Summer road trip.

In fo nudes

 

Done!

 

Doing this trip with your lifted Tacoma?

 

Congrats on graduating Dave!

nursing school is tough. i remember those days

enjoy the trip man

 

I have a couple of suggestions for your trip between Cortez, Colorado and Lake Havasu in Arizona. For the last seven years I have worked with a friend from Finland on setting up a two week motorcycle
tour of the Southwestern U.S. My first suggestion would be to bypass Four Corners National Monument because it is very touristy. It will cost you $5.00 to enter for a view of a large panel showing where
the corners of the four states come together. On our last tour, so many people were trying to get there picture on the four corners, that it took about an hour to get a picture taken. Your time can be better
spent further down the road near Kayenta in Arizona. About thirty-five miles north of Kayenta is Monument Valley National Monument. This short side trip should not be missed!!! It has been been the back
drop for many motion pictures. For $13, you get to drive in the valley and view all the butts up close. Lastly, if you have any interest in the old Route 66, there is one of the longest stretches of the original
highway between the small town of Seligman, Arizona (west of Flagstaff and just off Interstate 40) as it travels to Kingman, Arizona. I have been on the part many times and I seem to never get tired of
the route.
If you would like any other suggestions for Arizona or California, let me know.

katsina

 

No stops in Vegas?

 

OP, Congrats on graduating from school and it sounds like you have a great trip planned; but I have to ask: how the hell are you able to pull off a 5 week trip like this and NOT be taking your wife?

 

When in South Dakota visit the Badlands National Park. You can exit the interstate in Wall SD, go thru the park and pick up the interstate after leaving the other end of the park.

Also have the Devils Tower out that way.

 

You're going through Oregon, I would take a look at Multnomah Falls and going along Historic Columbia river hwy there are a lot of falls on this two lane highway.

 

That's correct. We'll be loaded down and trucking.

Thanks! I am taking the NCLEX on June 5th.

I am really only stopping at 4 Corners because I'll be in the area. I don't plan on spending more than 15 minutes there to stretch my legs. Monument Valley is definitely on my list of places to see, thanks for reminding me. That section of Route 66 sounds great too, I'll have to check it out.

Same friend and I did Vegas and Death Valley in January, so no need to spend the time there on this trip.

Thanks! What can I say? I have the best wife ever. Someone has to work and pay for this trip. The day after I get back, we're flying to Seattle and going on an Alaskan Cruise, so that's what she's waiting on.

Definitely doing Badlands, Wall Drug Store, and probably the Corn Palace. I forgot about Devil's Tower, but need to add it in too. There's evidently a giant prairie dog statue somewhere up there I need to see as well.

I'll look into that, thanks!

 

Having done a few extended road trips, that's a lot of mileage in a short period of time so you're not going to have much time to wander and soak in the sights.

If I were you I'd focus on a destination and build the trip around it. The stretch on your map up the west coast from CA to WA is a haul...break that into 2 or 3 days and check out Usal Road from Hwy into Shelter Cove.

I was at Seeley Lake MT a few years back for 4th of July and it was one of the best 4ths I've had. No crazy crowds, chairs on the dock at the cabin we were at and fireworks going off over the water from a bunch of the cabins around the lake.

 

It it's quite a bit of mileage, but there are definitely some areas we'll be driving all day, and others we'll be in the same place for a few days. I've done a few of the places before also, so there won't be much new to see in those places. If we only average driving 5 hours each day, we'll be done in 30 days. The best part is that my friend and I both agree the trip is completely modifiable on the fly. If we hear about something we want to go see, we'll just go see it and work things out from there. We can easily get from anywhere in the country back home in two days if need be, so wherever the trip takes us, we'll be headed back to TN by July 10.

 

I'm in Santa Cruz which is about 45 minutes north of Monterey on the coast if you guys have any trouble or need assistance. Congratulations on passing.

 

Got caught humping my ex in a public pool in Del Rio. Only memorable part of the trip lol, not sure why anyone would want tyo go there. Her parents used to live there.

 

I see you'll be driving through Kansas City. Being that I'm originally from there I have to let you know a stop for some KC BBQ is a MUST!

Only place to go is:

Slaps BBQ
553 Central Ave
Kansas City, KS 66101

Get there early if you stop by on a weekend.
If you decide to stay for a night or two (Highly recommend, KC is actually a awesome city, no joke) i have some friends that may be able to show you around and take you to some places to have some fun with that rig of yours.

When you're in Seattle let me know. I currently live here & can take you round a few forest roads. I have a stock (For now) 4x4 sr, so can't go to crazy. Or I'll just loan you mu forest road map.

 

Sounds awesome. Will definitely take you up on that.

 

You did the Montana/Wyoming part very well, but I would make one change. Instead of going back up to Billings through highway 120/72, I would backtrack back to highway 212 and take it up through Red Lodge to Billings. That will take you over Beartooth pass which is one of the most spectacular places I have ever been. It will take a bit more time obviously to backtrack but if you can squeeze it in I would.

Just took another look. At glacier, instead of taking highway 2 across, take Going To the Sun Road through to St. Mary, you won't regret it. Also, DO NOT stay in the actual town of Browning. I would even recommend against stopping for gas there. That town has a bad reputation for crime.

 

Congrats on finishing nursing school. Looks like a great trip. In Washington, take the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle. It's one of the best ways to come into the city. Also try and get to Pikes Place. They always show it on TV when the sports teams play, and you can say that you've been there. Might also be worth your time to go to Mt. St. Helens. Same goes for any the National Parks Mt. Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades. Don't know how much time you'll have to run some trails, but there is a lot of areas to go exploring if you want to go off road. Snow may or may not be an issue. Have a fun trip and be safe.

 

Definitely taking Going to the Sun Rd if it's open. This is just a rough idea of the route, so it's not exact. I'll take your advice on the roads in Montana too.