Road Trip - Need your input.

[GrinKyle]

So I'm moving from Oregon, to Texas, and driving to do so.

My current idea is taking a scenic route, stopping off that places that I have always wanted to see.

and that is:

Redwood National Park (N. Cali)
The best Grand Canyon stop off spot (need your input)
Death Vally (Eh, maybe)
Las Vegas (Turned 21 few months back)

this is just a few of spots that caught my eye. If anyone knows of good spot thats anywhere from OR - TX holla, cause I havn't planned my route yet. I could even go into Canada if the destinations allow it.

Also if you have been to an area, and thought it was a waste of time or wasn't really worth it, say so, so I might double think a few things.


*note* driving by myself, time and gas = no worries, in my semi packed Passat. *

Thanks

[brentxzi]

If you want any help with gas money... check out the rideshare section on craigslist. I have used it successfully in the past.

[stinkyattic]

Moab Utah and Arches Natl Park, whcih is right there
Bryce Canyon instead of Grand Canyon (it's prettier by far IMHO) but if you do the Grand, try the less touristy section. I think that would be the north rim, but do yourself a favor and get up BEFORE sunrise and go watch the sun rise over the canyon. At dawn, hummingbirds fly up out of the canyon to sip nectar from the thistle plants that grow along the rim. It's beautiful.
The highway that runs from DEnver in the general direction of Moab, via Vail, is a marvel of civil engineering and I think it's really worth seeing. I drove it many years back in my VW and had a BLAST taking those turns where the cliffs are too steep to cut a highway, so it's hung from the mountainside- literally- and the eastbound and westbound lanes are not side-by-side, but over-under.
Have a nice trip.

[the image reaper]

compare the coastal Redwoods with the Giant Sequoias at Sequoia Natl Park, southeast of Fresno, they are much more impressive, I think ... Bryce Canyon and Moab, etc., are great, as Stinky mentioned ... I drove truck across CO I-70 for years, as they were building the 'hanging highway' she mentioned, too (east out of Glenwood Springs) ... they worked on the damned thing for 40+ years ,,, soon after opening the new highway, they had to close the left lane to big trucks ... took so long to build it, the truck traffic increased beyond anything they expected, so they fear the hanging highway wont support the weight, if trucks fill both lanes ... :wtf: ... who said engineers and architects cant smoke pot ? ... :D ... have a safe trip, and drive clean and sober :thumbsup:

[veggii]

Hi Grinkle if your going to head into cali i would say a stop @ Redwoods is a must a stop/ Lake Tahoe would be a must stop/
Yosemite National Park a must stop/ I would skip death valley
and head into Vegas and plan your stop to Grand Canyon from there and don't miss the Hoover Dam.
If you decide not to start out that way and head east twords
colorodo then make sure to go thru Yellowstone in Wyoming and then head south from there to Texas.
Good Luck!! sounds like your about to take a Adventure of a Lifetime don't forget to take many pictures!! Have a Blast!!

[GrinKyle]

Thanks everyone for your input.

Totally forgot about Hoover Dam. thanks veggii

So far destinations:

º Redwood N.P - Cali
º Crater Lake N.P - OR
º Giant Sequoia N.P - Cali
º Las Vegas - NV
º Hoover Dam - NV
º Grand Canyon (Bryce would be going north for a while)
º Petrified Forest N.P - Arizona

[killerweed420]

You might try the caverns down by grants pass. There's also some up north of crater lake on hwy 97.A couple cool spots on Mt Shasta in N.Cali.Red Rocks amphitheater west of denver is really nice and has some nice concerts. Kind of like the old Mt Tabor in portland use to be.

[rafman420]

Hey - enjoy your drive. I love driving cross country. If you're coming through New Mexico here are some cool things to check out (not in any particular order)

1- Sand Stone Bluffs off exit 89 (I-40) and La Ventana Arch. The bluffs are one of the most amazing sites in NM

2- Ice Caves & Bandera volcano

3- Acoma Pueblo and Sky City - supposed to be the oldest or one of the oldest still inhabited villages in America. I believe the village is 1 mile high on Mt. Taylor.

4- Sandia Tramway in Albuquerque. It's the longest Tram in the world.

Not sure which part of Texes you're going to, but if you're headed in the direction of El Paso, check out these also:

5- Elephant Butte Lake. Biggest lake in NM and beautiful

6- Soccoro, NM - the VLA. Largest Radio telescope array in the world - featured in the movie Contact

7- Carlsbad Caverns - amazing underground caverns... very beautiful

8- Roswell, NM - UFO town

9- White Sands National Monument

Enjoy! :hippy:

[Twentyinches]

So I'm moving from Oregon, to Texas, and driving to do so.

from OR to TX? why would you do such a thing? :jointsmile:

[AR15]

but do yourself a favor and get up BEFORE sunrise and go watch the sun rise over the canyon. At dawn, hummingbirds fly up out of the canyon to sip nectar from the thistle plants that grow along the rim. It's beautiful.

I can testify to that. Really, if you're gonna stop at the Grand Canyon (and not stay for extended periods of time), then timing IS everything. Sunset or sunrise, they look absolutely stunning. Just watch the sun set or rise and you'll see so many beautiful colors.

Like veggii said, bring a camera on your trip, take pictures, you'll hit yourself over the head if you don't. If you're not worried about gas $ too much, then it seems like you're ok with spending a little more here or there. I'd say if you have a digital camera, you might want to invest in a large capacity memory card for it for this trip. You can find like a 4gb or so for less than 50, good investment (assuming you didn't have one already, although 2 > 1).


Hey - enjoy your drive. I love driving cross country. If you're coming through New Mexico here are some cool things to check out (not in any particular order)

1- Sand Stone Bluffs off exit 89 (I-40) and La Ventana Arch. The bluffs are one of the most amazing sites in NM

2- Ice Caves & Bandera volcano

3- Acoma Pueblo and Sky City - supposed to be the oldest or one of the oldest still inhabited villages in America. I believe the village is 1 mile high on Mt. Taylor.

4- Sandia Tramway in Albuquerque. It's the longest Tram in the world.

Not sure which part of Texes you're going to, but if you're headed in the direction of El Paso, check out these also:

5- Elephant Butte Lake. Biggest lake in NM and beautiful

6- Soccoro, NM - the VLA. Largest Radio telescope array in the world - featured in the movie Contact

7- Carlsbad Caverns - amazing underground caverns... very beautiful

8- Roswell, NM - UFO town

9- White Sands National Monument

Enjoy! :hippy:

I've never been to any, but I think caves/caverns would be pretty sick to go to, I'd follow this rafman's advice and visit some.

The only other thing I might say would be Lake Powell, on the Utah/Arizona border (mostly in UT though). Although it is a man made lake it's pretty cool. Although, it might be a bit of a hassle, so I'd probably say pass.

Any case, good luck, have fun and enjoy yourself, stay safe, and take lots of pictures. Keep us updated. :D