Trip Plans 2016... and Beyond!

If you've ever met my mother, you'll know she's a planner. Like, I cannot even tell you how many times in my life I've heard someone tell me "your mom should be a wedding planner!" or "your mom should be a travel agent!" or something along those lines. She's really good at it, and growing up watching her plan trips all those years inevitably led to me being a serious trip planner as well (as exhibited by #ERT_2015, if nothing else). But as a kid following her plan, and even as an adult following my own plan, I have to say it's really nice. Sure, spontaneity is wonderful and I love that as well, but I feel like when it comes to trips it's really nice to know what you're doing and when you're doing it.
Anyway, my point in all of this is that I've planned out a rough itinerary of our trips for the next, well, okay, fine, 5 years. Hahahaha. Granted we'll probably take more trips than I have planned, but I wanted to allot time for big road trips especially. Thankfully Brady gets a lot of PTO at his new job, and the Salomon store is the most chill about time off. Yay. So, without further ado, enjoy our little trip plans...

MAY 7 - 15 - Jen's Birthday Trip! Channel Islands National Park, Disneyland (you're welcome, Brady), and visiting Brady's grandpa and grandma Eagar in Santa Ynez

SEPTEMBER 17 - 25 - "4 Corners" Road Trip - Mighty 5, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Four Corners, and Mesa Verde

8 parks, 9 days. You know, the usual.

2017

JANUARY 9-13 - Mountain Collective Trip - Ski Banff/Sunshine Village/Lake Louise

JUNE 2-11 - CORT (Colorado National Park Road Trip) - was supposed to be this summer but we opted for Channel Islands and time with grandparents instead! Easily postponed. And yes, I suppose I could have just done this one in the fall of 2016, but I want to go in June primarily due to Medano Creek in Great Sand Dunes actually running during that time. So 2017 it is.

AUGUST 18-21 - SOLAR ECLIPSE VIEWING EXTRAVAGANZA! I'm alternating between summiting the Grand Teton, backpacking the Teton Crest Trail, or just being lame and going to Tetonia or something. I refuse to go into the park unless I'm in the high alpine or backcountry because it's just going to be way too insane. Seeing a total solar eclipse is a major bucket list item for me.

OCTOBER ish - Dry Tortugas National Park, probably. It's difficult to get to. We'd probably throw Biscayne and the Everglades in there too.

2018

JUNE 1-10 - CANP (California National Parks) - no, we're not doing all of them, but as is my style, we're doing a whole bunch in a loop, plus Great Basin.

OCTOBER 15-19 - Texas + New Mexico National Parks 

2019

JULY OR AUGUST (probably August) - AK Mega Trip - might as well get those suckers out of the way before we have to start hauling babies around on bush planes

2020

EUROPE! At some point in the summer. Brady is gunning for Scandinavia, I'm pushing for Mediterranean cruise but would be happy with Scandinavia too.

2021 (yes I was serious about 5 years)

MAY 3-13 - HAWAII 3-0 oh my crap

Obviously this is nowhere near a definitive list, but these are kind of the biggies. Oh and New Zealand 2024 for the year of our 10th anniversary, for like a month.

And, yeah... I wasn't kidding about being a planner. Thanks, mom!