2700 mile US Roadtrip

[Voltan]

Originally Posted by AngloScot

Hi, We flew in to San Francisco and drove up the coast road to Seattle then came down inland to Portland, Crater Lake etc. Finishing up in Palo Alto. We have done quite a few road trips in the States and I think this was one of the best and certainly the longest. Where did your trip take you ?

I was interested to read your USA route. We too have done several USA road trips, which I planned myself, covering thousands of miles driving. The last one was 2011 and we were tentatively contemplating another next year, co-incidentally around Oregon and Washington perhaps tagging on an Alaskan cruise, but aren't convinced there would be as much of interest compared to previous trips, so it's interesting to read that you thought this was your best. I'll need to do more research, I think.

It was my experience of driving Ford Explorer, Nisan Murano, Jeep Grand Cherokees or Dodge big automatic SUV's that made me yearn to drive something 'similar' over here but the fuel costs always dissuaded me, so settled for an XC60.

[Crockers]

We fancy that Alaskian cruise too. Thought of combining it with a trip to Vancouver and road trip to Jasper Park & Bamph or it it Banff. ???

[Voltan]

Originally Posted by Crockers

We fancy that Alaskian cruise too. Thought of combining it with a trip to Vancouver and road trip to Jasper Park & Bamph or it it Banff. ???

That sounds a great plan. We have great memories of one of our road trips which included southern Alberta across the Rockies to Vancouver visiting Banff (or as you rightly point out, how we say it, Bamph ), the Athabasca glacier etc., We took the car ferry from Vancouver to Victoria to go whale-watching, so would probably go from Seattle, as never been there, for an Alaskan cruise.

[AngloScot]

Originally Posted by Crockers

We flew into San Francisco Drove up to Yosemite, Sequoia. On to Death Valley. A few days in Vegas. Then up to Zion which is mind blowing. Grand Canyon. Lake Powell. Monument Valley. Moab. Mesa Verde. The ended up at Denver dropped off car flew to New England where my family all live. Up to NH to photograph the fall colours. All in all best part of 6 weeks.

Wow that must have been a Great 6 weeks.
New England was our very first roadtrip (1997) and we timed it perfect for the Leaf peeping. We've also done the other places you went to above, but haven't done Zion. We just love America and go every year.

[Daleman]

My trip eight years ago was around West North America and I still read the notes I made at the time to remind me how good it all was.
The trip involved 17 hotels 23 night’s away and 5,300 road miles. I planed all the hotels and journey times on line. Giving myself time to visit
major attractions but moving on at a steady pace to get the
entire itinerary all done within a reasonable time. The first day
took me from my starting point Dallas Texas to Amarillo (still in Texas) about 350
miles away (it seemed further and I realized what a vast journey I
was setting off on). The next day I was into New Mexico and
the scenery started to get really interesting. Deserts and
pillared rock formations all round; the scenery was straight
out of a Western Film! . The Second night and another 350
miles got me to Albuquerque. With time to spare I went up a
local mountain called Sandia Peak. At about 10,378 ft high
it had fantastic views all over New Mexico. It also boasted
the longest aerial tramway in the world. Not for me though
hanging about on cables I took the auto-mobile route right to
the top. The following day took me on another 350 miles to
Flagstaff Arizona. Flagstaff is in a lovely pine forest area
and reminded me of the Lake District in England .Not a bit
like the desert landscape of Arizona I expected. It was more
like Keswick. On the way to Flagstaff I called at a state
park called the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. The
desert truly looked painted with a spectacular array of
colours mainly purple and beige. The Petrified Forest was
formed when whole tree trunks turned to stone by absorbing
silica sediment and drying out to form stone trees. Although
the area of the Petrified Forest is now Desert it was once a
thriving tropical forest with strange Prehistoric Creatures
living there. I had two nights in Flagstaff allowing me all
day Sunday to go up and visit various points along the
Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon. The first sight of this
vast and humbling wonder of the world just leaves you stunned
trying to grasp the perspective and scale of just how big it
is. Ten miles wide and one mile deep. The Colorado River
appears as a stream in the bottom. Over two hundred miles
long it is massive and awe-inspiring. No words can really
explain the vision of this vast place. You have to see it
then you can hardly believe your eyes! The next day took me
further over the Arizona Desert calling in at the Hoover Dam
(blocking the Colorado river and forming the giant Lake Mead
as a reservoir). On a further 250 miles from Flagstaff to Las
Vegas Nevada brought me to what must be the Gambling Capitol
of the World. Las Vegas is in the middle of a desert with
mountains all round. The hotels and casinos are out of this
world. Lavishly built and fitted out with the very best
quality fitments. All had various themes such as Venice (the
Venetian) The Luxor (Egypt) Cesar’s Palace (Rome) and each
seemingly vying to be the best. All this seems to be financed
by the acres of slot machines that each one has with
thousands of punters gambling away eagerly. A strange
gamblers world that did not really appeal to me. The hotels
where fabulous to look round though and the food and service
spectacular. All at bargain prices to! Subsidized for the
gamblers who seemed to get an endless supply of drinks served
by a scantily clad ladies who only required a tip for
supplying free drinks! My three days in Las Vegas was too
long to be honest. Not being a gambler I found it all very
spectacular to see but I was ready to move on to my next (and
not long enough allowed for) stop Los Angeles California. I
was a bit scared of finding my way round Los Angeles it
looked really big but once there the place seemed to sprawl
out as a vast suburbia .Not half as imposing as I imagined. I
went down to Hollywood and had a look round .I saw the
Studios, the Mann’s Chinese theatre (where the stars leave
there hand prints) and the Roosevelt hotel where all the
stars stay. The pavements are littered with the stars names
thousands of them all over. I could see the famous Hollywood
sign on the Hillside. I could have done with longer here but
the itinerary I set myself didn’t allow it so on out of Los
Angeles following the coast rout to Malibu Beach and on to
Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara was a lovely place with a great
fishing pier. I idled about on the pier for a couple of hours
watching the seals and fishermen. Then away again up the
coast 50 miles to Lompoc for my nights stay before heading
another 75 miles on to San Luis Obispo. Then the scenery
really got interesting the coastline from San Luis Obispo up
to Monterey was stunning and the road even more entertaining.
Winding in and out of rocky coves at incredible heights with
fantastic views you where drawn to enjoying the driving
experience whilst looking at the surrounding scenery. Not an
ideal situation with regard to distractions and accidents so
many stop where had on the roadside just to look at the
fantastic Pacific Coastline along this area. All culminating
in the Big Sur peninsular. What a super drive and judging by
the amount of fancy open topped cars enjoying this route it
is a regular haunt of the motoring thrill and ambience
seeker’s “ for a good drive”. I had booked two nights at
Monterey and I was not disappointed. The Area was lovely with
a superb fishing harbour and dock. A lovely peninsular with
probably the most expensive houses in the USA sitting on
fantastic ocean views. This peninsular is called 17-mile
drive and is notorious for its beautiful and inspiring
coastline. While investigating the fishing harbour I found
boats offering Whale watching trips to view migrating Blue
Whales (the biggest) feeding in Monterey bays deep waters.
About 5 miles out and there she blows!! . Massive whales with
30 ft waterspouts blowing their lungs clear before making
another dive. They where all round the boat some of them 80 –
100 ft long. Really exciting and interesting and a super
sunny day made it more the entertaining. Definitely a
highlight of the trip. The next day I left Monterey heading
up the coast (more stunning Pacific Coastline) to San
Francisco coming in on the coast route .I saw the signs for
the Golden Gate Bridge and over I went. Wow just like on the
films? No better and very impressive. I walked back over it)
(full length both ways and took photos). An eerie mist
rolling in hid the top towers most of the time but all the
same very impressive. I found my hotel in Down town San
Francisco. Parked the car safely out of the way at the hotel
and set off on foot to explore it all. The Down Town area is
not that big and very hilly with expensive exclusive houses
and apartments in most areas. The fascinating China Town and
Docks area I found most interesting. At the Docks (busy) I
applied for and got a standby ticket for a trip to Alcatraz
the famous prison island in the bay. The trip and tour was
wonderful very interesting and the views back to the San
Francisco skyline stunning. Taking the famous Cable Trolley
Bus back to the hotel from Fisherman’s Wharf on the Hyde
Street –Powel street line. I really captured the feel of the
place. The next day I was out early and into the car for a
quick drive down Lombard Street the most crooked street in
the world. At the bottom I found a group of Japanese tourists
eagerly snapping away their cameras at my car coming down
the crooked street. Onwards out of the town area and over the
Bay Bridge (much bigger than the Golden Gate bridge but not
as impressive) I headed out through Oakland (a vast suburb of
San Francisco) towards the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the
Yosemite National Park some 200 miles away. I had booked two
nights at Yosemite. That enabled me to visit Mariposa Grove
at the southern end of the park on my first night. The forest
of giant Sequoias trees that grow to be three hundred feet
tall and live for 3000 years are situated there. These are
the biggest living things on Earth and if you think they
sound impressive they are. They are massive and the biggest
Big Grisly (and the oldest) is a monster. You feel like a
pixie in a giants world looking at these awesome trees .Its
very sobering to realize these things where growing here
before Jesus was born. What a lifespan!. The following
morning was a full day in the Yosemite Park proper and as you
drive in you see why this place is so special. Massive 3-4000
ft granite cliffs everywhere you look with fabulous domes and
peaks with near vertical features making the whole place just
stunning. No words or photos can do it justice .El Capitan a
Monster rock thousands of feet high as you first enter is
most impressive and sets the scene for the wonders you will
see in the rest of the park. You just have to see it to be
totally captivated by the size and secularity of it all. I
took a trail up a mountain to a fabulous waterfall. You could
spend weeks walking in this park and never tire of the
fascination of it all. The second night staying near the park
allowed me to take the Eastern Exit out of the park (closed
in winter because of snow) this involved driving some 100
miles up the park into the high Sierra Nevada (9,000 plus ft
high) with fabulous mountain peaks crystal clear lakes and
stunning scenery all the way up to the high mountain road
passes. Exiting the high Sierra in the Lee Vining area at the
large Mona Lake. I headed further north a 100 miles to my
next stop at Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is 40 miles long and 12
miles wide .Its very deep and crystal clear waters within a
stunning mountain setting make it a lovely place. A night in
South Lake Tahoe was followed the next morning by a superb
drive round the North shores to exit near Reno and start my
350 mile drive over the Great Nevada basin to Elko for an
overnight stay. This drive enhances the vastness of the USA
and the views of fabulous mountain ranges just unfold round
every corner of the interstate highway. Never boring there is
always something to catch your attention. From Elko I
continue over the great Nevada Basin into Utah and upon
topping a mountainous brow one is met by the vastness of the
Utah salt desert stretching into the distance to mountain
ranges as far away as the eye can see. The Bonneville Salt
Flats of Donald Campbell and Bluebird world land speed record
fame commanded a stop to see the plaque erected to
commemorate the events. (Since beaten by an American in a
rocket-powered car at some astronomical speed!!). All very
interesting and hard to believe- stunning really so vast and
empty nothing grows with the salt! . The Utah Salt flats turn
into the Great Salt Lake down near Salt Lake City. This lake
is massive and would be termed a sea in many countries. A
night’s stopover in Provo next to lake Utah was enhanced by
the stunning surrounding mountain ranges that I would begin
to climb the following day. Setting off early I climbed up
out of Provo high up into the Utah Dinosaur Mountains (many
Dinosaur bones have been discovered in this area) with
stunning rock and cliff formations all the way to Grand
Junction Colorado my next overnight stop. From Grand Junction
I continue up the Colorado River valley to Glenwood springs
turning up into the high Rockies and calling in at Aspen. The
exclusive place to be if you’re a star! What attracts all the
stars to it? (Not allot other than nice scenery and crazy
house prices (millions for a house) oh and a nice ski slope).
Leaving Aspen things really get high, like ft high. Most of
my journey since leaving the Yosemite area right through
Nevada and Utah has been in the 4000-6000 ft high altitude
(even in the deserts and salt flats). Aspen was 7000 ft high
but the real Rockies now started and it was up and up all the
way to the Independence passes at 12, 095 ft. Passing by the
old mining Ghost Town of Independence on the way. Fantastic
blue chip views all round up here of the high Rockies because
you’re at the same level. The air is thin and I could feel
the pull on my lungs to get the required oxygen. Leaving the
high Rockies pass I motored down away to Leadville the
highest town in the USA at 10,430 ft it is a left over from a
mining boom era in the 1800s when gold silver lead and
latterly molybdenum mines thrived (the last closing in 1987).
Its historic Victorian architecture buildings and Opera House
(the second only to the ones in St Louise & San Francisco for
size and popularity) once had a population of 30,000 in the
1800s but now around 7,000 live in the area. All sorts of
fortune hunters made and lost millions in Leadville. The
illustrious Molly Brown Famous for her survival from the
Titanic (and portrayed as the rough cut down to earth woman
in the film of said Ship) made her money there. A night in
Leadville before motoring down to Buena Vista with fabulous
views of the snow covered Rockies including the second
highest in Colorado Mount Massive at14,421. From Buena Vista
down through Florissant to Manitou Springs for a Drive up
Pikes Peak to a height of 14,110 ft. The drive up was a bit
scary with no guardrails and I just seemed to be going up and
up, 21 road miles of up in total but well worth it for the
fabulous views of the surrounding Rockies.
That night was spent in Manitou Springs an old Victorian
Spa Town just under Pikes Peak and on the outskirts of
Colorado Springs. The following morning another 350 miles
drive down to Amarillo then a final run of 350 miles from
Amarillo down to my starting point Dallas.
The whole trip was excellent and thoroughly enjoyable. So
easy to travel in the USA with fuel accommodation and food
all priced very reasonable .An excellent road system makes
traveling a pleasure. All told a super trip that has
certainly broadened my horizons and interest in the vastness
and interesting USA. It’s certainly wetted my appetite for
more. Another few days in Dallas then back to the England.
Back to cold weather no doubt. I never had any rain on the
first 22 days of the trip just clear blue sky’s all the way
and 80+ degrees mostly (thank goodness for the air
conditioning). A bit cool in the Rockies on a night but only
in high Leadville. Back to reality shortly as they say.

[AngloScot]

Daleman what you did in 23 days has taken me a few years of 2 and 3 week trips. I think I have done over 90% of where you went on your tour.I think we have been to 30 states now so believe me, there are still loads of amazing places and sights for you to go see. The US is the most diverse and fantastic country I have been to and I have been going every year since 1997. Now I am looking at the road map to see where we will head to in the new year. The Montana area is looking favourite at the moment.

[Daleman]

Yes wonderful journeys are to be had all over the USA and so easy as its all so convenient to travel.I have been going on and off since 1988 in fact I have had the equivalent of about three years in the states on holidays since 88. I have done the same in Australia too spending the equivalent of a year and a half over there .I have paid a fortune out in hire cars hence I tend to be not so extravagant with buying new cars over in England partly because they spend many days sat in the garage while am cruising the foreign free-ways .