GPS Maps -- for Road Trip USA. Now out on Android phones

Dear Jamie:

I recently purchased your Road Trip USA book and have begun reading it. My wife and I are in the early stages of planning a trip across country (about one month out to the west coast and one month back). Your book has a lot of helpful advice but I find that the maps are a little small to follow while on the road. Is there a place where I can access the maps in a larger, more easy to read format?

Many thanks,

Armand

==

Hi Armand --

Thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA, and for buying my book. The maps in the book are designed in-house, and we run them on the small side so we have space to include everything else; when I travel, I almost always use a detailed road atlas for the actual route-finding.

I don't really know of any other map source other than the standard ones (Rand McNally, AAA-Auto Club...), but I can say we are working on launching some GPS-integrated Google map-and-text "apps" for iPhone and Android smartphones -- in fact the Android RT66 version went "live" today. So if you have an Android smartphone, simply point it at this page and scan the weird-looking adjacent graphic "QR Code", and away you go. (The QR code should also appear as the graphic at the top of this blog post.)





There are also some Apple iPhone apps in the pipeline, as well, and these things are evolving quickly so if you get to use the Android app please let me know what you what you think of this brave new world (and by "you" I mean anyone reading this!)

In the meantime, sorry for the eyestrain -- and I do hope you enjoy my Road Trip USA book, and your cross-country trip.

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
---
Road Trip USA

High School Grad -- Summer Road Trip Celebration!

Hey Jamie,

I recently graduated high school and my sister and I are planning a road trip across the country for two and a half weeks this summer. She is a photographer, so we are looking for a drive with exceptional scenery. We were looking at the Pacific Coast Highway, but were thinking about driving a road less taken. Is the PCH really what it's built up to be?

Our start and end point is Louisiana, though we would prefer to take 2 different routes, out and back. We would like to include Montana in our itinerary if possible. We enjoy the outdoors and would prefer outside hands-on activities. Any advice or ideas?

Thanks,

Margaret
===

Hello Margaret -

Thank you for writing in to Road Trip USA -- and congrats on your graduation! If you are looking for a drive with exceptional scenery, there are certainly some great stretches of the Pacific Coast Highway. The section thru "Big Sur", between San Lis Obispo and Monterey, is absolutely one of the world's great drives; it's also a lovely place to get out of the car and walk, with miles of hiking trails along rivers, thru redwood forests, and some rugged but beautiful beaches. (If you make it out there, look out for Pfeiffer Beach -- it is gorgeous and never crowded!)

The drive along "PCH" north of San Francisco is also fantastic, with many amazing state parks and national seashore areas -- so yes, PCH really is as lovely as everyone says.

:-)

There are countless ways to get out west from Louisiana -- I really enjoy the route I call "Southern Pacific", especially the stretches across southern Arizona, through towns like Bisbee and Tombstone, and the pretty caves at Kartchner Caverns.

On the way back, well, Montana is not exactly "on the way", but it is definitely gorgeous -- I love the Bitterroot Valley, south of Missoula, and in fact the whole length of US-93 from there into Idaho is fantastic -- this is all "Lewis & Clark" country, and hardly changed in the 200+ years since they walked across the country, from St Louis to Oregon and back. Once you hit Twin Falls, though, it starts to feel like a desert; that said, Great Basin National Park, further south along US-93 in central Nevada, is a pristine piece of nature's handiwork, and you won't have to share it with as many people as you will in California (or in Yellowstone, which you might also like to see on this trip).

So there is a lot of exceptional scenery all over the western US -- and while a road trip is great fun, getting out of the car is by far the best way to see and appreciate it all.

I hope these notes help you and your sister plan a great trip -- be safe, and have fun.

With best wishes,


Jamie Jensen
---
Road Trip USA

Great Northern -- from Italy!

Hi Jamie!

I'm Daniela from Italy.

Two years ago, my boyfriend and I, had a fabulous trip across the U.S., (a coast to coast Los Angeles-Boston). We flew to Los Angeles, rented a card and drove to Boston.

This summer we would like to do a similar trip.
On your website we saw a route that seems very interesting (The great northern) but we're also interested in a trip across The Real America (Idaho, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming).

We cant' decide!

What do you suggest to us? Have you any useful information to share with us?

Thank you very much for your help and greetings form Italy!
Daniela

===

Buongiorno Daniela!

Many thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA -- I hope I can help you.

In my Road Trip USA book I describe the Great Northern route, which goes across "the real America" of Idaho and Montana. I also cover parts of these states in my US-93 / Border to Border route (through Sun Valley Idaho), and I cover the best parts of Wyoming (like Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons!) in my US20 / Oregon Trail route.

All these routes are also included on the website, roadtripusa.com , but the most up-to-date information is in the books.


For your next trip, I'd suggest maybe you fly to Seattle, and rent a car and then do a big circle driving through all these beautiful places -- Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the coastline of Oregon and Washington -- maybe going up into the Canadian Rockies, too! Banff, especially, is lovely.

Hope this helps, molto grazie per scrivere ,



Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

California to Colorado

Jamie,

We have 4 people taking a driving trip to visit friends in Denver, Colorado. What are some places along the way that we should check out. One of us can't do a lot of hiking, so we are looking for things that we can drive to, and walk to easily. We are coming from Southern California and can take as much time as we like, but are trying to keep the spending low.

Thank you,


Sheila

===

Hi Sheila --

Thanks for your message, and I hope I can help with some travel suggestions. The first place that came to my mind is a big one: the Grand Canyon, most of which is easily accessible, by flat trails with a short walk of parking areas along the South Rim. The nearby town of Flagstaff is historic and photogenic, with a neat "Wild West " feel, and south of town is a lovely drive thru Oak Creek Canyon to the red-rock landscapes of Sedona, most of which can be enjoyed without too much hiking.

Another great place to see is Monument Valley, which sits on the Arizona / Utah border along US Hwy -163. This is an icon of the American West (as seen in old Western movies, like John Ford's classic Stagecoach!), and you can see it from your car or from short, level walks.

There are many great driving routes around the this part of the country, but one of the most spectacular has to be the "Million Dollar Highway", which runs over the Rockies between the quaint mountain towns of Durango and Ouray, in southwestern Colorado.

You should find it easier to "keep the spending low", for a couple of reasons. Since the natural landscape is the main attraction on this trip, most of the "sights" between Anaheim and Colorado are more or less free. Plus, even at fee-charging federal sites like the Grand Canyon, if any of your travel group is a US Citizen over the age of 62, you can get a pass that lets you and 3 friends in -- for free. A great deal! I think the lifetime pass costs $10, and it is available at the entrance to any national park. ** see below for more **

Hope this helps,

Happy Trails,



Jamie Jensen
---
Road Trip USA

===

From National Park Service URL: http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm

America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Senior Pass. - Cost $10.

This is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over. The pass provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity. The pass admits the pass holder and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at per vehicle fee areas and pass holder + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, at per person fee areas (children under 16 are admitted free). The pass can only be obtained in person at the park. The Senior Pass provides a 50 percent discount on some Expanded Amenity Fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch, and specialized interpretive services. In some cases where Expanded Amenity Fees are charged, only the pass holder will be given the 50 percent price reduction.

The pass is non-transferable and generally does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessionaires.

LA to Boston !

Dear Jamie,

Hello! I've really enjoyed looking at your website and
reading the overviews of the various routes. Congratulations
on the new edition of your book! We'll definitely have to check it out.

My husband and I have always talked about doing a cross country trip
(when I was about 7 I remember going from NY to CO with my parents
for a cousin's wedding and making some stops at national parks, and ate at diners early in the morning with farmers along the way. Still have some good memories of that trip.) and it seems the time is now upon us!

My husband just accepted a new job and we are moving from the LA area to Boston, MA. So our question for you: what route or routes would you take to get there and how much time would you allow to give us adequate time to soak in the sights?

Aside from having the travel bug, the charm of the cross country trip to me has always been not seeing the chains, and seeing cool sites be they beautiful national parks, or neat out of the way towns, or unique sites. Route 66 has always seemed appealing (although I worry it may be getting taken over by McDonald's and tourists), but the Oregon trail also seems great especially if you get to see Yellowstone and Niagara Falls, and the Southern route could also be interesting. I know we can't do it
all and will have to plan other trips in the future...

We are up against a deadline (job start, want a little time to
get acclimated in Boston beforehand), so will most likely only
have about a week, perhaps a couple more days may be able to added
but not much more. Your personal suggestions, thoughts are greatly
appreciated!

Thanks so much!

Warm regards,

Kate & Jason
Boston Bound

=====>>>>>

Dear Kate and Jason --

Thanks for your note, and hope my reply gets to you in time to help with your move.

(Though with the NBA playoffs going on, this seems like a dangerous time to make the move from LA to Boston...)

If you are wary of tacky tourism, I think you are right to be wary of Route 66 -- it's better as a song than as a way to escape the franchised fast-food chains, for sure! There are some good stretches of RT66 still out there, definitely, but if I had the choice I would probably take other routes.

Being an LA boy myself, if I were driving to Boston I would head north on US-395 (up the Owens Valley, along the eastern foot of the stunning Sierra Nevada mountains -- gorgeous, and nary a suburb to be seen, since all the water supply has been "taken" south...) Then I'd veer east at Carson City (maybe detouring up to see Lake Tahoe, if you've never been there...), and take the US50 "Loneliest Road" across Nevada and western Utah. This is also spectacular scenery, and pretty much chain free (though McDonald's has opened in Ely NV, midway along). The drive is pretty quick, as fast as an Interstate but 100x more interesting.

You could then hop onto I-70 at Salt Lake City and race over the Rockies and across the Great Plains -- maybe detouring off the freeway to see Arches National Park (near Moab, Utah), or to explore the tourist-free Colorado National Monument (a quick 15-minute detour off the freeway from Grand Junction CO).

You could alternately head north to Yellowstone, but apart from Old Faithful this is harder to appreciate at a quick look -- it's also very very popular in summer. Maybe another time?

Once you've made it across the Midwest, you could take in a little bit of RT66 across Illinois. Between St Louis and Chicago there are a few neat small towns, right off the freeways but retaining some of their "All-American charms" - I cover these in more detail in my books, but you could get a good sample by stopping at the Ariston Cafe in Litchfield Illinois, or by cruising the well-marked stretch of old RT66 around Dwight, just outside the sprawling Chicagoland metropolis.

Further east, the Great Lakes have many neat old waterfront communities, but these places can take time to find. Niagara Falls and Buffalo (for art and architecture, esp) are both worth seeing, and on your way toward Boston a couple of good detours would be through the Finger Lakes of New York state (around Skaneatles, or Cooperstown, esp if you like baseball or Last of the Mohicans!).

Western Mass is also packed with great towns, which you can probably get to know once you're settled into your new lives...

OK, there are some thoughts, hope they help you with the trip , and that Boston works out for you both.

Happy Trails,



Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

A Short Visit to the South

Hi Jamie!

I love your blog and have been reading it for a while now as I have a dream of road-tripping from LA to New York, detouring through the Deep South. Anyway I am having a small "teaser" trip this August, and am very excited about it.

I fly to Birmingham Alabama to meet my friend and we are taking off from there for only 2 weeks. I was wanting your opinion on some 'must see' sites and places. As far as I know we are driving from Alabama to Huntsville, Nashville and down to Florida (Disneyworld of course!) and I am hoping to get to Memphis if we have time. Do you have a suggested route, which areas first and what/where we should be stopping along the way?

Congratulations on a successful blog and book sales!

Kindest Regards

Koren
===

Hi Koren --

Thanks for your message. For your August quick-trip, there are a couple of great places to see. Birmingham itself has a nifty post-industrial heritage park, designed around a statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalwork.

And not far from Birmingham I recommend a stop in Montgomery AL, the state capital, which has a ton of history (Civil War and Civil Rights!) and some good food, too.

In Florida, don't miss St Augustine, possibly the oldest city in the USA, with lots of quaint old buildings, some huge and luxurious old hotels, as well as Alligator Farm, a classic "roadside attraction" with hundreds (maybe thousands ) of live alligators swimming around. On the Georgia coast, Savannah is a very pretty old city -- and if you make it all the way down Florida, Key West is a lot of fun, too.

And if you can swing west, Memphis is indeed great, as are a number of other towns and cities -- New Orleans, of course, plus Natchez and Oxford Mississippi.

You and your friend could squeeze all this (and Disney World!) into a 2-week trip this August, and then you can re-visit the places you like when you finally make your "dream trip" come true.

Hope this helps,

"Happy Trails,"



Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

Whirlwind Road Trip -- 21 cities in 21 days!

Hi Jamie,

My best friend and I, both girls in our early 20s, decided to celebrate our college graduation by taking a cross country road trip to fit in as many cities as we could in three weeks. The deal is that we only get one day/night per city and afterward we'll have an idea of where we might want to plan future vacations based on which cities were the most interesting to us. It's more of a road trip/bonding experience and less of a sight seeing trip.

We're leaving from Tucson and plan to hit the following cities in this order: San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Philadelphia, New York City (2 days), Boston (2 days), Buffalo, Chicago, St. Louis, Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and San Diego.

Even though we aren't planning on being able to get a lot of sight seeing in, it would be a waste to just dine, drive around, and sleep in each place. So what would you suggest are some must-sees along our route? We're both very interested in history and landmarks and want to make the most of this whirlwind trip across the U.S.A!

Thank you!

Denielle

===

Hi Denielle --

That's quite a trip you have ahead of you -- when do you hit the road?

I hope you can allow yourself to spend a bit more time in the places you like, or at least bend your "one night per town" rules when you feel like it. Not only are there a lot of great big cities on your route, there are countless smaller cities and towns you'll want to explore -- to my mind, road trips are more suited to enjoying the in-between places, so I hope you'll be flexible and adventurous and really make the most of your freedom. Certainly in my Road Trip USA books, most of what I cover are these in-between places, which aren't necessarily the biggest or most popular destinations, but are definitely worth searching out and appreciating.

On your way to and from New Orleans, for example, check out towns like Natchez and Vicksburg Mississippi (esp since you like history!)

Near Atlanta, I suspect you'll really like the historic ports cities of Savannah and Charleston (both of which are packed with historic landmarks.)

Between Boston and Buffalo, the Berkshires of western Massachusetts are lovely, and you didn't even mention wanting to see Vermont, which is perhaps the prettiest state in all the eastern US.

And so on across the USA -- by the time you get home, you will have a very long list of places you want to come back to, later in life.

A couple more towns to add to your list would be Cannon Beach and Bandon on the Oregon coast, and Arcata and Mendocino on the northern California coast. Plus at least a dozen more I could mention, but which you'll probably enjoy finding all by yourselves. There really is a great big wonderful world out there -- my main advice would be to get out of the the car as often as you can, and wander around these places on foot rather than simply gaze out thru the windshield.

Hope this helps you make the most of your great adventure.

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen

Hi Jamie!

I'm 26 and I just finished my first year of dental school in Batimore, Maryland. My friend and I have 5 weeks off following a tough national board exam. We really want to go across the country for an epic-last-summer-without-work trip! The places we want to hit are Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and the California coast. The problem is that we have no idea how to plan this.

Do you have any suggestions for us? Should we fly somewhere then rent a car? Or just head out? We'll send you toothpaste and unlimited floss in exchange for your expertise!

Thanks,

Ashley

====

Hi Ashley --

Many thanks for your message. Sounds like you've earned a nice big road trip -- and Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon are great places to head off to!

I think a nice big loop makes sense -- so maybe plan your arrival city by where you can get the best prices for flights and car rental. I suspect Las Vegas could be the best option, but no matter where you fly to, you can get to all the places you mentioned. If you do start in Las Vegas (which is a good place to "blow off steam..." for a couple of days / nights) you can get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in a nice day's drive. Have a night or two there, so do some hikes down into the spectacular gorge.

From there, you can work your way up toward Yellowstone by way of the many national parks of the "Four Corners" region (Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado).. I really like the ancient cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde and Canyon de Chelley, both of which are at the heart of native America. Take your time here -- and maybe explore some neat little towns like Telluride and Taos.

Approaching Yellowstone (where you'll want to make your accommodation plans asap!) , make sure to see Jackson WY and the Grand Tetons. Cody WY makes a good option if all the inside-the-park lodgings are full. I cover this stretch in the US20 route in Road Trip USA (BTW, the book is more up to date than the material on the website.)

Now you can head west -- Idaho has some amazing scenery (Craters of the Moon is a vast lava flow, and Sawtooth Mountains around Sun Valley and Stanley, covered in my US93 route, are pretty fabulous, too.)

You have enough to make it to Portland and even Seattle, if these sound appealing -- but there's plenty to see along the California coast, for sure.

Hope this helps you plan a fantastic escape --

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

Rental Cars and the "Real America"

Hey Jamie,

I'm planning on a US road trip this summer, I reckon for three or four weeks, starting in the West (maybe San Fransisco) to somewhere Central/Eastish or further, an then getting a plane from wherever I am to NY for a weekend. I'm finding it proper tricky to find good advice about though!

Where would be the best place to start an end to get in the most of real America? I want to see as many big landscapes, beautiful spots and weird places as I can on as many two lane routes as possible. Also, what's going to be the best option… is it easier to buy a car for a month, or to hire one? What's the cheapest option of getting a car? Its all looking mega expensive.

Hope you can help, many thanks

Rob

===

Hey Rob --

Thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA -- and I know what you mean about car hire getting expensive. Because of the "Financial Crisis," I think a lot of companies bought fewer cars, so supply seems to be way down, while demand is starting to pick up, which means cars that used cost $99 a week now cost $99 a day!

That said, buying a car is even more complicated and expensive -- even if you manage to arrange the purchase and re-sale before you get over here.

One other option is an "Auto Driveaway", which can be actually pretty perfect if you want to do a cross-country drive. For these, you drive someone else's car, and they sometimes even buy the fuel.

Here's a website to check out (I think each Auto Driveaway office is independent, which makes it complicated...):

http://www.autodriveawaydc.com/carlist.html

Now, onto the fun parts -- the real America is everywhere; you just need to follow your nose, and avoid anywhere that advertises itself (avoid Disneyland etc, though these are fun for what they are...)

For big landscapes and beauty, I strongly recommend Idaho and Montana -- absolutely amazing scenery, and hundreds of small, characterful "real" places. The route I cover along US-93 is ideal for this sort of two-lane cruising, and even though this goes north-south it's a great drive -- Stanley Idaho is a pace to aim for, and Missoula Montana is as "real" as they come, with great bars and bookshops (if these appeal...)

If the Driveaway deal doesn't work out, Seattle or SF could both be good starting points -- maybe you could do a loop trip, rather than a one-way, as it usually works out cheaper to return the car to the same place you rent it from. Then fly across the country, to NYC or DC or Boston or other cheap-ish gateway.

Lots of possibilities -- let me know how it shapes up for you.

Happy Trails,




Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

Denver to Chicago -- in 50 Days

Dear Jamie

I'm from Switzerland and 22 years old and I'm going to do a three month coast-to-coast road trip through the US of A (first time) this Summer. Your book was very helpful so far especially for my route between Yellowstone and Boston.

I start my trip in Denver and have 50 days to go to Chicago (rental car change) and wondered, if you know a good route from Denver to Chicago, including Nationalparks from the Southwest (e.g. Monument Valley, Grand Canyon etc.), Las Vegas, Death Valley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yosemite and Yellowstone to make this journey unforgettable. From the Yellowstone Nationalpark I'd like to take "The Oregon Trail"-route from your book and go on to Boston.

Thanks,

Manuel

===

Hello Manuel --

50 Days?! You lucky fellow! In that time, you could certainly make a leisurely and unforgettable loop around the wonderful landscapes of the Southwest, then head east from Yellowstone to Boston. It's almost too much time -- you'll really be able to get off the main routes and explore the deeper, richer backcountry and hinterlands. Some years ago I wrote a book focusing solely on the Southwest -- I wish I had a copy or a .pdf I could offer you.

I hope you're planning to do some hiking as well as driving -- I love the arid purity of the Colorado plateau: Utah and northern Arizona, and even some part of western Colorado, almost all unspoiled and undeveloped (And all owned by "We the People" of the USA, set aside as parks for residents and visitors alike!)

Within the vast Southwest, there are many smaller areas worth exploring, as well as all the national parks (Canyon de Chelley in northeast Arizona is also fabulous -- as is Mesa Verde in southwest Colorado. Both have many photogenic archeological remains of cliff dwellings and other pre-Columbian Americana. It's all fantastic -- towns like Durango and Telluride in Colorado, Bisbee in southeast Arizona, and of course Santa Fe and Taos in New Mexico will make you want to stay as long as you can.

I can't really prepare a full 50-day itinierary for you, but you won't go too far wrong anywhere in the Southwest (unless you decide to test your good luck in Las Vegas...). But if you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to help -- so please write back and let me know how your trip shapes up.

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

Independence Day road trip -- 2nd Honeymoon

Hi Jamie!

My one-year anniversary is coming up on July 3rd, and I thought it would be fun to take a road trip. My husband and I have 10 days of vacation off from work, so it cannot be a super long trip, but I hope a trip is possible nonetheless.

We are in Sacramento, California and I would love some recommendations on some "must sees" that we can visit in this amount of time. With the exception of a short trip to Seattle, we have rarely been outside of California turf. Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon are all on our list of things to see someday, but I am hoping for the most bang for our buck in this one trip :).

Thank you so much!!

Lynette

===

Hello Lynnette --

Congrats on your one-year anniversary --

I too am a Californian, and in fact used to live in Sacramento, and my favorite escape trip used to be to hop on US50 and take off over the mountains and across the deserts on the "Loneliest Road". Magnificent driving, all the way! Lake Tahoe probably isn't far enough from your home to count as an escape, but it is a pretty nice start -- then when you add in Great Basin National Park, and maybe a run east to the national parks of Utah (Arches, Canyonlands et al), you can get a lot of "bang for your bucks" without too much time on the road.

Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore might well be a bit far for a relaxing weeklong / 10-day trip (and the truth is that the limited accommodations within the Yellowstone park get booked up pretty fast), but this summer you could do a great loop trip -- heading east on US50, south from Arches / Moab via Zion National Park, to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and maybe Las Vegas (an adult amusement park, if you like that sort of thing...). Then coming home to California via Death Valley and the wonderful Tioga Pass road into awesome Yosemite National Park.

Let me know what you think -- and thanks again for writing in to Road Trip USA.

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA


===

Subject: Re: Suggestions...

Thank you so much for responding!! It is awesome that you take the time to help people out. We will most definitely take you up on your suggestions, and I will let you know how the trip goes! I am heading to the store to buy a copy of your book this week :).

Thanks again!
Lynette

All Around the USA -- in Three Weeks!

Hello!
Me and my girlfriend just wrapped up our PhD’s (in Michigan), and we would like to go on a road trip through USA. We have about three weeks. We have a decent amount of money – it should not be a problem unless it becomes outrageous. We are looking at the time period in June/July, right now, really. We initially planned to do New York to Los Angeles. These days we are thinking of doing – Boston-New York-Niagara Falls-Lansing-New Orleans-Houston-Santa Fe-Grand Canyon-Vegas-Death Valley-california west coast and end at Los Angeles. We would like to rent a convertible that is decently priced.

We have just started planning on this, and we are already running into problems regarding that convertible. People don’t seem to want to rent convertibles for one way.

So the question(s) is:
(1) Does the above plan in the above time frame sound ridiculous? Is it possible?
(2) Any suggestions/advice?
(3) Any suggestions for the convertible?

Any advice/suggestions/criticisms/opinions are welcome, please help – we really want to do this but we really don’t know where to start from.

Thanks a lot!

Aman

====>>>

Hello Aman --

Thank you for writing in to Road Trip USA -- congrats on your PhDs!

About the trip, it sounds great, but I wonder whether you really _need_ the convertible. In my experience, they are fun for a short time, but on long drives the "wind in your hair" gets exhausting, and in general convertibles are not the most comfortable cars for long drives -- especially not a 3 week road trip ! Convertibles are also less secure -- thieves might well be tempted to rip open the top.

Hope that doesn't sound like me being a spoil-sport -- remember, you can always rent a convertible for a day or two to cruise around Hollywood or Las Vegas!

Car questions aside, I think you have the makings of a very nice trip. A couple of suggestions would be to spend some more time getting to know the Deep South -- Memphis is fascinating, as is the while Mississippi Delta / Cajun Country region, especially old antebellum towns like Natchez. Well worth a day or two, for sure, and they are right on your route. (I hope your trip includes a lot of the Great River Road -- I just finished a new Road Trip USA: Great River Road book, and the info there is about 2 years more current than the samples posted on the website.)

The rest of your itinerary sounds very fun and "do able". In fact, I think you may have enough time to do this trip as a loop -- thereby maybe saving hassle of a one-way rental.

Flexibility is the key to successful road-tripping -- so keep an open mind and don't be too overly wedded to your expectations. In fact, in my experience the "unexpected" pleasures of a road trip (like a sunset in the desert, or finding really good food in the middle of nowhere) are the memories that linger longest.

So have fun, and don't worry. Happy Trails,



Jamie Jensen
---
Road Trip USA

SC to SD -- Charleston SC to San Diego CA

Hi Jamie! Thanks for being there! Maybe you can settle a dispute between my husband and me. We were both born and raised in Los Angeles and know little about the East, but my husband is flying to Charleston, SC and picking up a car and he's trying to plan his route back.

He and I have driven from Dallas to San Diego which gave him a mortal fear of the west Texas roads, so he's considering routes that take him up and over Texas, but he is in a hurry to get home. It's not a tour, although he is excited about it and does want to make the most of it. I think he is crazy for not going straight through on the 8 (and 80) to just get home, but he is twisting himself in to a pretzel to avoid that long open stretch between Dallas and, say, Yuma.

Help me convince him that he's not going to be happy driving sooooo far out of his way and he should see the wisdom of just drinking a Red Bull, cranking up the CD player and taking the Southern Pacific route.

Thanks!

Cindy

===>>

Hello Cindy --

Thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA, and I hope I can help!

Your husband's worry about Texas reminds me of the movie Thelma and Louise -- though with a different back story. I agree with him about the tedium of 1000-mile drives across endless plains of tumbleweeds, and think I have a semi-sensible solution: how about he heads a little bit north, and swaps a nifty cruise along Route 66 for that long stretch of Texas?

My outline route would go something like this: Charleston (stay a while, it's really really pretty... Savannah GA is nice, too) -
Atlanta (avoid rush hour!) -
Birmingham (visit Vulcan! -- not Spock's home planet, but the "World's Largest Cast Iron Statue of the Roman God of Fire")
then maybe Tupelo (Elvis' Birthplace!) --
veer north to Memphis (eat / drink / listen to music!) --
then zoom along to Oklahoma City, on old Route 66 (good baseball stadium!) --
west to Amarillo (in Texas, but home to the very cool Cadillac Ranch!) --
then home via Santa Fe and the Grand Canyon.

Makes you want to join him, doesn't it? :-)

I don't actually think these "detours" add more than 100 miles to the I-10 freeway drive, but I do think the addition of daily destinations to look forward to and enjoy (and stay awake for!), will more than make up for an extra hour or two on a week-long drive.

The question I have is: is it a cool car he's picking up in Charleston? That would make the trip even better...

Hope my ideas help to ease your domestic tranquility, and let me know how the trip shapes up.

With best wishes and a "bon voyage",


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA


===

Subject: Charleston, SC to San Diego

Thank you very much Jamie! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Cindy

San Diego to Pittsburgh

Hey Jamie ==

We are driving from San Diego to Pittsburgh in August and would love some tips on which would be the best route/stops along the way. We’re planning on taking about 6 ½ days to get there (6 nights in hotels).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Kathy

===

Dear Kathy --

Many thanks for your message -- I will try to give you some ideas.

Heading east from San Diego will take you across southern Arizona, which in August is likely to be very very hot. (110 + degrees hot...)

So I would suggest you start off by looping a little to the north -- maybe by way of Las Vegas, then across the scenic landscapes of southern Utah. These places are at much higher elevations, and so should be comparatively cool.

If you wanted, you could wind east to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is a lot less "touristy" than the very popular South Rim. From here you have a string of national parks ahead of you -- Zion, Cedar Breaks, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches, to name just a few. These are all spectacular, and can be appreciated from near the roads, or from hiking into the expansive wilderness, too.

There are also many river rafting and other opportunities along the Colorado River and its tributaries. Along with a variety of rustic national park lodges, a couple of towns make good overnights -- like Moab Utah, for example. I cover this region in the "Loneliest Road" chapter of my big book, Road Trip USA, sample from which are "up" on the website.

Continuing east, I really like the route US-50 follows across the Rocky Mountains -- detouring onto old US-24 by way of Pike's Peak? -- but the main freeway (I-70) is faster and easier and still very scenic.

Depending upon how long you spend seeing the sights so far, this could be 3-5 days from San Diego -- and you're not quite halfway to Pittsburgh. But I think that'll be OK, because the route across the Great Plains is not so diverting, and you can probably move pretty fast.

Next stop, Kansas City? St Louis? or Chicago??

In August, I really enjoy meandering in the Great Lakes region -- there are lots of baseball games to be watched (like Toledo's magnificent Mud Hens!), fairs and festivals to be enjoyed, and roller coasters to be ridden, like Cedar Point near Sandusky (the self-proclaimed "Roller Coaster Capital of the World!").

From Ohio it's a quick hop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike down into Pittsburgh.

Hope these ideas help you plan out a great trip.

Happy Trails,



Jamie Jensen
---
Road Trip USA

Bound for Yellowstone!

Hey Jamie,

A buddy of mine and I are planning a trip across the country. We really have dont have a final route figured out, but we are starting from northern Virginia and hope to travel through Lawrence Kansas, Chicago, and make it to Yellowstone. We are pretty open to the directions and are looking for a lot of great natural wonders of America.

The help would be amazing! thanks!

Jacob


===

Hello Jacob --

Thank you for writing in to Road Trip USA, and I'll try to help you plan a great trip. Lawrence KS is a fun college town, and between there and your start point in Virginia I think you might enjoy stopping in Louisvllle KY -- not only is it home to Fort Knox, and the World's Largest Baseball Bat, but it is generally erudite yet low-key (home of original "Big Lebowski Festival", if that means anything to you...)

The drive west from there across Indiana and Illinois is pretty eye-opening if you've never spent much time in this part of the country. I cover much of this stretch in the "Loneliest Road" chapter of my book, Road Trip USA -- if you like natural wonders, I recommend the Bluespring Caverns , near Bedford Indiana, limestone caves which you can tour by boat, on the underground river!

From here it's an easy detour up to Chicago, where you'll want to spend some days I'm sure. From Chicago, you can hop onto Route 66 across Illinois (be sure to get out and wander around Springfield, the state capital) and down to St Louis, another history-rich city. Then, stay on RT66 along the Ozark Mts, or bomb west on I-70 to Lawrence & Kansas City.

To get to Yellowstone from KC, you can follow the historic emigrant trails along the North Platte River, at Scottsbluff (via I-80 and US-26), and some great old Oregon Trail remnants. (My favorites are near Fort Laramie, in Wyoming's Guernsey State Park -- a 10-minute walk from you car let's you experience the Great Plains of two centuries ago... )

Yellowstone is a definite don't miss -- just make sure you sort out your lodging or camping as soon as you can (especially if you want to sleep in a bed -- there's usually campsites available but hotel rooms go fast.) It takes some times to absorb the scenery here -- so take the time to do some hikes away from Old Faithful.

And on the way home (?) you can see all the things you raced past on your way west -- or maybe take a totally different route and swing north via the amazing but under-appreciated Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which is packed with natural beauty. Maybe you could add in Vermont and New Hampshire, too -- flexibility is the greatest thing about road-tripping.

Whichever way you go, this sounds like a great trip!

Hope this helps, drive safe, and

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

5 day road trips around Washington DC

Hey Jamie,

Hope this beautiful weather is finding you well, where-ever you are. I am writing to ask for some advice on a road trip I am trying to plan for July.

My English sister-in-law and her Irish husband are coming for a visit in July. We live outside of DC in the Virginia suburbs and the 4 of us would like to plan a 4 or 5 day road trip while they are here. Ken has never been in America and Karen has visited only the larger cities, Boston, LA, etc.. Because of that, we want the trip to include very little freeway driving and LOTS of highway and scenic byway driving. We would like the trip to originate here outside of DC and possibly make a big loop - north, west, south, east, and north again, or vice versa of course. We are interested in the fun off-beat tourist attractions, and roadside architecture, as well as yummy food and even a few standard touristy things too.

Do you have any suggestions for us? I have read so many books and looked at so many websites, I feel overwhelmed with our choices. We could go north to New York, West to Indiana, South to Tennessee.....??? YIKES! Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you!

~Melania (and the British Invasion)

===>>>

Hello Melania --

Many thanks for your nice note. I myself am married to one of these "British Invaders", so I think I can help you show them some interesting places.

You've got a pretty good menu of destinations ahead -- fun, food, funky Americana, all linked by some fab scenic drives. DC is a great place to start, because it has so much history and also because nice open countryside is pretty close. What I've come with for suggestions could be done as one big "Figure 8" road trip, and also could work as a DC-based day-trip or two (staying home at night, saving some $$...?) and one nice bigger loop.

The day trippy destinations I suggest would be heading north into Pennsylvania, toward the famous "Dutch Country", which is full of tacky funny tourist sights and some very pretty countryside (Plus Amish horse-drawn carriages and "all-you-can-eat" smorgasbord !

Also here is the Harley Davidson factory, which is open for tours -- and has a big gift shop, for those all-American souvenirs.

This trip could also stop at some "real" attractions, like Gettysburg and Antietam battlefields -- which are both pretty to look at and profound to think about. All this is just over an hour from Arlington (traffic permitting)

I cover a lot of this trip in the Appalachian Trail chapter of my "big" book, and in an even newer (fully updated late 2009!) mini-book just on the Appalachian Trail.

(And I should say, both of these books are 2 or 3 years more up-to-date than the info which is on the website...)

Places to see on a bigger, longer road trip: I'd suggest you start by heading west, driving through the "Horse Country" area around Middleburg and maybe making your way to Harpers Ferry, high above the Potomac River. From here you could do the Skyline Drive south thru Shenandoah Nat'l Park, and / or tour the nifty small towns of the Shenandoah Valley (like Winchester, Staunton and Lexington, home of Stonewall Jackson.)

For an unforgettable all-American experience, stay the night near Lexington and catch a movie at Hull's Drive-In.

Back over the mountains, Charlottesville is a pretty place, with good food and all the Thomas Jefferson history you could want.

And if you really want to do some driving, the Blue Ridge Parkway will wind you south and west to Asheville, which is another characterful small city -- with the biggest house in the USA, Biltmore (once home of the Vanderbilts, and now open for tours). Asheville is adjacent to the lovely Great Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park, and is also home to one of my favorite minor league baseball teams, the Asheville Tourists, offering another all-American moment for your overseas visitors to enjoy!

Asheville via the Blue Ridge Parkway (and/or I-81, America's prettiest Interstate!) is about a 500-mile drive from DC, so you could do all of the above and get there and back in a very nice 3 or 4-day drive. Sound good?

Obviously there are lots and lots of other ideas -- I've avoided suggesting the coast (Rehoboth or Ocean City MD?, or the Outer Banks of NC??), which is always nice but probably much more crowded than the mountains. That said, you may like crowds -- and if so, Ocean City on a sunny Saturday is a sight you may well want to see!

Hope this helps, and Happy Trails,



Jamie Jensen
-----
Road Trip USA

Southwestern USA, in Springtime 2011

Hi Jamie,

We have two weeks to go on a holiday early next year (February/March), and we are looking for wide open country, a little bit of physical adventure and to see something of America. We are from Sydney Australia, and will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary as Michelle's 30th birthday, and are prepared to stay in a range of accommodations.

We will fly into LA, as we can get relatively cheap flight to and from Sydney, but beyond that aren't really sure what route we should consider. We are prepared to fly internally and then rent a car from the start point of the route you suggest, however our two-week-only time limit is not negotiable (as much as we would love to stay longer).

Michelle has only been to the USA once to run the NYC marathon, but was hoping to avoid revisiting places she has been to (New York and Washington) for this road trip.

Do you have any suggestions as to what route at that time of year would make a lovely road trip holiday?

Any other key tips would be gratefully received.

Thanks Jamie - we both love your website - it's awesome!


Michelle and Jeff.

=====>>>>>


Hi Michelle & Jeff --

Many thanks for your nice message -- and congrats on the wedding and next year's anniversary!

In February & March (which is our winter time), I think you will have the most fun if stay in the warmest and driest corners of the USA -- so LA is a good place to start.

March in particular is a great time to explore the deserts, because that is "wildflower season", when the landscapes come into brief but spectacular bloom. Arizona is a great place to explore -- and it has lots of the "physical adventure" possibilities such as Sedona, seen in the picture above, or the Grand Canyon, or another hundred or so less famous but still amazing scenes, almost all of which are open to the public as national and state parks, full of hiking trails, river rafting, rock climbing and more.

You could also add in a visit to Las Vegas -- if a bit of garish spectacle and adult indulgence suits your celebratory needs. Las Vegas is surprisingly convenient to some of the amazing red-rock landscapes of southern Utah (Zion National Park, and much much more), as well as desolate Death Valley to the west.

Whether or not you take in Las Vegas, in two weeks you could do a great big loop trip around the southwestern US, incorporating some of the classic roadside Americana of Route 66. (Maybe even driving as far east as Santa Fe New Mexico, a beautiful and historic place). On the second leg of your trip, consider taking in some Wild West history of Tombstone and Bisbee Arizona (southeast of Tucson) in what is my "Southern Pacific" route along old US80, then looping back to LA via San Diego.

Or you could do a similar loop in the counterclockwise direction, starting off down the coast from LA, heading east then north then back again. Lots of possibilities -- and all very desirable. One thing about traveling at that time of year -- the weather can be very variable, ranging from sunny warm and dry (ideal), to stormy and wet and cold -- it frequently snows at higher elevations, including the rim of the Grand Canyon and much of the surrounding "Colorado Plateau" country of Arizona and Utah. But when it snows in the mountains it can still be warm and sunny in the lower desert areas (like Phoenix, which in March is in the middle of its main tourist season.)

This region is also heartland of what tourist bureaux used to call "Indian Country", so there is a lot of cultural diversity (Navajo and Hopi Indians, plus Spanish colonial heritage) to complement the wide open scenery.

I actually wrote a 500-page book just on "California and the Southwest" many years ago, covering a lot of these places in greater detail than I do in my big Road Trip USA book; it's filled with ideas and pictures (even though some of the details are 10+ yrs out of date!).

Hope these ideas help to whet your appetites -- and good luck with the trip.

The desert Southwest is one of my all-time favorite places to travel, so I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Trails,



Jamie Jensen
----
author,
Road Trip USA

RVs on old roads -- Pacific Northwest ?

Hi,

I am currently traveling route 2 from St Ignace, Mi to Spokane and am writing this from Minot.

My question is does your book deal with the challenges of driving a big rig (large motor home) through these areas?

Weight limits
Clearance horizontal and vertical
Steep grades and sharp curves
Fuel availability
Suitable campgrounds

If so I will buy it.
If not you might want to consider an edition that does. As far as I know there isn’t anything like that.

Thanks,

John

====>>>>>

Hi John --

Thank you for your note -- for me writing back within an hour, this is the quickest reply I've ever managed! But I have to admit I don't really cover all the info you are interested in -- RV clearance limits etc -- though I do stress these in places where there are unusual rules (like width and weight limits on covered bridges in New England, for example.)

It is already a challenge for me to fit in all the info I do cover -- 900 pages detailing 40,000 miles of mostly two-lane tours across America. So I have left clearance & weight etc details to others who can cover it better -- I usually buy the big Rand McNally trucker's road atlas, which has a lot of that info (except the campgrounds, probably..)

One place I do cover that sort of info in Road Trip USA is on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in gorgeous Glacier National Park -- where there is a length limit of 21 feet (inc trailers)

Sorry to lose a potential sale of my book, but better that, than to have a disappointed reader!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip,



Jamie Jensen
---
Road Trip USA

New Hampshire - cross-country loop?

Hi Jamie,
My name is Christina. I'm currently a college student in New Hampshire, and a couple of my friends want to do a loop around the states - Starting from NH, to montreal canada, to michigan, montana, L.A., colorado, new orleans, and then back to NH.
I was hoping to receive some advice on budget and transportation acquisition. We were hoping to find a very cheap van (working though) because we don't want to stay in hotels along the route, and thought to just sleep in the van.
This trip'll be taking place around end of august - mid september. We have about three weeks for it.
Anything you could tell me additionally to prep us for this journey would be awesome. We're a bit lost as to where to start exactly.

thanks so much.

christina

==>>

Hi Christina --

Thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA, and I hope I can help you plan a great trip. At the risk of sounding like a salesman, one way I can suggest for you to start getting inspired about this trip would be for you to spend some time thumbing thru my magnum opus of a book, Road Trip USA, which contains nearly 1000 pages of ideas about where to go and what to see all over the USA.

It's in libraries, bookstores and at Amazon.


The book has lots of stuff that didn't make it up on the website -- plus it is much more accurate and up to date.

End of sales pitch. Time for your travel plans.

Three weeks is not a _huge_ amount of time for the trip you describe -- which by my counting is something close to 5000 miles. Do-able, for sure, but to make sure you'll have enough time to enjoy the amazing sights along the way, you'll probably have to make a couple of long-haul 800-mile all-nighters across the less fascinating stretches of North American highway (across North Dakota on your way west, and across Texas on the way back, if I were on board...)

To start this trip. I would get my hands on the van as early as possible, and get to know how it works, both as a vehicle and as a mobile home. Take some shorter trips around New England to work out any "bugs", and to get to know your travel companions. Better to do this near home, than to discover problems when you are 1500+ miles away.

I'm sure you'll want to fine-tune arrangements (maybe build-in some storage units that will double as sleeping bunks, for example.) I have been through a series of VW vans over my many years on the road, and I have been forever tinkering with them. A couple of short trips will help you learn for yourselves just what stuff you want to haul around with you -- I recommend a set of comfy camp chairs, so you can sit out around campfires in comfort. But you don't want to haul _too_ much stuff, most of which you'll have to pack and unpack, time and again...

OK, there are some overall ideas -- please feel free to write again once you know where you are headed.

Good luck, and Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

Last Frontier road trip

Hi Jamie,

I stumbled across your website as I was searching the web for road trip ideas, destinations and plans. My wife and I will be celebrating our first anniversary this fall, and since we didn't get a chance to go on a honeymoon earlier, would like to plan some sort of special trip.

Thoughts of tropical paradises have originally intrigued us, but after looking at our budget, and have reality set in, the thought of going on a road trip entered my mind. We both live in south central Alaska, and enjoy traveling very much, though she has unfortunately not had many chances to travel out of state to see much of the lower 48. I don't suppose you might have any thoughts / advice for a trip that would originate / end in Alaska? I looked at your routes, and the border to border and pacific coast trips interested me the most. Perhaps driving one down, and the other back home would be good.

Any advice on these? Good times of the year? Does / don'ts? etc.

Thanks!

~Joe

==>>>

Dear Joe --

Many thanks for your nice note. Congrats on your first year of marriage!

I would strongly recommend you make your way to the Canadian Rockies, which are very very pretty indeed. And if you could make it far as the rest of the USA, I suspect you would really like the look of the San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula region in far western Washington state, or cruising all the way down the Pacific coast to California (my home state).

Summer will get you the best weather in most of these places, but autumn (Sept / Oct) is usually very nice and much less crowded. And if you could find the time to come back via Montana, I think you'd enjoy that part of the country, too. The Bitterroot Valley, the Sawtooth Mountains (seen above in a postcard image), and Glacier National Park, are all truly spectacular.

All these places make great destinations for a special trip -- and one thing I thought is that you might want to check out the many good books written by my friend and Banff-based collaborator, Andrew Hempstead, who covers British Columbia, Alberta, Alaska and the Yukon (and sometimes his native Australia, too). He has written dozens of books and articles, including most of the Rockies sections of my Road Trip USA books, and now has his own Canadian Rockies publishing company, summerthought.

Finally, you asked for some does and don'ts. How about these:


Do take the trip. Don't put it off.


I don't know how much all of this will help you plan your honeymoon, but hope you have a nice one.

With best wishes,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

Southern Pacific

Hey Jamie

I recently bought your Road Trip USA book (which I must say is fantastic) and am now planning to do the "Southern Pacific" route next year -- in 2011. At the minute, my plans are extremely hazy apart from planning to do it in 3 weeks.

I want it to be as much of an 'adventure' as possible and, therefore, am proposing to only book my flights and car hire before I go - meaning that overnight accommodation will be booked when I arrive in the USA and where I will stay will depend on how much I want to drive on each day.

I would value your advice on what things I need to bear in mind when planning the trip (including the booking of accommodation) and any particular highlights which are a must to take in during my trip. I'm planning to do the trip with a male friend - if the gender of my travel companions would potentially affect any advice which you would give.

Thanks for your time, it's greatly appreciated.

Jon

=====>>

Hi Jon --

Thank you for writing in to Road Trip USA - and for buying my book, which I'm pleased you like. The Southern Pacific route is a great way to experience the huge variety the USA has to offer -- scenery, culture, food, you name it, it's out there. 3 weeks is a very good amount of time -- is that for a one-way, or a there-and-back double cross-country road trip? Either way is good -- I always like coming back to places, even more than seeing them for the first time.

Though I agree with your plan to book places to stay as you go, I might suggest you make plans for your first night at least -- just so you don't get overwhelmed upon arrival.

By the way, you didn't say where you are coming from -- or which end of the route you are starting at -- or what time of year you are planning to come -- all these are keys to what places I might recommend Tell me a bit more about what you like -- hiking, eating, architectural history, pop music...? -- and I'll send you back some specific suggestions. But there is definitely no shortage of stops you'll want to make!

For now, happy trails,

All best,


Jamie Jensen
--

Road Trip -- Route 66, from Portugal

Hello Jamie!

I am starting to plan my first trip to the USA. It will start by flying from Portugal to NYC no the first week of September. After i'd love to know the best and cheapest way to reach the West Coast and do the Pacific Coast all the way to San Francisco.
There's a plan B that would be driving the Ruta 66 all the way to LA. Can you give me some tips, POIS and tell me how long and the minimum amount of money i would need to do this? Also, what is needed to drive a car in the States?

Thanks a lot!

Best,

augusto

==

Hello Augusto --

Thank you for writing in to Road Trip USA -- despite the crazy Euro-world economics, I hope you are still planning to take the trip. As you mainly want to visit NYC and the West Coast, I think it will be best for you to plan to fly across the country -- which will take a day, and cost around $400-600, versus driving, which would take 10 days and cost you quite a bit more.

This goes against my usual suggestion -- and driving across the country is a lot of fun and very interesting - but the USA is such a big place (NY to LA is like driving from Lisbon to Istanbul!). Even Route 66, from Chicago to LA, is about 2000 miles.

If you mainly want to see the NYC and Pacific Coast, I suggest you could rent a car in California and tour around -- you'll need a local driver license (I think one from Portugal or EU would be OK), plus a credit card; you also usually need to be at least 25 years old, otherwise things get complicated.

Hope this helps -- have a great trip,


Jamie

Pacific Coast Highway --- in March 2011

Hi Jamie,

Congratulations on the new edition and thanks for this opportunity to pose questions about our trip. We recently bought the Road Trip USA PCH book from a local bookstore as we have booked our Road trip for March 2011. It is our intention to fly from the UK to Las Vegas and make San Francisco our starting point for the pacific journey, we wanted to know the best route from Las Vegas to SF and also we wanted to know as our climate is so much more humid and cold than most of the continental US would we be OK in spring/summer clothes?

Kind Regards


Mr & Mrs Milligan.

===>>>

Hello Mr & Mrs Milligan --

Thank you for writing in to Road Trip USA, and for buying my PCH book. I hope you like it!

There are a couple of ways to drive from Las Vegas to San Francisco to start your coastal tour. You could take freeways (Interstate 15 and I-5) across the desert and then up the Central Valley; this is fast but not very scenic.

If you have some time, a better alternate would be to head west from Las Vegas and enter California via Death Valley, which in March could be lovely -- sunshine and wildflowers, if the weather cooperates. From Death Valley (the lowest point in the lower 48 states), you have to get around the 14,000-foot Sierra Nevada mountains, either swinging around to the south and following the I-5 freeway up toward SF, or you could take a very scenic two-lane road, US-395, which runs north along the foot of the mountains, past some interesting small towns like Independence and Lone Pine (great names, aren't they?)

To cross the Sierra Nevada mountains in March, when they are still likely to be covered in snow, you'll have to go as far north as Carson City and beautiful Lake Tahoe, and cross westwards to San Francisco on either US-50 (scenic) or I-80 (faster and still very pretty, but it bypasses Lake Tahoe...)

There is another road over the mountains, Hwy-120 into Yosemite National Park, but this route is closed by snow until May or June.

Now, about clothing -- California in March can be cold and wet, and it can also be dry and warm and sunny, changing from week to week (even day to day). I would recommend you bring rain jackets and at least one warm (wool) sweater, along with your shorts and sandals. Southern California is likely to be much warmer than the UK, but in March SF could well be about the same as London. And the difference in weather between Death Valley and Lake Tahoe would be even greater.

Basically, March weather is very variable -- which probably doesn't make it easier for you to plan your packing. But when the sun shines, there's no prettier place than the CA coast.

Hope this helps -- and sorry it took me a while to write back.

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA