Road Trip - LA to San Fran to Vegas

"Whateverdudejustgo" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

We are planning the trip below during two weeks in mid August and
would love some feedback. Our priorities are seeing the main sights
and not getting off the beaten path too much, but allowing ourselves
enough time to relax at certain points...we enjoy some activities such
as hiking etc. but are not planning too much time in the national
parks (unless someone recommends something that we're not aware of).
Are we spending too much time in Vegas? Should we focus on anywhere
else? Are we spending too much time in San. Fran?

Please let us know what you think if you've done any of what we're
proposing and any must do's or don't's. Thanks in advance for any
feedback!

Monday Arrive in LA late afternoon head one hr north and stay at
motel (maybe Ventura?)
Tuesday Drive up coast 101 and costal route from Cambria to
Monterrey (prob. see Santa Barbara - 1 hr)
Wed Head from Monterrey to San. Fran. (walk around the
city, pier, golden gate)
Thurs San. Fran.
Fri San. Fran. (Alcatraz tour etc.) head to Napa.
Sat Wine tour, stay in Napa
Sun Napa drive through Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes (stay
somewhere around here)
Monday Mammoth Lakes to Vegas (through Death Valley) Arrive in
Vegas
Tuesday Vegas
Wed Vegas
Thurs Vegas
Fri Drive to LA to catch flight

MANY THANKS!!!

Too much stuff in too small of a time. You could spend a day in LA. Hit
the Getty Museum, very nice, free. You can also get tickets to the Getty
Mansion in Malibu. The drive up the coast from Cambria is time wise a long
trip as there are neat sights along the trip. The Herst Castle at San
Simeon, just above Cambria is very much worth the time. Plus the nice
winery areas around the Paso Robles area. The Big Sur coast is worth a few
stops for viewing. Plus a visit to Carmel as well as Monterey is warranted.
You are looking at a 150 mile drive from Monterey to San Francisco. From
Napa to Mammoth is an extremely long day. You are driving across the width
of the state and Yosemite is mostly a 25 mph area. Max is 45 mph. And in
August the traffic will not be flowing at max speed.

But even if it's not the ideal time to visit, it
can still be fun & educational, especially if the original poster has
never been there before.

True enough. And he'll presumably be doing this from an air
conditioned (they pretty much all are) rental car.

Something occurs to me -- mid August nights this year offers an
excellent chance of a full moon or nearly so by night; and that too is
a great desert experience, with lower temperatures (expect overnight
lows in the mid 80s F).

--Joe

On Thu, 5 Jun 2008 11:32:02 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

gas is much more pricey [in Death Valley].

I just did a quick Google and found a blog photo showing a DV station
selling it for $5.27 a gallon...
http://tinyurl.com/6983wu


Europeans - Germans in particular - seem to find it fascinating to be out in
100 plus (fahrenheit) degree weather.

Yes, a friend of mine used to work in DV and told me that Europeans
sometimes outnumber U.S. visitors in the summer. They're interested in
experiencing extreme heat which can't be found in Europe.

Wouldn't someplace in North Africa be simpler and cheaper?

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

On Thu, 5 Jun 2008 18:52:42 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:


I think Dave Hatunen got it *right. *It's a time of year to visit for
bragging rights...but in a cooler season you can appreciate
additional dimensions of it...

I agree completely. But even if it's not the ideal time to visit, it
can still be fun & educational, especially if the original poster has
never been there before.

I can understand that, particularly if DVe wer a place you had to
go through or near to go someplace else. But it's pretty out of
the way the time and money resources to get there in a season in
which all you can do is say you've been there seems a bit
excessive for the return.

Buy an inexpensive thermometer (that goes up to at least 120F)
and take a photo of it.

We once spent a long Halloween weekend car camping in DV and
running around from Ubehebe Crater and Death Valley Scotty's to
Saratoga Spring and had a delightful time.

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

I can understand that... But it's pretty out of the way ...
to get there in a season in which all you can do is say
you've been there

I agree it's not the best time to visit DV, Dave, and that it's a long
drive, but don't agree that a visit would only be good for bragging
rights. Even if you don't wander far from your car, you can still
admire the magnificent scenery as you drive around and when you get
out at overlooks.

James

On Fri, 6 Jun 2008 11:55:39 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:


I can understand that... But it's pretty out of the way ...
to get there in a season in which all you can do is say
you've been there

I agree it's not the best time to visit DV, Dave, and that it's a long
drive, but don't agree that a visit would only be good for bragging
rights. Even if you don't wander far from your car, you can still
admire the magnificent scenery as you drive around and when you get
out at overlooks.

It's a pesonal decision sort of thing as to whether the side trip
is worth it. You're not likely, for example, to get out and
stroll in the dunes or get out and go down to look at the pupfish
in their little marshy area.

You can see the Grand Canyon without hardly getting out of your
car, too.

Chacun a son gout...

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

Buy an inexpensive thermometer (that goes up to at least 120F)
and take a photo of it.

Yes; the odds are poor that it'll get hotter than that, at least if
you take the temperature in the official standardized manner (in the
shade with decent airflow and well above the ground, where
temperatures can be 15-20 deg. F higher than the honest air
temperature). It can, but usually doesn't.

The National Park Service author seems a little bemused by so many
people's desire to visit the place in summer, and offers some tips,
along with a warning in red letters that daytime hiking is not
recommended i except in the early morning or at higher elevations,
plus a recommendation that even in the (relatively) cool nights, low-
country camping is only for the hardy (ground temperatures again).
They also recommend on-road driving only.

One oh five is about my personal limit for anything other than a
hammock in the shade. De gustibus.

The more I think about this, the better I like the idea of driving
through at night. Besides the way moonlight gives the place an
eerie(r) beauty, night is when the desert lives, inasmuch as it does
show outward signs of life in high summer.

For planning a daytime drive to either avoid or embrace the heat: my
semi educated guess is that at 7 in the morning you'll still be fairly
close to whatever the overnight low was; it will approach three digits
around noon; and the high will be in late afternoon through early
evening.

--Joe

On Fri, 6 Jun 2008 14:40:13 -0700 (PDT), Ad absurdum per aspera
wrote:


Buy an inexpensive thermometer (that goes up to at least 120F)
and take a photo of it.

Yes; the odds are poor that it'll get hotter than that, at least if
you take the temperature in the official standardized manner (in the
shade with decent airflow and well above the ground, where
temperatures can be 15-20 deg. F higher than the honest air
temperature). It can, but usually doesn't.

Unfortunntely, you'll have to get your of the car and walk away
from the road to get a more or less accurate reading. On the
other hand, when it comes to showing what you are personally
experiencing, the ground temperature should count.

The National Park Service author seems a little bemused by so many
people's desire to visit the place in summer, and offers some tips,
along with a warning in red letters that daytime hiking is not
recommended i except in the early morning or at higher elevations,
plus a recommendation that even in the (relatively) cool nights, low-
country camping is only for the hardy (ground temperatures again).
They also recommend on-road driving only.

One oh five is about my personal limit for anything other than a
hammock in the shade. De gustibus.

We Tucsonans say, "what a wuss".

The more I think about this, the better I like the idea of driving
through at night. Besides the way moonlight gives the place an
eerie(r) beauty, night is when the desert lives, inasmuch as it does
show outward signs of life in high summer.

Getting to drive in a full moon takes some planning.


--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

my semi educated guess is that at 7 in the morning you'll still be fairly
close to whatever the overnight low was...

Yes; in fact weather.com let's you see predicted temperatures hour-by-
hour, and tonight (Friday) they're predicting the Death Valley low
will be 82F at 5am and just 2 degrees warmer at 7am.

http://www.weather.com/outlook/recre...hour/CANPDV:13
(it's spread over a couple of pages; click the "Next" link)

James

"Whateverdudejustgo" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

We are planning the trip below during two weeks in mid August and
would love some feedback. Our priorities are seeing the main sights
and not getting off the beaten path too much, but allowing ourselves
enough time to relax at certain points...we enjoy some activities such
as hiking etc. but are not planning too much time in the national
parks (unless someone recommends something that we're not aware of).
Are we spending too much time in Vegas? Should we focus on anywhere
else? Are we spending too much time in San. Fran?

Please let us know what you think if you've done any of what we're
proposing and any must do's or don't's. Thanks in advance for any
feedback!

Monday Arrive in LA late afternoon head one hr north and stay at
motel (maybe Ventura?)
Tuesday Drive up coast 101 and costal route from Cambria to
Monterey (prob. see Santa Barbara - 1 hr)
Wed Head from Monterrey to San. Fran. (walk around the
city, pier, golden gate)
Thurs San. Fran.
Fri San. Fran. (Alcatraz tour etc.) head to Napa.
Sat Wine tour, stay in Napa
Sun Napa drive through Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes (stay
somewhere around here)
Monday Mammoth Lakes to Vegas (through Death Valley) Arrive in
Vegas
Tuesday Vegas
Wed Vegas
Thurs Vegas
Fri Drive to LA to catch flight

MANY THANKS!!!

I left this for another recent vacation driver:
As for the drive thru the desert ... be mindful of the weather. Bring a
few cases of water to be safe. I use to drive to Vegas every year and
occasionally I would hear on the radio : a driver
died yesterday when he got a flat tire on the drive from .... the temp in
the desert during the day is HOT ( there's a reason it's called DEATH
Valley) and when/if you get out of your air-conditioned car and step into
the 120+ air you die from the extreme. If I did it in the summer, we
always did it at night. The Painted Desert at night was not scenic but it
was safe.

( This was for South - North drive)
When you get to Monterey, there is a Doubletree/Holiday Inn right off the
road. Dinner at the Monterey Fish House. Pay for the 17 mile drive then
stop at Pebble Beach , have a coke/beer on the deck overlooking the 18th
hole. ( You'll get credit for the fee you paid). Do the 17 mile drive,
( allow time to pull over - a LOT) then south to Carmel then Hearst
Castle ( tour is up to you - good - about $20 pp - check online for
pictures/info). Along the way, stop at Nepenthe for the view ( not early
AM - will be foggy). Hearst Castle overlooks ocean and a "Cavalier Best
Western " - on the water - nice 'non fancy' restaurant. Great prices for
room/food - firepits overlooking the ocean ... great spot. ( BTW - best
apple pie I've ever had - and I know my apple pie ). Then south to
Malibu, LAX.