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#21
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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. |
#22
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Road Trip - LA to San Fran to Vegas
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 |
#24
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Road Trip - LA to San Fran to Vegas
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#25
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Road Trip - LA to San Fran to Vegas
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 |
#26
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Road Trip - LA to San Fran to Vegas
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#27
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Road Trip - LA to San Fran to Vegas
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 |
#28
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Road Trip - LA to San Fran to Vegas
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 * |
#29
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Road Trip - LA to San Fran to Vegas
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 |
#30
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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 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. |
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