National Park closure means our vacation is canceled.
Of course our vacation was ruined this year! - because this is how the entire year has been!!
I've been getting lots of well-meaning advice to do this or that instead. (Skip the national parks and do private tours and excursions instead). I roll my eyes because a week in the National Parks was to cost a $25 entrance fee. Everything I have been suggested literally costs 100 times as much.
I am extra bummed because it is just so rare that we do a big vacation like this. A vacation just for the sake of vacation - for more than just 3 days. All 4 of us. Have we *ever* done anything like this? Will we ever make it work? I am REALLY bummed...
We are not out one single penny. I guess that is the silver lining. I am peeved for everyone who flew halfway across the world or spent a lot more time and energy and money. I saw people on the news who had to book their hotels last October, for this October. Thankfully, we planned a more "winging it" kind of a road trip. We'd in general avoid the "mile long wait hotels" anyway. So, we hadn't committed to one single thing. Dh cancelled all of our hotel reservations today (we had booked all but our last night) and he said he got quite an earful. Not just about how all the hotels were now empty, but how all the customer service reps had so many friends and family affected by furlough, and so on. I dealt with the kitty hotel. Apparently they have a generous cancellation policy (which was not in anything I had read or signed before), so glad I asked. I thought that was the only thing we might be on the hook for, but wasn't too worried because it was not a peak travel time. So after talking to them, it was official that we have not lost a cent on our cancelled trip. Phew!
Plan B:
Plan B is not going overly well. But, well, nothing is... We were thinking of going to LA and Vegas, but the LA part seems dead (one show sold out, in the interim, and it was hard to find a decent and reasonable room so last minute).
Right now our Plan B is to just go to Vegas. 3 Nights.
What can I say - we do mini-vacations well?
Even if we throw in a big fancy show, we will probably save $1,500-ish (60%) with the trimmed down trip. Which might be useful next year (Talking about Japan, we have a wedding to go to which happens to be near Yellowstone, and I might visit my sister). That said, all of next year's trips were going to have to be 1 or 2 of us at a time, financially, so I doubt we will actually be able to make up for anything we were planning to do this year. Except be glad if we can make it to Yellowstone. All the other closer parks will have to wait for another time - lord knows when. (& the kids will miss out on Yellowstone because they will have school).
I've been stressed and bummed all week, but feeling much better as we have "given up" and switched gears. It's the sitting and waiting that was driving me the most batty. I am not much of a "looking back" type and with the new room reservation I find myself thinking less about our screwed over trip and more about how we will have fun regardless. I also feel better that we are going on some sort of road trip and can use some of our preparations. Vegas isn't terribly exciting as we've "Been There/Done That" a few too many times, but it will be an experience for the kids. It's probably not something we would have ever planned with them, but it's the only place in our itinerary that we can enjoy. So, it is what it is. I do know there is a lot of cool stuff that they can enjoy.
Vacation Cancelled
October 4th, 2013 at 04:14 am
October 4th, 2013 at 05:15 am 1380860153
Hope Vegas is a fabulous mini-vacation!
October 4th, 2013 at 11:28 am 1380882482
October 4th, 2013 at 12:38 pm 1380886716
October 4th, 2013 at 12:42 pm 1380886971
October 4th, 2013 at 01:48 pm 1380890935
October 4th, 2013 at 03:22 pm 1380896570
Sounds like you know your way around Vegas, but have you been to the Chinatown (more like pan-Asian town it seemed to us) strip of restaurants on Spring Mountain Road? We had some of the best food of our lives at a couple of little hole-in-the-wall places (including a Buddhist-run donut shop!). We hadn't ventured off the strip much the first few times we were out there, but when we made an effort, we found so many nicer non-packed experiences.
October 4th, 2013 at 04:02 pm 1380898961
Hoover Dam - meh - wasn't on our original plan. But I appreciate that it isn't a $250 suggestion.
October 4th, 2013 at 04:10 pm 1380899454
October 4th, 2013 at 07:20 pm 1380910844
Also, another FUN idea: get a rock hounding guide (old ones are ok, but the maps get better each reissue) and GET OFF the highway for some treasure hunting. Nevada is a GREAT state full of minerals. So is CA! Need: a good reliable car. Be cautious and plan like you could be stranded (water, safety) because getting stuck or lost happens pretty often! 4-W drive is good. Ask me for guide book or website recommendations.
October 4th, 2013 at 08:10 pm 1380913803
October 5th, 2013 at 01:33 am 1380933208
October 5th, 2013 at 04:02 am 1380942145
October 5th, 2013 at 10:16 pm 1381007807
If the parks reopen while you are in Vegas would you head over? I think it's only 4 - 5 hours away.
October 7th, 2013 at 11:22 pm 1381184578
October 10th, 2013 at 04:10 am 1381374644
Holy cow was Vegas packed. I don't think we were the only ones who just stayed there. !!!
October 10th, 2013 at 04:11 am 1381374705