I spent several days planning, organizing and reserving sites for a month-long trailer camping trip beginning in Utah before heading to Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks and then up to Nevada for my father-in-law’s 100th birthday.
Then the government shut down. We got a notice from Joshua Tree that our reserved campground would be closed for 2/3 of the days we would be there. I could work around that, but we were worried about what else might close or be closed for our planned visits. Making the best of the situation, we cancelled everything, eating over $100 in cancellation fees.
Instead, we kept our reservation at an RV park outside Capitol Reef National Park where we would be hiking with other members of the Colorado Mountain Club. Then we made reservations for a three-day stay in an RV park in Hanksville, Utah, where we planned to do some photography. From there, we would head to Green River for three days.