Hey, all. I'm going on a vacation/road trip in June and figured I'd holla at all my ClutchFans peeps in case you are en route. The plan is to take 4 days and drive from Houston to San Francisco. I'm thinking of going to Lincoln, Nebraska on my first day. It would be long, but knock out a lot of driving. Then, go to Salt Lake City in day 2, then from there to Yosemite on day 3. Spend the evening and most of the next day there before going into SF. On my way back (I'll be in SF for 4-5 days), I'm going down to LA and then 2 days back. I'm staying with friends in SF and LA, but the rest of the way is just driving and picture taking. Any suggestions? And don't ask, "Why aren't you flying?" By the way, if anyone has any suggestions for good deals on renting a car, I'm all ears.
So, why aren't you flying...oh wait, i didnt' mean to ask that...The gas is going to kill you, but hey, I'd love to do that... No suggestions really, but why not come through Albuquerque on the way back...Very scenic and a cool place to hang out...If you haven't been to LA, do all the tourist stuff, then hang out on Sunset strip for some people watching...Have fun...
Drive down the coast from SF to LA, stop in Capitola, CA (just south of Santa Cruz), and have a slice of pesto pizza at Pizza My Heart while sitting on the beach watching all the hot surfer girls.
If it's scenic picture taking stuff you want, and it fits your travel plans, head back through the Sedona/Flagstaff part of Arizona. Absolutely beautiful.
Omaha is one of my favorite towns. One of the best zoos in the country and a great downtown. It's so close to Lincoln, you should try to stop in, if you can.
Drive down the 101 until you are about 30 miles past Santa Maria, past a little town called Buellton. You'll see a sign that says "Highway 1 Lompoc" Keep Driving.
Stay at the Ahwahnee in Yosemite. What kind of stuff are you thinking about for LA? What part of town will you be staying? Watching a sunset from Gladstone's restaurant (in Malibu/Pacific Palisades) is pretty cool. I like Unversal City Walk, but that may be way (way) too touristy for you. You might want to see what's playing at the Hollywood Bowl or the Greek (Ampitheater). Or play beach volleyball in Manhattan beach (or just walk the strand there and watch others play... ), there are also a bunch of eateries and bars down by the Hermosa Beach pier.
Here's a thing, Jeff. I find the rates are usually cheaper at some smaller car rental companies such as Thrifty than big name international chains, say, Hertz or Avis. The problem is if you rent at Thrifty, you will be asked where you are going to travel. As I understand, they have restrictions on how far you are allowed to drive with their rental cars -- usually limiting to the home state and a few neighbouring states. Of course you don't have to tell them your true itinerary. But if something happens to the car at a place not within their scope, it could spell trouble for you. The restriction could be a corporate policy or just the individual franchise's own rule. I think you'd better find out before you make the reservation.
From Lincoln to SLC, I would recommend the southern route through Denver, Vail, Grand Junction. Stop off for the night in Moab and visit Arches National Park... much more impressive than SLC. From there, backtrack 30 miles to I-70 and head through Green River and the San Rafael Swell. Jog around to US-50 and head across the Basin and Range country of Nevada... you'll swing close to Great Basin NP, go through Ely, and then up and over a bunch of mountain ranges until Reno, where you meet up with I-80 to carry you into San Fran. If you're going to be that close to Arches you need to go... especially if you haven't been there before. Regardless of which way you go, invest in satellite radio or have an enormous amount of tunes because there is not much radio where you'll be going, particularly across Nevada. Looks like you'll head back on I-10, but if you decide to go via I-40, let me know... I'll buy you a meal.
State street is amusing, just watch out for the bums, they are rather straight-forward. Solvang is a joke, I wouldn't know why people would actually plan a vacation there, Santa Ynez is better if you want an authentic old town.
