刚来美国的时候, 没车, 逛Yard Sale, 走到天涯海角, 也不过离家1 mile.
怀了老二, 才发觉还没去过第三国. 在把老大从中国接回来前, 老二在肚里, 赶紧开车去了加拿大Montreal.
孩子们在小学的时候, 一年6个trips, 三家十人, 玩遍NYC 和美东, DISNEY.
等孩子们进了中学, 尤其是高中, 只能Annual Trip 了.
2009年在赌城Las Vegas 参加Los Angeles 旅游团. 资深导游是真正的爱好旅游 – 旺季带团游, 淡季自由行. 15年的导游生涯, 一个问题, 只有八个团答对 – 7 Natural Wonders of the World.
这个问题, 从此开始了我的旅游新境界.
2009 年 GRAND CANYON 是峡谷.
2010年去了Banff-Jasper-Vancouver-Seattle 是冰川.
2011 年想去London, Paris, 好为儿子的European History 准备, 可惜工作太忙, 没时间定计划. 正好姑姑在多伦多探亲. 8年没去加拿大了, 就给小孩子们Update 一下吧. 开车送朋友去Cornell University, 游千岛湖, Montreal-Quebec-Ottawa-Toronto-Niagara Falls.
2012 年 - 黄石!
2011年十月份开始了计划. National Geographic Trip Planner 是我的万宝全书, TripAdvisor 是我的字典, WXC “世界风情”是我的顾问.
先定景点, 再定行程 -> Total Days
先查机票, 再查租车 -> Minimum Price
先看旅馆, 再看餐馆 -> Maximum Mileages
如此一而再, 再而三, 就可以让大师成果鉴定了.
First Draft:
Yellowstone NP is the theme for August 2012 11-day trip. Then found useful information here on SD.
First, cheap flights. From NYC, the best choice is flying to Denver and returning back from Salt Lake City. Try to get $300/pp rt.
Second, car rental. Since this is a open jaw choice, booked $500 for 11 day.
Third, itinerary. Try to cut daily driving hours to half day, and half day for sight-seeing.
11 days w/ 1800mi driving
Day 1: NYC-DEN morning flight,
Day 2: Golden-Rocky Mountain-Cheyenne, 170mi/4hr
Day 3: Cheyenne-Custer SP-Rushmore-Rapid City, 300mi/4.5hr
Day 4: Rapid City-Badlands NP-Rapid City, 150mi/3hr
Day 5: Rapid City-Devils Tower NM-Gillette, 200mi/4hr
Day 6: Gillette-YNP, 350mi/6hr
Day 7: YNP,
Day 8: YNP
Day 9: GTNP-Jackson
Day 10: Jackson-SLC, 300mi/5hr
Day 11: SLC-Provo-SLC, red-eye flight SLC-NYC
Comments:
1. 11天看起来很多, 但是分开来比较开车和游玩的时间, 有3整天在路上.
2. 半天开车, 半天游玩, 反而不如开长程, 到了旅游点细细地玩.
3. Day 1 不应该浪费在Denver, 应该马上去Rocky Mountain. 把时间加到Black Hills.
4. Black Hills 是South Dakota 的重点, 要多花点时间. 一天游Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, 一天游Badland NP.
5. Badland NP 非常独特, 充满历史背景. 到了SD, 过门而不入 Badland, 就好象在NYC 而不去玩自由女神像.
6. 黄石二天只能走马观花, 不能深度游.
7. 黄石很大, 一定要住在黄石公园内. 公园有很多动物, 会影响开车速度, 塞车严重.
8. 黄石游览路线呈数字”8”, 分上圆圈和下圆圈. 住宿也最好在公园的北, 中, 南, 或者东, 西, 以体会不同的风情. 东面峡谷和湖区最好也最贵, Old Faithful Inn 最有名.
9. Day 10 和 11 可以合并, 把这一天加到黄石. 从GTNP 早上出发, 去SLC 湖区, 下午去市区摩门教堂, 看看 2002 冬奥运会和当今总统候选人Romney发迹的地方. 晚上机场还车回NYC.
10. 这次可以游三个州政府: Denver/SD, Cheyenne/WY, Salt Lake City/UT.
行程定好, 就到各个旅游网站去报到, 设Alerts. 像Delta新开LGA-DEN航线, Priceline减价 email, Hotels.com积分奖励, Facebook “Like”, Credit Cards/Online shopping 1-5% 奖励, 多是节流的好办法.
第一是租车, 第二是买机票, 第三是定旅馆.
机票: Delta Airline: NYC LGA-Denver $110, SLC-NYC JFK $170. Total $280/pp for round-trip.
租车: Denver DEN pickup, Salt Lake City SLC drop-off. 11 days for $500.
旅馆: 每房两张双人床, 共四人. 下面价钱是税后总价, 税前减 10-20%. $100 的房价, 4人一摊, 也就$25/人.
Finalized Draft for August 2012:
· Day 1: NYC-DEN morning flight, peak-to-peak Estes Park, 100mi/2.5hr. Stay 2 nights @ 3* Rocky Mountain Park Inn, Estes Park/SD for $86/night.
· Day 2: Rocky Mountain, Trail Ridge Rd, 120mi/3hr.
· Day 3: Estes Park-Cheyenne-Wind Cave NP, Custer Scenic Byway, 380mi/7hr. Stay 2 nights @ 3* Grand Gateway Hotel, Rapid City/SD for $92/night.
· Day 4: Black Hills, Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, 120mi/2.5hr
· Day 5: Badlands NP-Spearfish, 250mi/5hr. Stay @ 2.5* Holiday Inn, Sturgis/SD for $98/night.
· Day 6: Spearfish-Devils Tower NM-Cody, 370mi/6hr. Stay @ 2.5* Holiday Inn Cody-At Buffalo Bill Village, Cody/WY for $121/night.
· Day 7: YNP: Cody- Mammoth Hot Springs, Big Horn Mtn. scenic byway, 100mi/2hr. Stay @ Roosevlet Lodge/YNP for $78/night.
· Day 8: YNP Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Lake. Stay @ Old Faithful Inn/YNP for $128/night w/ 3 Queen beds.
· Day 9: YNP Upper Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring, Norris Geyser Basin. Stay @ Old Faithful lodge/YNP for $92/night.
· Day 10: GTNP-Jackson Jenny Lake. Stay @ 3* Flying Saddle Resort, Alpine/WY for $126/night.
· Day 11: Jackson-SLC, 300mi/5hr, red-eye flight back to NYC.
活在当下, 要玩也要趁早. 亲子, 自己也跑得动.
下周要出发了, 抛砖引玉, 希望这份准备工作对大家有所帮住. 以后会继续讨论具体景点和活动安排. 谢谢阅读.