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West Coast US trip from Sep to Oct 15 for 30days

West Coast US trip from Sep to Oct 15 for 30days

Old Apr 16th, 2015, 02:39 PM
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suze lays out a good plan - still rushed but much more doable. (The LA and Santa Barbara bits need to be reversed - SB and then LA)

I'd just change one little part:

from >>San Francisco 4
Sacramento 1
Yosemite 1
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 02:48 PM
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You're absolutely right janisj (Santa Barbara is on the way to LA when you're coming from the north.)

I simply copied their itinerary as laid out in the OP and tried to put a more reasonable timeline on it!
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 03:41 PM
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Thanks All,

I will re-plan my trip and post it tonight once I am at home (Sydney).

Yes, I have two kids 8 and 12 traveling along. The reason I wanted to do the mid-west was so that I could see part of the mid west. Next year I want to do the east coast with the family. I have lived in Virginia 2007-2008 for nearly a year. But I traveled for work (Chicago - 6 weeks, NY - 2 weeks, Florida - holiday with family Disney World). I guess, I need to do 3 trips to the US. Next trip is going to the east coast and then the middle of the US. The middle of the US can wait few years after the east coast.

I knew Oregon has zero sales tax but then I had to carry the luggage all the way from Oregon downwards along my entire trip. Hence, Texas is the next best thing. If I decide to ditch after San Diego, then I will need to add more days in Oregon for shopping to keep My wife and mother-in-law happy.

In the mean time my question was
With all the luggage - Is it easy to load and Unload on trains? Ain't I going to be loosing 2 or 3 hours ?
Then we have to look at rental car companies near the train line - then unload from the train to car.
Can we still see the beautiful places while riding the train as compared to driving the road?
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 03:46 PM
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Forget about the train, you're going to want/need more flexibility than the train will allow. Plus it is usually running late and you just don't need all that hassle on vacation.
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 03:50 PM
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You won't lose time loading lots of luggage on trains, but it is something you need to manage yourself (to be able to load suitcases on and off the train).

Of course you can see more by car than by train, because you have so much more freedom of movement, for taking back roads, etc. The train sometimes may have great scenery from the tracks, but often not so much as you're going thru the backside of towns, industrial areas, and so on.
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 04:48 PM
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Do not use trains -- The States just doesn't do trains well except a few specific places like the eastern seaboard or the commuter line on the SF Peninsula. (You need to understand where tom is coming from -- he is Fodors resident train advocate. He recommends EVERYONE take trains.)

Trains on the west coast are more for excursions/the experience than for efficient transport. The long distance trains often run hours late, and they have bizarre scheduling where you travel through some of the most scenic bits in the middle of the night.

Trains are fun -- I've been on the Coast Starlight and the California Zephyr -- but NOT ever when I was sightseeing or had to be someplace on time -- or needed to move quickly. Driving is faster, cheaper, and more flexible. If you had months and wanted to use a week to cross the US by train - sure, but not as part of a west coast road trip.

Just put the trains out of your thought process. (Except maybe for an excursion train somewhere for a lark/day trip)
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 06:36 AM
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Can you mail your purchases home? You could also wait to shop the discount and other malls in Honolulu on your return.
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 02:39 PM
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Thanks guys, Here is my new trip plan. I have one spare day. Not sure where to use it - Vancouver/Yosemite/Seattle - etc

Father in law - 65 yrs, Mother in Law -57.

Hawaii - 2
Vancouver 2
Seattle 2
Mount Rainier (No staying but cover as a drive from seattle in the morning to Portland in the evening
Portland 3 (See Columbia River Gorge, Carter Lake)
Medford 1 (See Mt Shasta, Castle Crags, Avenue of the Giants on the drive from Medfor to Gaberville)
Garberville 1
San Francisco 4 (See Sacramento on the way from Garberville or drive one morning from San Fran)
Yosemite 1
Cambria 1 (Drive through Monterey and Big Sur when driving from San Fran to Cambria)
Los Angeles 3 (Stop over at Santa Barbara when driving from Cambria to LA)
Disney 3
Las Vegas 2
Near Grand Canyon 1
San Diego 2
Fly from San Diego to Hawaii 1
Hawaii 1 (break the Journey at Hawaii and fly out to Sydney. Cheaper tickets from Hawaii and shorter distance nearly 16 hours from San Diego to Sydney if I stop @ Hawaii)

Thnx all.

My trip to Vegas will be

Drive from LA (1 night stay) -> Vegas (1 night) -> Grand Canyon (1night)-> Vegas (1 Night stay) -> LA (4 night Stay)

voyager61 thanks for suggesting Columbia Gorge and Mount Rainier.

I could not find a set route for Oregon Coast?
Do I need to Stay one night in Grand Canyon? and where is the ideal location? We are not great campers. A nearby town will be great. a day trip back and forth to Grand canyon from Vegas will be a killer
I cant find the route to Mount Rainier on Google Maps, Is there a entry road I could put on my GPS when I am in US? I will also buy the road atlas with maps of the US as a backup.

I am negotiating with my wife to extended our trip for another week (37 days), If that happens I will add Texas and the route previously planned on the trip. The issue is of taking an additional week of school holidays. Work wise we both have plenty of leaves.

Thanks for your help.
Steve
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 03:01 PM
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Just some random quick comments:

>>Medford 1 (See Mt Shasta, Castle Crags, Avenue of the Giants on the drive from Medfor to Gaberville)
Garberville 1 Mt Shasta > Dunsmuir > Garberville is 350 miles and at least 7 hours in the car w/o ANY stops.

I'd drive straight down I-5 from Portland to Mt Shasta (about 6 hours but it would help the next two days a LOT). Then the next day visit Castle Crags and cut over to Garberville. It will still be a long drive -- but only about 4.5 hours instead of 7.

>>San Francisco 4 (See Sacramento on the way from Garberville or drive one morning from San Fran) >Yosemite 1
Cambria 1 (Drive through Monterey and Big Sur when driving from San Fran to Cambria)
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 03:06 PM
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Definitely plan to spend at least 1 night at Grand Canyon.
Your options for accommodation in the park at this stage will be limited.

There are 5 lodges operated by Xanterra.
www.grandcanyonlodges.com
They will probably be sold out.

But there is one lodge - Yavapai Lodge that in now run by DNC.
www.visitgrandcanyon.com

If there is nothing on the websites, do call them. I think you should be able to get rooms at Yavapai.
Keep calling too, as cancellations do happen.

As for extending your trip to 37 days (if you can), I would skip Texas and take a week in Hawaii anytime. Wife can do shopping there on the way back to Australia.
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 03:09 PM
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PS - forgot to add - There are SO many great National Parks in Utah. Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches.

And Sedona (south of Grand Canyon) is definitely worth a visit too. (skip Vegas and go to Grand Canyon & Sedona)
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 03:18 PM
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I researched Grand Canyon for this summer- only solution I came up with that didn't involve horrible amounts of driving or camping were accomodations on site, but they filled up really fast.

As for the extra day- I would maybe drive to Cannon Beach and stay near there. Otherwise I'm not sure how you would see the Oregon coast at all, as crater lake and Medford are both inland. (At least I'm assuming you mean Crater Lake).

If you you decide against Oregon coast, I'd add a day to Seattle, but that's partially because I love Seattle. I think most people would say add a day to Vancouver- there's so much to do in that area.

When I google mapped seattle to mt rainier NP, it gave me Longmire Meadow as an end point. So try that possibly? Or paradise inn is past longmire, but also shows up on google. Going south on 161 from puyallup looked like the most likely route to me. Shortest route is probably about 3 hours, 20 minutes going to from Seattle to MR and then the same amount of time from MR to Portland. But that is also if you hit no seattle traffic- during the summer, especially on a weekday, very unlikely.
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 03:46 PM
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Try Portland 2 nights (see Columbia River Gorge and Multnomah Falls) on the way to Bend. Leave Bend in the morning and head to Crater Lake NP. Spend a few hours in Crater Lake NP.
Head to Medford (or Grants Pass) from Crater Lake.
As for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, you can stay going to or coming back from the Canyon at the Hacienda casino/hotel about 2 miles from Hoover Dam. Stop to see the dam and the new high bridge.
I'm glad you dropped Flagstaff, Albuquerque and Texas from your trip.
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 08:13 PM
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Shopping - In the west, there is only one location where a woman MUST shop.

Fortunately, it is in Los Angeles = Beverly Hills
It is on Rodeo Drive
Official
http://www.rodeodrive-bh.com/
More informative
http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/losangeles/a/rodeo.htm

I've been there a few times; suggest being there for lunch.
You may be having lunch next to a major movie star who all shop at RD.
A must do!

Vaga
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 09:16 PM
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Vaga- is rodeo for mostly people watching for you? From the website, most of stores appear to be high end chains that I'd find at an upscale mall, but maybe I'm missing something?
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 10:13 PM
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>>Shopping - In the west, there is only one location where a woman MUST shop.
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Old Apr 18th, 2015, 06:28 AM
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Can you not fly Vegas-Honolulu?

I would relax and shop in Honolulu, but then, I would not spend a month in a car with children and my in-laws. I'm reminded of friends who 'treated' their children to a month of traveling on the Continent. The kids passed the endless days of driving with puzzles and comic books.

We have done the coastal drive LA to SF. One pretty 'view' after another, and another, and another. I would sample the coast for a few hours outside of San Francisco, then fly and avoid this long drive.

I wonder if you have any idea of the traffic on California freeways. It once took us almost as long to drive from San Francisco to Santa Rosa than to fly Chicago-San Francisco. Avoid rush hours and weekend traffic in and out of the cities.
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Old Apr 19th, 2015, 12:52 AM
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The reason I prefer flying from San Diego against Las Vegas because it is nearly $100 cheaper ( 6 people = $600) and 5 hour shorter journey flying out of San Diego. The flights from Las Vegas has a stop over. Thus flying from San Diego is my option of choice.

Yes, In the morning we can depart early lets say latest 7 am depart from the major hotel cities but the return time is a question mark as it depends on the activities we are doing.
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Old Apr 19th, 2015, 09:44 AM
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If you're really after the West Coast, that doesn't include Oklahoma and Texas. Also, New Mexico and Arizona are in the southwest.
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Old Apr 19th, 2015, 11:13 AM
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Yosemite 1
Cambria 1 (Drive through Monterey and Big Sur when driving from San Fran to Cambria)


Yosemite to Cambria via Monterey/Big Sur is a long day (7 hrs without stops). If you take a more direct route to Cambria, you'll miss the best central coast scenery.

I agree with ChiSue that you could wait do your shopping on Oahu. The sales tax is fairly low (4+%) and there is an outlet mall at Waikele and Ala Moana is a good sized non-outlet mall in Honolulu.
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