Groupthink a BIG roadtrip; Southwest, PCH, Northwest US

So I've got two weeks worth of leave coming up in July, and the wife and I have decided we need a vacation together (first one we've really had in almost 5 years). She's feeling adventurous, so we're taking this:

on what we're tentatively calling a 5,000 mile trip. Yeah, its probably a bad idea. Yeah, I'm foolish for trying it. Yeah, she's crazy to go along with it. That's why I keep her around. :D

We don't really want to have a rigid timeline or route plan, but we're tentatively planning to follow this basic course:

Start: Central Kansas

Southern Colorado

Monument Valley

Grand Canyon (wife's never been, MUST hit this one)

Pacific Coast Highway, starting just north of LA (because traffic), follow all the way north to Seattle

East to Yellowstone/Grand Teton (neither of us have been, will go time permitting)

See friends in Laramie WY

Back to Central KS.

What else should we stop and see? National Monuments, roadside attractions/oddities, nice views, whatever.

Who's on or near our route that wants me to buy them a beer or six?

Conveniently-timed autocrosses on our route (July 3-19)?

Nothing too crazy about that, people used to take cross country trip in bugs all the time.

My first thought, no A/C. That would be a deal breaker for me and my wife.

Other than that, DO IT.

We are doing 3400 miles in this, with 3 kids.

Pretty sure you will burn less gas.

If you make it away from the coast and into the Portland Oregon area stop by for a beer!

Canyon DeChelly and the the Petrified Forrest in NE Arizona are pretty neat and along the old Route 66.

Sedona AZ is pretty and Oak Creek Brewing is good.

Flagstaff AZ has the oldest bar in Arizona as well as nice scenery.

Phoenix AZ has an autocross on July 19th at the Bondurant School skid pad.

Pagosa Springs Colorado is a nice little town. And Pagosa Brewing makes many delicious libations.

Neptune's Net off the PCH near Malibu is where they filmed the F&F scene after the Ferrari and Supra race. Good seafood and not horribly crowded during the week.

There is a Porsche club autoX in Portland on the 19th too. I bet they would let their ansestor participate.

Sounds like you've got your major stops figured out ( though I could spend 2 weeks in Yellowstone alone).

I did a three week road trip out west in May, and here's a few of the stops I enjoyed:

Amarillo, Texas: Cadillac Ranch, Jack Sisemore's RV Museum (free admission, it's behind an RV dealer)

White Sands National Monument. If you go, grab a cardboard box from somewhere so you can slide down the dunes.

Yosemite National Park. Very pretty, but I would skip it if you plan on hitting Yellowstone in the same trip, there is not enough time.

Roswell, NM - there's a history and art museum there that's worth stopping at if you are going through.

Joshua Tree National Park. It'll probably be too hot when you get there, but it is pretty. Where the Sonoran and Mojave deserts meet.

Wendover, UT/Bonneville Salt Flats. Who knows, there might even be an event going on in July.

Canyonwise, I kind of prefer Zion over the Grand Canyon, less crowded and easier to get into.

Depending on the route, check out Arches National Park near Moab, UT.

Saguaro National Park near Tucson is pretty cool, too, but Sabino Canyon is almost as neat, and has some nice, easy walking trails.

If you're a pinball fan, look up D&D Pinball in Tucson, and see if they'll be open when you are in the area.

Also, just enjoy getting out in the middle of nowhere. There are parts of Nevada and Utah I drove through that made central Kansas look downright crowded.

Oh yeah, depending on how many national parks/monuments you plan on going to, look into buying an America the Beautiful pass at the first one you stop at.

You need to do a trip report with lots of pictures.

Between Portland and Seattle, Mt. Saint Helens is pretty impressive.

A tour of the Boeing wide body factory in Everett, north of Seattle is worthwhile as well.

I'm all for road trips and I hate to be that guy, but unless you're looking for a drive-by vacation imho you're trying to cram too much in for two weeks.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

I'm not so sure, that should be a fair amount of time if you are willing to put in some longer days. We did a similar loop in a week and a half and had a great time.

My parents once did Montreal-Miami-Los Angeles-Vancouver-Montreal in a VW bus without A/C and lived to tell about it. That was post retirement.Just have a copy of "VW Trends" with you so you have all the numbers for Bug suppliers in LA handy.

JohnInKansas wrote: Start: Central Kansas Southern Colorado Monument Valley Grand Canyon (wife's never been, MUST hit this one) Pacific Coast Highway, starting just north of LA (because traffic), follow all the way north to Seattle East to Yellowstone/Grand Teton (neither of us have been, will go time permitting) See friends in Laramie WY Back to Central KS. What else should we stop and see? National Monuments, roadside attractions/oddities, nice views, whatever. Who's on or near our route that wants me to buy them a beer or six? Conveniently-timed autocrosses on our route (July 3-19)?

I just did your PCH/Northern route in April.

I would recommend a phone app called "roadtrippers." It is a little clunky, but you can plan your trip in advance on it. More importantly, you can open the app randomly and it will suggest points of interest near by. It is quite usefull for finding restraunts, museums, hotels, and reading helpful reviews before stopping.

I would also recommend an atlas or maps. I used GPS for a while, but it is frusturating when you know what route you want to take, and the GPS wants to re-route you to your destination to get you there quicker.

I started the PCH North of SF. I have been to big sur before (monterey etc,) and Laguna Seca is not too far from that area.

There are a few routes west if you want to come in north of LA, I would recommend visiting big sur/carmel/monterey/laguna seca on the coast.

Going North, I attempted to avoid SF due to traffic; if you do too I recommend bypassing SF on the East (880), then jump on 80E for a bit to 505, then take 128 back West to the PCH. 128 is an amazing amazing road. It will wind you through the napa valley, back on the 101 for a bit then run through some redwoods forests before hitting the PCH1. 128 may just make your trip. It is that amazing of a road.

North on the PCH don't forget to stop at the Paul Bunyan and babe (15500 Highway 101 N, Klamath, California 95548). Watch goonies, stop at haystack rock in cannon beach OR, and Astoria OR.

On the PCH there are plenty of small towns with great hotels, don't stay in a chain. I stayed in Bandon OR with a beach front hotel room for a very modest price.

If you take 90 back east, stop in Spokane WA, at least for lunch.

For yellowstone I stayed just outside the gate in Gardnier Montana, there are a couple hotels there and you can get into the park bright and early after a nights rest. No ideal what the crowds will be like in yellowstone now, and not sure what you want to see there, but budget some time, it is worth it!

Depending on how you leave yellowstone, you may travel through Crow county MT, where you must stop at little bighorn.

In Wyoming, stop at the devils tower. In South Dakota, stop at Mount Rushmore. If you have time add a stop to the Badlands.

Don't forget to have fun.