opinions4u Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 (edited) I'm planning a driving holiday in Arizona and California. Will probably miss a couple of October matches too. Time is a bit more compressed than we'd like due to Mrs o4u failing to get the preferred time off work, so it's going to be something of a whistle stop tour of some the region's extraordinary places. If you've any "must see" things to share for the route below please tell me! Ideally not full day activities as a large chunk of each day will be moving from A to B. But those must see views or places that justify going an hour out of the way. PHOENIX GRAND CANYON METEOR CRATER HOOVER DAM VEGAS DEATH VALLEY YOSEMITE SAN FRANCISCO PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY LA BLYTHE DESERT GIANTS Big car. Cheap motels. Far too much time in BA cattle class seats. Any ideas? Edited May 25, 2014 by opinions4u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 (edited) We did a very similar road trip for our belated honeymoon in May 2 years ago. Well, we did: Vegas Grand Canyon Hoover Dam Death Valley Yosemite San Francisco Pacific Highway Bakersfield Long Beach / LA Will have a think. Have you got all your hotels sorted? Edited May 25, 2014 by maddog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 (edited) We did a very similar road trip for our belated honeymoon in May 2 years ago. Well, we did: Vegas Grand Canyon Hoover Dam Death Valley Yosemite San Francisco Pacific Highway Bakersfield Long Beach / LA Will have a think. Have you got all your hotels sorted? Looks very similar. I've identified 2 possible hotels in each location. Criteria: wifi (might have to do a midnight Latics Player game), parking, bed and breakfast and half decent ratings on Trip Advisor. I'll probably book cancellable rooms in advance but I'm quite keen on flexibility. Typically £60 a night type places. Super 8, Quality Inn, Holiday Inn Express and a slightly posher Hilton for the last night. Not too bothered about restaurants etc. My requirements are basically Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Death Valley, Yosemite and PCH. Had to ditch Lake Tahoe and San Diego to save time and do justice to Yosemite and ensure arrival back at Phoenix Airport. Mrs o4u is keen on the meteor crater and, as an Eagles fan and a woman, is currently ignoring my advice and wants to stand on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and see the Barringer Meteor Crater as well as seeing all the rich actor locations in LA. Oddly, on the Eagles theme, I didn't get much reaction when I said "I want to sleep with you in the desert tonight ..."! Sand and grit everywhere I suppose. o4u Jr gets what he's given and has been told Area 51, Roswell and Mexico are too far off route. He might get the bit of Route 66 that inspired the town of Radiator Springs in the cartoon film Cars. I reckon typical driving time will be 4-6 hours a day plus stops and optional extras that we choose to do. Other than avoiding LA at rush hour I think the jet lag should wake us early so it's early breakfast and hit the road most days. Wide open for any advice, hints or tips. And also to know which local ATMs won't charge for withdrawing cash! Edited May 25, 2014 by opinions4u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 This time exactly 2 years ago we had just arrived at a great hotel in Bakersfield. We were just gearing up to go watch Bakersfield Blaze minor league baseball team. Me and hubby took a cash passport and stuck most things on that. We spent a lot in Vegas, but don't remember withdrawing any money at all. We did take a few hundred dollars in cash though. We did find most things very expensive over there, and certainly didn't have a lavish time! The distances were ridiculous. The longest time driving was the Yosemite day. We couldn't afford to stay there, so stayed in Mammoth Lakes the night before, drove to and through Yosemite the next day and stayed in Merced at the other side. There were a lot of stops in Yosemite, as it was stunning. On the road on and off for about 10 hours. I'll come back to you as I think of things. Hubby will probably chip in too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 Brilliant. Really appreciate it. Other than driving down The Strip we won't be doing Vegas on this trip. Might have to save that for when there's no teen in tow, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 (edited) Just had a thought - when we stayed in Merced (wouldn't recommend it at all - I thought I was going to be shot while I slept), we drive about 30 mins to Madera and went to their drive-in. That was a pretty good experience you don't get much chance for over here! If you have time, it might be worth seeing if there are any near where you're staying! Edited May 25, 2014 by maddog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShireBlue Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Spent a year in North America and the Travelex/Mastercard Cash Passports are really useful. You do get charged a small amount for withdrawals but they're free in all chip-and-pins. As far as driving is concerned, the distances are very long and the American plod a super keen on the speed limits, which compared to ours are very slow. And they show no mercy to tourists in hire cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 We had a good read of this site - found it very useful in a lot of ways. Sorry, can't post a link properly on my phone: http://www.caldrive.com/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 (edited) We had a good read of this site - found it very useful in a lot of ways. Sorry, can't post a link properly on my phone: http://www.caldrive.com/index.html That's excellent. Spent a year in North America and the Travelex/Mastercard Cash Passports are really useful. You do get charged a small amount for withdrawals but they're free in all chip-and-pins. As far as driving is concerned, the distances are very long and the American plod a super keen on the speed limits, which compared to ours are very slow. And they show no mercy to tourists in hire cars. Cheers. I got done by a policeman for doing 100mph on the A1 last year. God knows how I got away with a speed awareness course for that. I tend to be a lot more cautious overseas, but my longest drive was only about five hour in Pennsylvania which was pretty simple (other than turning left out of a gas station in to the oncoming traffic on a highway, which I don't recommend as they tend not to give you 10 seconds to correct that sort of error). As for money I've got a Halifax Clarity Card so no fees for anything and minuscule costs for cash withdrawals. I know that most ATMs charge a fee for taking cash out which I'd rather avoid, although it's not worth driving into the wrong area to save $3! Edited May 26, 2014 by opinions4u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I got done by a policeman for doing 100mph on the A1 last year. God knows how I got away with a speed awareness course for that. How on earth did you hit near to that kind of speeds without vertually crapping yourself? I get edgy and anxious when I get over 80mph on a four lane motorway. They should have locked you up and slapped a 15 year jail sentence on you. With NO parole. Monster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudemedic Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 That's excellent. Cheers. I got done by a policeman for doing 100mph on the A1 last year. God knows how I got away with a speed awareness course for that. I tend to be a lot more cautious overseas, but my longest drive was only about five hour in Pennsylvania which was pretty simple (other than turning left out of a gas station in to the oncoming traffic on a highway, which I don't recommend as they tend not to give you 10 seconds to correct that sort of error). As for money I've got a Halifax Clarity Card so no fees for anything and minuscule costs for cash withdrawals. I know that most ATMs charge a fee for taking cash out which I'd rather avoid, although it's not worth driving into the wrong area to save $3! Where on the A1? As I'm not sure how you got away with that either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 (edited) Where on the A1? As I'm not sure how you got away with that either.Wide bit just south of Peterborough. A1(M) stretch. 4 lanes. Barely a car in sight. It had to be done. I assume Cambridgeshire's court system was overrun. I'd budgeted 6 points, 2 weeks wages and a moment of contrition to the magistrate but was lucky enough to get away with £80 and a morning at the Holiday Inn Express. Edited May 26, 2014 by opinions4u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudemedic Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Wide bit just south of Peterborough. A1(M) stretch. 4 lanes. Barely a car in sight. It had to be done. I assume Cambridgeshire's court system was overrun. I'd budgeted 6 points, 2 weeks wages and a moment of contrition to the magistrate but was lucky enough to get away with £80 and a morning at the Holiday Inn Express. Ah that's why. Got pinched on the same road, but in North Yorkshire going slightly less fast mid 90s, I was thankful I wasn't quite going fast enough to be in the problematic territory of being able to lose license at the discretion of those involved, which I think is 95mph. Getting back to topic, if you are intending on going to bars in the evening, think of something for O4ujnr to do as in my experience as a 15 yo in the States, (my brother was 19) if you aren't 21 they don't let you in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 A 15 year old alone in a hotel room will think of something. Oddly I was never ID'd as a 20 year old in California despite people who were and looked 10 years older always being checked. Use the Force. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShireBlue Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I was in a bar in Boston last year and they ID'd me, only accepting a passport, which I inevitably didn't have on me. I'm 25. The bastards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Why does my wife want to visit every song lyric and movie scene ever? I'm unconvinced that standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona justifies a 4 hour detour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie_J Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I'm planning a driving holiday in Arizona and California. Will probably miss a couple of October matches too. Time is a bit more compressed than we'd like due to Mrs o4u failing to get the preferred time off work, so it's going to be something of a whistle stop tour of some the region's extraordinary places. If you've any "must see" things to share for the route below please tell me! Ideally not full day activities as a large chunk of each day will be moving from A to B. But those must see views or places that justify going an hour out of the way. PHOENIX GRAND CANYON METEOR CRATER HOOVER DAM VEGAS DEATH VALLEY YOSEMITE SAN FRANCISCO PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY LA BLYTHE DESERT GIANTS Big car. Cheap motels. Far too much time in BA cattle class seats. Any ideas? Find big cars, cheap motels, BA cattle class seats and Thelma and Louise tours on PlayerShare WebShop. http://www.easyfundr...ticsplayershare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 Thelma and Louise tours If she sees this movie again before October it could change the whole holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueJazzer Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 (edited) Back on my honeymoon (wow, that feels weird to type, the marriage was over before we'd even paid off the credit card bill! Ahhhh, the memories of young and reckless, or should that be feckless, love....) we did the flight over Grand Canyon in an 8 seater plane, flew over Hoover dam, and then went on a little coach trip into the canyon and had a BBQ at a walapie (spelt phonetically as I've no idea!) Indian reservation. That was pretty awesome. Edit.. It's Hualapie. I wasn't so far off. Edited July 3, 2014 by BlueJazzer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lincoln_latic Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 How far are you planning to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway? I was in San Diego a couple of months back, and its well worth a visit (if you're going that far south). You can also pop over the border to Tijuana, which if you've not done Mexico before is worth a visit. But beware, the border crossing back can be a nightmare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 We're unlikely to get to San Die How far are you planning to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway? I was in San Diego a couple of months back, and its well worth a visit (if you're going that far south). You can also pop over the border to Tijuana, which if you've not done Mexico before is worth a visit. But beware, the border crossing back can be a nightmare We're unlikely to get to San Diego. It was very much in Plan A but got ditched, along with Lake Tahoe, when Mrs o4u was unable to get 14 days off work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 Day one: The longest flight I've ever done. I need to be rich and fly Club Class next time. Anyway, currently jet lagged in a hotel in Sedona. 2.45am local time - too dark to see anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukers1 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Have a safe and fantastic trip Mr O4U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 Cheers Lukers. Sedona at sunrise is sensational. I'd never heard of the place until this year. Barringer Meteor Crater an impressive hole in the ground. Stood on a corner in Winslow Arizona, although no girl in a Ford slowed down to take a look at me. Grand Canyon breathtaking. Words cannot convey. Vegas tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 This part of the world is extraordinary. Yosemite today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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