Florida to Washington (I'm not even joking)
 

My boyfriend and I are moving from Jacksonville, Florida to Olympia, Washington. We are planning to take our time and our first stop is going to be Austin Tx. We want to camp as much as possible and would like to drive through Texas to New Mexico, New Mexico to Colorado (we have friends there), Colorado to Utah and then to Idaho before we arrive in Olympia. I am trying to plan an inexpensive, not too long trip and it's turning out to be overwhelming. Where is the best camping? We like swimming and will need electricity and showers. Any suggestions? We are willing to go out of our way.

That's quite a drive. I can understand the need for showers and electricity :).

I can only suggest a few places in Texas. I think most (if not all) of their state parks have showers. I've camped at Monahans Sandhills SP near Midland-Odessa. It's pretty, but not a place to be if it's windy. My best suggestion for West Texas is Balmorhea State Park. http://tinyurl.com/n5xga
It's got a 1.75 acre spring-fed swimming pool. It's right along I-10, so it should be right on your way from Austin to New Mexico. If you want to head a little bit south to Fort Davis, there's a state park there too, and the elevation should make it a bit cooler in summer. Balmorhea is about 6 hours from Austin (according to Mapquest).

When you get to Idaho head north to Helena Montana, it is one of the most scenic drives you can imagine. Both states rate in my top 5 states to drive thru. and when you get to helena you can stay at the www.montanainn.net. My place. Olympia should be 9 hours awayfrom me.

Have not had enough AM coffee, so time to be negative. Factors to be considered in the actual move -

Do you have more than one car between you to move and how is that other car making cross-country trip?

Are you having stuff shipped by moving company and does someone need to meet stuff on other side of country - that may make a "take your time" trip difficult

Will your vehicle be stuffed with things you are moving leaving little room for camping equipment?

Are you renting a truck to make this trip with your stuff and if so have you factored in cost of keeping truck for that length of time - and then what about car(s).

Just thought you would like some more things to worry about this AM

Frequent poster Scarlett moved from Jacksonville to Portland. While they drove <i>fast</i>, she might have some pointers. I do agree if you're hauling a lot of stuff, it's not the same carefree kind of trip as if you're footloose.

Here's a link to the Texas State Parks' website: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/

Be forewarned that it is HOT down here...as in near 100 every day and only down to the mid 70's at night. We are in the middle of a drought, so you will likely be prohibited from building any type of fire.

You say that you want to &quot; take your time&quot;, but that first leg from Jacksonville to Austin is going to be a doozey. That's over 1000 miles!

Have you tried planning your trip in segments according to how long and how fast you can drive? It simply is not safe to drive such a long distance at high speeds. Aim for no more than 700 miles per day. That would leave you time to set up camp, have a swim, eat, and rest up for the next segment.

When you say your first stop is Austin, you do mean that's your first extended stop, right? I say that because there is no way you'll make it in one day. It's almost five hours just from Jax to Pensacola and you haven't even left Florida then! And, there is so much construction along the way in Louisiana and Texas that you'll come to a complete crawl on the interstate.

And if you're planning on taking this trip now, you may want to reconsider camping until you get to Colorado. Of course, camping in this heat will definitely make you appreciate your new home in Olympia more!

KOA's.
One option (if you don't want to set up a tent every night) is to stay in their Kamping Kabins. Just toss your linens or sleeping bags on the bed and you are good to go. All have showers, swimming pools and some have internet access, breakfast options, etc.

Gee, when I used to deliver airplanes from Vero Beach to Seattle, when I used the southern route I never got as far west as Austin the first night! Watch out for those guys with light bars on their roofs.

Hi. When will you arriving in Olympia? Do you know what area you will be living? My husband &amp; I moved to Olympia from Houston back in 2000. Please e-mail. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have about the area.

GG [email protected]

Shootemupsally! love that screen name! :D

Yes, we did it. In August (last year)...we drove our car with a large dog in the backseat. The movers followed, arriving 5 days after we did.

About driving across country in the summer-one really does not want to take the Southern route. So we had our trip mapped for us and it took us from Jax, to Tennessee, to St Louis, then towards Chicago, then Nebraska-Wyoming-Utah-Idaho-Oregon. Even going that way- we went through extreme heat.

We left early and drove until around 5 then we looked for our hotel .. having a dog with us required a hotel that was pet friendly-La Quinta was it .. they are also not expensive.
They have pools and a/c and bathrooms with showers LOL

We did drive fast..there was a Yankee behind the wheel!! but after a couple of days of driving, you lose the &quot; Oh let's stop here and look at this&quot; feeling and you just want to Be There Already!!
So we would stop in the evenings, walk, relax, go to sleep early-ish and get up early and take off again.

So that is about as much help as I can offer..it took us 5 days, driving straight through..with breaks.
Good luck~