate links. I receive a very small commission if you purchase something by clicking through these links. Thank you to our 2016 National Park to Park Highway Tour Sponsors.

Stage 2: National Park to Park Highway

We completed Stage 1 of our National Park to Park Highway Tour and learned some valuable lessons. As the BIG trip looms, we are frantically preparing. I thought you’d like to know where we’ll go on our seven week, 5,600 mile road trip tour of the National Park to Park Highway

Photo of the 1920s National Park to Park Highway Tour.

Our journey begins June 27, 2016 with our first stop: Grand Teton National Park. I’m glad we’re starting here. After the difficulties of camping on our practice tour, I’m looking forward to staying at Togwotee Mountain Lodge. Their cabins are the perfect size for our family and I need to ease back into full time camping with a shower, flush toilet and laundry services. Apparently camping luxury to me means running water. 

1920s map of National Park to Park Highway

From there we’ll be visiting the following parks. It’s not in the same order as the 1920s group, but we will be visiting all of the original 12 parks on the National Park to Park Highway, plus a few more.

June
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Idaho

July
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado
Hovenweep National Monument, Colorado
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Family Reunion, Silverstrand, CaliforniaKings Canyon/Sequoia National Park, California
Yosemite National Park, California
Devils Postpile National Monument, California
Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington 

August
Olympic National Park, Washington 

Glacier National Park, Montana
Yellowstone National Park, Montana



We’re excited to take off on this journey and want you to come along for the ride. Sign up for our newsletter below or follow us on instagramtwitter or facebook. 

What’s more, we want your input on what adventures we should experience. Share your favorite hike or bike ride in one of the National Parks on our route. What do you recommend? Leave a comment, we’d love to hear from you!

1920s National Park to Park Highway Tour

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