"Graham Harrison" wrote in message
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"Panawe" wrote in message
m...
On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:11:54 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote:

/snip - follow the thread/

I'll have to think on your point about direct flights as I was hoping to
go from Birmingham. I've had another shot at an itinerary, here goes...

From -To -Miles -Sights
BHX -SFO
San Francisco -San Francisco -0 -Alcatraz
San Francisco -Monterey -121 -Coast road
Monterey -Monterey -0 -Whale cruise
Monterey -Morro Bay -123 -Coast road
Morro Bay -Sequoia, CA 93286 -148 -Scenic
Sequoia, CA 93286 -El Portal -151 -Scenic
El Portal -El Portal -Scenic
El Portal -El Portal -Scenic
El Portal -Lake Tahoe -206 -Travel
Lake Tahoe -Shasta Lake -236 -Travel
Shasta Lake -Crescent City via Klamath Falls -320 -Travel
Crescent City -Fort Bragg -216 -Scenic
Fort Bragg -San Francisco -170 -Scenic
San Francisco -San Francisco -Shopping
SFO -BHX

Looks a mess. No Yellowstone, Grand Canyon or even Death valley!

--
Panawe

My own view is that you'll enjoy yourself more if you don't try and overdo
it and this looks much more reasonable. I am however intrigued by the
Shasta/Crescent City day. Why go via Klamath Falls? It's the long way
round!

I also have a suggestion for your last day(s). My wife had an aunt who
emigrated to the USA and for many years lived on the San Francisco
peninsular; initially in San Mateo (town, it's a county as well) and later
in Foster City (which is in San Mateo county). If you cross the Golden
Gate and don't stop in San Francisco and keep going past the airport about
5/10 miles further on you'll come first to San Mateo and then Foster City.
You say you want to spend the last day(s) shopping. Well,
http://www.hillsdale.com/ and Metro Center Shopping Center (in Foster City)
offer a pretty good selection of US retail if that's what you want.
There's a Holiday Inn and a Residence Inn in Foster City and a Howard
Johnson on the El Camino between Hillsdale and San Mateo and a Best Western
at the junction of 101 and Hillsdale Blvd. We used to stay in the
Residence Inn but that was because it was near Aunt in Foster City and it
had/has apartment type rooms which we could all stay in. As an alternative
there are lots of motels/hotels in the immediate area around the airport and
http://www.theshopsattanforan.com/ in the same area (it was being
redeveloped last time we were there - 3 years ago, looks like they've
finished). The two areas aren't far apart so it's easy to stay in one and
shop in the other. In either case you can keep the car without having to
worry about parking. If you like fish to eat I like
http://www.thefishmarket.com/locations.aspx?id=4.

A couple of other thoughts. Half Moon Bay, on US1 as you head out on day 1
is worth a quick stop as is Carmel. South of Monterrey US1 isn't quick.
It took us all day to get from Monterrey down to San Simeon only partly
because of all the stops we made. And San Simeon is where you'll find
Hearst Castle. It's difficult to explain how I feel about Hearst Castle.
I'm glad we took the tour but my memory is of a building that was in the
worst taste in almost every possible way. He plundered the world to
acquire whole rooms (walls and all!). San Luis Obispo might be a better
stop than Morro Bay (I know, it's further despite what I just said!). They
have
http://www.downtownslo.com/index.php...11&It emid=13
which has all sorts (including music and food on the streets) if you turn up
on the correct days.

If you're feeling frustrated at omitting Yellowstone you can get some of the
thermal experience in Lassen Park and there's a geyser in Calistoga.

********
I'm coming into this discussion late. My own two bits -

1. Shopping
If you stay in San Mateo County (where SFO is located) your last days
here, visit the Stanford Shopping Center. This shopping center is very much
on the upscale side and is located on El Camino Real basically to the north
of the Sanford University campus.

2. Discount lodgings
At most tourist stops - restaurants and fast food places along the major
highways, highway rest stops, etc. - you will find free pamphlets touting
lodging discounts.
One comes with a predominately green cover - http://www.roomsaver.com/
One comes with a predominately yellow cover -
http://www.travelcouponguide.com/
These discounts are real. Read the conditions. They usually do not include
Fridays, Saturdays, or big event days. But they make for sizeable savings.

3. Bishop
Given that you're going up hwy 395 from Lone Pine to Lee Vining, stop
for 20-30 minutes at the Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop to view Galen
Rowell and Barbara Rowell's images.
Cheapest gas in the general area (Lone Pine to Bridgeport) is at the
Indian casino just north of Bishop. The Giggling Springs gas station in
Bishop itself is generally a tad more expensive.

4. Death Valley
Fill your gas tank before you enter the valley. Gas is expensive there.
Cheapest nearby is at Beatty, about 45 minutes to an hour from Furnace
Creek. The ruins of Rhyolite are close to Beatty.

5. Big Sur
Similarly, fill your gas tank before you venture south of Monterrey.
Gas is expensive in Big Sur until you reach the Arco station just off hwy 1
in Morro Bay.