Possible 2015 Road Trip

[DisabledTraveler]

I'm a newbie to the forums here, and looking for some advice.

I traveled for the first time this year to the US and by the end of the two weeks I had driven just under 5000 miles. However I was based in Long Beach, CA and would each day venture out and drive to various places, including San Francisco, Las Vegas and The Grand Canyon. This really wasn't an efficient use of my time as I would be driving for a few hours to get somewhere then spend a few hours there and then the long old drive back. On a couple of occasions, especially the Grand Canyon visit I did however stay overnight.

Now the question is, I'm planning on returning to the US next year at some point and have worked out a basic plan on where I'll be driving, but now looking at it I'm wondering whether I'm biting off more than I can chew and doing too much or is it a suitable route for a months travel?

Here's my trip on Google Maps:

I'm just looking for advice on whether this is a good trip to do in a four week period?

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

A cross country trip over 4 weeks is quite achievable, you'll certainly average less miles per day than your last trip ! If the trip is all you want it to be then it's certainly a "good trip", however I'm unsure as to whether that is your actual route or a quick outline. I only say this as it would seem as though you are by passing places such as Yellowstone NP and the scenic wonders of southern Utah and Colorado to jump from City to City.

[Lifemagician]

As you said, your last trip was not really an efficient use of your time (though you got a heck of a lot of ground covered). And whereas I agree with Dave that the outline is doable, you could be trading off one inefficiency for another.

Depending on what your interests are, and to what extend your disability affects your travels, have you though of including some of the places to which Dave alluded? You might find you will get to see more, cover fewer miles and not be so rushed, if you created a loop trip. It could also save quite a bit on air fares and car rental.

Once we know more of your interests and the sort of places you would like to visit, such a trip would be easy to put together.

BTW - I had to smile that you are already planning to come back. It gets addictive. :)

Lifey

[DisabledTraveler]

The route in the link provided is just a basic outline of what direction I am thinking of going. I'd of course love to visit as many places along the way.
Whilst I was on my previous trip I enjoyed driving along the smaller, less traveled roads. It was nice to be able to pull up to take pictures and not have another person for miles. I also found it more interesting visiting smaller towns than staying in the big cities. It was great to see the small local stores and meet real Americans who have stories to tell.
I'd prefer to do most of the trip on the smaller roads but I'm guessing to get it all in, in the timeframe I've specified I would need to use interstates?

I'm pretty mobile when it comes to my disability, I use arm crutches and a wheelchair to get around. I used my arm crutches a lot more than my wheelchair when I was in the US previously. Out of the national parks that I went to there was only one that I didn't enjoy as much, which was Joshua Tree NP. This is due to the fact that it's a hiking park and I'm unable to do that, however there were places where I could pull over and take pictures. The Grand Canyon was amazing as they allow anyone who has a disabled placard to drive along the tour road, so I was able to get to all the vantage points and see it all.

The reason behind having a trip just one way across the country was that I thought it would add a significant amount of time to the trip so I'd have to cut out things from the trip to ensure that I can get back across to the initial airport.

Thanks again for your help and I welcome more feedback.

[Pier75]

Hi, wow that is a long trip. As mentioned, it depends what your interests are. In my opinion you cannot skip Yellowstone in Wyoming (you need minimum 2 days though) and Nashville+ Tennessee more than Alabama.

Enjoy your trip!

[Lifemagician]

The Grand Canyon was amazing as they allow anyone who has a disabled placard to drive along the tour road, so I was able to get to all the vantage points and see it all.

That is good to know. Must remember that next time I head that way. Wonder if it applies at any other NPs.

Lifey