"Panawe" wrote in message
m...
Hi,

Advice please. I am planning a road trip (fly-drive from UK and stay in
hotels/motels) to the western US next year and I have a number of
questions.

I would like to go whale-watching and see Yosemite and Yellowstone Nat'l
parks (and others if feasible).

I don't like cities.

I am planning on 14 days, is this long enough?

Should I buy a package holiday or just book fly-drive and stay wherever I
end up?

If I book a package could someone recommend a good tour operator?

What's the best time to do this? I was thinking of October 2012.

Are there any hotels that I should not miss?

Are there any events I shouldn't miss?

Can someone recommend a book?

Any possibility of an astronomy event, star-watching party?

Thanks in advance, I realise I've asked a lot of questions.

--
Panawe

Yellowstone and Yosemite are probably 2 days drive apart and if the road
over Touolmne in Yosemite has closed by then possibly 3 days so 14 days is
doable but you're going to need to keep moving if you're going to do
anything more than spend a night in each of them (which would be silly).

I went to Yellowstone in September this year and previously in October a few
years ago. Weather on both occasions was lovely but the week before we
arrived in October we were told it had snowed and it has been known to snow
in July (but unusual).

Accommodation in and around ANY National Park is at a premium; book early
and BOOK. You're also going to be in some of the least populated parts of
the US where towns with motels I'd stay in can be 80/90 miles apart.
Staying in the parks is an experience - expensive and sometimes surprisingly
basic but I do it because it saves the hassle of driving in and out every
day. In Yosemite THE hotel is the Awanhee. In Yellowstone there are 3
Old Faithful, Mammoth and Lake and I wouldn't like to pick one over the
other. That's not to say I recommend any of those 4 - never stayed in any
of them but visiting each is worthwhile.

I like the Moon series of guidebooks but Lonely Planet or Rough Guide also
work. A Rand McNally road atlas can be useful - Amazon sell them in the
UK. Make sure you understand the scales - each page/state is different.

I would investigate flying to San Francisco and back from Denver - both
routes are operated non-stop. The fare will simply be half of each round
trip. However, that means paying a one way fee for your car. I'd book a
couple of nights in San Francisco to get over jet lag. I'm not a fan of
cities but San Francisco is one that I like. Parking in San Francisco is
like any city - bad and expensive. Book the car for the day you want to
start driving not the day you arrive - even though you'll be a pedestrian it
will also give you time to acclimatise to traffic on the wrong side.
Public transport is pretty good. Make sure you visit Alactraz - book in
advance. Have a read of their highway code
http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/driver_handbook_toc.htm - there are some things
we don't have.

Go south to Monterrey (use highway 1 through Half Moon Bay) and see the
aquarium and whales. Now head for Yosemite; you could go via Pinnacles.
Next north to pick I-80 east as far as Well, Nevada. Go north to Twin
Falls and on towards Sun Valley to turn right and make a stop at
http://www.nps.gov/crmo/index.htm then on to Yellowstone. From Yellowstone
I think I'd head south through Grand Teton and Jackson to I80 at Rock
Springs, Rawlins then south to come over the Rocky Mountain NP for a last
night in Boulder CO before flying home from Denver. You need a minimum of
2 nights in Yosemite and 3 in Yellowstone and that's an absolute minimum.
In Yellowstone you need to get up early (like before dawn) to get into the
prime wildlife spots when the animals are actually about and then go on to
have breakfast.

(That said THE way in/out of Yellowstone for me is the North East entrance
through Cooke City and up to Billings).

(Boulder is a small university city with a pedestrianised downtown. The
path along Boulder Creek leads directly to the edge of the Flatirons. We
stayed in the Quality Inn on Arapahoe which is within easy reach of both on
foot. Visit the Chautauqua there if you have time).