An Introduction

We are down to 52 days until departure! Suddenly things got real.

Allow me to introduce the Colorado Crew:

We are four girls from the Midwest, eager to explore the 38th state.

This trip is the brainchild of El and Kiwi (your humble author). After going through (and possibly scaring off) multiple roadtrip companions, we have found two to join us: Mainiac and KT! Mainiac is even flying out from Maine (hence the name--get it?) to join the adventure!

The Colorado Crew will depart on Friday, July 31st. El gets home from work right around 6:00, and we'll have everything and everyone in the driveway and ready to pack up and go the moment she gets home.
It's about a 16 hour drive from our current location to Colorado Springs, so we'll take turns driving through the night and arrive right around 8:00am local time. (Or perhaps a little bit later. There's the Paint Mines Interpretive Park about 45 minutes east of Co. Springs, and the detour would only add about 30 minutes...)
We'll be in Colorado Springs through Tuesday, then Estes Park through Friday, August 7. That night will be spent in Denver, then we'll strike out for home in the evening and find a hotel somewhere in Nebraska, returning home the afternoon of Sunday, August 9.

How do we keep track of all this information and share it with the rest of the Crew?

We are making good use of technology!

• There is a massive, constantly evolving Google Doc file with notes on the itinerary plans, links, packing lists, and everything else you can think of. The advantage of using Google Docs is accessibility for each of the participants, and the real-time updates.
• We've Skyped or used Google Hangout with Mainiac multiple times to choose hotels and activities. We won't let any 1,300 mile distance hamper our plans!
• We're compiling a Road Trip Binder to take on the road. This includes:
• Co. Springs, Estes Park, and Denver vacation planners, provided by the cities' tourism boards
• Hotel reservation confirmations
• Coupons
• Lists of things to do if we have unexpected downtime
• Daily itinerary
• We also have a message thread going on Facebook for brainstorming and sudden inspiration.

Our plan is that we'll keep this blog updated semi-regularly with information about planning, preparing, and executing this trip! I'll even make sure it gets updated a few times while we're out on the road. (Don't worry, family, I will be careful to not include our exact itinerary ahead of time.)

Have you ever been on a lengthy road trip? Do you have any tips or advice for us?

--Kiwi