Summer road trip.

Wow, this is a tough one to give input on, awesome trip planned but you are going to be in the hottest parts of the Country at some of the worst times. I don't mind the heat though personally so maybe you don't either. These are the things I would remember or think about:

1) Big Sur is closed right now due to bridges being out and I don't think that's getting resolved till Sept.
2) CA Isn't friendly with car camping but most of those other States are.
3) I would drop from Grand Canyon down to Flagstaff, Sedona then into Southern Arizona maybe Patagona, Mount Lemmon is AMAZING as is Mount Graham (awesome road up, 10,700 feet with a lake at the top), many good trails, hikes, climbs in this area. Lemmon is free camping in many spots and at 9,000 feet normally nice and cool. Anyway, I would head over to San Diego from there.
4) I have no love for West Texas and would be inclined to cut 1-5 from the list and head from Dallas into Santa Fe, Taos and up into Colorado.
5) Ouray, man, awesome little town, feels like you're in the Alps and the 10 mile stretch of the Million Dollar Highway out of that, hahaha, let me know what you think of it.
6) Astoria is a cool place too, the bridge when you leave is a crazy bridge, Goonies house is on lockdown so that's out. There is Canon Beach though, I would call that (and Haystack rock) a much see beach.
7) Texhomex might as well be on the list since you're driving past it and you can bag a three state before hitting the four corners.
8) In fact, if you do want to do the trip as you are, white sands would be high on my list of things I would want to see so I might try to work the return route to include Colorado and do White Sands and Southern Arizona and such on the first part of the adventure. But of course only you know the priority items on that adventure.
9) Bruce Lee's cemetery is in the Capital Hill section of Seattle, cool area, cool park right there, maybe something of interest.

10) Doesn't fit your time frame but since you live in the right place I would make plans for the August 21st solar eclipse, it's a once in a lifetime, do a little research to make sure you are in the exact right 1 mile wide path it will follow.

Have fun man, that's a great adventure!

 

I think it should be open by the time you get there. Unfortunately, both Glacier and Yellowstone are going to be packed. I predict you will see at least 65 Japanese families in rented Dodge Caravans. Not sure why, but that is always what they go for.

This is going to be an awesome trip dude, I can't wait to see pictures. I am wrapping up my education in early July and starting to work full time immediately. This thread is going to make me wish I had taken a month between to do the same thing.

 

your real problem is, you are not going through Alabama.

 

broken arrow in sedona

 

Mostly because they have nothing to offer Nah, I have friends in AL so I'm down there all the time between Huntsville and Gadsden. Also went to Choccolocco last summer to wheel. That's where I dented my bedside.

 

So you're taking a cross country trip in a built Tacoma, crossing through Utah, and not even stopping in Moab? Sacrilege.

 

Because Moab will get its own trip. It deserves more than the few hours I'd be able to give it on this trip.

 

That's fair. It does deserve it's own trip. Be sure to post pics and stories from your trip, I love threads/trips like this.

 

you might have to change a little of your trip when in California

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/23/massive-landslide-covers-highway-1-in-southern-big-sur/

 

Luckily I've done that drive before. But my buddy will miss out and it means we probably won't do Hearst Castle now.

 

next year. rocktherapy?

looking forward to the stories along the way. Ill get you info for WA.

 

This is all good advice. Stopping for gas in Browning is okay during daylight hours.

Jeff, do you live up here? I'm in the Flathead Valley

 

Very possible.

 

Let's have a beer when you come to Glacier. I live very close.

 

Moab, Arches, Escalante, Bryce and Zion if you can ever fit it in...Some of my favorite places in the world.

 

Oh nice where at? I have some family north of Polson and some in Arlee. I live in Lolo. I did construction as my summer job in college so I have seen a lot of the state thanks to that.

 

I'm in Columbia Falls and work up on Big Mountain

 

Living the dream dude.

 

While in SoCal, you must experience it as the locals do:

I recommend you start at around the Corona/Riverside area at 7am during the week. Take the 91 to the 405, then head north on the 405 to the 101. Then take the 101 south and hang out at Universal City Walk or Universal Studios for a few hours.

Then the fun part begins. Around 4 pm, continue on the 101 to the 110 south, back to the 91. Take the 91 back to Riverside.

You will go back to Nashville with a whole new appreciation of not being in CA.


Other than that, SoCal is the entertainment capital of the world.

 

I avoid the 405 at all costs. My wife grew up in Santa Barbara, and her brother lives in Manhattan Beach. She also lived in San Diego for 9 years...so we're there a lot. I've driven everywhere between San Diego and Monterey already.

Don't knock the Nashville traffic until you come try it. We are now an "it" city, and have an average of 85 people moving here every day. Our current rush hour lasts about 16 hours out of the day on a good day. It's gotten ridiculous.