Bryce Canyon National Park Archives - Mountain Mom and Tots

Ultimate Adventure Vehicle on the National Park to Park Highway

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.

Lessons Learned from a Campout Gone Wrong

Last week we completed Stage 1 of our National Park to Park Highway Tour. On our week long camping adventure to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument we wanted to see just how hard living out of our truck full time would be.

Spoiler Alert: Camping with kids is hard.

Here are the lessons we learned from Stage 1 of the National Park to Park Highway Tour that will hopefully make our big trip (leaving June 27, 2016) a little easier.

Psst…Want to see exclusive photos of the completed National Park-to-Park Highway tour? Check out this FREE Photo Ebook! Sign up right here in the box after this sentence.

1 – Don’t Leave Essential Gear at Home.

In our frantic packing at the start of the trip we forgot our tent poles and our Lightspeed Outdoors Tripod Quick Canopy. I’m embarrassed just writing that. We forgot our tent poles and shade shelter! As a seasoned camping family we know better than that.

Lucky for us Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks are in the high desert region of southern Utah and we didn’t get rained out. Unlucky for us, Zion and Bryce Canyon are in the high desert and we didn’t have any shade.

We survived the first half of the trip by spending the hot afternoons swimming in rivers and the nights sleeping under the stars. Big E and Little G slept on the bench seats inside the truck while Mountain Dad and I slept on the Lightspeed Outdoors Air Bed (with Foam Topper) out under the stars. And when she wasn’t crying, Baby L slept on her Klymit Static V Junior Camp Pad next to us.

Did I worry about creepy crawlies snuggling up with my baby? A little, which is why she ended up on the mattress with me and Mountain Dad every night at some point.

Then on day 5 of the trip my sister came to the rescue, bringing our missing poles and Lightspeed Tripod Quick Canopy to us in Bryce Canyon National Park. Her family came to hike and camp along with us and I was so grateful.

On our big trip this will be less of a problem thanks to the truck top we ordered from Sam T Evans Trailers in Salt Lake City. The plan is to sleep in the back of the truck, leave our bed unmade and not have to roll up sleeping bags every single day.

Making due is a lesson that any camping family learns. Luckily we remembered enough gear to make the trip manageable.

2 – Be Flexible

A few days before we left for Zion National Park, Mountain Dad got a message from ReserveAmerica.com.

“We’re sorry, your reservation for Point Supreme Campground in Cedar Breaks National Monument has been cancelled. They are unable to open the Campground at this time due to unexpected snow levels.”

What? The only firm camping reservation we had on this trip just got nixed? It was a bad omen. We were looking forward to attending Cedar Breaks’ Saturday Night Star Party, but without a place to sleep that just wouldn’t be possible.

This is the second lesson any camping family learns. Sometimes our plans just don’t work out.

It’s a lesson I’ve learned before, but apparently have to keep learning. We do everything we can beforehand, but as John Steinbeck says in his books Travels with Charley In Search of America, “…A trip…has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness…And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless.”

We decided to cut our trip short by one day since camping in snow didn’t sound that fun anyway, especially without tent poles.

3 – Pack and Strap It

A big headache on this trip was packing, strapping and attaching our gear. I’ve realized that the right gear for packing is just as important as the right gear for hiking and biking.

Inside our truck bed we installed a Decked system, which is great for keeping our camping gear organized. Our camp chairs, stove, emergency supplies and even food stay neatly in their places and easy to find. But the space between the top of the Decked and the tonneau cover is only about eight inches. That means every sleeping bag, backpack, and baby carrier has to either squish to fit or be strapped on another way.

We’re fixing this in three ways. First, we’re getting a truck top from Sam T Evans Trailers in Salt Lake City. That will give us space to sleep and hang our backpacks so they’re out of the way, helping with the packing and keeping setup and take down work to a minimum.

The other two fixes are thanks to our sponsor Yakima. First, the SwingDaddy 4 Bike Hitch Rack has been awesome. Because of it’s unique design, we’re able to move the bikes out of the way of our tailgate without taking them off every time. It’s genius! Fitting our tots’ tiny Woom bikes on the rack built for full sized, adult bikes was tough, but we figured it out eventually. Only after I got home I found out that I’m not supposed to mount bikes vertically on the SwingDaddy. Looks like we’ll have more figuring out to do.

Second, we need a place to pack our bike trailer. While the Burley D’Lite Bike Trailer packs pretty flat, we already had limited space in our truck bed due to our Decked system. Mountain Dad came up with a brilliant solution of strapping the Burley D’Lite on top of our tonneau cover. For our big trip we’ll be installing a Yakima LoadWarrior Rooftop Cargo Basket to the top of our truck cab. This will allow us to pack the oversized items without having them bounce around on our unmade bed.

4 – Camping Requires Some Work

Mountain Dad’s biggest complaint on the Stage 1 trip was how often we had to wash dishes. After every meal!

I’m committed to producing as little waste as possible on our National Park to Park Highway tour. That means no paper plates, utensils and paper towels (who wants to use paper plates for 7 weeks anyway?). Mountain Dad, on the other hand, is focused on making our lives as easy as possible, which I also support.

We love the Sea to Summit X series dish sets, I just wish there were a way to make them self cleaning. Washing dishes after every meal adds a lot of time to the work part of camping and less to the play part.

Since our kids are still young (ages 7, 4 and 1) they can’t wash all of the dishes on their own. Big E and Little G have helped with the work, but as most ‘teaching kids to work’ projects go there’s a lot of direction from Mom. It’d be faster and easier (and less whiny) if I just did it myself.

We don’t have an easy solution to this, other than to suck it up and do the dishes. With a family of five this may just be part of the work of camping that we can’t make much easier.

5 – Joy Amidst Work

So if camping with kids is so tough, why do we do it? What is the point of loading up life, driving for hours, and sleeping in your car/tent/on the ground for a few days?

I think that’s best answered by my kids. When my sister came to camp with us she asked Little G the following questions.

Q – What do you like about camping?

A – We do fun stuff all the time.

Q – Like what?

A – Like play.

It’s true we do fun stuff while camping. Swimming in the Virgin River in Zion, riding bikes along the canyon rim in Bryce, even playing with pine cones at our campsite are out of the ordinary, unique experiences. And my kids aren’t the only ones playing. Mountain Dad and I are in the water with them, riding along side, even adding to their pine cone pile at camp.

This is the reason I camp with my kids. There are moments amidst the work that are relaxing, fun and beautiful. I’m present for my family without TV and smart phones distracting me. Nature helps me feel happy.

Twice on this trip Big E and little g said “This is the best day of my life.” Even with the sleeping, packing and cleaning of the trip. They got to do fun things outside. When I think about it, that’s why I like camping too.

Before we leave for our big National Park to Park Highway Tour June 27th, we’ll be working on solutions to our packing dilemmas. I’ve already started on a packing list to prevent leaving essentials at home. The biggest lesson I learned from Stage 1 of our tour is to make the work more manageable, then focus on the joy of being outdoors with my family. That’s what I want to be doing anyway.

What about you? What are your biggest headaches when camping? Why go (or not go)?

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.

10 Things To Do With Kids in Bryce Canyon National Park

We finished Stage 1 of our National Park to Park Highway Tour and wanted to share our top ten activities to do with kids in Bryce Canyon National Park. I especially liked attending the Annual Astronomy Festival and seeing Saturn and its rings. Enjoy!

Hike Bristlecone Loop – Located at Rainbow Point at the very end of the Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive, this 1 mile trail passes some of the oldest trees in the west. Some are more than 1,600 years old.

Bike the Multi-use Trail – This was my favorite part of the trip! The 6.2 mile paved trail runs from Bryce Canyon City to Inspiration Point within the park. It passes the Visitors Center, North Campgound, General Store, Sunrise Point, Sunset Point and Bryce Lodge. The paved trail is relatively flat and passes under towering pines. And it’s great for wheelchairs, strollers and pets.

Have Lunch in the Lodge – What makes Bryce Lodge unique is not only that it’s still standing (built in 1923), but its wavy roof pattern is like an optical illusion. The lodge is worth a visit all on its own whether you stay overnight, stop in for a meal, shop in their gift shop, or make reservations for a horseback ride through the park.

Camp at North or Sunset Campground – With convenient shuttle stops and newly renovated flush toilets, our stay at North Campgound was super easy and fun. I know flush toilets don’t often connote luxury but on this trip it was surprisingly nice. Come early, the spots fill up quickly especially on the weekend. There’s also a laundromat and showers available at the General Store.

Visit Mossy Cave – Mossy Cave in the North section of the park is not on the itinerary for most Bryce Canyon visitors. The cave itself wasn’t too impressive, but we loved playing in the Tropic Ditch waterfall. This man made river was carved by the shovel full by Mormon Pioneers over 100 years ago. On our trip the water flowed cool and quick, but in the winter the waterfall freezes into icicles.

Hike the Hoodoos – The special program called I Hiked the Hoodoos is unique to Bryce Canyon National Park. It’s a scavenger hunt and hike all in one! Several popular trails including Queens Garden, Navajo Loop, Mossy Cave, Tower Bridge and Bristlecone Loop have medallions placed along the trail. Hike 3 miles and take a selfie with the medallion and you can receive a reward from the visitors center.

Become a Junior Ranger – Every National Park in the US has a Junior ranger program that’s perfect for getting kids involved in the park. Pick up a booklet at the Visitor Center, complete the activities, attend a ranger presentation and your 4-12 year old can be sworn in as a junior ranger and receive their own badge.

See the Stars – The night sky is brilliant at Bryce. Away from the light pollution of cities, the whole sky is blanketed with stars. Rangers lead astronomy programs all summer long which typically include a multimedia presentation followed by stargazing with telescopes. There’s also a ranger led full moon hike. Check at the Visitors Center for times and sign ups.

Attend the Annual Astronomy Festival – Once a year Bryce Canyon hosts the Salt Lake Astronomical Society in an awesome star gazing festival. Held in early June, the festival includes special events including an indoor planetarium at Bryce Lodge, special speakers like 2016’s keynote speaker Seth Jarvis from Clark Planetarium, and 30+ telescopes for the public to use. Members of the Salt Lake Astronomical Society are on hand to point out the planets, galaxies and constellations. Big E and I loved seeing Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and its moons, the ring nebula and two distant galaxies. It was so cool!

Cross Country Ski – Winter in Bryce is breathtaking, both the scenery and the weather. With snow topped hoodoos at 9,000 feet elevation it’s a cold adventure all its own. The main road is not plowed in some sections, but it is open for non motorized winter use. So strap on the nordic skis and see Bryce Canyon like few others do.

Thanks for following along on our National Park to Park Highway Tour. Stage 2 begins June 27, 2016. It’s a big one, traveling 7 weeks to 16 National Parks and Monuments for a total of 6,000 miles. You can come along by signing up for the Mountain Mom and Tots Newsletter below. Just enter your email and come along for the ride.

Bryce Canyon National Park Photo Journal – Happy National Trails Day

Today (June 4, 2016) is National Trails Day and what better way to celebrate than hiking the best 3 mile hike in the nation? That’s how Bryce Canyon National Park describes the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop hike through hoodoos.

Panorama from the Canyon Rim Trail

I can see why, the scenery is beautiful. The tots prevented me from finishing the full trail, but I was able to explore this otherworldly area on stop number two of our National Park to Park Highway Tour. Enjoy these photos of Bryce Canyon National Park and stay tuned for more of our National Park to Park Highway Tour.