USA Road Trip R66 etc
Discussion
mattyn1 said:
djc206 said:
That’s a brilliant site, thanks.
See what I mean about that bonnet line? Not designed for pedestrian safety clearly.
See what I mean about that bonnet line? Not designed for pedestrian safety clearly.
its particularly useful when one is in a mundane Teams meeting! Just apply more care than I did when I was asked to share a window.... !!Spent Saturday afternoon booking the last of the hotels (17) for our C2C, all done and route finalised then watched Shawshank Redemption on Sat night and I noticed that the prison is kind of on our route, diversion added and a couple of extra songs to add to the “official route playlist “
Essarell said:
Spent Saturday afternoon booking the last of the hotels (17) for our C2C, all done and route finalised then watched Shawshank Redemption on Sat night and I noticed that the prison is kind of on our route, diversion added and a couple of extra songs to add to the “official route playlist “
Would you be willing to share the route and hotels please….. just out of interest? Am trying to build my route now.Also, I feel those little detours will be so important when you look back on the trip in a few years time. And playlists……. Absolutely critical!!
mattyn1 said:
Would you be willing to share the route and hotels please….. just out of interest? Am trying to build my route now.
Also, I feel those little detours will be so important when you look back on the trip in a few years time. And playlists……. Absolutely critical!!
Our route is pretty much determined by the states we have yet to visit, we start in NY and finish in Monterey, the really good way would be heading South towards the Blue Ridge Mountains then across to Nashville (and my favourite bar in the world “Roberts”) after that it would write itself, Memphis, Colorado, Monument Valley, Vegas then Death Valley to San Francisco. Also, I feel those little detours will be so important when you look back on the trip in a few years time. And playlists……. Absolutely critical!!
Our route heads much farther North:
Montauk NY, Pittsburgh, Lafayette Indiana, Des Moine Iowa, Minneapolis, Fargo ND, Deadwood SD, Cody WY, Jackson WY (via Yellowstone NP), Boise Idaho, Walla Walla WA, Astoria OR, then follow the coast down to Newport OR, Eureka CA, Napa (to dine at one Thomas Kellers restaurants (Bouchon Bistro) sadly not the French Laundry, for two reasons, 1 it was fully booked and 2 I balked at the price…
Then it’s on to Tiburon (a ferry ride across the Bay from San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf) and finally into the always stunning Monterey for a beer or 3 at the Alvarado St Brewery, a bite to eat at the first Bubba Gumps and a swim in the sea at Carmel beach.
Just over 5000 miles in 2 1/2 weeks, we have a pick up truck booked and hotels are a mix of:
Hampton Inn, Kimpton, C’Mon Inn (cool chain of hotels in the Northern States) and some independently owned hotels.
Stops along the way are the usual mix of cultural and musical, along the lines of:
20th Century Cycles in Oyster Bay NY (Billy Joel’s bike shop) Hoboken New Jersey to visit Sinatra Park, Shawshank Prison, Route 66, Joliet Prison (opening scene from Blues Brothers) Iowa 80 truck-stop, the Future birth place of James T Kirk(Riverside IA), Paisley Park (Prince’s legendary recording studio complex), Fargo movie locations……list goes on (and on) but i have a couple of really good guide books: Thousand Places to see before you die and the Lonely Planet USA’s best road trips.
Here’s a map of the route:
Essarell said:
Our route is pretty much determined by the states we have yet to visit, we start in NY and finish in Monterey, the really good way would be heading South towards the Blue Ridge Mountains then across to Nashville (and my favourite bar in the world “Roberts”) after that it would write itself, Memphis, Colorado, Monument Valley, Vegas then Death Valley to San Francisco.
Our route heads much farther North:
Montauk NY, Pittsburgh, Lafayette Indiana, Des Moine Iowa, Minneapolis, Fargo ND, Deadwood SD, Cody WY, Jackson WY (via Yellowstone NP), Boise Idaho, Walla Walla WA, Astoria OR, then follow the coast down to Newport OR, Eureka CA, Napa (to dine at one Thomas Kellers restaurants (Bouchon Bistro) sadly not the French Laundry, for two reasons, 1 it was fully booked and 2 I balked at the price…
Then it’s on to Tiburon (a ferry ride across the Bay from San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf) and finally into the always stunning Monterey for a beer or 3 at the Alvarado St Brewery, a bite to eat at the first Bubba Gumps and a swim in the sea at Carmel beach.
Just over 5000 miles in 2 1/2 weeks, we have a pick up truck booked and hotels are a mix of:
Hampton Inn, Kimpton, C’Mon Inn (cool chain of hotels in the Northern States) and some independently owned hotels.
Stops along the way are the usual mix of cultural and musical, along the lines of:
20th Century Cycles in Oyster Bay NY (Billy Joel’s bike shop) Hoboken New Jersey to visit Sinatra Park, Shawshank Prison, Route 66, Joliet Prison (opening scene from Blues Brothers) Iowa 80 truck-stop, the Future birth place of James T Kirk(Riverside IA), Paisley Park (Prince’s legendary recording studio complex), Fargo movie locations……list goes on (and on) but i have a couple of really good guide books: Thousand Places to see before you die and the Lonely Planet USA’s best road trips.
My bold. Wow!! My rough plan, which I am titivating before posting here, I am estimating to be 5k miles and reckon we will take five weeks - I was thinking we were biting too much off but you have given me confidence we are ok - though we will be doing a hell of a lot of sight seeing too. Our route heads much farther North:
Montauk NY, Pittsburgh, Lafayette Indiana, Des Moine Iowa, Minneapolis, Fargo ND, Deadwood SD, Cody WY, Jackson WY (via Yellowstone NP), Boise Idaho, Walla Walla WA, Astoria OR, then follow the coast down to Newport OR, Eureka CA, Napa (to dine at one Thomas Kellers restaurants (Bouchon Bistro) sadly not the French Laundry, for two reasons, 1 it was fully booked and 2 I balked at the price…
Then it’s on to Tiburon (a ferry ride across the Bay from San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf) and finally into the always stunning Monterey for a beer or 3 at the Alvarado St Brewery, a bite to eat at the first Bubba Gumps and a swim in the sea at Carmel beach.
Just over 5000 miles in 2 1/2 weeks, we have a pick up truck booked and hotels are a mix of:
Hampton Inn, Kimpton, C’Mon Inn (cool chain of hotels in the Northern States) and some independently owned hotels.
Stops along the way are the usual mix of cultural and musical, along the lines of:
20th Century Cycles in Oyster Bay NY (Billy Joel’s bike shop) Hoboken New Jersey to visit Sinatra Park, Shawshank Prison, Route 66, Joliet Prison (opening scene from Blues Brothers) Iowa 80 truck-stop, the Future birth place of James T Kirk(Riverside IA), Paisley Park (Prince’s legendary recording studio complex), Fargo movie locations……list goes on (and on) but i have a couple of really good guide books: Thousand Places to see before you die and the Lonely Planet USA’s best road trips.
We have Joliet Prison as a stop too - but we were big fans of Prison Break.
Incidentally, a finding Google Maps as a planning tool too restrictive. Will be useful for the nav part, but am finding Bing Maps to be better for the early planning stages.
Have you considered https://roadtrippers.com ? It's a pay/subscribe site but considering paying for the access........ looks quite useful.
Edited by mattyn1 on Tuesday 9th May 23:39
I hadn’t seen / used the Roadtrippers site before, it does look interesting, our general rule of thumb is to travel in the mornings and site see in the afternoons, this trips a bit different simply because of the distances involved
We arrived at JFK Wednesday, immigration is always good as they ask why you’re here? How long and are always interested in hearing about the trip. Same with car rental counter, it goes like this:
Picking up today and dropping off in ……….San Francisco?????? Like everyone we meet they are fascinated by the journey.
Likewise hotels, always ask if you’re having a good day and what brings you to town and then the where you headed? We often get a “why are you here?” Just like yesterday when we checked in (Lafayette Indiana). It’s more pronounced in the fly-over states as I’m sure the nice folks behind the counter would much rather be anywhere else…….(on vacation, I’m sure they love there hometown)
Journey wise we’re 1000 miles in, once we cross into Iowa the Trafic will be a lot quieter. Our Dodge Ram is getting about 500 miles to £70 worth of petrol, not the most efficient but it’s comfy and sitting up a bit higher the views are good. Our credit card is working at the gas pumps (not always the case) avoiding having to prepay inside and then going back in to settle up.
Traffic is pretty fast moving, the Artics sit at about 70-75 so we keep just a bit quicker than that making it easy to tick off the miles. We brought a cool box and fill it from the hotel ice machines so we can have plenty of cold drinks.
Walmarts are good to stock up with essentials and Bass Pro Shops are really good for holiday type clothing (well everything outdoorsy).
We arrived at JFK Wednesday, immigration is always good as they ask why you’re here? How long and are always interested in hearing about the trip. Same with car rental counter, it goes like this:
Picking up today and dropping off in ……….San Francisco?????? Like everyone we meet they are fascinated by the journey.
Likewise hotels, always ask if you’re having a good day and what brings you to town and then the where you headed? We often get a “why are you here?” Just like yesterday when we checked in (Lafayette Indiana). It’s more pronounced in the fly-over states as I’m sure the nice folks behind the counter would much rather be anywhere else…….(on vacation, I’m sure they love there hometown)
Journey wise we’re 1000 miles in, once we cross into Iowa the Trafic will be a lot quieter. Our Dodge Ram is getting about 500 miles to £70 worth of petrol, not the most efficient but it’s comfy and sitting up a bit higher the views are good. Our credit card is working at the gas pumps (not always the case) avoiding having to prepay inside and then going back in to settle up.
Traffic is pretty fast moving, the Artics sit at about 70-75 so we keep just a bit quicker than that making it easy to tick off the miles. We brought a cool box and fill it from the hotel ice machines so we can have plenty of cold drinks.
Walmarts are good to stock up with essentials and Bass Pro Shops are really good for holiday type clothing (well everything outdoorsy).
Edited by Essarell on Saturday 20th May 11:48
Am so jealous! The trip sounds amazing.
Have this week got my knickers in a bit of a twist regarding cool boxes. Not convinced one would last being through hold luggage so intend to on arrival nip to Walmart and get one. Obvious solution is to use the hotel ice machines but was concerned of actual availability. We def need one as the wife is T1 diabetic, and she has her syringes etc. So was thinking of a plug in one but crikey they seem expensive, what do I do with it at the end, and what if the car does not have a 12v socket in the boot? So now have a couple of those socket adapter things (runs from a 12v and has US socket and USBs). I do overthink stuff!
This eased as I watch tv….. looking in the back ground of scenes at petrol stations and I can see ice machines everywhere. So now decided on getting a simple large normal cool box as we know we will be able to cope.
So am calm now!
Oh, and the San Francisco worries me, and need to look at an alternative stop after Yosemite. Thinking of Napa and then maybe to San Jose, and take in all the bridges, but keep trucking through SF.
Have this week got my knickers in a bit of a twist regarding cool boxes. Not convinced one would last being through hold luggage so intend to on arrival nip to Walmart and get one. Obvious solution is to use the hotel ice machines but was concerned of actual availability. We def need one as the wife is T1 diabetic, and she has her syringes etc. So was thinking of a plug in one but crikey they seem expensive, what do I do with it at the end, and what if the car does not have a 12v socket in the boot? So now have a couple of those socket adapter things (runs from a 12v and has US socket and USBs). I do overthink stuff!
This eased as I watch tv….. looking in the back ground of scenes at petrol stations and I can see ice machines everywhere. So now decided on getting a simple large normal cool box as we know we will be able to cope.
So am calm now!
Oh, and the San Francisco worries me, and need to look at an alternative stop after Yosemite. Thinking of Napa and then maybe to San Jose, and take in all the bridges, but keep trucking through SF.
Edited by mattyn1 on Saturday 20th May 13:13
mattyn1 said:
....I can see ice machines everywhere....
Yep. Once you're on the open road the motels have massive ice machines so you can grab a huge amount of free ice.Even the gas station ice is a Dollar or Two for a huge bag.
Don't bother with a 12v cooler they are useless unless you get a proper compressor one for several hundred bucks.
We use a Milwaukee Packout cool box, fits into our hold-all bag no problem, keeps ice for about 36 hours but I’ll refresh it everyday, as above ice is everywhere so no worries on that front:
Lovely run through Illinois this morning and into Wilmington:
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/krafdQKw[/url]
Recommend Mimi’s for a coffee:
Lovely run through Illinois this morning and into Wilmington:
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/krafdQKw[/url]Recommend Mimi’s for a coffee:
GreatGranny said:
Very jealous Essarell.
Looking like a great trip and one my wife and I have always talked about doing.
What made you decide on a pick up?
Question for you and OP/other posters who have done similar, what costs are we looking at?
Just a ball park for 3-5 weeks for example.
Cheers
Yes it’s a great trip, some big mileage days (today we have 500) and I wouldn’t exactly describe the Midwest as “scenic “ but it really does feel like an American Road trip. Watching America roll by is (for me at least) fascinating. It’s a different feel up in the Northern States as there aren’t many tourists this time of year so at night in bars and restaurants it’s locals and business travelers, we do stand out a bit. Looking like a great trip and one my wife and I have always talked about doing.
What made you decide on a pick up?
Question for you and OP/other posters who have done similar, what costs are we looking at?
Just a ball park for 3-5 weeks for example.
Cheers
Why the pick-up? Well it’s comfy, tons of storage space, a tailgate to use as a table for lunch etc and it has a really good 5.7l v8 engine……
Cost wise, this trip will cost circa £12k, maybe slightly less. that’s everything for 17 nights but broken down to hotels at £200 a night average (here in North Dakota it’s £100 but East and West coast hotels can be a lot lot more)
Fuel £60 a day
Parking costs in city centres
One way hire for the truck was £1800, even a small saloon was £1300.
Meals, I reckon about £100 a day as an average (for 2 people).
Flights were about £1500.
Because I am looking at summer 2024, I have based costings on this summer - so really hoping these come down somewhat. It appears it will just be me and the mrs now - daughter said at the weekend she does not want to go - which I am not surprised at to be honest. I would not want five weeks in the car with my parents when I was 17!!
But as follows:
Planning a five week jaunt - in Jul/Aug 24.
Flights Heathrow-Chicago, Los Angeles-Heathrow (economy) £1400. (Mrs has never flown Business so might plump for this and will see prices when they come available).
Car Hire (Mustang or preferably a Camaro) £2500-£3000.
Fuel. Approx £1300 for the estimated 5-6k miles. No idea how accurate this is but I used this to guide: https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/USA/gasoline_pr...
Accom £3600 (approx £100 per night - motels etc).
Food: Tricky but probably over egging this at £100 per day each. So £7000. There is method in this madness......
Contingency Budget: £40 each per day (probably on an empty CC and is strictly just in case). so approx £3000.
Then adding some sight seeing etc - Grand Canyon helicopter trip (£500), Universal Studios - although maybe not as the kids aint coming (£300), want to go to Royal Gorge in Co (really expensive at £200) and do some stuff there, plus some others that will still add up (think Yosemite, Hollywood, the Parks Pass, Pikes Peak, Alcatraz, Monument Valley, going up Willis Tower, and of course a couple of airport lounges (will definitely need one coming home as we will look for a night flight back so will need somewhere to shower etc).
there will be other stuff to pay for to see/do. That's where my over budget for food comes in.
Not much change out of £20k. ish BUT with a hope unless it goes wrong I will bring home (not spend) £2-3K.
So all being well, broadly £17k.
But as follows:
Planning a five week jaunt - in Jul/Aug 24.
Flights Heathrow-Chicago, Los Angeles-Heathrow (economy) £1400. (Mrs has never flown Business so might plump for this and will see prices when they come available).
Car Hire (Mustang or preferably a Camaro) £2500-£3000.
Fuel. Approx £1300 for the estimated 5-6k miles. No idea how accurate this is but I used this to guide: https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/USA/gasoline_pr...
Accom £3600 (approx £100 per night - motels etc).
Food: Tricky but probably over egging this at £100 per day each. So £7000. There is method in this madness......
Contingency Budget: £40 each per day (probably on an empty CC and is strictly just in case). so approx £3000.
Then adding some sight seeing etc - Grand Canyon helicopter trip (£500), Universal Studios - although maybe not as the kids aint coming (£300), want to go to Royal Gorge in Co (really expensive at £200) and do some stuff there, plus some others that will still add up (think Yosemite, Hollywood, the Parks Pass, Pikes Peak, Alcatraz, Monument Valley, going up Willis Tower, and of course a couple of airport lounges (will definitely need one coming home as we will look for a night flight back so will need somewhere to shower etc).
there will be other stuff to pay for to see/do. That's where my over budget for food comes in.
Not much change out of £20k. ish BUT with a hope unless it goes wrong I will bring home (not spend) £2-3K.
So all being well, broadly £17k.
I said before I was a detailed planner - just need to have that broad outline in my head what we are doing when. Mrs is keener to wing it!
After Monument Valley, if I can get to Holbrook, we can stay in the wigwam hotel and do Petrified Forest scenic drive before we hit the GC. Really depends on how long we spend at MV.
Area 51 after DV also is of concern - seems a lot for not much, but on the list as it seems a cool place to go, and I want to do the Loneliest Road, and Area 51 seems to link it together.
Seriously considering curtailing San Francisco based on the stories on that thread, and maybe just driving through and doing the bridges. Contemplating Yosemite to Napa Valley, to San Jose instead of the two nights in SF.
And I know - August - going to be a tadge warm. As its just me & the Mrs (for now until others change their minds) we are thinking convertible - but the heat is going to be a factor so sensible me is wondering whether we do a smaller SUV. Unsure just yet. Need to investigate the car rental piece a little more.
| Day | What | Miles | Sights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heathrow Airport Hotel | - | - |
| 2 | Fly to Chicago | - | - |
| 3 | Chicago | - | Willis Tower, Deep Dish Pizza, Navy Pier |
| 4 | Chicago-Springfield Il | 200 | R66, Joliet Prison, |
| 5 | Springfield-St Louis | 120 | Gateway Arch |
| 6 | St Louis-Springfield Mo | 215 | R66 |
| 7 | Springfield-Oklahoma City | 293 | R66, OK Memorial |
| 8 | Oklahoma City-Amarillo | 257 | R66, 72oz Steak Challenge |
| 9 | Amarillo-Albuquerque | 387 | R66 |
| 10 | Albuquerque | - | Rest day, Breaking Bad locations |
| 11 | Albuquerque-Canon City | 374 | Las Vegas NM Longmire Locations, |
| 12 | Canon City-Colorado Springs | 50 | Skyline Drive, Royal Gorge Park |
| 13 | Colorado Springs | 50 | Up/down Pikes Peak |
| 14 | Colorado Springs-Glenwood Springs | 200 | Independence Pass, Aspen, GW Caverns |
| 15 | Glenwood Springs-Durango | 300 | Million Dollar Highway |
| 16 | Durango-Monument Valley | 170 | Four Corners Monument, Forrest Gump Point, Monument Valley Sunset |
| 17 | Monument Valley-Gallup | 190 | Monument Valley Sunrise, Scenic drive |
| 18 | Gallup-Grand Canyon | 240 | GC Helicopter Tour, Sunset |
| 19 | Grand Canyon | - | Rest day, GC West Shuttles |
| 20 | Grand Canyon-Bryce Canyon | 317 | GC East Scenic drive, Navajo Bridge |
| 21 | Bryce Canyon-Las Vegas | 267 | Bryce scenic drive, Zion NP, Vegas Strip dusk drive |
| 22 | Las Vegas | - | erm – Vegas!! |
| 23 | Las Vegas-Barstow | 320 | Hoover Dam, R66 |
| 24 | Barstow-Death Valley | 153 | R66, DV Sunset, |
| 25 | Death Valley | - | DV Sunrise, DV Stuff |
| 26 | Death Valley-Alamo | 286 | Extra Terrestrial Highway, Area 51 |
| 27 | Alamo-Ely | 192 | Loneliest Road in USA, US Railroad Museum |
| 28 | Ely-Reno | 320 | Loneliest Road in USA |
| 29 | Reno-Yosemite | 250 | South Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass |
| 30 | Yosemite | - | Yosemite Stuff, Yosemite Sunset dinner train |
| 31 | Yosemite | - | more Yosemite stuff |
| 32 | Yosemite-San Francisco | 184 | Golden Gate Bridge |
| 33 | San Francisco | - | Alcatraz |
| 34 | San Francisco-San Simeon | 288 | PCH, Big Sur |
| 35 | San Simeon-Los Angeles | 250 | PCH, Santa Barb, Sunset Ranch (Hollywood sign) |
| 36 | Los Angeles | - | Universal Studios |
| 37 | Los Angeles-Santa Monica Pier-LAX | 40 | H’wood Blvd, Rodeo drive, Pier, Venice Beach, LAX, Ditch Car, Shower, home! |
After Monument Valley, if I can get to Holbrook, we can stay in the wigwam hotel and do Petrified Forest scenic drive before we hit the GC. Really depends on how long we spend at MV.
Area 51 after DV also is of concern - seems a lot for not much, but on the list as it seems a cool place to go, and I want to do the Loneliest Road, and Area 51 seems to link it together.
Seriously considering curtailing San Francisco based on the stories on that thread, and maybe just driving through and doing the bridges. Contemplating Yosemite to Napa Valley, to San Jose instead of the two nights in SF.
And I know - August - going to be a tadge warm. As its just me & the Mrs (for now until others change their minds) we are thinking convertible - but the heat is going to be a factor so sensible me is wondering whether we do a smaller SUV. Unsure just yet. Need to investigate the car rental piece a little more.
mattyn1 said:
And I know - August - going to be a tadge warm. As its just me & the Mrs (for now until others change their minds) we are thinking convertible - but the heat is going to be a factor so sensible me is wondering whether we do a smaller SUV. Unsure just yet. Need to investigate the car rental piece a little more.
I had a mustang convertible when I did my trip across Death Valley. It was too hot for us across the desert so we had the top up for most of that part of the trip.mattyn1 said:
I said before I was a detailed planner - just need to have that broad outline in my head what we are doing when. Mrs is keener to wing it!
After Monument Valley, if I can get to Holbrook, we can stay in the wigwam hotel and do Petrified Forest scenic drive before we hit the GC. Really depends on how long we spend at MV.
Area 51 after DV also is of concern - seems a lot for not much, but on the list as it seems a cool place to go, and I want to do the Loneliest Road, and Area 51 seems to link it together.
Seriously considering curtailing San Francisco based on the stories on that thread, and maybe just driving through and doing the bridges. Contemplating Yosemite to Napa Valley, to San Jose instead of the two nights in SF.
And I know - August - going to be a tadge warm. As its just me & the Mrs (for now until others change their minds) we are thinking convertible - but the heat is going to be a factor so sensible me is wondering whether we do a smaller SUV. Unsure just yet. Need to investigate the car rental piece a little more.
Nicely done, San Fran can be rough, we had gun shots late at night outside our hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf which in all honesty is a tourist trap, having said that we’ll be there in a week or so, staying in Tiburon and use the Ferry (Sausalito is also a good option) you’ll do the other SF stuff in the car, Lombard St and Coit Tower. Napa and Monterey make good alternatives to SF. | Day | What | Miles | Sights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heathrow Airport Hotel | - | - |
| 2 | Fly to Chicago | - | - |
| 3 | Chicago | - | Willis Tower, Deep Dish Pizza, Navy Pier |
| 4 | Chicago-Springfield Il | 200 | R66, Joliet Prison, |
| 5 | Springfield-St Louis | 120 | Gateway Arch |
| 6 | St Louis-Springfield Mo | 215 | R66 |
| 7 | Springfield-Oklahoma City | 293 | R66, OK Memorial |
| 8 | Oklahoma City-Amarillo | 257 | R66, 72oz Steak Challenge |
| 9 | Amarillo-Albuquerque | 387 | R66 |
| 10 | Albuquerque | - | Rest day, Breaking Bad locations |
| 11 | Albuquerque-Canon City | 374 | Las Vegas NM Longmire Locations, |
| 12 | Canon City-Colorado Springs | 50 | Skyline Drive, Royal Gorge Park |
| 13 | Colorado Springs | 50 | Up/down Pikes Peak |
| 14 | Colorado Springs-Glenwood Springs | 200 | Independence Pass, Aspen, GW Caverns |
| 15 | Glenwood Springs-Durango | 300 | Million Dollar Highway |
| 16 | Durango-Monument Valley | 170 | Four Corners Monument, Forrest Gump Point, Monument Valley Sunset |
| 17 | Monument Valley-Gallup | 190 | Monument Valley Sunrise, Scenic drive |
| 18 | Gallup-Grand Canyon | 240 | GC Helicopter Tour, Sunset |
| 19 | Grand Canyon | - | Rest day, GC West Shuttles |
| 20 | Grand Canyon-Bryce Canyon | 317 | GC East Scenic drive, Navajo Bridge |
| 21 | Bryce Canyon-Las Vegas | 267 | Bryce scenic drive, Zion NP, Vegas Strip dusk drive |
| 22 | Las Vegas | - | erm – Vegas!! |
| 23 | Las Vegas-Barstow | 320 | Hoover Dam, R66 |
| 24 | Barstow-Death Valley | 153 | R66, DV Sunset, |
| 25 | Death Valley | - | DV Sunrise, DV Stuff |
| 26 | Death Valley-Alamo | 286 | Extra Terrestrial Highway, Area 51 |
| 27 | Alamo-Ely | 192 | Loneliest Road in USA, US Railroad Museum |
| 28 | Ely-Reno | 320 | Loneliest Road in USA |
| 29 | Reno-Yosemite | 250 | South Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass |
| 30 | Yosemite | - | Yosemite Stuff, Yosemite Sunset dinner train |
| 31 | Yosemite | - | more Yosemite stuff |
| 32 | Yosemite-San Francisco | 184 | Golden Gate Bridge |
| 33 | San Francisco | - | Alcatraz |
| 34 | San Francisco-San Simeon | 288 | PCH, Big Sur |
| 35 | San Simeon-Los Angeles | 250 | PCH, Santa Barb, Sunset Ranch (Hollywood sign) |
| 36 | Los Angeles | - | Universal Studios |
| 37 | Los Angeles-Santa Monica Pier-LAX | 40 | H’wood Blvd, Rodeo drive, Pier, Venice Beach, LAX, Ditch Car, Shower, home! |
After Monument Valley, if I can get to Holbrook, we can stay in the wigwam hotel and do Petrified Forest scenic drive before we hit the GC. Really depends on how long we spend at MV.
Area 51 after DV also is of concern - seems a lot for not much, but on the list as it seems a cool place to go, and I want to do the Loneliest Road, and Area 51 seems to link it together.
Seriously considering curtailing San Francisco based on the stories on that thread, and maybe just driving through and doing the bridges. Contemplating Yosemite to Napa Valley, to San Jose instead of the two nights in SF.
And I know - August - going to be a tadge warm. As its just me & the Mrs (for now until others change their minds) we are thinking convertible - but the heat is going to be a factor so sensible me is wondering whether we do a smaller SUV. Unsure just yet. Need to investigate the car rental piece a little more.
Re the Grand Canyon is go for the North Rim instead, you’ll be that way anyway if your doing Monument Valley etc, views are far better (the North Rim is a 1000ft higher and it gets a lot less visitors.
Tracking through Oklahoma Id recommend staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, they have live music and dancing at Track 5 and its proper cowboy country. The memorial to the Oklahoma Bombing is incredibly well done, truly poignant and very moving.
St Louis also has the Budweiser Brewery which is worth a stop.
I’m not a big eater so there’s no way I could do the Big Texan Strak challenge but it’s a great place to visit.
Likewise the Breaking Bad locations, Walt’s House has cones outside and we’ve used the car wash which was hilarious.
Looks like an awesome itinerary. I would probably look to spend a whole day at Zion rather than trying to do both that and Bryce in the same day. It’s worth hiking up angels landing for the view of the valley, stunning, you do need permits now I believe.
In Albuquerque I can recommend the El Vado motel, pretty cool restoration they’ve done.
In Albuquerque I can recommend the El Vado motel, pretty cool restoration they’ve done.
Essarell said:
Nicely done, San Fran can be rough, we had gun shots late at night outside our hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf which in all honesty is a tourist trap, having said that we’ll be there in a week or so, staying in Tiburon and use the Ferry (Sausalito is also a good option) you’ll do the other SF stuff in the car, Lombard St and Coit Tower. Napa and Monterey make good alternatives to SF.
Re the Grand Canyon is go for the North Rim instead, you’ll be that way anyway if your doing Monument Valley etc, views are far better (the North Rim is a 1000ft higher and it gets a lot less visitors.
Tracking through Oklahoma Id recommend staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, they have live music and dancing at Track 5 and its proper cowboy country. The memorial to the Oklahoma Bombing is incredibly well done, truly poignant and very moving.
St Louis also has the Budweiser Brewery which is worth a stop.
I’m not a big eater so there’s no way I could do the Big Texan Strak challenge but it’s a great place to visit.
Likewise the Breaking Bad locations, Walt’s House has cones outside and we’ve used the car wash which was hilarious.
Good points to consider re alternatives to SF, thank you. Re the Grand Canyon is go for the North Rim instead, you’ll be that way anyway if your doing Monument Valley etc, views are far better (the North Rim is a 1000ft higher and it gets a lot less visitors.
Tracking through Oklahoma Id recommend staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, they have live music and dancing at Track 5 and its proper cowboy country. The memorial to the Oklahoma Bombing is incredibly well done, truly poignant and very moving.
St Louis also has the Budweiser Brewery which is worth a stop.
I’m not a big eater so there’s no way I could do the Big Texan Strak challenge but it’s a great place to visit.
Likewise the Breaking Bad locations, Walt’s House has cones outside and we’ve used the car wash which was hilarious.
Was aware of your comments about North Rim of GC - need to have a think about that - we want to do the helicopter ride, and we want to do as much of R66 as possible - wonder if I could come in from Williams, and do the helicopter tour, then next day do the eastward scenic drive to North rim. mmmmm........
djc206 said:
Looks like an awesome itinerary. I would probably look to spend a whole day at Zion rather than trying to do both that and Bryce in the same day. It’s worth hiking up angels landing for the view of the valley, stunning, you do need permits now I believe.
In Albuquerque I can recommend the El Vado motel, pretty cool restoration they’ve done.
Yeah thanks - you are not the first to suggest that about Zion/Bryce. Need to work out the detail but if I do the North rim as Essarell suggests, I could do Zion after North rim. Been recommended a scenic drive between Bryce and Zion so need to look at how much of that I can do as I head to Vegas.In Albuquerque I can recommend the El Vado motel, pretty cool restoration they’ve done.
Not convinced the Mrs will be able to do Angels Landing - she is mega scared of heights and looking tonight on YT - but it looks mega!
mattyn1 said:
Yeah thanks - you are not the first to suggest that about Zion/Bryce. Need to work out the detail but if I do the North rim as Essarell suggests, I could do Zion after North rim. Been recommended a scenic drive between Bryce and Zion so need to look at how much of that I can do as I head to Vegas.
Not convinced the Mrs will be able to do Angels Landing - she is mega scared of heights and looking tonight on YT - but it looks mega!
It’s probably not the best hike for someone with a bad fear of heights. You can do the first section up past Walters Wiggles get some half decent snaps of the valley and skip the last section with the chains which she might struggle with though. Alternatively just rent some gear from town and walk up the river.Not convinced the Mrs will be able to do Angels Landing - she is mega scared of heights and looking tonight on YT - but it looks mega!
The only thing that might limit your ability to do Zion is that in the past they used to close the road to tourists during the summer season and make you park up at the entrance and ride the bus around the valley. It’s well run but it is time consuming vs driving the valley floor yourself. I assume they’ve bought that back since covid?
The drive from Bryce to Zion/vice versa is bloody beautiful, the winding roads through the tunnels are amazing, definitely worth it.
It’s so difficult planning something like that because everyone says “don’t miss xyz” and you end up with enough to fill a 6 month trip. Cutting stuff out is the hard part for sure!
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