Fantasy RoadTrips

I've been going a little stir crazy lately with all the sheltering in place. I've had to cancel two trips planned for this spring and summer, and will probably not get on the road again until next year. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy some of the other aspects of RoadTripping. In particular, I and others have occasionally made the point that planning for a RoadTrip is almost as much fun as actually taking one. with that in mind, I've spent the last few days 'planning' a hypothetical one week RoadTrip from my home in Tucson AZ. I had a few criteria such as: 'one week' actually meant nine days with both weekends; there should be no more than three days' worth of driving; a preference for two separate stopping points with a short driving day between each stop. Below is the outline (with links) for when I can get back on the road again. Obviously one wouldn't have time to do everything listed below. That's not the point. Knowing what's out there to make this, or any similar, trip interesting and enjoyable IS.

One Week From Tucson

Day 1: Tucson AZ to Shiprock/Farmington NM
Real World Driving Time: About 8 hours
Salt River Canyon
Petrified Forest National Park (NP)
Neither of these 'stops' takes very long.
Indeed both can be done as just scenic parts of the drive.

Days 2-4: Shiprock/Farmington NM
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (NM)
Mesa Verde NP
Chaco Canyon National Historical Park (NHP)
Durango
Navajo Lake State Park (SP)

Day 5: Shiprock/Farmington to Taos NM via US-64
Real World Driving Time: About 5 hours
Salmon Ruins Museum
Monastery of Our Lady of the Desert
Carson National Forest

Days 5-7: Taos NM
Chimney Rock NM
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
Eagle Nest Lake SP
San Francisco De Asis Mission Church
Kit Carson Home

Days 8-9: Taos NM to Tucson AZ
Real World Driving Time: About 11 hours
Santa Fe:
Georgia O'Keefe Museum
Hyde Memorial SP
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
Albuquerque:
Petroglyph NM
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge
Overnight: Socorro NM
Elephant Butte Lake SP
Lake Valley Historic Townsite and Backcountry Byway

Home!

AZBuck

I love this concept. I will create one now. (Back in a few minutes)

Mark

Day 1: Las Vegas, Nevada to Tecopa, California
Real World Driving Time: 2.5 hours (Because I would take the Old Spanish Trail)
Soak at the new pool at Delights Hot Springs and the private baths
Extraordinary BBQ (and often live music) at Tecopa Brewing Company

Day 2. Tecopa, California to Bakersfield, California
Real World Driving: 6.5 hours because stops along the way
Kohnen's Country Bakery -- Best German Mustard and Great Pretzels in Tehachapi
The Tehachapi Loop is a 0.73 miles long spiral, or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad.
Overnight at the Padre Hotel in Bakersfield.

Day 3-4. Bakersfield, California to Mono Hot Springs, California
Real World Driving: 10.5 hours.
Driving along the All American City Highway through agricultural areas. This is a longer drive than I would normally take, but if the road were open through Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks I would do it!
But the most amazing drive of the day is CA-Hwy 168 to Mono Hot Springs. And best to do it in daylight hours.

Day 5. Mono Hot Springs, California to Bridgeport, California
Real World Driving: 7.5 hours.
One of my favorite of the trans-Sierra passes. The Sonora Pass is beautiful any time of the year.

Day 6. Bridgeport, California to Benton, California
Real World Driving: 2.5 hours.
Shortest actual distance covered on the trip. But this follows a section of CA-120 that most people miss -- it's offers unusual views of Mono Lake.
The rock formations near Benton have long been a favorite of mine.
Benton Hot Springs

Day 7. Benton, California to Tonopah, Nevada
Real World Driving: 2.0 hours.
Tonopah Historic Mining park
Mizpah Hotel

Day 8. Tonopah, Nevada to Las Vegas, Nevada
Real World Driving: 6.5 hours. (+3.5 hours to drive to ghost towns)
Goldfield Hotel
Rhyolite Ghost Town
Carrara Ghost Town
Area 51 Travel Center
Temple of Goddess Spirituality

Home!

Mark

For my second Fantasy RoadTrip I considered a number of places including the mid-Atlantic coast where I grew up, Wisconsin where my parents were born and grew up, and northern New England where I lived for my early adult life. But I've actually done those in real life and written up my experiences on these pages. So instead I decided to plan a trip in the heart of 'fly-over country' as an exercise in, and demonstration of, the principle that "There are no boring places." Otherwise, the same criteria as before.

One Week From Kansas City

Day 1: Kansas City KS/MO to Manhattan KS
Real World Driving Time: About 2 hours (Assumption: flight to KC, then the drive)

Days 2-3: Manhattan KS
Fort Riley/Custer Home
Milford SP
Eisenhower Library
Marysville Pony Express Station
Oz Museum
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Days 4-5: Drive to Rapid City SD
Real World Driving Time: About 12 hours
Glen Elder SP
Kirwin NWR
Classic Car Collection
East Willow Island Wildlife Management Area
Overnight: North Platte NE
East Hershey State Wildlife Management Area
California Hill, Oregon Trail
Courthouse and Jail Rocks
Nebraska National Forest and Grasslands

Day 6-7: Rapid City SD
Mount Rushmore NM
Crazy Horse Memorial
Badlands NP
Wind Cave NP
Jewel Cave NM

Days 8-9:Rapid City SD to Kansas City KS/MO
Real World Driving Time: About 13 hours
Mitchell Corn Palace
Falls Park
Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History
Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
Sergeant Floyd River Museum & Welcome Center
Overnight: Omaha
Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge
Pony Express National Museum
Jesse James Home Museum

AZBuck

There aren't that many areas of the USA that I haven't driven in -- at least once or twice -- but I will ponder a trip that includes towns and cities that I've never been to as a continued demonstration of, the principle that "There are no boring places" as alluded to above.

This might take a bit of cogitation and I have telecom in a few minutes so, until then....

One week from Duluth, Minnesota

Day 1. Duluth, Minnesota to Fargo N. Dakota
Real World Driving Time with side trips 6.5 hours
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S ONE AND ONLY GAS STATION
Extra Tall Paul Bunyan in Akeley
Big Tom Turkey
HoDo in Fargo

Day 2. Fargo, N. Dakota to Warroad, Minnesota
Real World Driving Time with side trips 4.5 hours
World's Second Tallest Structure.
Far North Spirits (The northernmost distillery in the contiguous United States)
Marvin Windows Museum

Day 3. Warroad, Minnesota to Biwabik, Minnesota
Real World Driving Time with side trips 5.5 hours
The Lookout Tower at Ft. Francis
Vermilion Falls, near Orr, MN.
Chisolm Iron Ore Miner Statue
World's Largest Loon
World's Largest Free-Standing Hockey Stick
Honk the Moose

Day 4. Biwabik, Minnesota to Silver Bay, Minnesota
Real World Driving Time with side trips 3.5 hours
Voyageur North Outfitters in Ely,
Tettegouche State Park
Silver Bay

Day 5. Silver Bay to Duluth along Lake Superior
Real World Driving Time with side trips 3.4 hours
Split Rock Lighthouse
Castle Danger Brewery
Two Harbors Lighthouse Museum
Great Lakes Candy Kitchen
Enger Tower
Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge
Uncle Harvey's Mauseleum

And Back to Duluth!

These are really cool ideas. It's amazing how many of the places I have been to, but also how many I've missed.

As for me, my dream vacation is just to be able to take the one that is planned, reservations made a long time ago (including the ones to stay inside Yellowstone NP, which we reserved last July for this coming summer). We are not canceling anything yet. I figure if Yellowstone decides not to open for the summer, they'll let us know and give us our deposit back. (Right now, YNP Lodges are taking reservations for May 22nd and later.) Then we can make a decision, if our dictating governor doesn't make it FOR us, about whether to cancel the rest of it or not.


Donna

A One Week Circuit of North Dakota

For my next Fantasy RoadTrip -- I return to an area I last explored about six years ago. And since part of it closely follows a route that Peter wrote about in 2010, I include his short description.
Peter Thody:

Quote:

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This quiet and often remote-feeling drive passes through some of North Dakota's loveliest and most dramatic scenery, taking in the history and nightlife of busy little Medora, the beauty and wildlife of North Dakota's Badlands in the form of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and ending up close to the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence, one of North Dakota's many Lewis & Clark-related sites.

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Day 1. Dickinson, North Dakota to Watford City
Real World Driving: 4.5 hours
Dickinson Museum
Rough Riders Hotel in Medora
Grassy Butte Post Office
Cedar Canyon Road Scenic Drive in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
StoneHome Brewing
Door 204 Coffee

Day 2. Watford City, North Dakota to Minot, North Dakota
Real World Driving: 3.0 hours
Fort Burford State Historic Site
BBQ-n-Broncs in Tioga, ND
Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (14,469 acres of prairie)
Norsk Høstfest
Mouse River Walk

Day 3. Minot, North Dakota to Bismark, ND.
Real World Driving: 4.0 hours
Pride Dairy Ice Cream Parlour
International Peace Garden
Geographical Center of North America in Rugby.
Fort Totten
Icelandic State Park
Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge
National Buffalo Museum
North Dakota State Capital Tour
Lewis & Clark Riverboat Tour
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park

Day 4. Bismark, North Dakota back to Dickinson, North Dakota
Real Time Driving: 3.0 hours (it is only 98 miles, but lots of stops)
Salem Sue
Bur Oak Nature Trail in the Schnell Recreation Area
Geese in Flight on the Enchanted Highway -- Must stop!

Wasn't that a fun one!

-Mark

Good readings!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

These are really cool ideas. It's amazing how many of the places I have been to, but also how many I've missed.

As for me, my dream vacation is just to be able to take the one that is planned, reservations made a long time ago (including the ones to stay inside Yellowstone NP, which we reserved last July for this coming summer). We are not canceling anything yet. I figure if Yellowstone decides not to open for the summer, they'll let us know and give us our deposit back. (Right now, YNP Lodges are taking reservations for May 22nd and later.)


Donna

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I hope you get to take your trip! Where in Yellowstone are you staying & how long?

Last November we made 2+ months of camping reservations for this fall with some close friends. I wouldn't say it's my dream vacation but it covers many locations we haven't been to very often and we have allotted a lot more time at each place.

Our upcoming trip:

Days 1-4 Driving 920 miles. We like to take it slow
Days 5-6 Exploring Dinosaur National Monument
Days 7-8 Drive 525 miles
Day 9 Exploring Devil's Tower National Monument
Day 10 Drive 200 miles
Days 11-13 Exploring Badlands National Park & area
Days 14-22 Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, Jewel & Wind Caves & Deadwood
Day 23 Drive 210 miles
Day 24 Scotts Bluff National Monument
Day 25 Drive 200 miles
Days 26-29 Explore Rocky Mountain National Park from East side near Estes Park
Days 30-33 Explore Rocky Mountain National Park from West side
Day 34 Drive 355 miles ...yeah...I know...a long driving day!
Days 35-38 Explore Black Dragon Wash, Buckhorn Wash, Rochester Panel, Sego Petroglyphs & Nine mile canyon from Green River, Utah. (All petroglyphs and pictograph areas)
Day 39 Drive 105 miles
Day 40-41 Spend time in Torrey, Utah area including Capitol Reef
Day 42-51 Move into Capitol Reef to camp and our friends head home. We will relax & hike!
Day 52-54 Drive home the 855 miles

We are looking forward to this trip but if we don't feel comfortable with how things with Covid-19 are progressing we will cancel even if the National Parks we want to visit are open.

Utahtea