Suggestions for a Road Trip?

[zeebad1]

Towards the end of July, and into August, my wife & I are planning on leaving northern Illinois, and driving to the west coast.

We would like to see or do:

• Yellowstone & Glacier National Parks
• Drive along the Pacific Ocean
• Visit my sister in Petaluma, CA.
• Go thru, or avoid LA?
• Visit our son in Texas. (SE of Dallas.)
• Drive on Rte. 66 as much as possible.

We don't have any schedule to keep, but thought we had better make some kind of plan. We can make the loop either direction, but are probably leaning towards going north first.

I would like to hear of any "can't miss" suggestions while on this trip.
I don't want people asking "did you see this, or do that" when we get back, and find out that we just missed something great.

Will we get tired of driving along the west coast? I always hear about Hwy 101, and it looks like fun, but would guess a lot of it is all alike.

We will be in the 2010, so we need to try to avoid any roads that aren't conducive to a lowered rear wheel drive car that we don't really care to drive off the pavement with.


Any thoughts on what to load up as a "survival package?"

• Tire plug kit
• Fire extinguisher
• "Fix-a-Flat"
• Bear repellant (Suggestion from friend that's been to Glacier Nat. Park.)
• Drinks & snacks
• Blankets & warm clothing/raingear.

Any tips or suggestions will be appreciated. Even the "what not to do" thoughts would be welcomed.

If we were really good, I could keep a running post of where we are, and see who is nearby. It's always enjoyable to meet others out of our own little world.

TIA

[Ladybugsmom]

Are you making it a round trip??? Or is there a destination on the West Coast that you have in mind? (I will make other suggestions based on the answer, but Glacier is a must - my favorite place in the US....)

[zeebad1]

Originally Posted by Ladybugsmom

Are you making it a round trip??? Or is there a destination on the West Coast that you have in mind? (I will make other suggestions based on the answer, but Glacier is a must - my favorite place in the US....)

Round trip. Petaluma, CA. is the only definite stop on the west coast so far.

[heRS]

Hwy 2 from montana into idaho and washington is pretty, take hwy 20 across the Cascades in WA, and there is a road from Bellingham, WA to Bow, WA called Chuckanut Drive. One of the most scenic drives in the USA. It's right on the Puget Sound, then take one of the ferrys over to the Olympic Peninsula and check out the rain forest. Excellent sight-seeing stuff and some very awesome roads.

[hotrodsally]

1. WATER
2. WATER
3. WATER



These are the top things if you're planning to traverse the Desert SW, especially during the summer.

If you decide to come up through Vegas, and spend a night or 2 here, see the Fountains at the Bellagio (outdoors), At night, drive LV Blvd (The Strip) with no intention other than to cruise it, See a Cirque du Soleil show, spend some evening hours on Fremont Street at Fremont Street Experience.

25 miles due W of LV, Visit Red Rock Canyon.

30 Miles SE of Vegas visit the Hoover Dam, continue another 250 miles or so to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (or park your car in LV and take a helicoptor or airplane tour of the Grand Canyon).

North out of LV, into Southern Utah, see Zion National Park, go east and south to Page AZ, Lake Powell, the Glen Canyon Dam and tour the famous Antelope (Slot) Canyon. Continue North and east to Bryce Canyon and the Grand Staircase, Escalante UT.

Head towards Moab UT, tour Arches National Park and book a half or full day excursion rafting the Colorado River.

TOMS1SS from AZ has travelled parts of Route 66 and posted on here.


The pics, posted in order, are:

1) Red Rock Canyon, So NV
2) Lake Powell, Page AZ
3) Antelope Canyon, Page AZ
4) Bryce Canyon, UT

[Ivas]

You should include some racing at the Irwindale, CA drag strip (Off the tiny section of the 605 that is north of the 210). Racing for anyone is Thursday evenings and costs $20 per tech card. It's an 1/8 mile, shucks, so doin' passes faster than 7 seconds translates to runnin' quick tens in the 1/4. I hope to see ya' there.

[hotrodsally]

Depending on your route, you may want to spend some time touring Lake Tahoe. Here are some pics, fresh from this morning.

Thanks Jimbo!

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...15#post4992715

[Ladybugsmom]

I think you should take either I80 or I90 to Yellowstone, then after visiting there (you'll need at LEAST a couple of days) head north to Glacier (mostly on US 89), then after a few days there, take US 2 through Idaho (a stop in Couer D'Alene would be nice) and Washington (a detour up to HWY 20 to cross the mountains is a very good idea). After visiting Washington (drop me a line, if I have the day off, I'll be happy to show you around!) be sure to take a side trip to see Mount St. Helens on your way south. The 32nd anniversary of her eruption was on May 18th, and I hear they have some new displays at the visitor center. A nice overnight or longer stop on your way south, on the Oregon Coast is Cannon Beach. If you go 101 all the way south, it's going to make the trip a LOT longer. You could go I5 through OR, then cut over to 101 through northern CA the rest of the way to Petaluma.

[Skogen]

Hit me up if you have any questions about passing through Montana.

Yellowstone is pretty. You will probably see some elk and LOTS of buffalo.

BUT... Glacier Park is BEAUTIFUL. If it is hit one or the other, hit Glacier. Remember, Montana is HUGE, so plan some travel time. But if you cruise down interstate to Billings, go up to Redlodge and over the pass to Cooke City and then head NW, up the Rocky Mountain front, that is a great drive also.

Going to the Sun Road is a must if in Glacier. Mini Glacier is wonderful also. And if you are that close, dont forget about the Canadian Glacier Park also (if you have your passport). Banff is just north of there.

I travel all over MT, give me a shout if you have any questions.

[Iroczlover]

if you like classic cars & what have you stop through RENO NV August 6th-12th & Check out the largest classic car show west of the mississippi HOT AUGUST NIGHTS & look for

[Sir Nuke]

you made mention of not missing hwy 101.....turely, don't miss it, K personally drove 101 from Eugene Or. to San Francisco.....it was a total blast.

ALSO, since you are going the northern route towards the west....Mount Rushmore, and right down from it, the Crazy Horse Monument.....you can do both in one day with no problem.

[Animal]

I'd suggest a full size spare or at the very least, a tire without the wheel. In some places a replacement tire is a next day service after the morning supply run. 20" tires just aren't in stock in the city (especially a matching one), let alone BF Montana.

An AAA card or equivalent and I'd pay the extra for the 100 mile towing, just in case the Chevy tow to the nearest dealer doesn't curl your toes... as the nearest Chevy dealer may not be convenient.

I'd also get a power inverter, to charge tablets, camera batteries and such on the way.

As always stuff happens and think about what your tolerance is.

[zeebad1]

Thanks for all of the response. It sounds like there is more to see than we could cram into this lifetime, but we sure will have to try!

[mastertypodemon]

Originally Posted by zeebad1

Towards the end of July, and into August, my wife & I are planning on leaving northern Illinois, and driving to the west coast.

We would like to see or do:

• Go thru, or avoid LA?
• Visit our son in Texas. (SE of Dallas.)
• Drive on Rte. 66 as much as possible.

Louisiana or Los Angeles? Actually never mind, best to avoid both.

Route 66 cuts through Texas if you are willing to take a detour a bit from the Illinois-Dallas drive. Also out in West Texas next to Amarillo (make it by morning) you can check out Cadillac Ranch.

Route 66 is better out west in my opinion though. Arizona/California areas.

Edit : Also, if you're going to be driving in one of the larger states or any state with deserts in it, I recommend stopping for gas whenever possible when you get to 3/4 a tank or under. When I got out of the Marines, I left 29Palms heading a different way than normal and nearly ran out of gas before getting to I-10. The only couple of stations that I passed were deserted.

[CamaroSkooter]

You do know that August 2-5 is Camaro5 Fest in Indy, right?

[zeebad1]

Originally Posted by CamaroSkooter

You do know that August 2-5 is Camaro5 Fest in Indy, right?

Yeah, I know!!!
Timing!!!

[zeebad1]

We are planning on leaving later this week.

Here is a general route that I've mapped out with the specific places that we would like to visit. It looks to be a little over 6200 miles.

We may deviate from this at any time.







If anyone has any suggestions along the way, please feel free to make some recommendations.

We still don't have a projected timeline. No schedule to keep, and no real hurry to get back home. If we can do this in 2 weeks, that would be a whirlwind trip. If it takes us 3, that's OK.




.

[orbitearl]

dont forget to take a flashlght and pocket knife!

[mastertypodemon]

Originally Posted by zeebad1

We still don't have a projected timeline. No schedule to keep, and no real hurry to get back home. If we can do this in 2 weeks, that would be a whirlwind trip. If it takes us 3, that's OK.
.

I've driven from Dallas to LA several times. If you push it, you can make that in 2 days (12 hour days). So that whole trip should take about 6-7 days if you drive 12 hours a day. A more relaxed schedule can easily take you to your target of 2 weeks.

If you're into this kinda thing, hang a left at Albuquerque and you can check out the Very Large Array. The VLA was the star of such movies as Contact, Terminator Salvation and Transformers 3.

[PalmerGA]

Originally Posted by zeebad1

We are planning on leaving later this week.

Here is a general route that I've mapped out with the specific places that we would like to visit. It looks to be a little over 6200 miles.

We may deviate from this at any time.







If anyone has any suggestions along the way, please feel free to make some recommendations.

We still don't have a projected timeline. No schedule to keep, and no real hurry to get back home. If we can do this in 2 weeks, that would be a whirlwind trip. If it takes us 3, that's OK.

For a trip like this, it's good to have extra time if you need it (and you will). It's personal preference of course, but I would head south from San Fran and go through King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The most amazing trees in the world are there. From there you could head up through Barstow and back on track in Vegas. Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest are all very cool. And don't forget to spend a minute "standing on a corner in Winslow, AZ".

Additional things to take with you:
- A couple of gallons of water in case of overheating engine
- Powerful flashlight and extra batteries (w/ DC power cord if possible)
- blankets, pillows
- snack foods (granola bars, crackers, etc.)

Have a great time and See the USA in your Chevrolet!

[jmaynard]

If you're coming through Dallas you might want to make sure that A/C is working REALLY well. We hit 104 on Saturday and even with the AC running max it was all it could do to exchange the heat. Just saying, Texas in July/August is not the best time to see our state. Expect lots of dust also so bring along your wash products.

[jmaynard]

On a side note, Glacier is one of the most beautiful places in the US. Wife and I returned from Montana just a few weeks ago and it was really cool (figuratively and literally). We went through Logans pass (once it opened after the snow drift) and it was an amazing LONG drive.

[hrpiii]

Originally Posted by Animal

I'd suggest a full size spare or at the very least, a tire without the wheel. In some places a replacement tire is a next day service after the morning supply run. 20" tires just aren't in stock in the city (especially a matching one), let alone BF Montana.

.

I second the full spare. I have one that will fit the rear or front of the car and take it with me on any long trips. It fits into the trunk nicely (and a low profile jack).

[IrocJack]

Red Rock Canyon is awesome, Hoover Dam and also visit Bad Water, AZ.

[fielderLS3]

Originally Posted by zeebad1

We are planning on leaving later this week.

Here is a general route that I've mapped out with the specific places that we would like to visit. It looks to be a little over 6200 miles.

We may deviate from this at any time.







If anyone has any suggestions along the way, please feel free to make some recommendations.

We still don't have a projected timeline. No schedule to keep, and no real hurry to get back home. If we can do this in 2 weeks, that would be a whirlwind trip. If it takes us 3, that's OK.

.

That looks like an awesome road trip. I've been to most of those places at one time or another over the years. No schedule to keep makes it even better. For a route that big, I say plan closer to 3 weeks than two.

A few suggestions:

Yellowstone: I hope you did at least some planning, because the hotels around there fill up well in advance, even off peak season.

As far as things to do, there are really too many to list. I have spent 3-4 days there every summer for the last 10+ years, and the most recent time just a month ago, I still found a lot of stuff to do that I had never done. In previous years, the traffic can get annoying in Yellowstone, but for some reason, it was really dead there in June. Don't know if that means more people are coming later and it will be worse than normal now, or if it is just a slow overall season.

On your way into Yellowstone, instead of the route you have mapped, I would recommend going up to Billings and catching US212 in Montana. That takes you into the northeast entrance via Bear Tooth Pass.

Also, if you get a good, clear sky day, plan to take a side trip down to Grand Teton Park. Clear days can be hard to come by, but if you get one, Teton is spectacular.

Glacier: Another excellent choice, and truly amazing scenery on relatively clear days. My last few trips there have been thwarted by snow (my vacations are normally in June). That won't be a problem now, though.

Another note, some of the two lane roads leading into glacier from the southeast (sorry, I can't remember the numbers to pick out the specific ones on a map) are some of the best driving roads I've ever been on in all my travels. If you get lucky enough to have clear road in front (no slow moving cars), just getting there is a blast. Just secure everything in the car so nothing shifts around.

Mt. Rainier: This is one of those only if the weather cooperates stops. Rainier is shrouded with cloud most days of the year. If you get lucky and the skies are completely clear (and I mean completely, if there are just scattered puffy clouds in general, Rainier will probably be clouded in), check it out. It's quite a site. It rises high about its surrounding base, and just seems to go up forever. Statistically, this time of year is the most likely time for clear days there.

Sequoia: Someone else already mentioned it. As long as you are so close, it is worth the stop. You couldn't possibly understand how big some of those trees are unless you actually see them yourself.

Zion/Grand Canyon: As long as you are so close, the Grand Canyon should be another stop.

As for Zion and some of the other stuff in southern Utah and northern Arizona, that really depends on your own preferences. The scenery around there can be amazing, but it is a bit of an acquired taste. Some people would drive through and look around and see "nothingness." Others might see a beautiful landscape that you could lose yourself in (in a good way). If you know a bit or have an interest in geology, it can be kinda cool too, as there are a lot of exposed rock outcrops with geologic structures visible, if you know what to look for.