Ready for all username comments.

We left for our spring break trip on the 13th, based on best information on the date and the fact we were driving i our own car, staying in Airbnb's (can cook all our own meals), and visiting outdoors areas (mostly national parks). We could avoid busses and visitor centers, only one park requires bussing in.

So today they "discourage" discretionary travel and people seem to be seriously suggesting banning of travel or forced curfews or quarantines.

I can avoid crowds and not scared to get sick (I'm scared in that I don't want to spread it to others, but my odds are as low as being at home based on our activities and ocd diligence around hand sanitizing). I am anxious to get stuck away from home or if they did something crazy like shut down gas stations or had a panic run on gas.

I know it's an unknowable answer, but should I go home or continue trip with abundance of caution?

Where is home? Harris County just shut almost everything down for the next 15 days. Schools are closed until at least April 13.

If you work from home, you don't have to worry about being quarantined. And the kids can't go back to school.

You are driving, so you can get stranded in an airport. If you're prepared for some of those parks to be closed, can entertain yourselves, and have already bought food, I say take your time getting back home.

Thanks for taking the time to reply - you've quelled my anxiety. We'll focus on cooking our own meals, enjoying outdoor activities, and trusting that there availability to gas to get home. If you sit and read stuff for an hour your head can spiral in the wrong direction.

Have you had any trouble buying gas, getting supplies? Would you mind sharing your general current location?

Complete Idiot said:

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Thanks for taking the time to reply - you've quelled my anxiety. We'll focus on cooking our own meals, enjoying outdoor activities, and trusting that there availability to gas to get home. If you sit and read stuff for an hour your head can spiral in the right direction.

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If this is what you are doing, I honestly do not see the reason to come home. It does not seem that you are being a risk to others, or are they being a risk to you. It is nuts everywhere. If you are truly cooking your own meals and being outdoors on your own, I see no reason to come home.

*I am not a doctor or anything else that has a real say. I'm just a travel agent who has canceled ton of vacations (legitimately so). But being on your own there versus at home doing the same, I see no difference.

No problems with groceries or gas. We have enough food with us now to last two weeks. Just need gas to get home.

We are in Utah and Arizona.

Thanks, safe travels to you and your family!

Sounds like you are avoiding other people for the most part. No reason to cut your trip short, might as well enjoy it. Check out sand dune arch @ Arches NP!

Just got done rock climbing at Zion. I have an annual pass but they didn't want to touch it to check. Not sure if they are charging fees or not. The shuttle is not running tomorrow.

I'm scheduled to fly out of PHX on Saturday but I may just buy a truck and drive home. Or (as my wife is shaking her head) I may just get a one way rental.

Don't y'all think they will close the national parks and other parks? I'm not saying it makes sense, but it would be par for the course.

From the rangers I've talked to, they are undecided, and the call would be from someone much higher up than them. It's really a fluid situation for them, as it is for all if us. I'm sure each individual park
Superintendent could pull the plug at any time, though. The parks currently remain open, but most ranger programs have been suspended. I have a feeling that if they do close the parks, it could be like the government shutdown of late 2018/early 2019, where services were shut down but entrance gates were open. There was security but it was dialed back. If they do take more action, I bet it comes sooner than later.

Yeah that would make good sense to keep the gates open and just shut down all personnel support.

Idiot Savant said:

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You're an Idiot. Trust me, I know one when I see one.

We're in the same boat, but in the Smokys with no urgency to cut our journey short. Be smart, make some memories, and enjoy the ride.

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Both usernames check out...

Zion was open but no shuttle so basically a lottery to get to drive up into main canyon, a lottery we didn't win in four attempts. We hiked about 5 miles along the river and a bit up into the main canyon on foot. Also drove to Kolob Canyon section , I hadn't been there before. Drove through the Zion tunnel and player with snow on a rocky hill. Visitor section and store closed but they actually had quite a few outdoor signs and info to read. We still all had fun.

Bryce is still open so we'll do the same thing tomorrow. Just staying in our car, getting All food from grocery stores and getting gas - otherwise rare to have another human with in 6 feet of us. Occasionally on a trail as we pass by.

I haven't seen any developments that would force us home yet and we are being responsible with our interactions (as in none).

It's a damper but not a big one. Just saw governor activated national guard and it's concerning, ready to hit the road home at any major development.

If you still have time at Zion, check out Zion Adventure Company for e-bikes. We rented them today and rode up and down the park (even though we are staying at the lodge and have parking and can get in and out, parking along the road is hard). They are also excellent at rock climbing and canyoneering! Great people there.

Ended up at Bryce.

At Bryce as well. Sledding at Inspiration Point.

Did you hear me yelling at two boys to STFU and let others enjoy the scenery? I suck at parenting.

where are you now and where is next on your agenda? THere's nothing happening at home so enjoy yourself!

BSD said:

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Ended up at Bryce.

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Wouldn't happen to be in a white Infiniti? Just passed one in Flagstaff with Texas plates and an Aggie emblem.

Haha. No. But we saw him too! We're in a Land Rover Discovery rental with AZ plates. Taking it all the way back to HOU. At meteor crater and petrified forest today.

Home after 3000 miles of driving.

Did we do everything planned? No. Did we make lifetime memories? Yes. We managed.

We were very much disconnected from humans outside of one of us parents visiting a grocery store and on occasion having to use a public bathroom. We were lucky in that we found bathrooms no one else was in for the most part, and heavily sanitized afterwards. When hiking or at public viewpoints we made sure to keep 6 feet away from people and none of us touched railings or common areas. We probably looked a bit crazy to others. We probably are a bit crazy.

We visited a lot of places and saw a lot of natural beauty. My Texas kids played in heavy snow on two different days.

Having said that, should we have gone? We both are being penalized at work for having traveled - meaning having to work more from home than others or being limited in what we can do. That causes stress. The parents were a bit stressed on the trip and we snipped at the kids at times. But not too often.

I foresaw more extreme international travel bans but didn't anticipate the degree to which communities would lock down. If our trip was to have left 3 or 4 days later I think we might have canceled. Used the best info at the time.

I'll let you know if we caught anything.

Not sure if you mentioned it before, but where all did you go on the trip? Did you build an itinerary?

To me Looks like you did everything right and I would've done the same And I drove to Kentucky and back to Houston driving 2550 miles in 8 days last week myself

Friday 13th - left after kids school and drove to Lubbock, stayed in Airbnb

Saturday - drove to Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico and hiked a bit, great weather. Then drove to Petrified National Forest and tried to drive all the way through, halfway through road was blocked due to construction but saw petrified wood and overlooks. Stayed at an Airbnb in Holbrook, AZ that night

Sunday - Drove to Grand Canyon and spent about 7 hours there hiking and looking. After that drove to Kanab UT where we would spend the next four nights

Monday - Kanab area hikes (Squaw, Tom's Canyon) and slot canyons (Peek a Boo canyon was the highlight)

Tuesday - All day at Zion National Park. Was not able to get in main canyon due to shut down of shuttles and although you could drive in, it was a lottery - maybe 1 in 50 cars attempting to get in allowed in as they managed total cars in the canyon. We tried four times and didnt get in. Did a long hike from just outside the canyon entrance to visitor center (read signs outside, center closed) and then along the Virgin river up into the main canyon. Beautiful scenery but missed some of the main attractions. Improved and drove the hour or so to another section of Zion called Kolob Canyons, I hadnt been there myself. Just more great scenery and fewer people.

Wednesday - Spent about 5 hours at Bryce Canyon National park - lots of snow and cold. Most of road in park was closed for winter (I didn't even realize - see username) but the main amphitheater, as they call it, was open for viewing and some hiking. Did more sledding and snowball fighting than hiking though.

Thursday - Left Kanab and drover to Page AZ, did a short hike and also went to the Horseshoe Bend viewing area. Had a boat tour up into Antelope CAnyon but we cancelled it. They had cancelled all on foot tours into the various canyons but for some reason were still running the boat tour, cancelled due to our desire to maintain social distancing. Saved a couple hundred bucks and still had fun. After just a couple hours in Page drove to Flagstaff AZ and they just had a huge snow, and it was still snowing, so we took the kids sledding for a couple hours. Also grilled and spent time in the Airbnb hot tub in a snow storm, we enjoyed that.

Friday - this was supposed to be a day in Sedona, and we could have gone and hiked, but a lot of the plan was for my wife to visit shops and have a day more for her - didn't want to go inside anywhere and felt like we had enough trip and wanted to get home, so left for home a day earlier than planned. Drove to El Paso and spent some time at the city overlook and then I went by the Sun Bowl (have always wanted to go to that bowl game, like the stadium setting and history of the bowl - one of the four oldest bowl games). Then spent the night in a historic neighborhood in a home built in the 1930's. Interesting.

Saturday - Drove all day home to the Austin area.

Probably a bit more on edge the entire trip than I even realized, slept deeper and longer last night than I had in quite some time.

A trip we won't forget, for expected and unexpected reasons.