Western US Vacation Help Needed

MD wrote:
Thanks, we'll stock up on the water for the DV portion.

Joshua Tree is a great deal south of our planned route, but I'm open
for suggestions on alternative routes.

Forget Joshua Tree. Take US-395.

I'm suprised no one has said I must go to Tuscon.

Forget Tucson, except the spelling. Take US-395.

MD wrote:
Thanks, we'll stock up on the water for the DV portion.

Joshua Tree is a great deal south of our planned route, but I'm open
for suggestions on alternative routes.

Forget Joshua Tree. Take US-395.

I'm suprised no one has said I must go to Tuscon.

Forget Tucson, except the spelling. Take US-395.

I'm getting some valuable information from everyone. I should have
mentioned that we'll be staying in hotels although I'm considering
camping out one night.

No one has said anything about the portion of the trip heading West on
Highway 40 from Amirillo Texas across all of New Mexico and over half
of Arizona to the Grand Canyon.

Are there any "must see" places along this stretch of highway?

MD

I'm getting some valuable information from everyone. I should have
mentioned that we'll be staying in hotels although I'm considering
camping out one night.

No one has said anything about the portion of the trip heading West on
Highway 40 from Amirillo Texas across all of New Mexico and over half
of Arizona to the Grand Canyon.

Are there any "must see" places along this stretch of highway?

MD

In article . com,
MD wrote:
Should we also see the Devil's postpile?

The Devils Postpile is one of my favorite dayhiking spots anywhere.
The postpile itself is only moderately interesting, however. I
wouldn't advise you to go there unless you want to take a real hike.

In article . com,
MD wrote:
Should we also see the Devil's postpile?

The Devils Postpile is one of my favorite dayhiking spots anywhere.
The postpile itself is only moderately interesting, however. I
wouldn't advise you to go there unless you want to take a real hike.

In article . com,
MD wrote:
Should we also see the Devil's postpile?

The Devils Postpile is one of my favorite dayhiking spots anywhere.
The postpile itself is only moderately interesting, however. I
wouldn't advise you to go there unless you want to take a real hike.

On 27 Mar 2005 16:44:17 -0800, "MD" wrote:

I'm getting some valuable information from everyone. I should have
mentioned that we'll be staying in hotels although I'm considering
camping out one night.

No one has said anything about the portion of the trip heading West on
Highway 40 from Amirillo Texas across all of New Mexico and over half
of Arizona to the Grand Canyon.

Are there any "must see" places along this stretch of highway?

MD

Having driven over much of the US west at one time or another, all I
can say is that you've got an ambitious trip for only 11 days.
Considering the distances you're going to cover, you're going to spend
a lot of your time behind the wheel.

That said, Petroglyph monument is just to the west of Albuquerque,
it's an interesting site to see. A couple of hundred miles further
west is Petrified Forest NP. The painted desert is there too. You'll
likely enter at the east end of the park by that desert. The road
through passes through several interesting petrified formations.
DON'T take any petrified wood. The rangers can search your car and
there's big fines for taking any. The souvenier shops sell it from
places off the park.

The biggest mistake you're making is the only 1 day you'll be at the
Grand Canyon. I did that two summers ago, and regret that to this
day. I think you ought to have 2 days there, 3 if you want to
hike/walk into the canyon.

Xanterra is the concessionaire for the Grand Canyon, give them a call
or go to their website for a room reservation at the Canyon. There's
also a Best Western and one other just outside the south entrance to
the park.

When you continue west, you'll come to highway 93 where you'll
probably want to turn northwest to go through Las Vegas. In June of
2003, there were a lot of signs (large ones) that said no trucks or
RVs would be allowed to cross Hoover dam. About 5 miles away from the
dam, the Arizona highway patrol was conducting searches of all
vehicles. I also note that construction was underway for a bridge
that will bypass the dam. Eventually all traffic will no longer drive
across the top of the dam. BTW, Lake Mead looked very low back then.
I don't know if they've finished construction of that bridge. There's
a similar checkpoint on the Nevada side for traffic going into
Arizona, but I didn't have to visit them.

I've been in Death Valley in the summer, it's really hot. Take plenty
of water. There's an excellent hotel there, Furnace Creek Inn. This
year the news had stories of the place getting a lot of rain and the
large fields of wildflowers that had sprung up.

I have not driven up 395, I can't remark on that. I have entered
Yosemite via Nevada, even in July and into August there will be snow
in the meadow by the west entrance. Very cool.

Sequoia NP/King's Canyon NP is considerably south of Yosemite, I'm not
sure you can do that with your plan to go to SF then drive south. If
you golf, maybe you get play a round at Pebble Beach in Monterrey.

On 26 Mar 2005 04:48:50 -0800, "MD" wrote:

I need some help planning a vacation out west this summer. We'll be
flying in to Dallas for business and then driving a rental car to LA.
We'll depart Dallas in the rental car on the morning of June 26 and
we'll fly home from LA on Thursday, July 7. This is a total of 11
full days.



One other thing, you would go to Mono Lake after Grand Canyon.

It would go like this -

Dallas - Albuquerque - Petrified Forest - Flagstaff - north to Grand
Canyon, come back south to I-40 then hwy 93 to Las Vegas. From LV,
Death Valley, 395 to the postpile, mono lake, yosemite, San Franciso
then south to LA.

OR

You could leave GC via the east entrance, turn north to Page, AZ then
go towards St. George, Utah then south to Las Vegas. That gives you
an opportunity to see either the north rim of the canyon or Zion NP.
If you go that way, you'll cross what I think is the most barren
landscape in the whole country. About 20 years ago my wife and I
drove from Page, AZ south to the GC. I hadn't filled up the gas tank
in Page 'cause the map made it look close. Well, it was farther than
it looked on the map plus there was NOTHING crossing that area besides
the highway. Just lots of red sand. No weeds, no rocks, no houses,
no nothing. Just red sand. And it was hot.

On 26 Mar 2005 04:48:50 -0800, "MD" wrote:

I need some help planning a vacation out west this summer. We'll be
flying in to Dallas for business and then driving a rental car to LA.
We'll depart Dallas in the rental car on the morning of June 26 and
we'll fly home from LA on Thursday, July 7. This is a total of 11
full days.



One other thing, you would go to Mono Lake after Grand Canyon.

It would go like this -

Dallas - Albuquerque - Petrified Forest - Flagstaff - north to Grand
Canyon, come back south to I-40 then hwy 93 to Las Vegas. From LV,
Death Valley, 395 to the postpile, mono lake, yosemite, San Franciso
then south to LA.

OR

You could leave GC via the east entrance, turn north to Page, AZ then
go towards St. George, Utah then south to Las Vegas. That gives you
an opportunity to see either the north rim of the canyon or Zion NP.
If you go that way, you'll cross what I think is the most barren
landscape in the whole country. About 20 years ago my wife and I
drove from Page, AZ south to the GC. I hadn't filled up the gas tank
in Page 'cause the map made it look close. Well, it was farther than
it looked on the map plus there was NOTHING crossing that area besides
the highway. Just lots of red sand. No weeds, no rocks, no houses,
no nothing. Just red sand. And it was hot.