When my two children were small, I worked then, as I have pretty much my whole life, way too much overtime. I told my employers that I would work all the overtime that was needed, but I was taking three weeks off, paid or not, every summer with the kids.
We camped in a tent and used KOAs at every oppertunity. The kids loved the idea of swimming after a long days drive. By the time they were both grown, they had seen pretty much every National Park west of the Mississippi. And half the museums. We made time, every time we saw a museum sign, to stop and have a look.
Now that it is just the wife and I, we pretty much don't use regular campgrounds. Last good trip we took, 200 miles of two ruts with 18" sagebrush in between. For those that know Oregon, Fort Rock through the Lost Forest, then to the Steens, did the whole loop, and down through the Catlow Valley, south through Funnel Canyon, to the Nevada border, back north by the Alvord Dessert, East by Mickey Hot Springs to highway 95. To Crystal Crane hot spring campground, and the first shower in five days!
We have a seat in the stretch 350 Ford van that folds down into a reasonably comfortable bed. Packed 36 gals of water, something goes wrong in the high dessert of Eastern Oregon, you had better have water. Just camped where ever we decided we had driven enough for the day. When we were on the back 'roads', we never saw another vehicle for the whole 10 days.
