If you are going to San Fransisco (aka "Things to do in Denver.../pt 2")

[Montelovesco]

Looks like we are doing it again: As in 2013 wife, the two little ones and myself will go for a ten weeks RV trip through the US (some of you might remember the 2013 dairy).

Last time we started in Denver with a clear idea about the tour. This time we will pick up the RV in San Fransisco. Planning status at the moment is: north/north-west till Yellowstone, then back to Seattle, maybe touching Vancouver for some days. Back to Germany from there. Lots and lots of stops (and pawn shops and stuff) on the way, of course.

Can you recommend this just from a kind of weather viewpoint? I am not talking about the hotspots and the places we must see. It is just the question: We will be on the road from end of May till midst of August. What do you think? Too hot? Too cold? Too wet? Too...? Better take the road south?

Any help is much appreciated!

[specialk]

If you can take a day trip the Monterey Bay aquarium is another good one.

Definitely this, if you can:

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org

[Montelovesco]

Our younger son's a commercial helicopter pilot based in the Vancouver area. He and his friends provide some pretty impressive scenic tours of that area if he's still with the same operator when you're over on this side of the pond.

Wow...Wife is gonna love that. Me? Actually, I HATE flying... :-(

[gtone]

Our younger son's a commercial helicopter pilot based in the Vancouver area. He and his friends provide some pretty impressive scenic tours of that area if he's still with the same operator when you're over on this side of the pond.

Wow...Wife is gonna love that. Me? Actually, I HATE flying... :-(

Yes, but a helicopter is so smoo-ooth.

[Steve Haynie]

An ex-boyfriend of mine's dream was RVing our way through route 66.

A friend and his wife each got a month off of work and made a big loop through the USA that included Route 66. They pulled a nice camper trailer rather than use a motor home. Going through the western states and seeing places away from big cities was part of the plan. They still talk about it 20 years later.

[jettster]

Highly recommend this place. http://www.ptreyes.org/things-do-see killer drive up from SF and some unbelievable scenery. Yosemite is also phenomenal but would likely be off the beaten path for the trip you have planned.

[zenmindbeginner]

10 fucking weeks in an RV? Jeeze... are you retired?

[Stike]

10 fucking weeks in an RV? Jeeze... are you retired?

European, they get that kind of vacation time.

[Montelovesco]

Highly recommend this place. http://www.ptreyes.org/things-do-see killer drive up from SF and some unbelievable scenery. Yosemite is also phenomenal but would likely be off the beaten path for the trip you have planned.

Thanks! Will check this out.

10 fucking weeks in an RV? Jeeze... are you retired?

Nope - we are happy parents (see below)...

10 fucking weeks in an RV? Jeeze... are you retired?

European, they get that kind of vacation time.

Actually, this is the second or even third time we do this, and the reason why we can is a German law in favor of young families:

If you get (?)/produce(?)/make(?) a child, one or even both parents can take a time out - up to seven years with the right to return to your old job. The first 14 months of this time you receive 67 percent of you last income, health insurance included. After this you are up to yourself.

But - and that's the point - you can split you time out, and that is what we did:

After the birth of our first son my wife and I took a time out for 8 moths each (receiving the reduced income), staying both at home with the newborn, and returned to our old jobs after that.

After the birth of our second son we did the same (and went off for the first 10-weeks-trip to the States in 2013), and came back to our old jobs after that. In 2015 we take a second part of the so called "parents time out" or "educational time out" - this time for three months only.

But we do not receive any income during this time, so there was some saving and Hamer selling to be done prior to purchase the tickets...

Hope I did not bore you (and sorry for the bad wording, my english is not sufficient for politic topics)...

Oh, and before you ask: No, this law did not change the birth rate in Germany for good. We still have a negative rate... No matter what I did. :-)

Edited to add: BTW, the usual amount of vacancy days/year is 25-30 +/-. At least in Germany.

[Montelovesco]

Ok, the blanks are getting filled... What we have so far is a nice little tour from SF up the coast gaining 27th of May, ending up in Vancouver (around 20th of June). Then 6 days on Vancouver Island (did the booking a few minutes ago). Then off to Kelowna, Bear (BEER?) Creek, some days there. End of July one week in Yellowstone. Leaving the US from Jackson on 10th of August.

Sounds ok. :-)

[gorch]

Have a great trip!

[Montelovesco]

Have a great trip!

Will do. And we will meet after that...

[aknapp]

Edited to add: BTW, the usual amount of vacancy days/year is 25-30 +/-. At least in Germany.

I've been thinking of moving to Europe.... (*sigh*)

Any jobs available for a 30-year IT profession who's not quite 50?

BTW, sounds like another fabulous trip. I look forward to your blog entries - even if I can't read them!

[cmatthes]

Just got back from a work trip to San Francisco - kicking myself for not extending it a few days.

Loved Alcatraz.

[killerteddybear]

Ok, the blanks are getting filled... What we have so far is a nice little tour from SF up the coast gaining 27th of May, ending up in Vancouver (around 20th of June). Then 6 days on Vancouver Island (did the booking a few minutes ago). Then off to Kelowna, Bear (BEER?) Creek, some days there. End of July one week in Yellowstone. Leaving the US from Jackson on 10th of August.

Sounds ok. :-)

Try to get up to Ucleulet on Vancouver Island (on the west coast a couple hours north) and take the boys to the shore. Lots of sea anemones in the tide pools.

My wife has an uncle just outside of Victoria BC, and a sister in Vernon (north of Kelowna).

Kelowna (or Penticton to the south) has a Peach Festival in the first weekend of August. You'd like the hordes of city girls in the skimpy bikinis.

Depending on your time and inclination, I'd suggest when traveling from Vancouver to Kelowna that you take a couple of the minor highways in the region. You can take the TransCanada (Hwy 1) to Hope, BC. A few miles past that you can get onto BC highway 3; follow that all the way to 97 north, which will drop you in southeast Kelowna. It will add a few hours compared to the fast highways but you'll be in the middle of the Canadian Rockies!

Having said that, check with the local RV clubs and make sure they recommend such a trip. I can't speak for gas availability and such.

On the way back to the US, try to take the 33 south from Kelowna, then meet up with Hwy 3 again and head east to the junction with US Hwy 395. That will take you into Spokane, Washington.

Highway 33 is a beautiful trip; I took it for the first time a few years ago and I loved its remoteness. Again, make sure your tank is full when you leave Kelowna; there isn't much between there and Spokane!

I hope you have a great trip!

[a.bandini]

While in the Vancouver region, consider going to Victoria BC. What a wonderful city!

If you do, you'd be making a mistake not to visit my favorite bar there: Swans. I have wonderful memories of the place.

[BadgerDave]

I just got back from San Francisco. I made a side trip to Reno (which I don't recommend) and around Lake Tahoe, which I most certainly do. Absolutely beautiful scenery, nice people, lots of interesting little towns, shops, and food.

[gorch]

Edited to add: BTW, the usual amount of vacancy days/year is 25-30 +/-. At least in Germany.

I've been thinking of moving to Europe.... (*sigh*)

Any jobs available for a 30-year IT profession who's not quite 50?

BTW, sounds like another fabulous trip. I look forward to your blog entries - even if I can't read them!

Plenty of jobs. Come over. You'll love the German sausage, bread, and beer.

[Montelovesco]

Edited to add: BTW, the usual amount of vacancy days/year is 25-30 +/-. At least in Germany.

I've been thinking of moving to Europe.... (*sigh*)

Any jobs available for a 30-year IT profession who's not quite 50?

BTW, sounds like another fabulous trip. I look forward to your blog entries - even if I can't read them!

Gorch was indeed the guy I was thinking of when I read your post...

[Montelovesco]

Ok, the blanks are getting filled... What we have so far is a nice little tour from SF up the coast gaining 27th of May, ending up in Vancouver (around 20th of June). Then 6 days on Vancouver Island (did the booking a few minutes ago). Then off to Kelowna, Bear (BEER?) Creek, some days there. End of July one week in Yellowstone. Leaving the US from Jackson on 10th of August.

Sounds ok. :-)

Try to get up to Ucleulet on Vancouver Island (on the west coast a couple hours north) and take the boys to the shore. Lots of sea anemones in the tide pools.

My wife has an uncle just outside of Victoria BC, and a sister in Vernon (north of Kelowna).

Kelowna (or Penticton to the south) has a Peach Festival in the first weekend of August. You'd like the hordes of city girls in the skimpy bikinis.

Depending on your time and inclination, I'd suggest when traveling from Vancouver to Kelowna that you take a couple of the minor highways in the region. You can take the TransCanada (Hwy 1) to Hope, BC. A few miles past that you can get onto BC highway 3; follow that all the way to 97 north, which will drop you in southeast Kelowna. It will add a few hours compared to the fast highways but you'll be in the middle of the Canadian Rockies!

Having said that, check with the local RV clubs and make sure they recommend such a trip. I can't speak for gas availability and such.

On the way back to the US, try to take the 33 south from Kelowna, then meet up with Hwy 3 again and head east to the junction with US Hwy 395. That will take you into Spokane, Washington.

Highway 33 is a beautiful trip; I took it for the first time a few years ago and I loved its remoteness. Again, make sure your tank is full when you leave Kelowna; there isn't much between there and Spokane!

I hope you have a great trip!

Killerteddybear,

thanks for this, this is much appreciated! There are lots of easy to find tips for SF and stuff, but Canada is another thing...

We have four weeks for the trip from Kelowna to Yellowstone, so Spokane is on our list for sure.

[specialk]

Killerteddybear,

thanks for this, this is much appreciated! There are lots of easy to find tips for SF and stuff, but Canada is another thing...

We have four weeks for the trip from Kelowna to Yellowstone, so Spokane is on our list for sure.

Spokane is okay, but head east about 35 miles on I-90 and hit Couer d'Alene, Idaho. Simply gorgeous.

http://coeurdalene.org

[Montelovesco]

Killerteddybear,

thanks for this, this is much appreciated! There are lots of easy to find tips for SF and stuff, but Canada is another thing...

We have four weeks for the trip from Kelowna to Yellowstone, so Spokane is on our list for sure.

Spokane is okay, but head east about 35 miles on I-90 and hit Couer d'Alene, Idaho. Simply gorgeous.

http://coeurdalene.org

Thanks, the website looks great. Scotty, beam me to Idaho, please...

[gtone]

Since you're going to Vancouver Island from Vancouver, you might want to take this ferry: http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/wireless/Tsawwassen-Swartz_Bay.html . It loads/leaves south of Vancouver via a traffic-friendly and accessible area and arrives on the island a few miles north of Victoria. Just before you get to Victoria, make sure to stop at Butchart Gardens if you have about 3-4 hours to spend (http://www.butchartgardens.com). Our family is not even into gardens, flowers and the like, but there are some vistas there that are truly like paradise.

After exploring the island for the few days you're going to be there (Victoria, Parksville/Qualicum Beach area, Ucluelet/Tofino area and the old growth Douglas Fir trees on the way there were all highlights for us), you might want to take a different ferry back to the mainland for variety. The Nanaimo to North Vancouver ferry is interesting and scenic in it's own right although you run headlong into Vancouver's traffic a few miles into the trip after disembarking. No worries, half hour of that or so and you should be free-wheeling back on the Trans-Canada Highway and off to Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley. Like killerteddybear mentioned, Highway #3 is an interesting way to get to the Okanagan - less traffic and a good variety of scenery also.

Hope you and your family have fun (I'm sure you'll make lots of memories together!). We're going to San Francisco area in October and really looking forward to that also...

[Montelovesco]

Thanks! We will check that out, since we have plent of time. 4 Nights on Vancouver Island alone. And 4 weeks between Bear Creek and Yellowstone. With no plans yet. Counting the days already.