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Road trip Cali/Ariz/Cali
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Mountainsandh wrote: »
It looks brilliant Siobhan, thanks.
I had a bit of a discussion with my 11 yo daughter this evening, showed her GC on Youtube and asked her would she prefer to give a day there and 5 hours there/6hrs back to LV, or get an extra day on the West Coast below San Fran where it's more ... "civilised". She reckoned she'd like to see GC, if the drive is ok with our chauffeur. I think the young fella will be the same. I guess they want to be able to say they saw it, and that's fair enough.
So provided Mr M is ok with the drive, the GC day might be back on the cards, with Oatman detour on the way back to LV anyway, because it looks too good to miss (donkeys !!! eek !)
Your Welcome. Glad to help
Totally see your daughter's point. My cousin showed me pictures of her visit to the GC when I was about 12 and ever since that I wanted to go see it for myself. Over 10 years later I finally managed to go and was amazed by it. Pictures/Video don't do the place justice. I plan on head back at some stage and doing the hike from the North Rim to the South Rim. Takes 3-4 day to complete the hike and you sleep down in the canyon at night 0 -
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We're not really beach goers anyway. Beach combers or walkers more.
I'm still looking in that general area though. Roughly, between Groveland area (that's the general target coming down from the 120 road across Yosemite) and San Francisco.
Don't know yet. Still open to everything.
Mr M found Santa Cruz to be a bit rough.0 -
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Yeah, I know the name Sonoma, I need to look into that alright, that could be nice, a bit less crowded, certainly more our kind of thing.
The men of the family are not really into cars actually.
We're a bit odd maybe as a family
We tend to run away from hip/trendy places, but we don't fit in the "hippy" thing either.
The more it goes, the more I think we'll pick a quiet town where we'll enjoy the minimum obligatory fireworks, but other than that we'll spend a day or two shopping in malls. We won't have had a chance to do all the big stores at that stage so there you go. I've a child chumping at the bit at the idea of Hobby lobby.0 -
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Mountainsandh, I booked our flights on the 30.12 when you posted this question and since then I've been away in the background organising the route and accommodation as best I could for 2 adults who've never been to the West Coast. We booked flights with BA into San Fran and out of San Diego to Las Vegas and then home.
I see the questions and comments posted about Santa Cruz. We plan on spending one night here and accommodation is quite peculiar compared to the choice in a major city. Mostly 2 story roadside inn type stuff so went for one of those as best I could because some are absolute dives. We'll do another night further south in San Luis Obispo and another night in Santa Barbara before heading into LA and then onto San Diego.
Santa Cruz because I like the idea of the pier and waterfront boardwalk type thing for the small time we'll be there.
San Luis Obispo because it's a nice small town(sort of) with a university in it so will have at least one nice bar and restaurant and it looks a nice town going by pictures.
Santa Barbara mainly because it appears on nearly every single road trip Itinerary so there must be something to it.(Prices though, shocking)
Throw a Convertible on top of it and it's a bucket list trip 0 -
Your trip sounds great too Berty, I'll let you know if I spot anything nice along that coast as I plan, and please let me know if you come across wacky and fun things to do for the kids
I don't think we'll get any lower down than LA, we arrive and leave from there, and so I'm timing it to just be back in LA, hang around 2 nights, and go.
I still haven't booked any accommodation yet.
My husband who goes there quite a bit is not too keen on booking early, he reckons we'll get better deals if we wait, but I'm not keen on that either, so I think we'll compromise, and I'll sneakily book Las Vegas, and probably Tonopah as it's small. The other places we can afford to be a bit more flexible.
Some of the motels look like right dumps alright, but then there's a good few that seem nice enough for cheap too.0 -
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Booking.com
€357 for the 4th July for 2 Adults and 2 Kids Zephyr
€243 Hilton Union Square(good price)
http://www.booking.com/searchresults.en-gb.html?label=gen173nr-1DCAEoggJCAlhYSDNiBW5vcmVmaGmIAQGYAS64AQzIAQ_YAQPoAQGoAgM&sid=04e59aecce2a190e071bc0c0e561adcb&age=5&age=8&checkin_month=7&checkin_monthday=4&checkin_year=2017&checkout_month=7&checkout_monthday=5&checkout_year=2017&class_interval=1&dest_id=20015732&dest_type=city&dtdisc=0&group_adults=2&group_children=2&hlrd=0&hyb_red=0&inac=0&label_click=undef&nha_red=0&no_rooms=1&postcard=0&raw_dest_type=city&redirected_from_city=0&redirected_from_landmark=0&redirected_from_region=0&room1=A%2CA%2C8%2C5&sb_price_type=total&search_selected=1&src=index&ss=San%20Francisco%2C%20California%2C%20USA&ss_all=0&ss_raw=san%20fran&ssb=empty&sshis=0&nflt=class%3D4%3B&lsf=class%7C4%7C52&unchecked_filter=class#map_closed
Better prices than what I'm getting 30 days earlier on the 3rd June
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mythical123 wrote: »That's a huge amount of driving in two weeks, remembering that the speed limit is 55 mph and you won't be driving that fast through the national parks (hilly twisty roads)
The drive from flagstaff to grand canyon through the sparse forest is absolutely beautiful
Aye, we're well aware of that We're campervan travellers so driving 3/4 hours a day is no bother to us, and pushing it a further 2 hours will be grand if needed. We drive 2 hours, and stop, generally (although with the camper it's grand to just drive on too). I suppose over there we'll probably stop more frequently on some stretches, and less on others, depending on what there is to see. We can also cancel or change plans if we fancy a quieter day, that's why I don't want to book too much either. (we're only renting a car over there not a camper)
Himself is a musician, and travelling from A to B everyday when on tour in the US is par for the course, so he doesn't mind. He didn't do the stretch through Yosemite so he's looking forward to that, and hasn't stopped in LV either.
I think I remember that Flagstaff road alright, and when we went we started from Sedona that day, and the stretch Sedona Flagstaff was stunning too ! We took the scenic road along gorges I think.0 -
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Booking.com
€357 for the 4th July for 2 Adults and 2 Kids Zephyr
€243 Hilton Union Square(good price)
http://www.booking.com/searchresults.en-gb.html?label=gen173nr-1DCAEoggJCAlhYSDNiBW5vcmVmaGmIAQGYAS64AQzIAQ_YAQPoAQGoAgM&sid=04e59aecce2a190e071bc0c0e561adcb&age=5&age=8&checkin_month=7&checkin_monthday=4&checkin_year=2017&checkout_month=7&checkout_monthday=5&checkout_year=2017&class_interval=1&dest_id=20015732&dest_type=city&dtdisc=0&group_adults=2&group_children=2&hlrd=0&hyb_red=0&inac=0&label_click=undef&nha_red=0&no_rooms=1&postcard=0&raw_dest_type=city&redirected_from_city=0&redirected_from_landmark=0&redirected_from_region=0&room1=A%2CA%2C8%2C5&sb_price_type=total&search_selected=1&src=index&ss=San%20Francisco%2C%20California%2C%20USA&ss_all=0&ss_raw=san%20fran&ssb=empty&sshis=0&nflt=class%3D4%3B&lsf=class%7C4%7C52&unchecked_filter=class#map_closed
Better prices than what I'm getting 30 days earlier on the 3rd June
Really ? That's weird !
357 is too much for us, I mean, we could, but I'd rather pay less there and do more things. We were going to spend 2 nights in San Fran so 700 is a big chunk. We stayed in Sheraton or Best Western or something like that right close to Fisherman's Wharf when we went, got a very good price with priceline, so we might go for that again. It wasn't fancy at all, but great location and very clean.
edit : looking at it there, and prices are close enough to Zephyr. We might end up a bit further away from FWharf. 0 -
Aye, we're well aware of that
We're campervan travellers so driving 3/4 hours a day is no bother to us, and pushing it a further 2 hours will be grand if needed.
It might be a good idea to enter each driving leg into Google to get an idea of the journey times. 3-4hrs doesn't get you far out West. For instance, Las Vegas to San Francisco needs ~10hrs when you include fuel and food stops.0 -
It might be a good idea to enter each driving leg into Google to get an idea of the journey times. 3-4hrs doesn't get you far out West. For instance, Las Vegas to San Francisco needs ~10hrs when you include fuel and food stops.
That's exactly how I plan our journeys
I do it all the time for French trips in the camper.
We chop and change things if we really don't fancy a drive a certain day, but tbh, it's usually the opposite that happens : we plan to stay in a spot 2 nights, but have enough of it after the first night and move along.
For example 29 palms to Flagstaff is 5 hours exactly. That's why I wasn't too sure about going to Grand Canyon, because I tend to stay under a comfortable 4 hours drive every day.
But it is a stop the kids really want to do, so we'll have two 5 hour drives, there (from 29 Palms) and back to Las Vegas. We like to break such journeys with a long lunch and visits. For example on the way to Flagstaff, we might stop at Kingman where there seems to be plenty of air conditioned shops, or Seligman where the Roadkill café seems very quirky (but there isn't much else). On the way back from GC to LV, we're planning to stop at Oatman (thanks to a poster's advice here !). The heat might be a bit of an issue so we'll see how long we last out of air conditioning.
The only reservation I have about these drives (say, around Arizona) is the heat in the middle of the day, it's not idyllic for rest stops.
We're not going to cross Las Vegas to SF, we'll be in Tonopah, on to Mono lake and stop a bit, then drive down to Mariposa or thereabouts. That's a bit long for my taste, but accommodation in Lee Vining is not too appealing to our driver, so he'd like to just drive on the same day.
I love planning our trips, but we also don't hesitate to change plans at the last minute, so it's all about finding a balance between booking hotels and not booking for me at the moment.0 -
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We're just back from our travels, and I want to thank all posters here for their excellent advice, extra thanks to jme for the Oatman tip, it was definitely a highlight of our trip !
We did all the driving we had planned in 14 days no bother, the trip was a bit shorter on the West coast as Highway 1 along the sea is still closed due to a massive landslide along Big Sur, and the wild fires. So we had to travel inland, but that was fine. We lengthened trip with some more scenic roads here and there, so it balanced itself out. Our heads are full of sights and experiences.
We went to Joshua Tree Np, then on to Williams with a stop at Road Kill café in Seligman, Road 66. Highest temperature on the day 117 degrees F ! My camera was acting a bit erratically when stepping out to take pictures at times.
We drove to Grand Canyon, only stayed a short bit, as on the return trip we stopped at Bearizona, and then at Oatman. The old road 66 bit to get up there was gorgeous and hairy at times !
We reached LV that evening and spent 2 days there, were happily surprised with it, as it was a lot more kid friendly than we expected. We had a limo pick up helicopter trip to see the strip at night, kept it a surprise for the kids, it was brilliant ! It was around $350 for 4 of us, but I did have to pay an extra $50 for 2 of us to sit at front with pilot once we were there. You put an option on the front seat, and pay there and then if you do get it on the night.
We went on to the ET Highway, did everything there, and drove to the back entrance to Area 51, the one closer to the Little Ale'Inn, and saw the camo men We all chickened out and videoed and photographed from inside the car as the camo men were doing doughnuts in the little yard at the gate, presumably to let us know they were there, and all the camera gear and warnings make it pretty daunting.
We drove on to Tonopah where we spent the night, and the next day on to Mono Lake, then Yosemite Tioga pass. The pass only opened the day before (very late this year !) and so it was like being in phoenix park to be honest, we much preferred the previous beautiful roads through the desert and the scenic one to Mono Lake, sure we even saw wild Mustangs there !
We stopped in Stockton purely as a sleep stop and went to 6 flags the next day. Then it was on to Humboldt Redwoods, and stay Fortuna, then Fort Bragg.
Fort Bragg despite the clinging sea fog turned out one of our favourite spot, less touristy, friendly people, no airs and graces, and a brilliant seafood chipper on the harbour for the 4th of July.
We then spent 2 days in SF, stayed near the airport. One child after the other took ill between Fortuna and SF as they caught a bug in 6 flags, so we had to cancel a whale watching trip in Monterey that was planned on the way down the coast. It just wasn't worth the chance of any of us being extra sick on the boat that day. We went straight for Cambria, what a gorgeous little place, and with a vintage car rally taking place at the hotel (pine lodges, highly recommended).
Our final 2 nights were spent in Los Angeles, which we weren't impressed with at all. Husband knew the place already, so thankfully we had kept it for the end and only had final 2 nights there, I really would not go out of my way to revisit tbh. Most time spent in aggressive traffic, fraction spent discovering. We did more shopping than visiting there.
It's hard to pinpoint a favourite, but for me it was all the desert roads, Arizona and Nevada, then Mono County. Loved the scenery, and seeing how people live there. I'd love to go back there some time.
edit : I forgot to mention a tip for anyone considering a similar trip : we purchased the America The Beautiful national parks pass for $80 at the entrance to Joshua Tree Np. It means anytime you hit a np, you don't have to pay, and it's valid for a year. We recouped that within this trip with Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, but also little charges in Mono Lake and Humboldt, and husband is due to visit the US twice before the end of this year so he might get even more use out of it. It might be worth it for some, if you are thinking of hitting a few national parks. Sometimes it's just a car park fee you have to pay, but it all adds up !0
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