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#21
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
"Panawe" wrote in message ... On Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:07:15 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote: "Panawe" wrote in message m... On Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:34:52 +0000, Lauri Nurmi wrote: On 2011-10-12, Panawe wrote: On 10/10/2011 6:33 AM, Panawe wrote: I would like to go whale-watching and see Yosemite and Yellowstone Nat'l parks (and others if feasible). As regards my itinerary - what would you suggest given that I want to get the most out of my holiday? Should I leave Yellowstone for another time? Even if I extend the holiday to three weeks? You could drive less and still visit three national parks if you choose Yosemite, Death Valley and Grand Canyon (Arizona side). Hoover Dam and Las Vegas are along the assumed route, and might also be worth seeing. -LN Thanks to everyone for advice. I'm listening and I'm wondering now about 14 days fly-drive out of San Francisco followed by a week's package tour (a holiday within a holiday!) to Yellowstone flying to and from SFO. I could have a rest from driving on the Y'stone tour. What do you think? Or I could do the grand tour from Seattle to SF via.... stop it! -- Panawe Well, last year I participated in a Gray Line Alaska tour (Yukon and Alaska). It's the first time I ever went on something like it. I'm in 2 minds. It was nice not to have to keep driving. It was incredibly frustrating to go past things I wanted to look at and I didn't have enough time (even if I could have found transport) to explore the outskirts of Whitehorse or Fairbanks. The big benefit was when we got to Dawson and the road across to Tok was washed out. They simply hired a plane and away we went! On balance I would only do it again if I couldn't find a way of doing the journey under my own steam. I had wondered about a tour for you from San Francisco to Yosemite and Monterrey. Gray Line only do each as a one day tour (forget it). You might be able to stitch one or more Tauck Tours together with flights (or maybe even Amtrak) between e.g. http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...yoming-travel- yys-2012.aspx http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...lifornia-tour- ca-2012.aspx Or maybe Globus http://monograms.com/us-vacations/ but I'm not sure how you'd book some of the tours on that page. Globus are part of the same company as Cosmos and they seem to want me work work through Cosmos because I live in the UK and that is the page for people who live in the US. I've no doubt it's doable but it might be a slight struggle. It is pretty easy to organise a trip using car hire and motels. The trick is not to do too much driving and to allow the occasional "rest day" if only because you need to find a launderette (many motels have a machine). If you want help try someone like http://www.nahighways.co.uk/. Anything you see on their website can be changed/extended/shortened/sent places they don't normally list - the tours they list are examples; they can be booked but they don't have to look like that. I've never used them, I had a professional connection with them some years ago and they seemed competent but there are other similar specialists around. By the way, what part of the UK are you in? I keep assuming you're flying from London and that doesn't have to be the case. Hi Graham, I'm in the Midlands so would prefer to fly from Brum. It's a changing situation, now I'm thinking of leaving Yellowstone to another year and looking at fly-drive to San Francisco (2 nts) then Monterey (2 nts) to get the whale trip in, then Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lakes, Redwoods NP and back to SF over 14 days. Except I've missed Death valley which I'd have to do after Monterey and before Sequoia (bit tired at the moment). Far more sensible, haven't done the fine detail yet and any advice on routes welcome. I can't make my mind up whether to book a tour through a company or do it myself via the 'Net. You'd think doing the donkey work myself would work out cheaper but I'm not so sure. Thanks for the input. -- Panawe This is going to be a mixed up message with unconnected elements. I'm not clear if you've been to the USA before. I live in South Somerset. Exeter and Bristol are both about an hour away and Heathrow 2 hours (unless I try it on a summer weekend!). I simply ignore the alternatives and head for Heathrow. I enjoy flying. When I worked I was known for being quite ready to travel. That said, over the years I've decided non stop is best. On the N Atlantic that might a little more expensive but I'll pay that. Why? One is very basic - take off and landing are the most risky parts of flying, why increase the risk by adding extra take-offs/landings when I don't have to? The other is journey time. 10 hours to the west coast is bad enough. Why spend 7 hours going to the east coast and then 2/3 hours worrying about whether you'll make the connection and then another 5 hours on a different plane? It's no better going back to Europe on say Air France/KLM/Lufthansa it's the same hassle. And if you go via the USA you will have to clear customs at your point of entry, recheck your bags, find your way from international to domestic and go back through security. If you do go to Heathrow you'll find that both BA and Virgin offer a premium economy as well as basic economy. Ordinary economy is 10 across with 31 inches between seats. Premium economy is 8 abreast and 38 inches and extra baggage allowance. United have something they call Economy Plus which is normal 10 across seating but spaced out (can't remember how many inches). I'm a fan of what BA call World Traveller Plus. I was once warned about speeding by an American I was working with. I was on my way to rural Texas and he claimed the police in towns in rural places make their living by catching speeding out of towners. It's interesting watching traffic in the US. Get on a freeway within about 20 miles of a city and through that city and it's manic (assuming it's not a traffic jam). Speeding, switching lanes without signaling, undertaking, tailgating is rife. Once you're out in the sticks there's much less speeding and it must be in part because of the number of times I've come over a slight rise to find a police car in the median and speeding in small towns just doesn't really seem to happen (oh, and be really careful with school speed limits). I think you're discovering you're spoiled for choice. The west is full of opportunities. I'm going back to the idea of one way trips. You need to check because it keeps changing but in the past I've hired cars in Los Angeles and dropped them in San Francisco without having to pay a one way fee. I think it may also be possible to do if Las Vegas or San Diego is an endpoint. It may depend on the car hire company. A word about car hire - make sure you understand what is included and what isn't. The clerks at rental desks will try and sell you bigger cars, insurance you don't need and all sorts. The number of times I've had them try and sell me a bigger car than the one I hired and, when I turn it down, given me a bigger car because they don't have what I booked. This year I booked a Chevrolet Cruse (Mondeo sized) and got put in a Dodge Nitro 4x4. Doesn't always happen but book what you need and stick to your guns (but don't book something that is JUST big enough - go one size bigger). OK, where to go. What do you want to see? Mountains, big trees, Buffalo, Wolves, dark blue lakes, a mirror lake? Do you want to go for short strolls, day hikes, go horse riding? Even in a national park do you mind being surrounded by people (Yosemite valley)? What about other things? I like trains and planes so I'm always on the lookout for heritage railways and transport museums. I've taken trips to the USA where part of the reason has been to attend an air show for instance. Small towns sometimes have local museums with all sorts of stuff; one had a dentists surgery, another a pharmacy in a log cabin and yet another a collection of barbed wire! Some things bought in the USA are cheaper than in the UK. Some attract duty but come into your free allowance, others (books) are duty free anyway. Forget naming actual parks or cities for a moment and think about features instead. You've named whale watching, what else? As for planning the advantage of a specialist agent is they will have been to many of the places or dealt with their suppliers for some years. Do it yourself is sometimes a leap of faith but if you stick with middle of the road chain motels you're usually OK. The worst mistake I made was booking a (non chain) motel in Canada. The motel was very nice and I was initially happy to find the Canadian Pacific main line 10 feet from the door but when the trains ran all night I wasn't so happy! Easier to avoid these days with Google maps and Streetview. PS I'm away for the weekend. |
#22
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
"Graham Harrison" wrote in message ... "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. In the "off" season it's not. Accommodation IN the park may be, but outside you will have absolutely no difficulty finding something on arrival IME tim |
#23
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:11:54 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote:
"Panawe" wrote in message ... On Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:07:15 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote: "Panawe" wrote in message m... On Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:34:52 +0000, Lauri Nurmi wrote: On 2011-10-12, Panawe wrote: On 10/10/2011 6:33 AM, Panawe wrote: I would like to go whale-watching and see Yosemite and Yellowstone Nat'l parks (and others if feasible). As regards my itinerary - what would you suggest given that I want to get the most out of my holiday? Should I leave Yellowstone for another time? Even if I extend the holiday to three weeks? You could drive less and still visit three national parks if you choose Yosemite, Death Valley and Grand Canyon (Arizona side). Hoover Dam and Las Vegas are along the assumed route, and might also be worth seeing. -LN Thanks to everyone for advice. I'm listening and I'm wondering now about 14 days fly-drive out of San Francisco followed by a week's package tour (a holiday within a holiday!) to Yellowstone flying to and from SFO. I could have a rest from driving on the Y'stone tour. What do you think? Or I could do the grand tour from Seattle to SF via.... stop it! -- Panawe Well, last year I participated in a Gray Line Alaska tour (Yukon and Alaska). It's the first time I ever went on something like it. I'm in 2 minds. It was nice not to have to keep driving. It was incredibly frustrating to go past things I wanted to look at and I didn't have enough time (even if I could have found transport) to explore the outskirts of Whitehorse or Fairbanks. The big benefit was when we got to Dawson and the road across to Tok was washed out. They simply hired a plane and away we went! On balance I would only do it again if I couldn't find a way of doing the journey under my own steam. I had wondered about a tour for you from San Francisco to Yosemite and Monterrey. Gray Line only do each as a one day tour (forget it). You might be able to stitch one or more Tauck Tours together with flights (or maybe even Amtrak) between e.g. http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...ravel/wyoming- travel- yys-2012.aspx http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...el/california- tour- ca-2012.aspx Or maybe Globus http://monograms.com/us-vacations/ but I'm not sure how you'd book some of the tours on that page. Globus are part of the same company as Cosmos and they seem to want me work work through Cosmos because I live in the UK and that is the page for people who live in the US. I've no doubt it's doable but it might be a slight struggle. It is pretty easy to organise a trip using car hire and motels. The trick is not to do too much driving and to allow the occasional "rest day" if only because you need to find a launderette (many motels have a machine). If you want help try someone like http://www.nahighways.co.uk/. Anything you see on their website can be changed/extended/shortened/sent places they don't normally list - the tours they list are examples; they can be booked but they don't have to look like that. I've never used them, I had a professional connection with them some years ago and they seemed competent but there are other similar specialists around. By the way, what part of the UK are you in? I keep assuming you're flying from London and that doesn't have to be the case. Hi Graham, I'm in the Midlands so would prefer to fly from Brum. It's a changing situation, now I'm thinking of leaving Yellowstone to another year and looking at fly-drive to San Francisco (2 nts) then Monterey (2 nts) to get the whale trip in, then Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lakes, Redwoods NP and back to SF over 14 days. Except I've missed Death valley which I'd have to do after Monterey and before Sequoia (bit tired at the moment). Far more sensible, haven't done the fine detail yet and any advice on routes welcome. I can't make my mind up whether to book a tour through a company or do it myself via the 'Net. You'd think doing the donkey work myself would work out cheaper but I'm not so sure. Thanks for the input. -- Panawe This is going to be a mixed up message with unconnected elements. I'm not clear if you've been to the USA before. I live in South Somerset. Exeter and Bristol are both about an hour away and Heathrow 2 hours (unless I try it on a summer weekend!). I simply ignore the alternatives and head for Heathrow. I enjoy flying. When I worked I was known for being quite ready to travel. That said, over the years I've decided non stop is best. On the N Atlantic that might a little more expensive but I'll pay that. Why? One is very basic - take off and landing are the most risky parts of flying, why increase the risk by adding extra take-offs/landings when I don't have to? The other is journey time. 10 hours to the west coast is bad enough. Why spend 7 hours going to the east coast and then 2/3 hours worrying about whether you'll make the connection and then another 5 hours on a different plane? It's no better going back to Europe on say Air France/KLM/Lufthansa it's the same hassle. And if you go via the USA you will have to clear customs at your point of entry, recheck your bags, find your way from international to domestic and go back through security. If you do go to Heathrow you'll find that both BA and Virgin offer a premium economy as well as basic economy. Ordinary economy is 10 across with 31 inches between seats. Premium economy is 8 abreast and 38 inches and extra baggage allowance. United have something they call Economy Plus which is normal 10 across seating but spaced out (can't remember how many inches). I'm a fan of what BA call World Traveller Plus. I was once warned about speeding by an American I was working with. I was on my way to rural Texas and he claimed the police in towns in rural places make their living by catching speeding out of towners. It's interesting watching traffic in the US. Get on a freeway within about 20 miles of a city and through that city and it's manic (assuming it's not a traffic jam). Speeding, switching lanes without signaling, undertaking, tailgating is rife. Once you're out in the sticks there's much less speeding and it must be in part because of the number of times I've come over a slight rise to find a police car in the median and speeding in small towns just doesn't really seem to happen (oh, and be really careful with school speed limits). I think you're discovering you're spoiled for choice. The west is full of opportunities. I'm going back to the idea of one way trips. You need to check because it keeps changing but in the past I've hired cars in Los Angeles and dropped them in San Francisco without having to pay a one way fee. I think it may also be possible to do if Las Vegas or San Diego is an endpoint. It may depend on the car hire company. A word about car hire - make sure you understand what is included and what isn't. The clerks at rental desks will try and sell you bigger cars, insurance you don't need and all sorts. The number of times I've had them try and sell me a bigger car than the one I hired and, when I turn it down, given me a bigger car because they don't have what I booked. This year I booked a Chevrolet Cruse (Mondeo sized) and got put in a Dodge Nitro 4x4. Doesn't always happen but book what you need and stick to your guns (but don't book something that is JUST big enough - go one size bigger). OK, where to go. What do you want to see? Mountains, big trees, Buffalo, Wolves, dark blue lakes, a mirror lake? Do you want to go for short strolls, day hikes, go horse riding? Even in a national park do you mind being surrounded by people (Yosemite valley)? What about other things? I like trains and planes so I'm always on the lookout for heritage railways and transport museums. I've taken trips to the USA where part of the reason has been to attend an air show for instance. Small towns sometimes have local museums with all sorts of stuff; one had a dentists surgery, another a pharmacy in a log cabin and yet another a collection of barbed wire! Some things bought in the USA are cheaper than in the UK. Some attract duty but come into your free allowance, others (books) are duty free anyway. Forget naming actual parks or cities for a moment and think about features instead. You've named whale watching, what else? As for planning the advantage of a specialist agent is they will have been to many of the places or dealt with their suppliers for some years. Do it yourself is sometimes a leap of faith but if you stick with middle of the road chain motels you're usually OK. The worst mistake I made was booking a (non chain) motel in Canada. The motel was very nice and I was initially happy to find the Canadian Pacific main line 10 feet from the door but when the trains ran all night I wasn't so happy! Easier to avoid these days with Google maps and Streetview. PS I'm away for the weekend. 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 |
#24
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
On Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:15:16 -0700, jim davis wrote:
Where you flying in to? Suggest San Francisco or Seattle. 14 days is limiting as you are talking 1000s of miles and 500 a day driving is about tops. A couple of days in Yosemite is minimum. So much to see and so big. The drive on highway 1 down the Pacific coast is unbelievably beautiful but would take 2-3 days minimum. Lots of great small places to see, eat, etc. Whale watching IMHO is best in Hawaii. Could you squeeze that in? So much more to say as I lived in Hawaii then Northern California 30+ years and later retired to Washington on the Pacific coast. Any specific questions let me know. Jim On 10/10/2011 6:33 AM, Panawe wrote: 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. Hi Jim, I've posted this already but it was a mess, what do you think? Day From To Miles Sights 1 BHX SFO 2 San Francisco San Francisco 0 Alcatraz 3 San Francisco Monterey 121 Coast road 4 Monterey Monterey 0 Whale cruise 5 Monterey Morro Bay 123 Coast road 6 Morro Bay Sequoia, CA 93286 148 Scenic 7 Sequoia, CA 93286 El Portal 151 Scenic 8 El Portal El Portal Scenic 9 El Portal El Portal Scenic 10 El Portal Lake Tahoe 206 Travel 11 Lake Tahoe Shasta Lake 236 Travel 12 Shasta Lake Crescent City via Klamath Falls 320 Travel 13 Crescent City Fort Bragg 216 Scenic 14 Fort Bragg San Francisco 170 Scenic 15 San Francisco San Francisco Shopping 16 SFO BHX Looks better now! Missed out Crater Lakes and Death Valley, perhaps I should combine some of the travelling days? What do you think? Phil -- Panawe |
#25
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
"Panawe" wrote in message m... On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:11:54 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote: "Panawe" wrote in message ... On Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:07:15 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote: "Panawe" wrote in message m... On Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:34:52 +0000, Lauri Nurmi wrote: On 2011-10-12, Panawe wrote: On 10/10/2011 6:33 AM, Panawe wrote: I would like to go whale-watching and see Yosemite and Yellowstone Nat'l parks (and others if feasible). As regards my itinerary - what would you suggest given that I want to get the most out of my holiday? Should I leave Yellowstone for another time? Even if I extend the holiday to three weeks? You could drive less and still visit three national parks if you choose Yosemite, Death Valley and Grand Canyon (Arizona side). Hoover Dam and Las Vegas are along the assumed route, and might also be worth seeing. -LN Thanks to everyone for advice. I'm listening and I'm wondering now about 14 days fly-drive out of San Francisco followed by a week's package tour (a holiday within a holiday!) to Yellowstone flying to and from SFO. I could have a rest from driving on the Y'stone tour. What do you think? Or I could do the grand tour from Seattle to SF via.... stop it! -- Panawe Well, last year I participated in a Gray Line Alaska tour (Yukon and Alaska). It's the first time I ever went on something like it. I'm in 2 minds. It was nice not to have to keep driving. It was incredibly frustrating to go past things I wanted to look at and I didn't have enough time (even if I could have found transport) to explore the outskirts of Whitehorse or Fairbanks. The big benefit was when we got to Dawson and the road across to Tok was washed out. They simply hired a plane and away we went! On balance I would only do it again if I couldn't find a way of doing the journey under my own steam. I had wondered about a tour for you from San Francisco to Yosemite and Monterrey. Gray Line only do each as a one day tour (forget it). You might be able to stitch one or more Tauck Tours together with flights (or maybe even Amtrak) between e.g. http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...ravel/wyoming- travel- yys-2012.aspx http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...el/california- tour- ca-2012.aspx Or maybe Globus http://monograms.com/us-vacations/ but I'm not sure how you'd book some of the tours on that page. Globus are part of the same company as Cosmos and they seem to want me work work through Cosmos because I live in the UK and that is the page for people who live in the US. I've no doubt it's doable but it might be a slight struggle. It is pretty easy to organise a trip using car hire and motels. The trick is not to do too much driving and to allow the occasional "rest day" if only because you need to find a launderette (many motels have a machine). If you want help try someone like http://www.nahighways.co.uk/. Anything you see on their website can be changed/extended/shortened/sent places they don't normally list - the tours they list are examples; they can be booked but they don't have to look like that. I've never used them, I had a professional connection with them some years ago and they seemed competent but there are other similar specialists around. By the way, what part of the UK are you in? I keep assuming you're flying from London and that doesn't have to be the case. Hi Graham, I'm in the Midlands so would prefer to fly from Brum. It's a changing situation, now I'm thinking of leaving Yellowstone to another year and looking at fly-drive to San Francisco (2 nts) then Monterey (2 nts) to get the whale trip in, then Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lakes, Redwoods NP and back to SF over 14 days. Except I've missed Death valley which I'd have to do after Monterey and before Sequoia (bit tired at the moment). Far more sensible, haven't done the fine detail yet and any advice on routes welcome. I can't make my mind up whether to book a tour through a company or do it myself via the 'Net. You'd think doing the donkey work myself would work out cheaper but I'm not so sure. Thanks for the input. -- Panawe This is going to be a mixed up message with unconnected elements. I'm not clear if you've been to the USA before. I live in South Somerset. Exeter and Bristol are both about an hour away and Heathrow 2 hours (unless I try it on a summer weekend!). I simply ignore the alternatives and head for Heathrow. I enjoy flying. When I worked I was known for being quite ready to travel. That said, over the years I've decided non stop is best. On the N Atlantic that might a little more expensive but I'll pay that. Why? One is very basic - take off and landing are the most risky parts of flying, why increase the risk by adding extra take-offs/landings when I don't have to? The other is journey time. 10 hours to the west coast is bad enough. Why spend 7 hours going to the east coast and then 2/3 hours worrying about whether you'll make the connection and then another 5 hours on a different plane? It's no better going back to Europe on say Air France/KLM/Lufthansa it's the same hassle. And if you go via the USA you will have to clear customs at your point of entry, recheck your bags, find your way from international to domestic and go back through security. If you do go to Heathrow you'll find that both BA and Virgin offer a premium economy as well as basic economy. Ordinary economy is 10 across with 31 inches between seats. Premium economy is 8 abreast and 38 inches and extra baggage allowance. United have something they call Economy Plus which is normal 10 across seating but spaced out (can't remember how many inches). I'm a fan of what BA call World Traveller Plus. I was once warned about speeding by an American I was working with. I was on my way to rural Texas and he claimed the police in towns in rural places make their living by catching speeding out of towners. It's interesting watching traffic in the US. Get on a freeway within about 20 miles of a city and through that city and it's manic (assuming it's not a traffic jam). Speeding, switching lanes without signaling, undertaking, tailgating is rife. Once you're out in the sticks there's much less speeding and it must be in part because of the number of times I've come over a slight rise to find a police car in the median and speeding in small towns just doesn't really seem to happen (oh, and be really careful with school speed limits). I think you're discovering you're spoiled for choice. The west is full of opportunities. I'm going back to the idea of one way trips. You need to check because it keeps changing but in the past I've hired cars in Los Angeles and dropped them in San Francisco without having to pay a one way fee. I think it may also be possible to do if Las Vegas or San Diego is an endpoint. It may depend on the car hire company. A word about car hire - make sure you understand what is included and what isn't. The clerks at rental desks will try and sell you bigger cars, insurance you don't need and all sorts. The number of times I've had them try and sell me a bigger car than the one I hired and, when I turn it down, given me a bigger car because they don't have what I booked. This year I booked a Chevrolet Cruse (Mondeo sized) and got put in a Dodge Nitro 4x4. Doesn't always happen but book what you need and stick to your guns (but don't book something that is JUST big enough - go one size bigger). OK, where to go. What do you want to see? Mountains, big trees, Buffalo, Wolves, dark blue lakes, a mirror lake? Do you want to go for short strolls, day hikes, go horse riding? Even in a national park do you mind being surrounded by people (Yosemite valley)? What about other things? I like trains and planes so I'm always on the lookout for heritage railways and transport museums. I've taken trips to the USA where part of the reason has been to attend an air show for instance. Small towns sometimes have local museums with all sorts of stuff; one had a dentists surgery, another a pharmacy in a log cabin and yet another a collection of barbed wire! Some things bought in the USA are cheaper than in the UK. Some attract duty but come into your free allowance, others (books) are duty free anyway. Forget naming actual parks or cities for a moment and think about features instead. You've named whale watching, what else? As for planning the advantage of a specialist agent is they will have been to many of the places or dealt with their suppliers for some years. Do it yourself is sometimes a leap of faith but if you stick with middle of the road chain motels you're usually OK. The worst mistake I made was booking a (non chain) motel in Canada. The motel was very nice and I was initially happy to find the Canadian Pacific main line 10 feet from the door but when the trains ran all night I wasn't so happy! Easier to avoid these days with Google maps and Streetview. PS I'm away for the weekend. 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. |
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
Just would like to add the following piece of information just in case it
might help. Every State has (or should have) a Welcome Center near the state line. There should be a rack of Discount Booklets containing Coupons for Hotels/Motels etc. throughout the State Most of these are worth using as they offer rates much cheaper than the daily Rack rate. I use them all the time when traveling. The only negative is that they are "walk in" only--can't use them if you want to make a reservation--but that's never been a problem as there are usually lots of choices around where you want to stop. MLD "Graham Harrison" wrote in message ... "Panawe" wrote in message m... On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:11:54 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote: "Panawe" wrote in message ... On Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:07:15 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote: "Panawe" wrote in message m... On Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:34:52 +0000, Lauri Nurmi wrote: On 2011-10-12, Panawe wrote: On 10/10/2011 6:33 AM, Panawe wrote: I would like to go whale-watching and see Yosemite and Yellowstone Nat'l parks (and others if feasible). As regards my itinerary - what would you suggest given that I want to get the most out of my holiday? Should I leave Yellowstone for another time? Even if I extend the holiday to three weeks? You could drive less and still visit three national parks if you choose Yosemite, Death Valley and Grand Canyon (Arizona side). Hoover Dam and Las Vegas are along the assumed route, and might also be worth seeing. -LN Thanks to everyone for advice. I'm listening and I'm wondering now about 14 days fly-drive out of San Francisco followed by a week's package tour (a holiday within a holiday!) to Yellowstone flying to and from SFO. I could have a rest from driving on the Y'stone tour. What do you think? Or I could do the grand tour from Seattle to SF via.... stop it! -- Panawe Well, last year I participated in a Gray Line Alaska tour (Yukon and Alaska). It's the first time I ever went on something like it. I'm in 2 minds. It was nice not to have to keep driving. It was incredibly frustrating to go past things I wanted to look at and I didn't have enough time (even if I could have found transport) to explore the outskirts of Whitehorse or Fairbanks. The big benefit was when we got to Dawson and the road across to Tok was washed out. They simply hired a plane and away we went! On balance I would only do it again if I couldn't find a way of doing the journey under my own steam. I had wondered about a tour for you from San Francisco to Yosemite and Monterrey. Gray Line only do each as a one day tour (forget it). You might be able to stitch one or more Tauck Tours together with flights (or maybe even Amtrak) between e.g. http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...ravel/wyoming- travel- yys-2012.aspx http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...el/california- tour- ca-2012.aspx Or maybe Globus http://monograms.com/us-vacations/ but I'm not sure how you'd book some of the tours on that page. Globus are part of the same company as Cosmos and they seem to want me work work through Cosmos because I live in the UK and that is the page for people who live in the US. I've no doubt it's doable but it might be a slight struggle. It is pretty easy to organise a trip using car hire and motels. The trick is not to do too much driving and to allow the occasional "rest day" if only because you need to find a launderette (many motels have a machine). If you want help try someone like http://www.nahighways.co.uk/. Anything you see on their website can be changed/extended/shortened/sent places they don't normally list - the tours they list are examples; they can be booked but they don't have to look like that. I've never used them, I had a professional connection with them some years ago and they seemed competent but there are other similar specialists around. By the way, what part of the UK are you in? I keep assuming you're flying from London and that doesn't have to be the case. Hi Graham, I'm in the Midlands so would prefer to fly from Brum. It's a changing situation, now I'm thinking of leaving Yellowstone to another year and looking at fly-drive to San Francisco (2 nts) then Monterey (2 nts) to get the whale trip in, then Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lakes, Redwoods NP and back to SF over 14 days. Except I've missed Death valley which I'd have to do after Monterey and before Sequoia (bit tired at the moment). Far more sensible, haven't done the fine detail yet and any advice on routes welcome. I can't make my mind up whether to book a tour through a company or do it myself via the 'Net. You'd think doing the donkey work myself would work out cheaper but I'm not so sure. Thanks for the input. -- Panawe This is going to be a mixed up message with unconnected elements. I'm not clear if you've been to the USA before. I live in South Somerset. Exeter and Bristol are both about an hour away and Heathrow 2 hours (unless I try it on a summer weekend!). I simply ignore the alternatives and head for Heathrow. I enjoy flying. When I worked I was known for being quite ready to travel. That said, over the years I've decided non stop is best. On the N Atlantic that might a little more expensive but I'll pay that. Why? One is very basic - take off and landing are the most risky parts of flying, why increase the risk by adding extra take-offs/landings when I don't have to? The other is journey time. 10 hours to the west coast is bad enough. Why spend 7 hours going to the east coast and then 2/3 hours worrying about whether you'll make the connection and then another 5 hours on a different plane? It's no better going back to Europe on say Air France/KLM/Lufthansa it's the same hassle. And if you go via the USA you will have to clear customs at your point of entry, recheck your bags, find your way from international to domestic and go back through security. If you do go to Heathrow you'll find that both BA and Virgin offer a premium economy as well as basic economy. Ordinary economy is 10 across with 31 inches between seats. Premium economy is 8 abreast and 38 inches and extra baggage allowance. United have something they call Economy Plus which is normal 10 across seating but spaced out (can't remember how many inches). I'm a fan of what BA call World Traveller Plus. I was once warned about speeding by an American I was working with. I was on my way to rural Texas and he claimed the police in towns in rural places make their living by catching speeding out of towners. It's interesting watching traffic in the US. Get on a freeway within about 20 miles of a city and through that city and it's manic (assuming it's not a traffic jam). Speeding, switching lanes without signaling, undertaking, tailgating is rife. Once you're out in the sticks there's much less speeding and it must be in part because of the number of times I've come over a slight rise to find a police car in the median and speeding in small towns just doesn't really seem to happen (oh, and be really careful with school speed limits). I think you're discovering you're spoiled for choice. The west is full of opportunities. I'm going back to the idea of one way trips. You need to check because it keeps changing but in the past I've hired cars in Los Angeles and dropped them in San Francisco without having to pay a one way fee. I think it may also be possible to do if Las Vegas or San Diego is an endpoint. It may depend on the car hire company. A word about car hire - make sure you understand what is included and what isn't. The clerks at rental desks will try and sell you bigger cars, insurance you don't need and all sorts. The number of times I've had them try and sell me a bigger car than the one I hired and, when I turn it down, given me a bigger car because they don't have what I booked. This year I booked a Chevrolet Cruse (Mondeo sized) and got put in a Dodge Nitro 4x4. Doesn't always happen but book what you need and stick to your guns (but don't book something that is JUST big enough - go one size bigger). OK, where to go. What do you want to see? Mountains, big trees, Buffalo, Wolves, dark blue lakes, a mirror lake? Do you want to go for short strolls, day hikes, go horse riding? Even in a national park do you mind being surrounded by people (Yosemite valley)? What about other things? I like trains and planes so I'm always on the lookout for heritage railways and transport museums. I've taken trips to the USA where part of the reason has been to attend an air show for instance. Small towns sometimes have local museums with all sorts of stuff; one had a dentists surgery, another a pharmacy in a log cabin and yet another a collection of barbed wire! Some things bought in the USA are cheaper than in the UK. Some attract duty but come into your free allowance, others (books) are duty free anyway. Forget naming actual parks or cities for a moment and think about features instead. You've named whale watching, what else? As for planning the advantage of a specialist agent is they will have been to many of the places or dealt with their suppliers for some years. Do it yourself is sometimes a leap of faith but if you stick with middle of the road chain motels you're usually OK. The worst mistake I made was booking a (non chain) motel in Canada. The motel was very nice and I was initially happy to find the Canadian Pacific main line 10 feet from the door but when the trains ran all night I wasn't so happy! Easier to avoid these days with Google maps and Streetview. PS I'm away for the weekend. 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. |
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
On Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:03:15 -0400, MLD wrote:
Just would like to add the following piece of information just in case it might help. Every State has (or should have) a Welcome Center near the state line. There should be a rack of Discount Booklets containing Coupons for Hotels/Motels etc. throughout the State Most of these are worth using as they offer rates much cheaper than the daily Rack rate. I use them all the time when traveling. The only negative is that they are "walk in" only--can't use them if you want to make a reservation--but that's never been a problem as there are usually lots of choices around where you want to stop. MLD "Graham Harrison" wrote in message ... "Panawe" wrote in message m... On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:11:54 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote: "Panawe" wrote in message ... On Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:07:15 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote: "Panawe" wrote in message m... On Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:34:52 +0000, Lauri Nurmi wrote: On 2011-10-12, Panawe wrote: On 10/10/2011 6:33 AM, Panawe wrote: I would like to go whale-watching and see Yosemite and Yellowstone Nat'l parks (and others if feasible). As regards my itinerary - what would you suggest given that I want to get the most out of my holiday? Should I leave Yellowstone for another time? Even if I extend the holiday to three weeks? You could drive less and still visit three national parks if you choose Yosemite, Death Valley and Grand Canyon (Arizona side). Hoover Dam and Las Vegas are along the assumed route, and might also be worth seeing. -LN Thanks to everyone for advice. I'm listening and I'm wondering now about 14 days fly-drive out of San Francisco followed by a week's package tour (a holiday within a holiday!) to Yellowstone flying to and from SFO. I could have a rest from driving on the Y'stone tour. What do you think? Or I could do the grand tour from Seattle to SF via.... stop it! -- Panawe Well, last year I participated in a Gray Line Alaska tour (Yukon and Alaska). It's the first time I ever went on something like it. I'm in 2 minds. It was nice not to have to keep driving. It was incredibly frustrating to go past things I wanted to look at and I didn't have enough time (even if I could have found transport) to explore the outskirts of Whitehorse or Fairbanks. The big benefit was when we got to Dawson and the road across to Tok was washed out. They simply hired a plane and away we went! On balance I would only do it again if I couldn't find a way of doing the journey under my own steam. I had wondered about a tour for you from San Francisco to Yosemite and Monterrey. Gray Line only do each as a one day tour (forget it). You might be able to stitch one or more Tauck Tours together with flights (or maybe even Amtrak) between e.g. http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...ravel/wyoming- travel- yys-2012.aspx http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours...el/california- tour- ca-2012.aspx Or maybe Globus http://monograms.com/us-vacations/ but I'm not sure how you'd book some of the tours on that page. Globus are part of the same company as Cosmos and they seem to want me work work through Cosmos because I live in the UK and that is the page for people who live in the US. I've no doubt it's doable but it might be a slight struggle. It is pretty easy to organise a trip using car hire and motels. The trick is not to do too much driving and to allow the occasional "rest day" if only because you need to find a launderette (many motels have a machine). If you want help try someone like http://www.nahighways.co.uk/. Anything you see on their website can be changed/extended/shortened/sent places they don't normally list - the tours they list are examples; they can be booked but they don't have to look like that. I've never used them, I had a professional connection with them some years ago and they seemed competent but there are other similar specialists around. By the way, what part of the UK are you in? I keep assuming you're flying from London and that doesn't have to be the case. Hi Graham, I'm in the Midlands so would prefer to fly from Brum. It's a changing situation, now I'm thinking of leaving Yellowstone to another year and looking at fly-drive to San Francisco (2 nts) then Monterey (2 nts) to get the whale trip in, then Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lakes, Redwoods NP and back to SF over 14 days. Except I've missed Death valley which I'd have to do after Monterey and before Sequoia (bit tired at the moment). Far more sensible, haven't done the fine detail yet and any advice on routes welcome. I can't make my mind up whether to book a tour through a company or do it myself via the 'Net. You'd think doing the donkey work myself would work out cheaper but I'm not so sure. Thanks for the input. -- Panawe This is going to be a mixed up message with unconnected elements. I'm not clear if you've been to the USA before. I live in South Somerset. Exeter and Bristol are both about an hour away and Heathrow 2 hours (unless I try it on a summer weekend!). I simply ignore the alternatives and head for Heathrow. I enjoy flying. When I worked I was known for being quite ready to travel. That said, over the years I've decided non stop is best. On the N Atlantic that might a little more expensive but I'll pay that. Why? One is very basic - take off and landing are the most risky parts of flying, why increase the risk by adding extra take-offs/landings when I don't have to? The other is journey time. 10 hours to the west coast is bad enough. Why spend 7 hours going to the east coast and then 2/3 hours worrying about whether you'll make the connection and then another 5 hours on a different plane? It's no better going back to Europe on say Air France/KLM/Lufthansa it's the same hassle. And if you go via the USA you will have to clear customs at your point of entry, recheck your bags, find your way from international to domestic and go back through security. If you do go to Heathrow you'll find that both BA and Virgin offer a premium economy as well as basic economy. Ordinary economy is 10 across with 31 inches between seats. Premium economy is 8 abreast and 38 inches and extra baggage allowance. United have something they call Economy Plus which is normal 10 across seating but spaced out (can't remember how many inches). I'm a fan of what BA call World Traveller Plus. I was once warned about speeding by an American I was working with. I was on my way to rural Texas and he claimed the police in towns in rural places make their living by catching speeding out of towners. It's interesting watching traffic in the US. Get on a freeway within about 20 miles of a city and through that city and it's manic (assuming it's not a traffic jam). Speeding, switching lanes without signaling, undertaking, tailgating is rife. Once you're out in the sticks there's much less speeding and it must be in part because of the number of times I've come over a slight rise to find a police car in the median and speeding in small towns just doesn't really seem to happen (oh, and be really careful with school speed limits). I think you're discovering you're spoiled for choice. The west is full of opportunities. I'm going back to the idea of one way trips. You need to check because it keeps changing but in the past I've hired cars in Los Angeles and dropped them in San Francisco without having to pay a one way fee. I think it may also be possible to do if Las Vegas or San Diego is an endpoint. It may depend on the car hire company. A word about car hire - make sure you understand what is included and what isn't. The clerks at rental desks will try and sell you bigger cars, insurance you don't need and all sorts. The number of times I've had them try and sell me a bigger car than the one I hired and, when I turn it down, given me a bigger car because they don't have what I booked. This year I booked a Chevrolet Cruse (Mondeo sized) and got put in a Dodge Nitro 4x4. Doesn't always happen but book what you need and stick to your guns (but don't book something that is JUST big enough - go one size bigger). OK, where to go. What do you want to see? Mountains, big trees, Buffalo, Wolves, dark blue lakes, a mirror lake? Do you want to go for short strolls, day hikes, go horse riding? Even in a national park do you mind being surrounded by people (Yosemite valley)? What about other things? I like trains and planes so I'm always on the lookout for heritage railways and transport museums. I've taken trips to the USA where part of the reason has been to attend an air show for instance. Small towns sometimes have local museums with all sorts of stuff; one had a dentists surgery, another a pharmacy in a log cabin and yet another a collection of barbed wire! Some things bought in the USA are cheaper than in the UK. Some attract duty but come into your free allowance, others (books) are duty free anyway. Forget naming actual parks or cities for a moment and think about features instead. You've named whale watching, what else? As for planning the advantage of a specialist agent is they will have been to many of the places or dealt with their suppliers for some years. Do it yourself is sometimes a leap of faith but if you stick with middle of the road chain motels you're usually OK. The worst mistake I made was booking a (non chain) motel in Canada. The motel was very nice and I was initially happy to find the Canadian Pacific main line 10 feet from the door but when the trains ran all night I wasn't so happy! Easier to avoid these days with Google maps and Streetview. PS I'm away for the weekend. 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? option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=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. Thanks, all grist to the mill. I'm using the Trip Advisor forum as well as this place seems a tad quiet. Someone in there has suggested this... 1 BHX SFO 2 San Francisco San Francisco Alcatraz 3 San Francisco Monterey (121) PCH 4 Monterey Monterey Whale cruise 5 Monterey Cambria (103) PCH 6 Cambria Furnace Creek (382) Travel 7 Furnace Creek Lone Pine (106) Death Valley 8 Lone Pine Lee Vining (122) Mono Lake & Bodie State Park 9 Lee Vining El Portal (76) Yosemite 10 El Portal El Portal Yosemite 11 El Portal Lake Tahoe (206) Travel via Hwy 49 & 88 12 Lake Tahoe Lassen (150) Travel 13 Lassen Crescent City (330) Travel 14 Crescent City Fort Bragg (216) PCH via Hwy 101 to Hwy 1 15 Fort Bragg San Francisco (170) PCH via Hwy 101 to Hwy 1 16 San Francisco San Francisco Shopping 17 SFO BHX Not happy about the two long travelling days but I reckon to have a day in hand. Is there a worthwhile 2-day journey from Cambria to Furnace Creek? Cheers, |
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
Thanks, all grist to the mill. I'm using the Trip Advisor forum as well as this place seems a tad quiet. Someone in there has suggested this... 1 BHX SFO 2 San Francisco San Francisco Alcatraz 3 San Francisco Monterey (121) PCH 4 Monterey Monterey Whale cruise 5 Monterey Cambria (103) PCH 6 Cambria Furnace Creek (382) Travel 7 Furnace Creek Lone Pine (106) Death Valley 8 Lone Pine Lee Vining (122) Mono Lake & Bodie State Park 9 Lee Vining El Portal (76) Yosemite 10 El Portal El Portal Yosemite 11 El Portal Lake Tahoe (206) Travel via Hwy 49 & 88 12 Lake Tahoe Lassen (150) Travel 13 Lassen Crescent City (330) Travel 14 Crescent City Fort Bragg (216) PCH via Hwy 101 to Hwy 1 15 Fort Bragg San Francisco (170) PCH via Hwy 101 to Hwy 1 16 San Francisco San Francisco Shopping 17 SFO BHX Not happy about the two long travelling days but I reckon to have a day in hand. Is there a worthwhile 2-day journey from Cambria to Furnace Creek? Cheers, In the end the decision has to be yours. I reckon Cambria to Furnace Creek is going to be quite a day. Why not see if there's somewhere (Lone Pine, spend 2 nights there) before you get to Furnace Creek and then make a slightly longer day in Death Valley? As for Lassen to Crescent City you can save a lot of driving by simply going straight for the coast, crossing I5 at Redding and then driving up the coast. Yes, you have to come back the same way next day but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Firstly you get different views under different lighting conditions and, if you spot somewhere on the way up, you don't HAVE to stop then, you can mark it for the next day. There's not much accommodation in Lassen itself from memory. I seem to remember (we were coming from the north) stopping in Redding and then doing Lassen as a day trip and spending the next night in Chico (but Chico was dictated partly because of the university bookshop there). |
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
On Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:08:57 +0100, Graham Harrison wrote:
Thanks, all grist to the mill. I'm using the Trip Advisor forum as well as this place seems a tad quiet. Someone in there has suggested this... 1 BHX SFO 2 San Francisco San Francisco Alcatraz 3 San Francisco Monterey (121) PCH 4 Monterey Monterey Whale cruise 5 Monterey Cambria (103) PCH 6 Cambria Furnace Creek (382) Travel 7 Furnace Creek Lone Pine (106) Death Valley 8 Lone Pine Lee Vining (122) Mono Lake & Bodie State Park 9 Lee Vining El Portal (76) Yosemite 10 El Portal El Portal Yosemite 11 El Portal Lake Tahoe (206) Travel via Hwy 49 & 88 12 Lake Tahoe Lassen (150) Travel 13 Lassen Crescent City (330) Travel 14 Crescent City Fort Bragg (216) PCH via Hwy 101 to Hwy 1 15 Fort Bragg San Francisco (170) PCH via Hwy 101 to Hwy 1 16 San Francisco San Francisco Shopping 17 SFO BHX Not happy about the two long travelling days but I reckon to have a day in hand. Is there a worthwhile 2-day journey from Cambria to Furnace Creek? Cheers, In the end the decision has to be yours. I reckon Cambria to Furnace Creek is going to be quite a day. Why not see if there's somewhere (Lone Pine, spend 2 nights there) before you get to Furnace Creek and then make a slightly longer day in Death Valley? As for Lassen to Crescent City you can save a lot of driving by simply going straight for the coast, crossing I5 at Redding and then driving up the coast. Yes, you have to come back the same way next day but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Firstly you get different views under different lighting conditions and, if you spot somewhere on the way up, you don't HAVE to stop then, you can mark it for the next day. There's not much accommodation in Lassen itself from memory. I seem to remember (we were coming from the north) stopping in Redding and then doing Lassen as a day trip and spending the next night in Chico (but Chico was dictated partly because of the university bookshop there). Thanks. Still roughing it out, what do you think of this then? Day From To Miles Sights Route 1 BHX SFO 2 San Francisco San Francisco Alcatraz 3 San Francisco Monterey (121) PCH 4 Monterey Monterey Whale cruise 5 Monterey Cambria (103) PCH 6 Cambria Lone Pine (303) Travel 7 Lone Pine Lone Pine 0 Death Valley 8 Lone Pine Lee Vining (122) Mono Lake & Bodie State Park 9 Lee Vining El Portal (76) Yosemite 10 El Portal El Portal Yosemite 11 El Portal Lake Tahoe (206) Travel via Hwy 49 & 88 12 Lake Tahoe Redding (230) Travel 13 Redding Eureka (147) Redwood NP Via I5 14 Eureka Fort Bragg (133) Redwood NP & Ferndale PCH via Hwy 101 to Hwy 1 15 Fort Bragg San Francisco (170) PCH via Hwy 101 to Hwy 1 16 San Francisco San Francisco Shopping 17 SFO BHX It's not finished because I want to do Sequoia and Kings Canyon Phil -- Panawe |
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Road trip USA Nat'l parks
"Graham Harrison" wrote in message ... "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. |
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