Gentlemen and fair ladies.

My girlfriend and I have a long summer this year due to generous exam planning, and thus we want to take a 4-6 week trip to the States.

My girlfriend has never been over there, and I have family in LA, Vegas, AZ and Albuquerque.

The initial idea was to rent a car and land somewhere on the West Coast and drive inland.

Main points of interest so far:
- San Francisco, to see the sights
- Los Angeles, to see the sights
- Las Vegas, to visit my family and see the city
- Grand Canyon, to take a hike down and back up again.
- (Maybe Albuquerque)
- Then we ran out of ideas.

So, we're open to suggestions for destinations and sights in the general area. We're willing to drive a good deal. We're equally interested in nature, history and culture.

Is the West Coast north of San Fran worth seeing? How far north is it interesting?

Is there a cheaper way of renting or getting a car than the ~$2100 offer I got from Hertz?

Thank you.

 

Yes, drive North along the coast to see the Redwoods. Trees that are a couple thousand years old, 300 feet tall, 15+ feet across at the base. You have to see them in person to grasp the size of them. If your considering driving North of San Fran I would make time to see this sight for sure!


John

 

I doubt if you will improve significantly on the car rental offer. Some websites appear to offer much better deals, but add insurance and other fees on top and you find that they are mostly a worse deal than the major rental firms.
Incidentally I have always found it cheaper to pre-book my rental in the UK than to rent when I get to the USA.
Most atms will accept your cards with a $1-$3 charge per transaction. Do be sure to inform your bank when you will be in the USA or your card might not be accepted.

Tombstone, Az is worth a day out if you like Wild West entertainment, Pikes Peak in Colorado is worth the journey, either drive up a long toll road or take a cogged railroad trip. A helicopter trip in Grand Canyon is a bit expensive, but worth it imo.
Better yet, get busy looking up things to do in South West USA, this might take up some time, but refine your searching to whatever you and your girlfriend like to do and you will find plenty to keep you occupied.
Don't try to do everything in one trip, make a short list of must do's and enjoy them, rather than trying to cram everything in.

Enjoy your trip!.

Roger.

 

San Diego is also beautiful while you are in CA.

 

I have rented lots of car in my business travels over the years and Hertz is usually the most expensive. Take a look at Enterprise. I believe they have merged with National but I think they are operated separately. You might try one of the websites like Orbitz or Trip Advisor.

 

They'll let you into this country!?!! All jokes aside if you wanted to show her this country driving will be your best experience to take in all views of the west. I'd suggest going north to Colorado or Washington state.

 

Redwoods have been noted! Is it too far north to fly to Portland OR and start the journey there?

Roger: I hear you about the credit card and the loose schedule.

Droptop: Gotcha on Diego. It's relatively close to LA, easy to pop down and see it.

Redoldsman: I can't get the enterprise website to work at the moment, but I'll look into it. Orbitz looks very promising.

Rjohnson: Hell, I'm a citizen. Hey, does that mean I can buy a car instead of renting? It is a drag to drive an RV to all those places? That probably needs insurance, which needs a place of residence...

 

I was in San Fran 2 years ago. You can go to the "Fisherman's Wharf". You can get on the ferry to see the Alcatraz or ride under the Golden Gate Bridge. When I was there, the ferry to Alcatraz was booked for the week. Try riding the cable cars and see the museum and Chinatown. You can buy the "All Day Ride" ticket for $7. I rode ALL the cable cars. Watch how they turn the cable car around the turntable. Have fun walking up those steep hill sidewalks. Dont be surprised to see a lot of homeless people.

 

Add Yosemite to your list of things in CA. It's magical

 

Roger on the SF things to see. I especially want to visit Alcatraz.

Yosemite looks gorgeous.

 

I was just in Portland last summer and spent several days in the state, seeing Crater Lake National Park, the Redwoods in northern California, and spending several days in Coos Bay. All very worth the visit.

But you haven't made one thing clear. Are you talking about a round-trip car rental, pick it up and drop it off at the same airport, or are you doing a point-to-point rental, such as, say, picking up in Portland and dropping off (and presumably flying home from), say, Dallas, Texas?

There's a big difference in how much you can cover and how much redundancy there will be in what you see depending on which of the two you're doing. I highly recommend the point to point approach, but it's often more expensive to rent a car that way.


Another thing to keep in mind is that you are talking about covering a LARGE geographical area, and even 4 to 6 weeks, which sounds like a lot, can go by quickly.

You might be better off doing a couple of car rentals. Fly, say, to Portland, spend half your time in the U.S. seeing Oregon, northern California, and Washington State, then fly from Portland to, say, San Diego, and see all the sites there, head north to Los Angeles, spend some time there, and then head east on I-15 to Las Vegas, then you're very close to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is much less crowded and just as beautiful as the south rim, then head east and south to Albuquerque. You could fly back from ABQ, or you could head south to Socorro on I-25, turn west on US 60 there, and visit a really cool place that is really in the middle of nowhere, the Very Large Array (http://www.vla.nrao.edu/). You could then continue west to Phoenix, then maybe south to Tucson, then back west to San Diego on I-8. This would give you another round-trip car rental. I-8 across southern Arizona and southern California is something else. It's all desert, of course, until you get well west of El Centro, California, but on I-8 between Tucson and Yuma, Arizona is Dateland, Arizona where they grow dates and where you can get milkshakes made with them. Yuma is a pretty cool place with lots of history. Heading into California, you'll very quickly come to the Imperial Sand Dunes National Recreation Area, where they filmed, among other things, portions of the Star Wars movies.

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcen...hvs/isdra.html

If you have a moment, get off of I-8 at exit 156, Grays Wells Road, and follow it a mile or so to the end, then look to your left. The Bureau of Land Management has fenced off for viewing the last remnants of what was called the "Plank Road," the first road of any kind to cross the dunes and make travel straight east from San Diego possible in the early part of the 20th century.

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcen...t/plankrd.html

You'll pass El Centro, where much of the country's fruits and vegetables are grown due to irrigation from the Colorado River, and at points along the highway you'll be as low as 200 feet below sea level. You'll certainly want a GPS for all this driving, and, if it has an Elevation feature, keep that turned on and watch how the elevations change.

About a half-hour west of El Centro the landscape suddenly changes from desert to mountains as you climb from below sea level to several thousand feet in elevation as you pass through the Cleveland National Forest.

Yosemite is very beautiful, but, in my experience, very crowded. Tombstone, which I was just in last weekend, is OK, but I wouldn't necessarily make it the focus of a trip. After you've spent 15 minutes wandering up and down the main street deciding whether or not to go into the various gift shops, you've pretty much seen it all unless you want to pay whatever the fee is to watch the reenactment of the OK Corral shootout. It's OK, but Tombstone is a good place to visit if you're on the way to somewhere else.


Of course, the most important place to visit in all of the southwestern U.S. is Benson Donuts in Benson, Arizona. One-quarter mile south of exit 304 on I-10 (Ocotillo Road), it looks a bit like a hole-in-the-wall, but they have the absolute best apple fritters and cinnamon twists bar none. If you do get the chance to visit there, when you get back home, you won't be talking about the Grand Canyon or Las Vegas or San Diego or any of that stuff. No, you'll be telling all your friends about that wonderful little donut shop you found in the middle of nowhere, Arizona!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/benson-donuts-benson

 

Jaunty:

We're not sure which form of car rental method - we're considering both. The sad truth about point to point is that flying from another airport than you arrive at is ALSO more expensive.

The VLA is a fun visit, but not on the top of our list - I've been there once, and my GF doesn't appreciate it as much as nice scenery.

Our approach is very much to have main points to see, and then we take the small detours to see everything that's on the way.

Love the donut shop! I'll see if I can convince the girl...!

 

You'd want a very small easy-to-park car for SF trips.

I had a tiny rental car recently near Sacramento, great on gas and easy to park.

Maybe look at some University of CA sites, see if there is anything you should do at Berkely or UC Davis or whatnot- where the 5-0 sprayed the seated protesters in the face with mace... Might be a festival like Whole Earth going on.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...16274245,d.eWE

Old town in Sacramento if you are in the area, good for a night, Fanny Ann's saloon.

I hear there's a vineyard in the Napa valley. Should have lots of car parts too, ha ha, NAPA valley, sorry.

Use your smart phone to find local auto boneyards that still allow folks to walk in.

I second Yosemite and the Big Trees. Big Sur coast. You just can't go wrong. Yosemite is typically booked years in advance for camping, not sure how to work around that- go in and out I guess. Go in with a full tank- I had 1/4 tank going in, and the uphill going out the engine could barely get any gas to run.

 

There is so much to see, my only advice is be flexible and enjoy. There is nothing worse than spending most of your time in the car hurrying from place to place. Parts of Rt 66 are fun and quirky, a view of days past.

 

Octania: Lots of good tips, especially interesting is Sacramento, and the camping tip about Yosemite.

How is camping in general? Is it feasible to camp our way around the southwest, or are camping spots too far in between in general?

Not much chance of visiting auto junkyards, the GF would roll her eyes out of their sockets.

Eric: I hope there's time to be flexible when we have six weeks.

 

For $2,100 you could buy a car, drive it, and then sell it, possibly with the aid of a local member.
I wonder whether John in Oregon has a running car he'd be willing to work something out with?
You wouldn't be able to register a car without showing that you live here (which may actually be fairly easy, depending on the state), but, in general, you'd be covered by whatever insurance is on the car even if it isn't "yours."

- Eric

 

That's true. I'd just hate to get a car that breaks down. If it's just small maintenance I can easily do it, but it's not fun to be stuck on a highway with an engine that overheats or AC that doesn't work. But, a car you're not afraid to drive on dirt roads and that doesn't attract thieves would be nice.

I could probably get family to buy and insure the car beforehand, possibly without actually picking up the car?

 

Update: Arriving in LA the 1st of July and leaving from LA the 10th of August.

I've now checked car rental with pickup and drop-off in LA, it's still $1400 for car rental. Is it really realistic to find a cheaper car to buy, and won't it be a hell to sell it when we're ready to leave?

 

I'd just rent the car. By the time you buy a car and insure it... Its more money, not mention the pain in the butt to resell it.

 

Reselling could be done by family to ensure we don't have to incur too much of a price drop. But I hear you on all the other expenses.

 

Random advice:

Dollar car rental did not have a one way surcharge when we rented in LA and dropped off in Fresno a couple of years ago.

If going to SF for more than a day or 2, consider returning your rental car and then re-renting when you leave. You don't want a car in the city and parking is crazy expensive.

Check the rental car insurance as it is a big markup item that they hard sell. Not sure since you are from out of the country, but your own insurance may cover you.

Don't try to do too much and enjoy more time at the places you do go. For example, you can see amazing redwoods at Yosemite (Mariposa Grove). Or there are nice coastal groves near SF (Muir woods north, Cowell state park south near Santa Cruz) without going way up the northern coast.

Stay at the Wawona Hotel at Yosemite if you can get in, and very reasonable rates for the smaller semi-private rooms (you are young and European)

If you want to camp, you can buy cheap stuff at Walmart for less than a night at many hotels. Donate to Goodwill when done. Summers are mild in CA and you don't need expedition quality gear.

 

If you are flying in & out of the same airport, google (or bing) car rental at that airport. Sometimes there are independents that have good prices & don't come up on the big web sites.

 

happy travels

 

https://www.skunktrain.com/
cali north shore adventure

if you get to the mid west
minnesota that is


walleye buggy rides on the lake

 

If you want to drive a ton, you could do a giant loop from LA to Chicago following the path of Route 66, then head back west on I-90 to Seattle, then back down the coast to LA. That would be at least 5500 miles, most likely more as you'd detour to see sights.


From LA - Chicago, you could easily detour to see Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and a lot of other Route 66 and classic western sights. You'd go through California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. Major cities would be Albuquerque, Amarillo, St. Louis, Springfield IL (home of Abe Lincoln), and Chicago. You could stay in some classic Route 66 hotels such as the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari New Mexico and the Wigwams in Holbrook Arizona.


Route 66 Info: http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66/index.html
Blue Swallow: www.blueswallowmotel.com
Wigwam Motel: http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66..._holbrook.html


From Chicago, you head west through Wisconsin and Minnesota, then either I-90 west through South Dakota, and Wyoming, or I-94 north through North Dakota, then to Montana. South Dakota would offer the Badlands National Park, the Black Hills, and Mt. Rushmore. North Dakota offers Teddy Roosevelt National Park (check out the western show at Medora, ND).


Western Montana/Wyoming would take you close to Yellowstone National Park, and if you went north from there you could visit Glacier National Park. Then west across Idaho and into Washington state. From Washington, you could take I-5 south for a faster drive or US 101 along the coast, either way would take you through Oregon. Be prepared to double your driving time on US 101 vs. I-5. Even I-5 takes considerably longer than Google says. Either route would put San Francisco on or close to your path.


So, minimum 5500 miles in 78 hours of drive time per Google, but as mentioned quite a bit longer in reality. You'd see 15 or 16 states and many of the iconic western US sites. I'd guess your miles could easily hit 6500 - 7000 if you really took several side trips.


We've driven most of what I just described, but not altogether. The furthest was 4000 miles in 8 days from Minneapolis - Idaho Falls - Salt Lake City - Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Route 66 - Kansas City and Minneapolis with our 14 year old daughter and had a blast! That was two years ago this week even. Great memories!


If I could second the visit to Minnesota, you could see the Mall of America in Bloomington and drive 3 hours north to Duluth MN to see Lake Superior. You'd see Lake Michigan if you went all the way into Chicago so you'd get 2 of the 5 Great Lakes that way.


Check out SixT rental cars for decent cars at great prices - we've used them and been happy.


Let me know if I can provide any more info and enjoy your trip!


Don

 

Not sure if you would have time, but after the Grand Canyon, head east thru Arizona to Monument Valley, then continue to Moab, Utah. The scenery is breathtaking and unlike anything I had ever seen. The road that leads thru M.V might look familiar as dozens of car manufacturers have used it in their ads.

 

So much good info! You guys are great!

We're definitely up for long drives, and want to have the time to see what's on the road.

EDIT: Sixt rental offer a Chevy Spark for the duration for just shy of $900. Much better.

 

From LA take hwy. 101 to San Luis Obispo and from there take Hwy.1, ride along beautiful Pacific Coast to Monterey. On the way you can stop at Big Sur. In Monterey/Carmel, you can take a ride down 17 mile drive that goes through Pebble Beach, visit Monterey Bay Aquarium, you can also go whale watching. It will be a humpback, blue whale and killer whale season. From there drive north to Santa Cruz, check out Boardwalk and take a walk up West Cliff or rent a bike.
From there you can take hwy. 1 to San Francisco. When here in SF, Alcatraz, Fishermans Wharf, Twin Peaks, Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square, Muir Woods National Monument are places to visit. Take a ride on Cable Cars and relax at Japanese Tea Garden. take a drive down Lombard street, watch a sunset on Ocean Beach.
From there you can drive up to Napa, take a ride on Wine train, hot ballon rides are amazing, go on a tour of wineries and relax at one of their spa places. Visit Petrified Forest Park while there.
There are plenty of other things to do, these are just some of the favorites attractions off top of my head. In each town watch a sunset on the beach, or from one of the coffee shops or restaurants, nothing like sunset on west coast.

Once a month we have a Cars and Coffee on Treasure Island (Between SF and Oakland), last one over 1200 cars showed up. You can see anything from Bugatti, Pagani, Ferrari to your usual, Camaro, Chevelle and of course my Cutlass.

In San francisco, I can probably provide a parking for your rent a car in my building (secured garage, security 24/7). Taxi or Uber are the best way around SF.

 

70Cutty: That's a very generous offer, we'll buy dinner if that's an offer we take you up on.

I'm writing down along the way so I don't miss any of the suggestions. I'm more and more certain we can fill out six weeks if there's this much to see everywhere.

 

six weeks

i hope you have the NO limit on the miles
on the spark o matic
rent a car

 

Thankfully unlimited miles. That little 1 liter engine will get a workout.

 

I visited the U.S in 2000 and was there for 3 months.
I would put a Disneyland on the list somewhere. I went Anaheim.
Being a history/war buff, Gettysburg and surrounds.
Washington, (The wall, Smithsonian museums).
Billings Montanna for Custers last Stand.


Get hold of 'Lonely Planet' for the U.S in general or at least a book for the state/states you are visiting. Very thorough on what the tourist should see.


Edit:- How could I forget Memphis. Gracelands, but keep looking for Elvis, and while your there see the room Martin Luther King stayed in (its a museum) prior to his assassination. Don't bother looking for the Memphis Belle on Mud Island, they moved the plane to an air force base somewhere.

 

Lonely Planet book is already on the list.

I'm trying to see if I can find a militaria show, so I can buy some WWII gear for my reenactment hobby. Disney is on the list due to the GF wanting to see it.

Am I going to have any luck going to speed shops to talk about internships?

 

Um, not sure about this one, what's that mean? Maybe someone local there may help?

 

I'm studying to be an Automotive Technologist, and it'd be more fun to have an internship in a shop where actual modifications are made.

 

I see, good luck, I hope it works out the way you planned.
With any luck you may make some contacts through here.

 

i flew into LAX and drove to San Diego down the coast hiway and made a loop back up thru Redlands...it was the first time i was in Cali..what a great trip took a week and just rambled...the coast hiway was an amazing thing for a guy from a land locked part of the country...the biggest body of what i had seen before was the Mississippi

While in Redlands my friends took me to the mountains to a park and we fished for trout...that was a nice trip..good memories..next day it was fish tacos..nothing better than fresh caught and made meals..incredible...

while in San Diego if you make it..go to Old Town and walk and eat...best Mexican food i ever had...unreal..some of the friendliest people i have ever met, we went to main street etc and saw Ron Jon surf shop it was cool,,went to the ocean walked the beach and the piers...i wanted to fish off the pier but ran out of time

lots of pretty people in Cali..you can tell resident from tourists...real easy.the tourists are all the fat, really really white people..lol

 

Old town is on the list! We have lots of time, so we can afford to spend time to slow down and meet the residents, not just see the other tourists.

 

theres a whole cult following going on out there...the residents live in RVs lots of them i mean MANY....they move up and down the coast all year long..they live on the beach...

that may be a really neat thing to do..rent a car one way and an RV the other..and dont stay in hotels..put the money in the RV and live on the beach for a week..how bad could that be...youd meet the salt of the earth..and a few Hippies too...

 

We're planning on camping whenever we're not somewhere urban, so we'll probably meet those people as well.