TAKE A LOOK

So before you say no...

We put a lot of thought into this, so please stick with us till the very end of the presentation.

OPERATION: ROAD TRIP SUMMER 2016

Caprock Canyon State Park
Quitaque, Texas

Details
(Because they're important)
We've worked this out to be a five day trip; leave Thursday morning, come back Monday.
Now let's see a map...

Untitled Slide

The days between will be spent hiking and exploring the many rugged trails of the park.

Untitled Slide

ABOUT THE PARK

• It is home to Texas's Official Bison Herd
• It boasts around 90 miles of trails in the park and on surrounding trailways (hiking, biking, horseback riding)
• Not only is there fishing on Lake Theo, which sits near the park's southern border, but several creeks and rivers run across the park and hug many of the trails (more fishing opportunities)

Untitled Slide

Untitled Slide

SO LET'S BREAK THIS DOWN

WHO ARE "we"?

KAITY sTINSON

ABIGAIL kORTOKRAX

We've known each other since third grade.
By the time of the trip, I'll be 17 and she will be 18.
Both of us will have our driver's licenses.
We'll both be going into our senior year.

SO WHEN IS THIS MYTHICAL TRIP GONNA TAKE PLACE?

We've planned for the trip to be Thursday, June 2- Monday, June 6.
If there's anything that comes up, we have several other dates throughout the summer break that we can fit just as well- the main goal is just for it to be a Thursday-Monday trip.

NOW DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY: HOW MUCH IS THIS TRIP GONNA COST?

AND NOW FOR A BREAKDOWN OF THE BUDGET

Let's start with gas...
This trip is gonna be about 540 miles roundtrip.
Abi's car (2011 Cruze) gets anywhere from 28-36 mpg, and has a fourteen gallon tank which can typically be filled for $25.
Two tanks of gas will get us there and back, but in case of emergency so we have extra money to fall back on we quadrupled this making $100 for gas.

Now for park fees...
Park entrance is $4/person/day.
Camping at the primitive campground is $10/night.
Four nights' camping and entry fees turns into $72.
HOWEVER.
The park office (so we can pay and get our camping spot, y'know) closes at noon on Thursday when we look to be arriving. So, just in case, we substituted the first night for the cost of a night in a hotel and rounded up to $140.

Aaaand, foooood...
On the first day of driving, we shall feast on sandwiches.
The cost of a loaf of bread and pound of ham/turkey can be rounded safely to $10.
The final day will be filled with fast food, for which we reckoned $10 per meal per person. Since breakfast is for squares, this can be totaled to $40.
So our grand total for both days is $50.

For our camping days, our meals will consist of canned foods; beans, chili, soup, etc. In addition to what fish we can catch.
Since fish are unreliable, three cans of beans/soup for two people over four days is about $50 (if such goods are $2 a can).

Water.
Our trip is gonna be in June. That means it'll be hot. And we'll be doing a lot of excercise, AND we'll have to pack our own water to the camp.
We reckoned for two cases of water: Remember that in dire straits, we have Life Straws, probably some water purification stuff, and at the very least a pot to boil water in.
Two cases of water then is about $12.

So now let's see about that budget...
Camp Food and Water..... $65*
Driving Food..... $50
Gas...... $100*
Lodging.... $140

Grand Total..... $355
(We're rounding up to $360)
So now we have about $180/person.

***
Yes, we rounded up a lot.
No, that is not a problem.
It pads the budget, and gives us a bit of leeway- that $65 was rounded up for simplicity's sake... But that $100 for gas- twice the amount we need, would give us $50 extra bucks in a pinch. And if we get to the park on time and don't need the money for the hotel room (which was $89 for a night) we have $17 extra dollars on top of that.

SO WHY IN THE WORLD SHOULD YOU SAY YES TO THIS?

THIS IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

• This teaches us to budget our time and money
• This helps us learn how to plan things in advance
• This is an easy first step: this is a first trip to boost our confidence and open up the world of travel.

Untitled Slide

I want you to think back to Rome, back to the backpacking girls you met on the train. You couldn't believe them: these young women were thousands of miles from home, they had no safety net. But they were so sure of themselves.

That's what you wanted for me. You told me yourself that you would be thrilled if I had the confidence to just grab a buddy, plan a trip, and go. Well I've grabbed a buddy. I've planned a trip. Now I'm asking your permission to go.

NOW FOLLOW THIS LINK AND WATCH THIS