Katie_H

Summer = road trips

(Perhaps not as much so with the price of gas currently)

But....that said. Is anyone daring to drive a significant way this summer for the sake of the journey?

Route 66?
Pacific Coast Highway?

enzian

Hi Katie,

We are taking a road trip this year; we feel we can face the gas prices because we are not going to Europe and facing the Euro! My Saab gets 32 to 35 mpg on the highway, so it is not too bad.

Our trip will take us from Seattle to Yosemite, via Mt. Shasta, Mt. Lassen, and Mono Lake on the east side of the Sierras. We are camping and hiking in Yosemite---one reason for the raod trip instead of flying down, as we need to carry our camping gear.

On the return we may head over to San Francisco and then drive up the California coast on Highway 1; then back over to connect to I-5 and home the fast way.

WannabeinaMontserrat

We're traveling from CLT to Amelia Island (about 6 hours) since our Maine trip went out the window w/the demise of Skybus. We have two small children, I never drive any further than that...lol

dmlove

We're driving places, but I wouldn't necessarily call them "road trips" in the traditional sense. We're driving to LA this weekend (from SF), but we're not sightseeing, just driving because under the circumstances it seemed easier than flying (daughter has a broken ankle and can't yet walk on it). We'll drive up to Tahoe a few times. But our big trips this year will be Egypt and/or Australia and/or Ecuador.

Parrothead

Might I add, for me anyway, that Spring & Fall = road trips also. I love them!

We are going to the Ashland Shakespeare festival this summer and adding 3 days on each side of our week in Ashland for more backroad adventure. We are leaving from Reno, going through Sacramento, over to Humboldt in Northern CA and then approaching Ashland from the coast. On return trip, we are heading over to Bend, OR which will include a tour of some of Oregon's covered bridges. We're returning to Reno via Highway 395 before going home to Sacto.

In August we have a family wedding in Southern CA. Every other family member from Northern CA is flying except me and DH. We are, of course, driving and adding extra time to hangout, going over to Havasu before returning home.

Then in September we are driving from Sacramento to Yellowstone and the Tetons. Again going into Yellowstone one way via Idaho and coming home another route through Jackson Hole, driving down to Salt Lake City and then probably I-80 west back to Sacto.

No Europe or dealing with horrible exchange rates until maybe 2009.

aloha

We just drove 2300 miles from MO to GA via TN, and spent $260 on gas. We figured we got close to 35 mpg in our older Camry. We also spent $465 on hotels for the nights we weren't guests in relatives' homes. the main point of the trip was to visit friends and family, not just the journey itself, but driving was the only way to get to all the places we needed to go.

usroadman

We've done a roadtrip every summer for the past 14 years just for the journey each time. We were hoping to drive US 41 from Copper Harbor to Miami Beach this summer, but unfortunately can't quite afford it so it will have to wait until next year. We'll drive US 44 instead in a few weeks from Plymouth to Kerhonkson (since it's a wee bit shorter) just to see what's along the way, but mostly we're just saving up for the 2-week drive next year.

We have two children too (4 & 7), but since they've been doing week-plus long trips since they were infants, they think nothing of driving 6-hours a day for a week or more, and they've gotten to see and do all kinds of neat stuff. Going where the road takes you can show you all kinds of interesting things you normally wouldn't dream of visiting.

JustWinging

We are driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway with stops and then back up the coast to Virginia over to Lancaster, PA and home to Vermont. We ride a Honda Goldwing and pull a trailer... 45 mpg.

utahtea

We've done a road trip every year for the last 35 years and we don't consider it a road trip unless we leave the state of California

DH retired so we will be doing more road trips in our motorhome. We've already done one in February to Zion for 2 weeks and another two weeks in April to S. California for a wedding, wildflowers and Death Valley. Might do one to N. California in August, but the big one will be in the Fall when we head out for 6 weeks. Haven't decided where yet, but we will probably include Utah.

Utahtea

Encantadora

We are going to be spending two months (September and October) doing a long awaited Dream Road Trip of the U.S. West, starting from Vancouver Island, Canada and including Route 66 AND the Pacific Coast Highway, 10 states and every gorgeous national park in between. We will be travelling in a camper van and though we are gulping daily with the news of gas hikes - heck - at least the Canadian loonie is looking good versus the U.S. dollar!And you are right, Katie - we are doing it for the sake of the journey!

dfnh

This is when it's great to live in New England where there is so much to see and do within a day's drive. Our roadtrips are usually less than 7 hours long to our destination. Our son and DIL replaced their aging 3/4 ton Suburban with a minivan. The Burb was drinking $200/week in gas just commuting and doing errands. We've done some wonderful long road trips in the past but a I doubt if we'll do a cross country trip again although my husband would like to ramble around PEI and Nova Scotia again.

1JAR

We are "Road Trippin" in August to Central Coast Calif..someplace we have over the years drove thru but never really explored. Our thoughts were earlier this year taht driving would be les than airline ticket..not so sure now..but by teh time you add up airline tickets, rental car and hotels..we think we may still come out ahead..
Foderites have been so helpful in planning.
Staying 1st night in Oxnard DH sister has just moved aboard her 37 ft sailboat to save money...
2-5 at Shell Bch and last 3 nights Morro BAy.
We paln to go to Farmers markets visit San Luis Obisbo and hike or just watch teh PAcific Ocean..

maria_so

Yeah, still planning to fly to idaho falls and doing a road trip from there to south dakota through yellowstone.

i know gas prices have gone up but to park lovers like us, there's not much of a choice. we'll opt for an economy car though, vs a convertible or an SUV, definitely, but the trip is still on!

maria_so

Oh, I also wanted to add that we just did a "road trip" to New Orleans from Houston. With 4 in the car, I think it was money well spent on gas vs flying.

ShutRbug

We also just took a road trip from Ohio to New Orleans taking the Blues Highway 61 from the top of Mississippi to the bottom. Going home we took the Natchez Trace Parkway from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN. Drove a total of 2240 miles and averaged 40-43 mpg in our Civic.

This summer we'll be driving to Ontario (600 miles round trip) and hopefully to Cumberland Lake, KY.

travelerfromtx

We're taking a short road trip to Lake Ouachita and Hot Springs, Arkansas. It will only be a four hour drive thank goodness.

ellen_griswold

Yes we are, but not like the past eleven summers, and we're not going west this time

We did 11 out west road trips, of 3-4 weeks each, the last 11 summers. We'd drive between 5 - 7,000 miles each trip. I posted 3-4 trip reports about them here on fodors, since so many fabulous fodorites helped me plan what were ALL trips of a lifetime!

Many summers, even as recently as the last few years, we'd be shocked but understood when gas was around $3.25 - $3.50 in death valley, and near sequoia, yosemite and the PNW nat'l parks. It was a bit more than that last summer near the parks, too.
And as much as i still want to believe in the motto, 'You can make more money, but you can't make more time' - its really getting tough these days

atravelynn

This is not for the sake of the journey and for me a 10-hour (500 mile) trip is a significant distance since our only car racks up no more than 4000 miles a year.

To Orr, Minnesota to see the Vince Shute Black Bear Sanctuary

Maybe the roads will be less crowded and people will slow down a little to conserve gas. Wishful thinking.

fosterag

My DH and I are doing a road trip this summer. His HS class is having a mini-reunion in Monterey, Ca. and we are driving from Houston. After Monterey we are going to SF, wine country and Reno. I know it is going to be expensive but I would rather drive than fly. You can see more. We are still debating about the car to take. Tahoe would be more expensive, but safer and more comfortable. Toyota Corrolla would be a lot less expensive, but not comfortable and less safe. Hard decision. Also have noticed that hotels in Ca. are a lot more expensive in August. We will leave around 24th of July and be back around 16th of Aug. as I have to be back at school on 18th.

ElendilPickle

Mr. Pickle can't take off during the summer, so we did a road trip from New Mexico to Denver over Memorial Day weekend.

We'll drive out to California in the fall to visit my dad and brother. The last couple of times we incorporated other stops on the way there or back - Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, San Francisco, Monterey - but I'm not sure what we will include this year.

Lee Ann