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Subject: Driving Across the US Part Two again
Posted by: Senator Urine
- [141130310] Wed, Nov 14, 2007, 22:57
Alright, now that I know when I'm leaving, I think I've planned out the route I'm going to take.
Planned Route Home
Day 1 - Seattle to Redding (long drive)
Day 2 - Redding to Fresno, stop at Yosemite along the way if weather is good
Day 3 - Fresno to Vegas
Day 4 - Vegas to Grand Canyon to Flagstaff
Day 5 - Flagstaff to Taos if weather good
Day 6 - Ski at Taos, drive to Santa Fe at night
Day 7 - Santa Fe to Oklahoma City
Day 8 - Oklahoma City to Memphis
Day 9 - Memphis to Great Smoky Moutnain National Park to Asheville, NC
Day 10 - Asheville to DC
Day 11 - DC to Philly
A few questions though:
- I'm leaving on December 11th, so I'm wondering if the roads to Yosemite are going to require snow chains. If there's any chance of this, I probably should just skip it.
- If the conditions at Taos are looking crappy, I could just add Death Valley before Vegas. I'm not familiar with these roads though, to get in there do I have to worry about the mountains again?
- Are conditions good in Taos usually at that time of the year? Also is reaching Santa Fe / Taos going to be a problem with the snow chains issue?
- The rest of the trip seems pretty boring, and I think I'm really pushing it by trying to do Memphis to the Smoky Mountains to hike and then to Asheville. Anyone have any good ideas on where to stop past Oklahoma City that might be better? I was thinking about going up through St. Louis but everything seems meh past there.
Thanks guys, any help would really be appreciated. |
| 1 | Seattle Zen
ID: 49112418
Thu, Nov 15, 2007, 14:55
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I'd skip Yosemite. The roads might require chains, you are really going out of your way to see this amazing place for all of, what, two hours?
As for the Grand Canyon, I would go to the North Rim from Vegas and skip Flagstaff. The South Rim is overrun with tourists, though I've never been there in the winter. The North Rim Lodge is at 8,500 feet, so there may be snow, but I would think staying at the North Rim Lodge would be so cool.
I've done most of your route, it will be boring, but I really like Ashville, NC, that's a cool little town. Check out the Biltmore Mansion.
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| 2 | WiddleAvi
ID: 25102616
Thu, Nov 15, 2007, 18:58
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I went to Yosemite last year at the end of December and required no snow chains at all.
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| 3 | Senator Urine
ID: 141130310
Thu, Nov 15, 2007, 20:42
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The North Rim is actually what I originally wanted to do, I kept hearing it was a lot more remote and less touristy. But it actually closes by the end of October every year, so I'll have to settle for the southern end.
I'm hoping that I'll be able to make the best of the boring stuff just by finding a good bike trail or something. I wasn't expecting Sioux Falls to be fun earlier this year, but they had a really good trail that circled the whole city and ran through Falls Park.
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| 4 | Perm Dude
ID: 5110311519
Thu, Nov 15, 2007, 20:47
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Is it just you making the drive?
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| 5 | Senator Urine
ID: 141130310
Fri, Nov 16, 2007, 18:10
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Yeah, I'm going by myself. My job is covering all of the hotels except for one night, and I have to keep moving about 350 miles or so a day except for the night I cover myself.
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| 6 | Senator Urine
ID: 141130310
Fri, Nov 23, 2007, 00:48
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Is going to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up in one day doable? Especially a winter day where there isn't even going to be ten hours of sunlight. Should I just plan to go down halfway?
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| 7 | Tosh
Leader
ID: 057721710
Fri, Nov 23, 2007, 03:46
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I was able to make it about halfway down and back in 6 hours. Going down is easy. It's steep going up. Make sure that you don't get caught down there when a storm rolls in, because there aren't any trees to give you cover.
Q: How long will it take to get to the bottom from the South Rim?
A: The South Kaibab Trail is 6.8 miles to Bright Angel Campground and the Bright Angel Trail is 9.3 miles. It will take most hikers between 4 and 5 hours to get to the campground on either trail. Oddly enough, very few people ask how long the return hike will take. The return hike may take twice as long, though 7 to 8 hours seems to be average. Underestimating the elevation change and not eating or drinking enough can easily add a few hours to those averages.
hiking faqs
And while in Memphis, make sure to visit Graceland. I expected it to be totally cheezy, but it was definitely worth the time and money. They've opened up the upstairs since the last time I visited, and I look forward to returning. Make sure to wander Beale Street at night. You can do a joint cover and get into most of the blues clubs.
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| 8 | Tree
ID: 291030236
Fri, Nov 23, 2007, 07:32
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if you're in memphis, and you like BBQ, hit up Charlie Vargas Rondevouz - best dry rub ribs i've ever had. for stellar pulled pork, hit up Corky's. their ribs are pretty strong as well.
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| 9 | Punk42AE
Donor
ID: 036635522
Fri, Nov 23, 2007, 09:59
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Corky's is great BBQ.
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| 10 | Senator Urine
ID: 141130310
Mon, Dec 03, 2007, 18:23
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I'm starting to think Yosemite might be pushing it, especially with the snow situation. Taos may also be risky, even though I don't think they require chains I don't know if my car is meant to handle mountain passes in the winter, I had enough trouble in Vermont last year.
New Route
Seattle to Redding
Redding to Fresno
Fresno to Vegas
Vegas to Flagstaff
Flagstaff to Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon to Albuquerque
Albuquerque to OKC
OKC to Memphis (miss the Warriors game by a day, bah)
Memphis to Knoxville
Knoxville to Shenandoah valley
Back to Philly
This should keep me pretty busy, in terms of parks I'll be hitting Whiskeytown, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Great Smoky Mountains, and Shenandoah Valley.
I'm tempted to do the CA coast and the redwoods, but I think that might be pushing it for time.
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| 11 | GoatLocker
Sustainer
ID: 060151121
Tue, Dec 04, 2007, 00:10
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Make sure you keep an eye on the weather going across Northern Arizona and New Mexico at that time of the year.
Real easy to see an awful lot of snow overnite.
Like 2+ feet or so.
Cliff
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| 12 | Perm Dude
ID: 51111428
Tue, Dec 04, 2007, 01:03
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The thing about Taos is that it gets very cold at night, while the daytime isn't bad at all (these days, you'll see mid-high 50s and sunny during the day, and sometimes down to 15-20 at night). At Cliff notes, snow can come in fairly quickly so you should plan your route accordingly, and do as little nightime driving as possible. It isn't unheard of for cars to drive off the road in a nightime blizzard, and be found two days later in the middle of a field on a 57 degree, sunny day.
I've done both the Smoky Mountains and the redwoods, and both are pretty awesome. But if you've never seen a redwood forest (even a small one) I would definately shoot over to route 101 (or see what might be off I5--I don't know if Whiskeytown has redwood) and make a quick stop to see them. You certainly won't be disappointed.
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| 13 | Senator Urine
ID: 141130310
Tue, Dec 04, 2007, 22:48
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Should I expect a lot of snow even at the Grand Canyon?
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| 14 | Perm Dude
ID: 221145412
Tue, Dec 04, 2007, 23:42
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Probably not. But I'd be a little more worried about the I5 flooding right now. Probably a good idea to pick up local maps along the way and plan alternative routes south.
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| 15 | Senator Urine
ID: 141130310
Tue, Dec 04, 2007, 23:50
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Oh man, that is definitely not good at all. I didn't realize how bad it was. That day I'm already planning on doing the 10 hour drive to Redding, I'm sure the floods will tack on a few more to that, ugh.
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| 16 | Tosh
Leader
ID: 057721710
Wed, Dec 05, 2007, 18:58
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Senator - Just an FYI - Breaking News ...
WSDOT says because of flood damage, Interstate 5 will remain closed in Chehalis until this weekend and perhaps longer.
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| 17 | biliruben
ID: 5610442715
Wed, Dec 05, 2007, 19:20
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The recommended detour is over the mountains and through Yakima.
Now that's a detour.
Do you have a boat?
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| 18 | Senator Urine
ID: 141130310
Wed, Dec 05, 2007, 20:16
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Ugh, this is going to be a nightmare. If there's snow I'm pretty much trapped, I don't know what's going to happen then.
It seems that if I took that detour, it would put me on US-97 and I could take that all the way down back to Redding. Is this road mountainous? Do they require chains on it sometimes?
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| 19 | Tosh
Leader
ID: 057721710
Wed, Dec 05, 2007, 20:16
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It's certainly a very scenic detour, but adds 260 miles on the Seattle-Portland leg (170 miles to 430).
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| 20 | Senator Urine
ID: 141130310
Wed, Dec 05, 2007, 20:31
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Is there a reason they're not suggesting 101 as a possible detour? It seems that 107 is closed off, but would taking 5 to 8 to 12 past 107 and then into 101 work?
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| 21 | Tosh
Leader
ID: 057721710
Wed, Dec 05, 2007, 20:36
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If you can cut across 97 at Satus Pass (Toppenish to Oregon) instead of taking the Interstate all the way to Kennewick, that will save you 100+ miles. It's a cool drive.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/satus/
Once you get to Oregon, US-97 is pretty much two-lane road through the mountains, all the way to California
http://www.tripcheck.com
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| 22 | Senator Urine
ID: 141130310
Wed, Dec 05, 2007, 21:31
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Yeah, 97 is looking like my best route right now if 101 is in bad shape, I just have to hope that no chains are required on it, as well as 90.
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| 23 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Thu, Dec 06, 2007, 01:19
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If you get detoured and have to go through Yakima, be really careful as the driving can be tricky. VERY steep grades in Wash and Oregon sandwiched around some flat lands where the winds can throw your vehicle all over the place. Make sure to check to see if the passes are open before leaving. Bigger vehicles require chains.
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| 24 | Tosh
Leader
ID: 057721710
Thu, Dec 06, 2007, 21:13
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It looks like you'll be in luck after all. The waters have almost completely receded, and there was little damage to the road bed.
One lane each direction just opened to freight trucks. They hope to have it open to cars within 24 hours, but it appears that it's a certainly by Dec. 11 when you plan to leave.
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| 25 | Tosh
Leader
ID: 057721710
Fri, Dec 07, 2007, 12:25
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You're good to go!
I-5 will close at 9:30 a.m. to all truck traffic through Chehalis so transportation crews can reset median barriers. Two lanes of I-5 will then reopen in each direction to all traffic by noon.
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| 26 | Seattle Zen
ID: 49112418
Wed, Dec 26, 2007, 18:17
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How was the trip?
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| 27 | Senator Urine
ID: 011502111
Sat, Jan 05, 2008, 17:44
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It was a good trip, I think overall I had more fun on the way out but I still loved it. Driving out there the days were long, the weather was good, and I didn't have my fantasy basketball team to deal with.
Highlights were probably Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and Gatlinburg, TN. I made a random last second decision to stay there instead of Knoxville. Really nice town right between two mountains. I played it safe and walked halfway down into the canyon, and then came back up and walked around on the rim trail for awhile. Vegas I hit four of a kind and got to make a spectacle out of myself and spin a wheel.
I wanted to check out downtown Albuquerque but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to. My headlight went out and I was pulled over for it, so I had to waste a day getting that taken care of. I didn't get to Albquerque until night and my hotel ended up being one of those ones just outside the city.
Memphis was a really strange city. I stayed in that big Hampton Inn right off of Beale Street. Beale Street looked like it was a movie set, seems like it would be a fun place to go with friends. It seemed like there were three or four really nice blocks, and then everything else was just wiped out. The Main Street area kind of reminded me of a nicer looking downtown Providence, near the Weybosset Street area.
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