Road Trip Vacation Suggestions Wanted.

[RMurphy]

Hi all.

It would appear that me and the 220lb ballast are actually going to take a vacation starting October 24th and ending November 1st. Here's the thing though: we have made no plans whatsoever. All we have decided so far is that we are planning on driving since it keeps costs down (no airfare, no rental car) so that limits the area to the western region (anything within 2 days' drive of LA). I was thinking, weather permitting, we might drive up the California coast. Maybe go to Napa (not the autoparts store, okay?). We also discussed Crater Lake, Oregon as a destination. Other than the lake and lots of trees, I'm not sure what's up there (I've been once but it was a brief sidetrip on the way to Portland and I saw the lake then continued the journey). Crater Lake was really the only thing the husband suggested so I can't tell if that's really where he wants to go or if he just didn't have many other ideas.

And then there are points south and east too. It's apple harvest time in Julian I think, but I admit we've been there and I don't know if it will feel new and interesting to us. I've always wondered what Sedona, Arizona is like too. So, yeah, wide range of possibilities.

Anyway, I'm looking for ideas. We like wine tasting, nice scenery, car stuff, and relaxation. I prefer warmer weather but am willing to test the abilities of the S's heater and the limits of the storage space in the trunk (sweaters require more space than shorts).

[turbosix]

oh god i forgot you were a woman again

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by turbosix

oh god i forgot you were a woman again

LOL! "were?" It's not past tense. Yes, still female, last time I checked.

[kn106518]

I say UP north around the bay area or Napa Valley is always fun to drive around there.

[Jim21680]

LOL, the "220 lb ballast" reference threw me off too. Good thing you're a woman.

Well have you been to Yosemite or Sequoia/Kings Canyon? They're incredible places.

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by Jim21680

Good thing you're a woman.

Yes, I'm pretty sure the SO feels that way too.

Originally Posted by Jim21680

Well have you been to Yosemite or Sequoia/Kings Canyon? They're incredible places.

That's a cool idea. We went up to Oakhurst for a 4 day weekend about 2 years ago and I'm sure we barely scratched the surface. It was in April for a car show/movie screening event so we only spent one day inside Yosemite and a half day in the surrounding area. Plus there was still snow on the ground in a lot of the areas so a few roads were closed that would probably be accessible this time of year... maybe. We did just have a storm that came through earlier this week and I heard it dropped snow in the Sierras.

[chazdawg35]

Hey Dudette come up and hang out in Malibu area I'll show you some cool roads!

[bbcricketta]

i am the 220 ballast in my family, and the S pilot.

crater lake: been there; beautiful. not much to do, but the old lodge is great. a few good roads in the park with steep drop-offs with no guard rail. no water flows out of the crater. there are a couple of good hikes.

julian: i know nothing.

napa: i have never been, but the +1 recommends it. that would be good enough for me; i know there is good wine there.

pch: i have traveled it between big sur and carmel in a rental. it would be a fun trip in the S. monterey and pacific grove were ok. carmel highlands was a very nice place.

sedona: the red rocks have a beauty all their own. you may even find your own personal vortex there. check out prescott also. be sure and drive AZ 89 north from sedona towards flagstaff. very curvy; a real twisty. i drove it in a rental, north in the morning to the grand canyon, and south after dark. i was glad to arrive alive.

yosemite: recommended by the +1. i would like to go there.

oregon coast: i like the drive up the 101. yachats is a favorite place. not much to do there, but there are a couple of good restaurants. stay at the overleaf lodge, but beware the rogue waves. mcminnville and the oregon wine country is up the road a bit. it is not sonoma or napa but you can taste the grape there. you cannot pump your own gas in oregon---state law.

washington: made a day trip to mt. st. helen's. the still smoking mountain was eerie. the surrounding high peaks, shasta, mt. adams, and others will give you chills as they are all volcanoes as well. the road to mt. st. helen's is well paved, wide and twisty.

i also recommend montana and wyoming. no place on earth like glacier national park. yellowstone and the grand tetons are worthwhile as well.

san francisco and las vegas are not far from you. i would like to go to the city by the bay. i have been to lv---it's all about class and it is very low...brow.

i love jets and rental cars.

happy motoring.

bb

[philiam]

If the weather cooperates the Oregon Coast is ideal for the S. Southern OR, Gold Beach, fantastic scenery, Crabbing, fishing etc. and not a lot of traffic. Might be cold and damp that time of year though. Sedona would probably work better this time of year. You can make a day trip to Flagstaff for a little mountain driving and nice scenery.

[CA Blue]

Highly recommend going up the coast to the Mendocino + Fort Bragg area. It's beautiful this time of year, although a little foggy at night. You may want to check out the wineries in Anderson Valley also.

[RMurphy]

Thanks for the suggestions all!

Checking extended weather forecasts for the Crater Lake and Grant's Pass area and it looks like rain is highly probable for at least a portion of the timeframe I'm looking at now. And temps won't be so great. One or the other independently I can deal with but both cold and wet... not so much on a vacation. NoCal coastal is kind of the same situation weather-wise right now too.

So it looks like we're considering the Sedona idea most at the moment. Finding my own personal vortex sounds like an interesting change of pace for someone like me. I am pretty sure it's under the driver's seat of the S.

Anyone in that area have any additional insights on Sedona and the immediate surroundings? We have looked up jeep tours, horseback riding, and kayak rentals so far. And of course, being that close to it, we'll go check out the Grand Canyon. I suspicion we'll skip Vegas. BTDT. Anyway, I don't gamble. When I do it, it isn't gambling; it's a sure thing -- I lose every time.

Chaz: definitely up for the suggestions of roads in Malibu, but that wouldn't be far enough away to classify as a vacation for us.

[chazdawg35]

Well RMurphy I guess that would be a weekend trip! LOL!

[philiam]

If it's Sedona, don't miss the rock church.

[RMurphy]

So the trip we ended up taking was to Sedona and the Grand Canyon, returning by way of Laughlin and parts of historic Route 66.

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions!

This was a one week trip. We got into Sedona after dark on Saturday (10/24) and got checked into the hotel, so nothing terribly interesting that day. We spent Sunday wandering around "uptown" Sedona and West Sedona and just generally getting oriented. Got some maps from the chamber of commerce. Bought a sun visor then took off to drive around a little. Found a couple of local wineries. Definitely liked Page Cellars.

First off, let me say that Sedona is absolutely spectacular. Overwhelmingly so. I wish I had allocated more time to just sit and stare at the beauty of it all. There is just no describing it. It doesn't matter which direction you point your camera. You can't take a bad picture... unless maybe it's of your thumb.

Monday we went on a scenic train excursion into Sycamore Canyon. That was cool. If you ever do it, stay outside in the open air cars as much as possible. The view is so much better outside with no roof in the way (kind of like the S, you know?) and the guides point out all sorts of cool stuff. After that we drove up into Jerome. Now the road up (and down) that hill will definitely get your attention. We drove it at sunset and I was somewhat nervous about it. Jerome is an old mining town that is perched quite precariously on the side of a mountain. It is an interesting place.

Tuesday we went on a jeep ride in Sedona and horseback riding. Nice day! Temps had started to cool a bit and so we were the only people in the jeep as well as on the trail ride.

Wednesday morning we wasted 3 hours of our lives at a vacation time share sales thing. All I can say is *never* again. I don't care what they offer me to go to one of these things. NEVER, I say. No discount on a local tour, no free stays, no tickets to anything can make up for the toll these sales presentations take on you. Their sales tactics are right out of any sales seminar I've ever taken and had I been anywhere else, I do believe I would have gone ballistic. I am pretty sure my sense of calm was due to the fact we had spent the last three days relaxed and to the knowledge that the temps had taken a huge dip to the cold side that day and storm clouds were rolling in.

To recover from all that insanity, we jumped in the S and went vortex hunting. It's like snipe hunting only with better scenery. It was just an excuse to drive places with pretty scenery. And darned if it didn't actually begin to snow on us as we walked out to one of the supposed vortex sites. It was really pretty with the white flakes falling on a backdrop of red rock. It was also quite cold though. I heard someone comment it was one of the coldest days on record for October. Of course!

We drove out to Cottonwood to another winery to end out the day and happened conveniently upon a Walmart on the outskirts of town where we bought gloves, thicker sweatshirts and something to keep my ears warm.

Thursday was off to the Grand Canyon by way of 89a. Now, it's a great road. I would have loved it had I not been stuck behind a Crown Vic with Massachusetts plates which was driven by someone who clearly had no idea what a turn out is for. *sigh* Unbelievably beautiful drive and it made me think how I'd like to go back to Sedona and stay at that end of town next time (if there is a next time). At the Canyon we walked around at Bright Angel trailhead and the rim trail, took a shuttle out to Hermit's Rest and saw some mule deer and two elks (separately) along the way, and then the most spectacular sunset! We stayed at the Canyon that night and boy howdy was it ever cold!

Things warmed up the next day (Friday) and temps at the rim were more tolerable. In the 50s and bright and sunny. We drove around to the east side of the canyon and stopped at various scenic points along the way. The Canyon is just unfathomably huge. Stopped at the Watchtower and pulled out the binoculars to see the rafts and kayaks coming down the Colorado River. Then we left the Canyon and headed west toward Seligman. Got a T shirt there. Drove a bit on Route 66 and headed for Laughlin.

We don't gamble so we enjoyed warm temps, took the water taxi up the "strip" and wandered around a bit. It was a nice evening.

Next day we headed back toward LA and took historic 66 for a lot of the drive. That was cool (and much warmer). Drove past Amboy Crater and found out it's actually a volcano. I had no idea there were lava flow fields in SoCal. Route 66 was definitely worth the extra time because it's just so completely different from being on an interstate. It's the strangest thing. You're in the middle of nowhere and you drive past a vacant restaurant, motel, and gas station which I'm certain were at one time thriving little businesses... that is before I-40 came along. And the freight trains! 100 cars and 125 cars long (yeah, the SO counted 'em). Just very different scenery all beautiful in a rugged desert like way. And eventually it got warm enough we put the top up, turned on the AC, got back on I-40 and hot footed it back to LA.

Hit the outskirts at sunset. Making the transition from the 210 west to the 605 south, we crested the ramp with the sun directly behind the downtown skyline and outlining it perfectly. Now, I'm not a big fan of the LA city skyline (what there is of it) but this was pretty striking. Couldn't dig the camera out quickly enough. What we shot of it was on an iPhone and the quality just didn't capture the drama of it.

Got back home with some purple still in the sky as we drove toward the beach. I enjoyed our vacation and it was incredibly gorgeous, but it felt good to be home.

pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/roseanne...CanyonTrip2009#

[gomarlins3]

Sounds like a nice trip.

[lonestarbuzz]

looks like a blast!

[TheSoundMan21]

Originally Posted by gomarlins3

Sounds like a nice trip.

did you really read all that Go?

I wanna check out that side of the U.S.A. myself.

[RealJoKeR]

YOU ROCK BABE!!! GLAD YOU HAD FUN!!!!

[philiam]

Good write up. That is spectacular scenery, except they make Sedona all new agey. You packed a lot in to that trip. Lots to see in the good old US of A.