baldrick

So, we are ready for it!!!

We noticed, as some of you told us before, we were a bit late to organize this trip.
We had some trouble in finding a car for 4 adults and 2 kids, 15 and 12yrs, and luggage. Finally we found a Lincoln Navigator kind of car. At least, that was the picture on Hertz' website. We hope that's ok for the trip. It is important that the kids have a comfortable place too. My son said it's a Men in black kind of car.
Also some of the hotels we wanted to stay in were fully booked, so we also used a travel agency to find rooms in their room contingencies. Some 60% of the hotel reservations are organized by our travel agency. We also had 2 cases where the agencies contingency was fully booked, but we found rooms via internet. We got exhausted of reading Tripadvisor, because for every hotel you'll always find 3 or 4 guests per year who were totally unsatisfied.

Anyhow, that's what is awaiting us.
We leave on July 15th, ZUR-SFO-LAS.
- 2 nights NYNY, kids' choice, just to get used, at least a bit, to the heat. Nothing planned, just a stroll on the Strip, through the hotels, hide from the heat, and that should be it...
- 2 nights in Tropic, in what seems to be a nice B&B, Brycetrails. Planned to have a stop at and pass through Zion NP, rte 9. We found out there are road works, but the road is open on weekends. Spend a lot of time in Bryce NP.
- 2 nights in Moab, Canyonlands Inn, to visit Arches NP mainly and Canyonlands NP.
- 1 night in Kayenta, to see Monument Valley.
- 3 nights in Page, Lake Powell Resort, just to lower the pace and visit the surrondings.
- 2 nights in Tusayan, HI Express Grand Canyon, to see Grand Canyon NP,
- 2 nights in Boulder City, Boulder Dam Hotel, to see Lake Mead, the dam,...
- 1 night in Furnace Creek, Death Valley NP,
- 2 nights in Yosemite View Lodge, El Portal, which means that we will have to do the Tioga Pass, coming from Lee Vining. Someone told us this can take some time. We will leave Death Valley early and do the Tioga Pass at a leisurely pace, probably because we will stay in other parts of Yosemite the next day. We think of leaving El Portal via the west to avoid Tioga Pass Road when going to:
- 3 nights in South Lake Tahoe, final rest
- 4 nights in San Francisco, Hotel Del Sol, one day with the car, 3 without.
- fly back on August 8th in late afternoon.

We found the NP websites to be extremely useful while planning our trip. Also, with google itinaries and street view, you can now have a picture at every change of direction. We will have road déjà vu's...

That is about all.
Do we have any further questions? Yes, of course, six minds full of them. Nothing existential really...
We found out that many of the views are splendid at sunset or sunrise. We will surely never miss sunset, ...
The kids wonder if it will be hamburgers everyday...
I wonder if I have to take the big camera bag (backpack) or the smaller shoulder bag, with or without tripod...
My wife wonders if she should take the iPad to read books and newspapers...

Anyhow, if anyone of you has some practical info for the trip, in dealing with the heat,... feel free to comment.
Thanks a lot and have a nice summer with quiet vulcanoes!
Paul

lincasanova

Dealing with the heat.. early morning or early evening hikes.. rest by pool when it is mid day hot. With time differences it will be very easy to keep a fairly early schedule.

There are free ranger programs i most parks that you and your kids will find very interesting. check those out as soon as you get there if they are not posted online.

Of course in Vegas there are several "free events" you will want to schedule see.. the fountains at Bellagio.. the Treasure island pirate show, and more.

do your search for discounts and coupons googling your destinations and activities. Also, the chamber of commerce of each area should have an office, or tourist office, that may have some good discount vouchers for you. You can save money everywhere if you search a bit.

Keep checking out your car rental price as they can drop or you also find a coupon online to apply to that. Our son just found a 30% off coupon he was able to apply to his booked rental this July!

If you are thinking of going to Alcatraz you MUST reserve now as when you get there it will most likely be sold out, and in order to see it you will be forced to take a combination tour that will cost much more, although, of course, it will include another stop somewhere.

Sounds like a memorable holiday with your family!

Suzie

Why would you plan any other drive than Tioga Pass to Tahoe? Are you trying to avoid it for some reason? Maybe I’m not understanding that part. Seeing the eastern Sierra will be a real treat. The reason people say it takes while is not so much the actual driving part it’s that there is so much to stop and see. It won’t take any less time to get to Tahoe on another route. The mountains on the eastern side go straight up, no foothills there. Very stunning views. Along the drive you can turn off just before you get to Bridgeport and see an amazing intact ghost town called Bodie. Here’s a link to more info.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509


When you get to Bridgeport you can stop in at Jolly Cone for an old fashioned burger – not like fast food - or a soft serve ice cream cone. (on your left going north)

Here are some fun things to do in Tahoe:

On the West side:
Visit Emerald Bay. Vikingsholm, a replica of a Scandinavian castle sits on the shore. You can take the Vikingsholm Trail to see the castle though it is really steep. The Tea House is on the island but don't try to swim there, it's too dangerous with all the boats. The trail starts at the parking area on the north side of Emerald Bay, on Highway 89. It's a wide, well-maintained trail, but fairly steep, about 2½ miles round trip. At the bottom of the trail is a picnic area. http://www.vikingsholm.com/
Or you can take a short side hike to Eagle Falls or Cascade Lake & Falls
Eagle Falls / Eagle Lake Trail starts at Eagle Falls Picnic Area, highway 89 across from Emerald Bay. Permits are required on this hike and a self-registration station is at the trailhead. The hike is only about 2 miles round trip to Eagle Lake (only about 1/3 mile to the falls); the terrain varies from steep to flat and crosses beautiful Eagle Falls on a steel footbridge.
Cascade Lake & Falls – Turn into the Bayview Campground across fro Emerald Bay Inspiration Point, drive to the end and park at the trailhead. Take the trail that veers left. Spectacular views of the 200 foot high falls and Cascade Lake can be seen from this short trail.
You can always take the Rubicon trail out of Emerald Bay to DL Bliss which is really stunning scenery and not a difficult trail.
Take the Heavenly gondola up for a scenic ride and even a zip line.
Visit and tour the Tallac site and/or Profile Stream Chamber:

http://tiny.cc/vv28t
You can take a nice river raft down the Truckee out of Tahoe City. More like a float until the end.
http://www.truckeeriverraft.com/truc...hoe-raft-trips
Then there is always a great lake cruise or sail:
Zephyr Cove
Bleu Wave
Safari Rose
Have fun!

sf7307

>>

I'm pretty sure Hotel Del Sol has free parking, so you might want to just keep the car while you're in San Francisco. How will you get to the airport if you do not keep the car?

The neighborhood you're staying in in San Francisco is excellent for restaurants -- close to both Union Street and Chestnut Street. Try Betelnut on Union Street for pan-Asian, and Ristobar on Chestnut for modern Italian (shared plates).

Dayenu

With 6 people a mini-van would be better, if possible.

Placename

2 nights in Boulder City? One night seems excessive. I'd use the extra day to visit sights along the eastern Sierra. Or maybe another day in Death Valley.

OnTheRoad8247

As far as beating the heat goes...it pretty much can't be avoided; although it is more bearable in the early morning and evening. Fortunately the humidity is low so it's not too bad.
Our favorite site to book Vegas hotels on is http://www.lasvegashotels.com/. They always have good deals.
San Francisco should be fun... and probably a lot cooler too!! But good luck driving even for a day--it's pretty intense.

ElendilPickle

A Lincoln Navigator is a pretty big SUV, Dayenu, so they will probably be OK with that.

Sorry, but I don't get why anyone would want to visit Las Vegas or Death Valley in July or August. Yes, it's a dry heat, but 110 degrees Fahrenheit is just plain hot and unpleasant. Your kids won't be able to do much of anything in Vegas but sit by the pool, and walking around on the Strip is no fun in those temperatures. It doesn't cool down much at night, so that's not a great option either. I'd take Death Valley off the schedule and head north sooner.

Lee Ann

baldrick

A sincere thanks to all of you for your feedback.

We're not able to change our schedule anymore, mainly because of the travel agency conditions. I have the impression that my travel agency would be pretty embarassed to start adapting our program now... But we'll keep all the suggestions in mind.

lincasanova
It sounds like a memorable trip indeed. We are very much on the net now to see the 'free events'.
Good idea for Alcatraz, this should be dealt with in the weekend. Is it a real 'must see'?

Suzie
The idea of taking another road is just to see other scenery. We thought of taking the rte 49 Mariposa, Jamestown, Sonora and the through Bear Valley. Is that a 'no go'?
I Have noted Jolly Cone in Bridgeport.!!!
A great thanks for the Lake Tahoe info. We will look into that.

Dayenu
Yes, we thought of that, but couldn't find any when we made the reservation in March through our agency, nothing available with National, Budget, Avis and Hertz in that category... So we ended up with the Lincoln.
This sounded unbelievable to me, but when I tried to make a reservation on my own, I got the same answers...

Placename
We will be touring. Maybe I'll have a MTB tour, I found something on the internet.

On the road 8247 and Elendil Pickle
The heat... Well, it is part of the scenery... We only have July and August to have a 3-week trip, Las Vegas is a central spot to make our trip and Death Valley is a mythical name...

sf 7307
we decided to turn in the car after 1 day, having no use of it in town. we will take a cab to the airport. it was also cheaper to cut 3 days of car rent.
Somebody told us about 'special' car access into the town centre for cars with more than 1 or 2 persons, but this someone visited SFO in 1994? Does that ring a bell? Any info on that?
Thanks for the restaurant advice. We thought already we choose the good area!!!

Thanks for all your help and advice!
Paul.

Suzie

I don't know how you get from Jamestown to Bear Valley. Jamestown is further north on 49 at the intersection with 88 which can take you to SLT. You'd have to back track on 49 back to Sonora to get to 4 and then to Bear Valley. I get car sick on the route you listed through Bear Valley.

Better is El Portal to 49 north through Sonora and Jamestown to 88 to 89.

Otis_B_Driftwood

My two cents.

One night in Page is enough unless you do the all day boat tour to Rainbow Bridge. Then maybe two nights. Add another night in Moab instead.

Skip staying in Boulder, NV. See the dam as a day trip from Vegas. Not much to see on Lake Mead unless you rent a boat.

Follow Suzie's advice and take 49, 88, 89 to South Lake Tahoe unless you do the Tioga road again. There's lots to see there if you rushed in to Yosemite on your way from DVNP.

baldrick

Ok. Thanks Suzie and OBD.

Placename

Furnace Creek to El Portal is going to be a very, very long, hot drive.

sf7307

Somebody told us about 'special' car access into the town centre for cars with more than 1 or 2 persons, but this someone visited SFO in 1994? Does that ring a bell? Any info on that?

Unless they're talking about the high-occupancy-vehicle ("carpool") lane on the freeway, no, I have no idea what they're referring to (and I've lived here since 1973). The HOV lanes on the freeway are useable only if you have 2 (or sometimes 3) people in the car, so they move faster than the other lanes when there's traffic. The fine for driving in the HOV lane without the requisite number of people in the car is considerable ($300+). Note that people do cut into the HOV lane from the high-traffic lanes, and they're not going as fast as you are, so just be careful.

Also, the HOV lanes are not everywhere. For example, there is no HOV lane between Belmont (south of SFO) and San Francisco. Since you'll be driving from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco, though, there will be HOV lanes on parts of Rte. 80, which will help a lot if you're in traffic. The best thing to do, however, would be to drive outside of commute hours and preferably not on a Sunday late afternoon-evening (when everyone else is returning from Lake Tahoe, too).

Placename

Mapquest says it is 300 miles, and gives it 7 hours, without stops.

The park speed limit is 35 mph, for good reason, so without stopping, that will be an 8 hour drive.

You really would be better breaking it up with one night on the eastern Sierras. Mammoth, June Lakes, Lee Vining would be a reasonable option.