[Erwin_Br]

The flight has been booked, so it's finally going to happen: My brother, a friend of mine, and me (obviously), will be touring California (and small portions of a few other states as well) in a road trip vacation lasting 3 weeks!

We're planning to visit several State Parks (Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, etc), going to tour some cities (San Francisco, Las Vegas, etc.) and of course we'll be sure to pass some of the famous tourist traps as well (Hoover dam, Hearst Castle, Alcatraz...).

We've got the route already mapped out. In short: We’re landing in San Fransisco, where we’ll stay for three or four days. Then we’ll move on to Yosemite, which we want to see in two, maybe three days. (Any good hotels/motels in the neighbourhood?) Then we’ll drive through Death Valley on our way to Vegas, which we’ll visit one day (Or night, hehe). Anyway, from Vegas we’ll travel through Zion National Park (after we visit the Hoover Dam) to the Grand Canyon. From the Grand Canyon we travel to Phoenix, and from Phoenix we go to San Diego, where we’ll surely pay a visit to the Zoo. From San Diego we drive to Los Angeles. I don’t think there’s much to see there, because I don’t really like attraction parks, so we only stay there for a day to get a glimpse of Hollywood or something. The ending destination is San Fransisco, and we’re going to take the coastal route from LA to SF, which I heard is great.

Anyway, I have a few questions for you guys who actually live or have been on vacation in California: I’m wondering if the route we’ve planned is realistic to do in just three weeks? Also, have we missed some great things we should definitely see?

Oh, and are there any hotels/motels in the neighborhood of Yosemite National Park? The ones in the park itself are a bit… expensive. I’ve been looking for a place to stay at little towns like Keeler and Lee Vining, but couldn’t find much.

Any other tips? Suggestions? Etc?

Whew, I’m quite excited!

--Erwin

[Jelena]

That sounds like a dream come true!
Have a great vacation Erwin.

[Sage]

You'll need more time in Vegas (the Liberace Museum is a must-see) just to take in the awesome tacky grandeur that is the casinos. See as many as you can because they all have different themes and are constantly trying to out-do each other. This is referred to by the locals as "the casino arms race".
Unless there's a specific reason you want to go to Phoenix, I'd say skip it. Phoenix doesn't have a lot to offer tourists except desert scenery, and you'll be getting plenty of that on the rest of your trip.
One thing I can't stress enough is for you to carry lots of bottled water and drink it constantly. You will dehydrate faster than you'd believe possible, even if you don't feel particularly hot. One of the first signs of dehydration is a headache and a lot of people mistakenly attribute this to the blazing desert sun in their eyes.

[Erwin_Br]

Phoenix is one of the places we're going to spend the night, because it's on the route from the Canyon to San Diego. The route we're taking isn't etched in stone, by the way. We're still in doubt whether to visit more stuff in the North (like the red trees, lake Tahoe, etc.) instead of visiting the San Diego / Los Angeles area. I really want to drive highway one (the coastal route), though, and I'm also eager to visit the zoo. Choices, choices... So much stuff to see, and so little time...

--Erwin

[Sage]

Lake Tahoe is stunningly, puke-your-guts-up beautiful, but the water is ice-cold even in the summertime and there's not a lot to do there outside ski season except admire the gorgeous scenery.
A couple of Lake Tahoe shots from a year ago:

[Erwin_Br]

Awww, I really want to visit it, damnit! I forgot to mention that I'm going on vacation from September 12, till October 4. I hope the weather's still nice around that time.

And here's a very quick and dirty mockup of the route we're taking:


--Erwin

[Fairygdmther]

Wow! You'd just better bring a zillion pics back with you!

Lynsie

Hey willya look at that - there's a Scotty's Junction in Nevada!

[Sage]

That's eight destinations in 21 days, and a whole lot of driving in between. There will be three of you though, so driving shouldn't be too much of a chore. You could always take Interstate 80 from San Francisco, get off at Truckee and loop around the South shore of Lake Tahoe, then spend the night in Reno (cheaper and further along I-80, just past where the map cuts off) or in Carson City (more direct but fewer lodging choices) before heading out to Lee Vining on I-395.
You might find this website helpful- http://www.tripadvisor.com. Of the places I've stayed, their impressions pretty much echo my own.

Originally Posted by Fairygdmther

Hey willya look at that - there's a Scotty's Junction in Nevada!

Yep, right beside the atomic test range.

[Melanie68]

Originally Posted by Erwin_Br

Awww, I really want to visit it, damnit! I forgot to mention that I'm going on vacation from September 12, till October 4. I hope the weather's still nice around that time.

The weather will be awesome - sunny and warm. There is a potential for a few light showers up in Northern California starting late September but otherwise it'll be gorgeous. Given your time frame, they usually start harvesting grapes from the vineyards in mid September (sometimes a little earlier) and there's usually a lot of activity in the Napa and Sonoma valleys (which are freakin' gorgeous by the way). Give me some time and I'll think of more suggestions. Honestly I haven't really been south and I did a long weekend up north by the Redwoods in late March. It's gorgeous up there too. But it's more outdoorsy stuff that goes on (hiking, etc.). The Bay Area is gorgeous. I've done some highway 1 driving but north of San Francisco - it's phenomenal!! Like I said, I'll give you more later.

If fov or Tabacco make there way to this thread, they'll likely have suggestions for you too.

[Erwin_Br]

Thanks!

I'll make lots of pictures. I can also borrow my dad's digital video camera, so I think I'm going to shoot a movie too

Scott, I'll definitely consider your suggestion. I just hope we have enough time.

--Erwin

[fov]

Good weather that time of year in Northern California.

[Jake]

Nice, drop another reminder as your trip gets closer. There are a zillion AGers in the SF area, and it would be a good excuse to get together.

[Squinky]

I'd give suggestions, but I'm practically a tourist here myself.

[Melanie68]

Here's some info on Highway 1

Also, I've been told about the Madonna Inn which is in San Luis Obispo. It's this over the top hotel that I've been told is worth visiting just to see its uniqueness. Each room has its owne theme. It's expensive so you don't have to stay there but you may want to stop by.

http://www.madonnainn.com/

[tabacco]

Hah... the Madonna Inn is hilarious, and well worth looking at

On the subject of Yosemite (where I am heading myself the weekend after next)...

If you're planning to stay in the park, you have a few lodging options. There are various campgrounds, half-campgrounds (tent-cabin style things), and two legitimate hotels. The hotels are pretty expensive, but there are some acceptable tent cabins at Camp Curry (on the valley floor) that are fairly reasonable by valley accomodation standards. Otherwise, I know there are some hotels in Groveland, although that's ~50mi from the valley floor. The trouble with Yosemite is that it's big, so staying outside it makes for a long drive no matter what.

If you like to hike, I would suggest checking out the Half Dome hike. It's long, a full day hike round trip if you take your time to rest admire the views, but the view from the top is absolutely worth it. You'll need either lots of bottled water or a water filter, though, because once you pass the first 1/2 mile, there's no more plumbing (although there are some fun solar composting toilets about halfway up near Nevada Falls). If you're not into hiking, there's still a lot of general scenery around the park. The valley is spectacular, and the views from Glacier Point (which you can drive to if you're a lazy jerk) are great. There are also the sequoia groves toward the south end of the park, which you will have to drive to, unless you're really enthusiastic (it's >1 hour by car).

Erm. yeah

In the park:
http://www.yosemitepark.com/content2...D=26&PageID=55

In or near Groveland:
http://www.evergreenlodge.com/cabins.html
http://www.yosemiteriversideinn.com/fall.htm
http://www.yosemitecabins.com/gatehouse/b.html
(I've never stayed at any of these three, so YMMV, but Groveland is a cool little town )

http://static.flickr.com/26/45833598_74bda55435_b.jpg

Sounds like a cool trip. I always wanted to see Hearst Castle, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Someday

[Gordon Bennett]

While in San Francisco:

Don't plan to spend time in Fisherman's Wharf. It's an appalling tourist trap, and you'll have plenty of other opportunities to see beautiful scenery on your trip.

If you want to ride a cable car, do it in the late evening. They're usually almost empty after dark. It's a wonderful ride then if you want a peaceful place to think and watch the world go by.

The Exploratorium is a wonderful place to go for the afternoon and play. Almost every exhibit is hands-on.

Have a burrito. They're fantastic. Avoid the pizza.

When climbing steep streets, bend your knees a bit, as if you were walking up a flight of stairs. Also, carry a water bottle with you if you plan on doing a lot of walking in the daytime anywhere that isn't level.

A couple of very specific local points from where I used to live:

The murals in Coit Tower are more interesting than the view, and you can see them for free. For a better view, ride the 39 Coit bus to the top of Union Street.

For coffee and WiFi in North Beach, go to the North End Caffe on Grant Avenue, or Caffe Roma on Columbus Avenue. For drinks, go to Vesuvio's on Columbus Avenue just above Broadway, or Specs, also on Columbus, just below Broadway.

I'm starting to miss that city now.

[seebaruk]

Looks like a quality trip, I'd love to get back over there some time. I lived in San Diego for two years, the zoo was fantastic. San Francisco was decent too, but I love strange museums so stuff like the Guinness Records museum and Ripleys Believe It Or Not were great. Do they still exist?

[tabacco]

Alternatively, Pier 39 and Fisherman's wharf are a great place to go to laugh at other tourists, if you're so inclined

If you're inclined to view Art, there are some very good museums in the San Francisco/Oakland area, by the way. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is there (obviously), but also the de Young in Golden Gate Park (although their new building looks like an aircraft carrier ) and the Legion of Honor (it's chock full of Rodin!). Less known is the Oakland Museum, which has a large collection of bay area and California artists, including a pretty good body of Dorothea Lange work. It's in Oakland, though, so you'd need to drive there or take BART (the bay area's commuter rail system. it's good.).

If you're not interested in art at all, ignore all that

[fov]

Originally Posted by Gordon Bennett

For drinks, go to Vesuvio's on Columbus Avenue just above Broadway, or Specs, also on Columbus, just below Broadway.

And then have dinner at Sodini's at Grant & Green. Best Italian food.

Originally Posted by tabacco

(it's chock full of Rodin!)

I read this as "it's chock full of Rodkin".

[Tobbe]

I´m sooo jealous Erwin, I´d love to go see The Rock!