StuDudley

>>Have none of you ever been on road trips?>>

Yep - when I was young & stupid. Now, I enjoy "being there" instead of "getting there".


>>And most of these drives are incredibly scenic.

petemadz

Disney may not happen and hence we have booked closer to Hollywood area. We have already visited the Disney World in FL couple of times and my daughter feels "she is old enough" to skip it this time. Regarding staying in Bishop for two nights, I will reach there on first day only by evening and then next day I expect to tour Mammoth mountains and any other PoIs in that area. Next day morning I will drive to YNP so that I get more time there. I am not in a position to alter my dates in SF or Carmel/Big Sur due to committed bookings in YNP and fixed return date from LA.

Btw, I am not very young at mid 40s. But I dont think of anything that I did in my early years as stupid. In late 90s, we have done single day return trips to places like Yosemite and Lassen from San Jose as a bachelor. Back then, I enjoyed "getting there" more than "being there".

mlgb

We still enjoy road trips, and I'm sure your daughter will have good memories.

Yes, I would leave for Yosemite in the morning/ stop at spots along the Tioga Pass road or arrive early in Yosemite Valley.

In Bishop before you leave, there is Schat's Bakery for cinnamon rolls, ice cream and sandwiches. We usually go in the morning for the day old markdowns (along with half the town). Another stop is Mahogany Smoked Meats for (expensive) but world-famous jerky.

Whoa Nellie Deli/Mobil station is a famous stop at the turnoff from 395 for Tioga Pass, although the food is expensive it's good. I think more appreciated if you are coming from the opposite direction from Yosemite and have had National Park service concession food for a few days. Although, it does have a good view of Mono Lake if you want a pit stop before heading up hill.

We had a surprisingly good trout meal at the Camp Curry cafeteria last trip, btw.

petemadz

Thanks @mlgb. I have booked in Creekside Inn at Bishop which seems to be pretty close to Schat's bakery. Do you have any idea if there is any possibility of skiing opportunities at Mammoth mountains in late May ? Not that we dont have any in NH now, but it will be a good way for us to spend some time there. Also, are there any short detours you can take while on 395?

janisj

>>Do you have any idea if there is any possibility of skiing opportunities at Mammoth mountains in late May ?

petemadz

Starting the trip in another week. Good news is that CA-120 is opening tomorrow, so we can drive up from Bishop to Yosemite through Tioga Pass. Bad news is that this time snow pack is extremely low in most places. As per NPS, "Snow (water content) for the Tuolumne drainage is 7% and Merced, 2%, of average for this time of year." That is really terrible. I wonder how bad this summer is going to be in CA.

Btw, are there enough service/rest areas on 395 between LA and Bishop or should we get into some towns on the way?

Christina

The snow pack has been bad for several years and the California drought which is going on about 3 years now has been all over the news in the last couple of months due to water conservation measures. I remember when I lived there in the 70s and 80s, we had a period of that (very serious drought 1987-92 and in 76-77) and I got furious as some workers in a McDonalds or some place who were hosing down the parking lot or something like that, in the midst of a water shortage.

I didn't go skiing at Tahoe this year because they had no snow, and I don't know what's going to happen to those resorts if they don't get some next year. It's a shame. BTW, Mammoth is the only ski resort in California still open, not that I'd go now. They have a 10-40 inch base. ONly about 20 pct of the trails are open.

I haven't driven from LA to Mammoth in years, so will let others talk about how many rest areas there are. But of course it's developed (suburbs, Lancaster, etc) until you get at least north of perhaps Rt 58 (Mohave). I wouldn't think you'd be on rte 395 until north of Indian Wells.

petemadz

Back from the trip and it was quite a wonderful one, thanks to the suggestions I received in this forum.

This was the final itinerary that worked for us.

4 nights in LA (Burbank area)
3 nights in San Diego (Mission Valley)
1 night in Bishop
2 nights in Yosemite
2 nights in San Francisco
1 night in Monterey
1 night in Pismo Beach
1 night near LAX

Overall drive was 1566 miles and never did I feel that we were spending too much time on the road. Except for a rainy wet day in Yosemite, every other place had great weather and was mostly sunny. Btw, we could drive through Tioga Pass (HW 120) while driving from Bishop to Yosemite, even though the road was closed within a few hours of us passing it due to heavy snow! There was also quite a bit a snow near Tioga area.

I will try to post a detailed trip report with specific details about the hotels we stayed with offbeat food and sightseeing options.

emalloy

Glad you made it and looking for the TR.

petemadz

I have started my trip report here.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...california.cfm