20 Parks 20 Days: Road Trip for Roadtrip!

22 July 2016

The website is nearly done (I'm putting the finishing touches on it right now). The last planned main design change to Roadtrip! is complete (see my next This Week’s Roadtrip! on the road from Spearfish, SD for details). Now, it’s time for relaxation! Right?

Maybe, not so much.

Tomorrow morning I’m headed out very early on the first leg of my epic road trip. The eastward leg takes me up California and across Idaho, Montana, and the Black Hills of South Dakota before heading out to Indianapolis for GenCon 2016. I'll cover 11 Destinations and over 4,000 miles in 8 days. The westward leg brings me home through Nebraska, Colorado and Utah before heading across Nevada to California. I'll cover 9 Destinations in 7 days for almost 3,000 miles. Needless to say, this is not any sort of relaxing vacation!

So, why am I enduring such an arduous summer trek? Well, for three reasons. First, for many years now I’ve been hankering to visit some of the parks and monuments the West has to offer. Not just the sites on everybody’s bucket list mind you, like Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone. Rather some of those less well-known, often overlooked spots of grandeur, like Craters of the Moon or Cedar Breaks.

Second, well I thought it would be a fun idea to take a trip that parallels Roadtrip!, after all, it isn’t just a game about our big National Parks; it’s a game inclusive of all the parks, monuments, memorials, battlefields, and historic sites that were (and still are) out there in the American West. My road trip is the kinda wacky journey you might expect from a random draw of Destinations. Indeed, I’ve set up a custom length, custom Home game that I’ll be playing as the trip progresses.

Third, what better way to get to GenCon and back, and in doing so, promote Roadtrip! for a Kickstarter in late September?

Well, where does this leave us? Well, I need your help. I’ll be blogging, updating the website, facebooking, tweeting, and instagraming daily. Follow along and provide suggestions for fun stops:

-kitschy roadside Americana stops, like Carhenge

-great places to eat,

-cool game stores to hit up

What’s more, let me know if I’m passing through your home town. We could meet at your local game store or (even better) out at an NPS site to play a game of Roadtirp! For sure, if you are going to be at GenCon give me a shout. I’ll be in the First Exposure Playtest Hall again - Friday 4pm & 6pm and Sunday 8am & 10am. Or just grab me between sessions to have some road trip fun! Remember, your input is what has made the game what it is today!

Safe Travels!