Southwest USA & The West Coast (California, Arizona etc) - General Thread

travellerboy

jackieblack wrote: »

And us for 2014 But we're thinking of a Denver/Mt Rushmore/Yellowstone kind of trip

Yellowstone is outstanding, definately equal to CG or Canyonlands. Don't forget to travel the Beartooth Highway (Cooke City to Red Lodge), one of the best scenic drives ever.

northwest1965

BritAbroad wrote: »

I personally think the Grand Canyon is only so-so, but Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP, etc are fantastic.
.

Only so- so:eek: it's wonderful..........I know, we're all different. Looking to go to all the others you mentioned as well as the GC again next year:)

blindman

northwest1965 wrote: »

Only so- so:eek: it's wonderful..........I know, we're all different. Looking to go to all the others you mentioned as well as the GC again next year:)

Took my Bro-in law this year to his Bucket list dream destination the Grand Canyon.

I told him I could blow him away with better sights (as mentioned by BritAbroad)

He now believes me

I did two of my bucket list sights-Torroweap and The "Wave"

Both incredible

vixarooni

I did think of driving first to the grand can, but then i saw how long that would take and it put me off! I was hoping there might be another way i could get there, but i wont be that bummed if i can't make it.

I'm going to a little place called Crestone in Colorado. My boyfriend's mother and partner live there. My boyfriend lived in Denver for a number of years in his teens so he is eager to show me "america" outside of a hippie town in the mountains!

I'll be happy to share my thoughts on Colorado when i get back!
Thanks for the info britabroad

gracie10

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

Hi gracie

how young is young ? nursery school young, or secondary school young !

They will be 8 and 5

Murphy_The_Cat

gracie10 wrote: »

They will be 8 and 5

Gracie

Thats perfect -- I'll pull out teh holiday scrapbook that we did for that part of the world and see what the Kittens enjoyed :beer:

Murphy_The_Cat

gracie10 wrote: »

They will be 8 and 5

Hello Gracie

Here is some feedback from the younger genertion.
Excalibur Hotel - like staying in a castle.
Bellagio Fountians - dancing waterfalls
Circus Circus - roller coasters in a hotel
Las Vegas - a seedy dive, not a young child friendly place.

Hoover Dam - really impressive

San Diego
USS Midway - top stuff
Harbour tour around Naval Base
Bike Taxi along the front.
SD Zoo -- only OK, but mostly because they aren't really zoo people
Beaches - brilliant

Legoland -- pitched brilliantly for a 5 year old, may / may not be to tame for your 8 year old. When my son was 5, he said that California Legoland was the best place in the world. & he is still very proud of his Lego Driving Licence.

Los Angeles - (from the parents POV), scary dump, avoid.
Pismo Beach - Doc Burnsteins Ice Cream Lab
Avila Beach - peace after the crud of LA
Consider staying in San Luis Opisbo, rather than Pismo Beach. The farmers market on a Thursday night is a real treat.
If there are 4 oif you travelling, think about 2 of you going up the coast on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from Santa Barbara to SLO and two taking the car. Farewise, its about $35, and its one of the most scenic routes in America. Plus, its a treat and hey, you're on holiday .

drive The Big Sur, stunning.

Monteray 17 mile drive & Aquirium

San Fransisco - Golden Gate Bridge, good stuff.

Please remember that these are from the perspective of little ones.

We haven't visited Yosemite, or Death Valley, so have no opinion.

SFO didn't do it for us, LA is a Dump.

Give some considered thought to hiring a (much) larger car than you may be originally considering. This year we hired a full sized, 7 seater SUV with 3 rows of seats. It was one of the best decisions that we made. Each of teh kittes had their own row of seats and it made them feel very grown up (& happy). It may cost a few ££ more, but it was worth every single penny (& more).


Each year, several months before we go away, we sit down and have a 'family conference' and go around the table, taking turns to say what we would like to do on holiday -- if you do the same, it may be quite surprising what the little'uns would like to do.

hope that helps

gracie10

Thanks for your thoughts Murphy_the_cat was really good of you to take the time, I will have a good look through what you said and have a chat to the kids.I'm sure i will be back with loads more questions as I think of them, have you done this trip recently?

Bri1

BritAbroad wrote: »

It was the link to Virgin's 'driving in the US' page, someone posted the link a couple of pages back, though I can't find it myself now either!

I agree there is bad driving everywhere. I've lived in the US for the past 3 years and have been truly stunned at some of the driving I've seen. I've seen more (a lot more!) really dangerous driving and more accidents in the past 3 years than I did in about 14 years of driving in the UK. On the up side, I think it's made me a better driver as I'm super vigilant and always try to 'read' the road much further ahead than I did before.

Don't want to scare anyone thinking driving in the US! A road trip over here can be a huge amount of fun and when you get out into the wilderness there are some spectacular sights. Just plan ahead, think about what to hire and get a basic understanding of driving rules where you're going, and have a great holiday!

I have had two trips to CA in the last year & found driving there to be less hassle than at home, drivers seemed to be better behaved & no road rage whatsoever, better road & street signs, better state of road repair, I enjoyed it more than I ever do at home in the UK.

jackieblack

Bri1 wrote: »

better state of road repair,

I take it you didn't drive the San Bernadino Freeway! :eek:

Otherwise, I agree with your other points, we have driven thousand of miles across 10 different states and have always found driving in the US much easier than driving here (with the possible exception of Ohio )