Sounds fantastic, I'm very envious
Margaret
Sounds fantastic, I'm very envious
Margaret
I'm going to keep a note of your trip as it sounds like something that we might do sometime.
Andrena
Might seem a bit overkill but when we went it was August (our daughter was then 16 (had her 17th birthday in Vegas) and I was a bit worried about going through the deserts in Auqust, if we broke down etc. so took a couple of gallon folding water bottles that use use for camping and when we were doing the long stretches we filled them at the hotel and put them iin the car so that if the worst happened and we broke down (car overheated etc.) we would have plenty in reserve. We did see several other cars that had overheated on our journey so although we didnt need them it was reassuring and they only cost us a couple of pound (bought from Poundland and took over with us.
We do the same, except we usually buy a crate of small bottles of water from somewhere like Wal-Mart. Absolutely essential in the desert or when miles away from civilisation.
We found this out when our 7 seater minivan overheated towards the end of the first big uphill section coming out of Las Vegas, headed for LA a few years ago. We spent perhaps 3-4 hours while we were rescued by Dollar and it was well over 100 degrees outside so we were very grateful for the water we brought with us.
Ok, great advice thanks. We will certainly be doing that then.
We spent 2.5 weeks in july in Az two years ago, and also never went anywhere when in desert temperatures without one of these crates of small water bottles in the trunk. They're cheap and it's easy to carry a few in your pockets or backpack when you stop somewhere for a hike. No matter how small the distance of a walk is, in temperatures over 50°C it seems you always need to be drinking [drinkbeer].
We absolutely loved Arizona. When in Sedona drive up to the airport ("America's most scenic airport"), great view and pictures opportunities from up there. And be careful where you park if you don't have a Pass (America the Beautiful Pass or Red Rock Pass).
Sounds like a great trip. We also did SF - you must book Alcatraz now online to stand any chance of getting tickets - my friends just booked for late July and got one date offered. We drove an RV from SF down the coastal highway(terrifying) visiting the http://www.montereybayaquarium.org and stopping off to see the sealions and walruses on the beach en route - spectacular to watch them fighting in the water - so loud! then across to Yosemite - fantastic - you need more than a day there if possible though we only spent one day and I recommend going online and choosing suitable walks - also river rafting (about an hour) on the Merced river - it is not rapids, which you line up and book at the water sports office in the village - easily found. We also stayed in LA - did a star homes tour which was rubbish - the homes are so far from the road (i.e. Beckham's) we only glimpsed most of them. We also went to the stars' walk of fame which was ok and you can climb the stairs in the nearby mall to get a photo of the famous Hollywood sign. One evening we got a cab to Santa Monica area and walked the beach area to the pier which was fun (route 66 end or start I forget!) We also visited Vegas and took the same coach trip as Steph to G/Canyon. If we went again we would drive ourselves and stop off at Hoover Dam which sounds fantastic - guests visited and got to swim in the dam which surprised me - they were in inflatable floats. The canyon is fantastic but apart from taking photos, eating bbq and visiting the viewing platform (which is a little rushed and a photo opportunity for them not you - you can't carry anything on it and wear slippers provided to save the glass). Lake Tahoe - we stayed at Squaw Creek - really beautiful, scary roads (in a large RV!) - we parked up and had 2 nights of luxury to break up our trip. Aside from the hotel we did not do much there but visit the small town to eat but the small beach/lakefront was packed and had a great band playing. Locals friendly. Enjoy your trip!
Thanks, some great stuff there.
We have booked all the trips etc (including Alcatraz) so we are sure to be able to go. We decided against an RV this time as we took one on a tour of the west coast of Canada last summer and whilst we had a great time, with 2 teenagers the RV (which felt huge at the start of the week) felt tiny at the end!!
Everything's booked now so just looking forward to getting there. Thanks to all for your tips etc, much appreciated.
Just a quick thank you to everyone for the help and advice. We are in our final week enjoying (!) the heat in Scottsdale. This is the relaxing leg of the holiday with nothing much planned apart from a trip to Sedona, boy do we need it as it has been full on for the last 4 weeks. I still can't quite believe all the things that we have done this trip, it really has been amazing. My favourites:
Cycling over the Golden gate bridge
Segeways in Golden Gate park
Tubing and racing speed boats at lake tahoe
Enjoying the San Fran vibe
learning to play beer pong (and winning )
Spending some time with Lynn's family and meeting 2 of her nephews for the first time (they are 30 and 25!)
White water rafting in Tahoe Donner
Aqua flight
Racing my son on Jet-skis in Big Bear lake
Stand up paddle boarding in Big Bear
Sitting on the Friends couch in LA
Visiting Alcatraz
Newport (just all of it!)
Flying over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter
Penn and Teller in Las Vegas
Driving some of route 66
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