SF to LA via Fresno in April
Hi. I've looked at a bunch of threads here, thanks everyone for your advice. I've got a couple of questions still:
I want to go through Yosemite on my way from SF to Fresno, it looks like this is the most sensible route but if not do tell me!
Over the Bay Bridge, down the 880, east on the 580 then the 205, then the 120 through Escalon, Manteca, Oakdale, etc and entering the Park on Big Oak Flat Road. It seems like there'd be another route further South, coming in on the 140, but it's hard for me to tell what would be more scenic or a more interesting drive.
The more questionable bit is this: from Fresno to LA I'm thinking about taking the 41 right across to where it meets the 101. Obviously I could save time taking the 5, but I'm guessing it's just a big concrete road, would it be worth the extra time to make it across to the coast and coming down the 101? I'm staying in Santa Monica so coming in on the Pacific Coast Highway makes some sense, but I get the impression it's at its most spectacular much further north, around Big Sur and above SF...
Any help would be much appreciated!
There are no boring places
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Originally Posted by dj toast
I could take the famous Route 66 (either from Kingman, or from a place I think is called Seligman, although it's small enough Google Maps doesn't identify it!) . Since every description I read of the trip to the Grand Canyon says "several hours through the featureless desert" I'm wondering if that detour would releave the monotony or simply add to it; I'm worried that despite the allure of that renowned road-name this might not be the place to experience it!
I mean no disrespect but in our experience there are no boring places, just unaware and boring travelers. That stretch of desert has awesome views -- ignore all of that nonsense and enjoy the trip. Here is a field report from Seligman.
I forgot you hailed from Scotland
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Originally Posted by dj toast
Well quite, after living in Scotland for ten years I can't imagine the thrill of being in a desert will wear off as quickly as the crass writers of Lonely Planet guides assume!
I really like nearly all of the Lonely Planet scribes tribe -- who committed this boo-boo? I will send them another point of view.
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so I guess it's natural that companies offering helicopter tours from the Grand Canyon aren't interested in telling you about your trip TO their airfield, hence why so much of the information it's easy for a tourist to find is specifically about "once you get here"
Well, that makes a little more sense -- because if you had found comments on this site about how boring the drive was -- heads were going to roll...
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Thanks again, I'll let you know how I get on. (I can't help thinking that since the bulk of my experience of that kind of scenery is Warner Brothers cartoons it'll be quite surreal!)
It is still going to be surreal. One thing I urge you to do. Park your car, on the side of the road, where you think you see no obvious vegetation. Walk about 50 yards into the desert and close your eyes -- tell us what you hear. Then open your eyes and look at the desert floor and tell us how many flowers you saw in full bloom. The blooms will be tiny, last year we had so much rain that flowers were blooming in such profusion that they exceed all records since humans have been keeping track, but I have been out wandering in the desert this year and the tiny ones are out. This was Death Valley last year, and here is Arizona last year.
Mark
