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We are empty nesters in our sixties. We want do this in the summer of 2010,11, or 12.
We want to avoid interstates or toll roads when possible. Our thoughts are Rte 66
Rte 20 , Rte 40 ? also National Parks (lodges, no camping!)
Driving across USA home base Cleveland Ohio
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It sounds like you are planning a great trip. I would recommend seeing Amarillo, Texas (Route 66). The Cadillac Ranch is a great place to visit while you are there. The area also has lots of other great outdoor activities. You mentioned no camping. If you would like to treat yourselves to a wonderfl hotel at an affordable price, you should really check-out the Ambassador Hotel. Here is their website - wwww.ambassadoramarillo.com. We stayed their earlier this year and loved it. Great indoor pool & jacuzzi, two restaurants, convenient location, nice guestrooms. Have a safe trip!
How blatant can you be?
You can have a great trip. Do a little planning, go to www.nps.gov for information on the national parks and decide which ones are top on your list. Then look at the weather and crowds and how much driving you want to do each day before you pick a route. Some great NPs are very warm in the summer, eg. Death Valley, Saguaro, Arches, Canyonlands, Big Bend, Zion, and you really would not want to spend much time in them after April or until September. Others have very limited access from snow time usually October/Novembe rand until after mid May or when the snow clears from their roads, eg. Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, Rocky Mt., and the north rim of Grand Canyon to name a few. Will you want to hike or just drive in and look? If you want to stay in the parks either make reservations fairly far ahead or wait for cancellations just before you go.
Have lots of fun planning and going on your trip.
My advice . . for what it is worth . . do very little planning . . you will need reservations at the very popular attractions ( e.g. Grand Canyon, Yellowstone ) but otherwise just wander about . . Use cell phone to book hotels and internet to decide what to see next.
We do this all the time and love the relaxed mode of just wandering about. We usually pick a direction ( East, West, North or South) but that is about all we plan.
There isn't all that much of the original Route 66 left; much of it is incorporated into Interstates 44 and 40. But it's still a nice drive. Check www.historic66.com for more information.
Lee Ann