Camping? I hadn't been in a tent for 40 years! It could have been disastrous - but it wasn't. IT WAS AWESOME! I came back thoroughly hooked. The tents were easy to put up, the sleeping mats were comfortable, no creepy-crawlies stung or bit me (although someone did say that they had had a racoon in their tent!) and the food was great. We had an action-packed time with plenty of opportunity to see places and experience America.
I was able to achieve 2 of my personal ambitions: walk up to the base of Half Dome's final rock in Yosemite (the chains were not put up yet) and descend to the Colorado river in the Grand Canyon. We were very lucky with the weather and had hot sun all the time, which was an extra bonus.
Although we were a varied crowd of people and ages we all got on well and the leader was excellent. (Lets's rock, pirates!) The scenery was mind-boggling to English eyes and so varied - even miles of straight road through semi-desert has its own aura, then suddenly you are winding down a steep escarpment or through a narrow canyon. There was lots of travelling between places but the minibus had a smooth ride and the in-house music kept us going as the world rolled by.
I can thoroughly recommend the combination of camping, American National Parks and Footloose. You really see spectacular places, on and off the usual tourist route, and stay in them long enough to explore and enjoy them. There's also flexibility to add in extra bits if you all want to and there's time. At the end it was dreadful to have to break up the group as it seemed that we belonged together. Pity the trip wasn't twice the length, but my boss at work grumbled at the time I was away as it was. Here's to next time.