One Tank Road Trips

For a couple of years I wrote a monthly article for the local NPR radio affiliate magazine, featuring some of the top one-tank road trips from the Las Vegas area. You can read the magazine article here.

Since that time, others have suggested their favorite one-tank road trips from their hometowns. What are your picks for your area?

Here is the directory list of articles I've written for the Desert Companion Magazine

May 2011... Five top picks from Las Vegas -- great photos!
Mesquite and wild west roads along the Virgin River, Rainbow Canyon at Caliente, Ely and vintage trains, Chloride Murals, Kelso singing dunes, Knob Hill, Nine-mile canyon road near Ridgecrest, More from Death Valley including Titus Canyon and Racetrack Playa -- home to the mysterious sliding stones!

Bluegrass, bazaars and the (actual!) London Bridge
US-95 to Blythe, east along I-10 to Dome Rock Road to Quartzsite, north along Arizona Highway-95 to Parker Dam Road, north once more on AZ-95 through Lake Havasu, Mohave Valley, Bullhead City, crossing the river at Laughlin. West on Nevada Highway 163 to Christmas Tree Road and return to Las Vegas on US-Hwy 95.

Ostriches Run Amok
Las Vegas: Exit I-15 at Jean. Take NV-161 to Sandy Valley Road. At Sky Ranch, go south on Kingston Road (there’s a stretch that’s unpaved). Keep heading south on Cima Road to Kelso, then take Kelbaker Road to Route 66, turning west on Amboy Road. At Twentynine Palms continue south through Joshua Tree National Park to Indio. Take I-10 west to Cabazon. The fastest route back to Las Vegas is through Victorville on I-15.

Lonliest Highway in America -- US-50
North on US Hwy-93 to NV SR-376 and then east on US Hwy-50, returning on US Hwy-93 to I-15 for a 775 mile round trip

Greatest Mule Show on Earth -- Bishop, California

Five more of my favorite trips May, 2012!
(Trips include: The Mt. Charleston Loop, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, The Tehachapi Loop, Whitney Portal, and Death Valley.

A Summer Delight along the Kern Plateau -- Southern-most Sierra Nevada crossing!
(US-95 to CA-190 to US-395 to Nine Mile Canyon Road to Kennedy Meadows Road to Sherman Pass Road to Kern River Road)
Map

July, 2012: A Southwest Road Food Jaunt featuring a photo by Peter Thody...

Sept. 2012: So much more than the Rose Bowl... A road trip to Pasadena.

October is a perfect time to go ghost hunting on road trips in the west! Ghost Towns, Haunted Hotels and children of the corn... await you.

For November, I didn't pen a road trip destination article, instead here are some gift ideas that might intrigue your favorite roadtripper!

Two articles in the December Desert Companion Magazine. First one was penned by Megan Edwards and she shares four of her favorite CAT bus routes for exploring Las Vegas!

The second article offers some tips and memories about favorite road food we've enjoyed over the last decade or so of roadtripping! One of Gerald "Mr. RoadTrip" Thurman's photos is featured too!

February, 2013 features an article I penned about the "Living Ghost Town" known as Randsburg, California.

June, 2013 was the first annual photography contest sponsored by Desert Companion Magazine and I penned an article about my favorite photo locations within a day's drive from Las Vegas. "Southwest Shutterbug: You'll Trip for these Pics"

September, 2013: There is an amazing collection of mass market paperbacks lurking at the Clark County Museum in Henderson, Nevada. Megan Edwards interviews Mark Hall-Patton, curator of the collection, in a new article published in the Desert Companion magazine. Read The Vegas pulp connection here.

Nice article !

A great thread starter to perhaps [hopefully] gain some useful local Intel from members hometowns.

Come on people !

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

... local Intel from members' hometowns.

Come on people !

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Not too sure that any I know would be too relevant, but it certainly has given some great ideas.

Great article!

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Nice article !

A great thread starter to perhaps [hopefully] gain some useful local Intel from members hometowns.

Come on people !

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Well, I have two "homes."

From where I grew up near (near Auburn CA - about 40 miles E on I-80 from Sacramento) I have a favorite:

Follow CA-49 South through Coloma to Placerville and then East on US-50. Day hike into the Desolation Wilderness and back out. Continue East on 50 to Tahoe. Around the West shore of Lake Tahoe on CA-89 and CA-26 to CA-267 to Truckee (fun little town). West on I-80 to Colfax, then CA-174 to Grass Valley and Nevada City (past the Empire Mine where my Great Grandfather was a miner - get a pasty in Grass Valley, they are, IMHO better than the ones you tend to find in the UP of Michigan) Then return south on CA-49 to Auburn.

From St. Louis (where I live now - a half-tank trip. This is less than 200 miles of driving.):

South on I-55 to Ste Genevieve, stopping for pie at the Blue Owl in Kimmswick. If you want, get off 55 and follow US-61 South. (Either from Kimmswick or (better yet) from somehwere around Crystal City.) Stop in Ste Genevieve for the night if you are hotelling (it's a fun town) or, if camping, take MO-32 West to Hawn State Park. Hike depending on your ability/interest there (whether you camp there or not) and then be sure to do the ~2 mile loop hike nearby at Pickle Springs. Continue West on MO-32 to Farmington. Hang a right and get on US-67 N. Pass by St. Joe State Park and stop at St Francois State Park. Back on US-67 N. At MO-110 cut over W to MO-21 and follow back N to St. Louis. As I live about a block and a half off of MO-21, this leads almost to my doorstep.

FWIW,
Jon

I've got to look into these routes -- thanks for posting!

Mark

Yikes-- I just spent about half an hour typing out a one-tank trip from Anaheim to Anza Borrego State Park to Julian to Oceanside to Anaheim, but it all went "poof" when IE stopped responding and I had to shut it down.

I'll redo it in Word and paste it here later.

Lots of problems with browsers these days. I see Firefox has a new one 5.0 -- Gets more and more tricky for us to create software that works in all of these platforms.

Mark

This may be a nice side trip for those visiting Disneyland or other attraction in Orange County.

Day 1 (total driving time: approx. 2 ½ hours)
Head east on CA-91 to I-15 south to Temecula. Temecula is Southern California’s wine country, and wine tasting opportunities abound. As drinking and driving don’t mix, it’s best to eat lunch here and keeping the wine tasting within reasonable limits. If you avoid rush hour traffic (roughly between 3:00 and 7:00 PM) it should only take an hour to get from Anaheim to Temecula.

The next leg of the trip from Temecula to Borrego Springs is about a 1 ½ hour drive through oak-studded hills on CA-79 south. Spring is the ideal time for scenery as the chaparral comes alive with colorful wildflowers. Right beside the road in Oak Grove is the last complete Butterfield Stage station.
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From 1857 through 1861 the Butterfield Stage ran between St. Louis and San Francisco, and this California historic site reminds us of times when travel took longer and lacked comforts we take for granted. Passing through Warner Springs you will see a sailplane field and golf course. When you head east on San Felipe Road and Montezuma Valley Road you will gain a bit in elevation before descending into the desert climate of Borrego Springs.
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Anza Borrego State Park surrounds the town, and the park offers many hiking and sightseeing opportunities. Campgrounds and a nice B&B are near the park’s visitor center, and you can expect to easily spend an hour at the visitor center learning about the area’s history, climate, flora and fauna.
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Day 2 (total driving time: 2 ¾ hours)
Take Borrego Springs Road south to Yaqui Pass Road south, and then head west on CA-78. As you head west you will climb from the desert through chaparral and up into evergreen forests by the time you reach Julian. This is about a 45-minute drive. Julian once attracted gold miners in the 1870s, but now it is mostly known for its apples and antique stores. Take a mine tour, stroll through town, and eat lunch and a slice of pie before heading down CA-78 west toward the coast.
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After you pass the town of Ramona you will see citrus groves near San Pasqual County Park. Citrus groves used to blanket Southern California, but now they stand out as scarce reminders of an agricultural era from the 1880s until the 1960s housing boom led to their demise. A small group of American soldiers and Marines under the command of General Stephen Kearny suffered defeat at the hands of Californios at San Pasqual in one of the few battles of the Mexican American War in 1846.

Take CA-78 west through Escondido and into the city of Vista. Turn right on El Camino Real and head north to San Luis Rey Mission Expressway. Turn right again, and in about ½ mile turn left onto Rancho de Oro Drive. This will take you to Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, about a 1 ½ hour drive from Julian. Franciscan missionaries built it as the 18th of 21 missions in 1798, but the current structure was built in 1811. After a brief tour it will be dinner time.

Follow the San Luis Rey Mission Expressway (CA-76) west into the city of Oceanside. It’s only about a 10-minute drive to the pier in Oceanside, and there are many places to eat nearby. If you want to eat on the pier itself, there’s a Ruby’s Diner at the end. The drive back to Anaheim will take a little over an hour if I-5 north isn’t crowded, so you may want to spend some time on a stroll along the beach before heading back.

The trip takes about 275 miles, and that is well within the range of my Subaru Outback.

More photos taken by shirohniichan from this trip here.

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Originally Posted by shirohniichan

... but it all went "poof" when IE stopped responding and I had to shut it down.

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I feel for you. Can't count the times that that happens to me. Not just on this site.

Lifey

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Originally Posted by shirohniichan

This may be a nice side trip for those visiting Disneyland or other attraction in Orange County..

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Very nice suggestions... Now you just have to learn how to map 'em!

Thanks,

mark

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Originally Posted by jcorb2d

From St. Louis (where I live now - a half-tank trip. This is less than 200 miles of driving.):

South on I-55 to Ste Genevieve, stopping for pie at the Blue Owl in Kimmswick. If you want, get off 55 and follow US-61 South. (Either from Kimmswick or (better yet) from somehwere around Crystal City.) Stop in Ste Genevieve for the night if you are hotelling (it's a fun town) or, if camping, take MO-32 West to Hawn State Park. Hike depending on your ability/interest there (whether you camp there or not) and then be sure to do the ~2 mile loop hike nearby at Pickle Springs. Continue West on MO-32 to Farmington. Hang a right and get on US-67 N. Pass by St. Joe State Park and stop at St Francois State Park. Back on US-67 N. At MO-110 cut over W to MO-21 and follow back N to St. Louis. As I live about a block and a half off of MO-21, this leads almost to my doorstep.

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My husband's dad's family all lived in that neck of the woods - Leadwood, Park Hills, Desloge, Irondale. There used to be a fantastic little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Irondale. I think it's real name was something like The Blue Plate, but my in-laws always called it "Earl's". Unfortunately, I don't think it exists any more.

We did a "one tank" trip back in 2008. We got in the car, drove up to Disneyland (1-1/2 hours, about 90 miles) and spent 3 days there. They were having a 3-day pass for $99 for SoCal residents special, so we took advantage of that. We then went a little further north and did the 3-hour tour of Warner Bros studios, and came home. All on one tank. The hotels were all at discount because my husband is retired military, so the only thing we really had to pay full price for, were restaurants. Even there, I had a coupon for one place.


Donna

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Originally Posted by shirohniichan

After you pass the town of Ramona you will see citrus groves near San Pasqual County Park. Citrus groves used to blanket Southern California, but now they stand out as scarce reminders of an agricultural era from the 1880s until the 1960s housing boom led to their demise. A small group of American soldiers and Marines under the command of General Stephen Kearny suffered defeat at the hands of Californios at San Pasqual in one of the few battles of the Mexican American War in 1846.

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A couple of comments to add to this lovely idea for a one-tank trip:

Ramona itself has quite a few antiques stores, if one is interested in "antiquing". If one wants a good Mexican lunch while in Ramona, there's a place called La Salsa right behind the McDonald's in town. It doesn't look like much, but the food is good.

Also, San Pascual Battlefield, along Rt 78 on the way between Ramona and Escondido, has a lovely visitor center. However, it is only open on weekends. Sometimes they have reenactments of this battle (I've not been to one). Right now, though, this visitor center/park may possibly be under the governor's knife. He's talking about closing some state parks, and unfortunately, this one is on his list. However, the state is "only" behind on the budget by 4 weeks now. Time will tell, what happens to that state park.


Donna

OK, I painstakingly followed the instructions to make a map showing my proposed one-tank trip in So' Cal', and I thought I would share it in the thread. Once I finished it I wanted to click on "share this map", but it was not highlighted so I could do so.

????

If the "Share this Saved Map" was not highlighted, it means that you've not saved the map. You can only share a map if it's been saved. The Save a map button is right above that. The code is written in such a way that you can only do the next step if the element is ready for action.

Mark

Let's see if this works:

Anaheim to Anza Borrego, Julian, Oceanside and back on one tank

Now, you can add custom detail, (photos, descriptions, etc.) if you want to each of the custom places and your map will be automatically updated here.

Mark

Earlier this Fall, my husband and I took an afternoon trip on Route 66. We began in Pontiac, IL and ended our trip in Willowbrook, IL. The weather was sunny and pleasant; it was a great day for an Autumn afternoon drive.

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We started our trip at the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac. This was a really quaint little place, housed in an historic firehouse. It was chock full of information and articles having to do with The Mother Road. The man tending the museum was very friendly and informative and was able to answer any question we had about the route and also different items in the museum itself. Admission was free, but donations were accepted. After snapping a few pictures in the museum, we headed out and drove north-east down Route 66 (E 1860 N Road). Historic Route 66 begins to run parallel to I55 a few miles out of town.

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The next town that we stopped at was Odell, IL. There was a nicely restored Standard Oil Gas Station right on the edge of town just begging to be explored. We got out and wandered inside to see all sorts of automotive tools and items. We also bought a very delicious Root Beer in a glass bottle for the road.

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Further into Odell, at the corner of West and Hamilton streets, is an old pedestrian subway tunnel that used to pass under Rt. 66. The tunnel was for pedestrians to cross the very busy road to get to St. Paul’s Church and school. The tunnel is filled in now, but you can still view part of it and there is an historical marker there that explains a little bit more about the tunnel and its history. I must admit, while standing on that shady, quiet corner, it was hard to imagine the street ever being so busy that pedestrians had to cross under it for safety’s sake!

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After snapping a few more pictures, we got back in our vehicle, drank our tasty Root Beer and headed down the highway to the next points of interest.

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We skirted the town of Dwight, for time’s sake, and headed into the town of Gardner to see the old 2 Cell Jail and the Streetcar Diner. These were both interesting to see and very accessible. We walked right into the small jailhouse and were able to stand in the cells and take pictures.

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Back in the vehicle, we breezed through a couple more towns, saw some Burma Shave signs near Godley, and were on our way to the next point of interest –the town of Wilmington and the famous Gemini Giant! I took a few pictures with the big green astronaut himself and hopped back on the road with our sights set on Willowbrook and dinner at the famous Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket.

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While on the road (officially Hwy 53) to our dinner destination, we passed by the Chicagoland Speedway near Joliet and saw some vintage Route 66 signs and businesses. Farther down the road we drove by the White Fence Farm restaurant in Romeoville, merged onto I55 for a few miles, and then exited in Willowbrook just as night began to fall.

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We arrived at the restaurant at dusk and waited about 20 minutes for a table, but it was sure worth the wait. This was our first time eating at Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket and I must say it was a treat! The chicken was lightly breaded, juicy and delicious.

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We had a really great time on that fine Autumn afternoon and I am very excited to visit more of the Route 66 attractions in Illinois.

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Thanks Year25, what a great post. That sounds like a trip I would enjoy. I have read this post so many times. Yes, maybe next trip I will get down that way... and I will check it out. So much to see, so little time.

Lifey

I too enjoyed the Illinois post. One thing about Illinois - - it may not have the mountains or scenery, but it does have HISTORY. You can take the history back to the early natives by going to any number of parks with MOUNDS in their name (not the candy bar, but Native American communities). Or go midway in American history with all of the Lincoln-related things, like his home, New Salem, his gravesite, and much more in the Springfield area. Fast forward a little to the trip Year25 posted about, regarding Route 66. In odd spots you've got other pieces of history, such as Grant's area in Galena. Plus Chicago is full of museums -- art, science and industry, natural history, Shedd Aquarium, and more. It's doubtful that you could do all of the above on one tank, but these are areas to explore.



Donna

Thanks for reading and glad you both enjoyed the post!

I agree, Illinois does lack the jaw-dropping scenery of many other states, but we do have some great historic and nostalgic places to visit. We also have Chicago, which is a very substantial city with really great architecture, culture, and great lake views.

We've been to Chicago many times, and it is pretty impressive, however I am very partial to the open road and can't wait to get back on it to see some more of this beautiful country!

Here's another one I wrote for January edition of the NPR Desert Companion magazine. A 1-2 tank trip starting and finishing in Las Vegas, NV.

(Cheat sheet: US-95 to Blythe, east along I-10 to Dome Rock Road to Quartzsite, north along Arizona Highway-95 to Parker Dam Road, north once more on AZ-95 through Lake Havasu, Mohave Valley, Bullhead City, crossing the river at Laughlin. West on Nevada Highway 163 to Christmas Tree Road and return to Las Vegas on US-Hwy 95).

Mark

Here's the latest article recently published in the Desert Companion Magazine.... Ostriches run amok...

Las Vegas: Exit I-15 at Jean. Take NV-161 to Sandy Valley Road. At Sky Ranch, go south on Kingston Road (there’s a stretch that’s unpaved). Keep heading south on Cima Road to Kelso, then take Kelbaker Road to Route 66, turning west on Amboy Road. At Twentynine Palms continue south through Joshua Tree National Park to Indio. Take I-10 west to Cabazon. The fastest route back to Las Vegas is through Victorville on I-15.

Lonliest Highway in America is featured on the Desert Companion Magazine this month. All by your lonesome on Hwy 50 (Except for the Ghosts)

(North on US Hwy-93 to NV SR-376 and then east on US Hwy-50, returning on US Hwy-93 to I-15 for a 775 mile round trip). See map of this route.

Peter Thody's photo is featured in this article, unfortunately the magazine failed to provide his photo credit, but we all know it was his photo!

Mark

Thank you for the photos and information, Year25.

I live on the other end of Route 66 and am planning a trip to Petrified Forest from So' Cal' soon. I've never been eat of Oklahoma City, so I enjoy seeing what the other parts are like.

Editor: We can't figure out which post you were replying to... Please, let us know and we'll move this post to that thread....

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Thank you for the photos and information, Year25. [/I]

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You are welcome! I haven't been on here in awhile, so pardon my late response!

I've been meaning to write up a sort of compendium of local one day RoadTrips that I take visitors on when they come to see me in Tucson. As long as you realize that 'One Tank RoadTrip' does not mean a 'One Day RoadTrip' (there's just too much to see) here goes. As is usual for me I'll describe this loop trip in a clockwise direction.

The great stops start even as you barely leave Tucson, and first up is the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park. After a short (or long) hike or bike ride in the desert, head down to the first of two caves worth visiting in the area, Colossal Cave where legend has it that there is still some hidden loot from an old west robbery.

Heading east on I-10 brings you to the town of Benson and one of those local little museums RoadTrippers enjoy so much for a quick insight into local history and culture. From there AZ-80 will take you south through St. David to "The Town Too Tough To Die" - Tombstone AZ. Although many of the wooden buildings along main street had to be rebuilt following two major fires in 1881 and 1882, the Bird Cage Theatre is original and was operated by Wyatt Earp. Continuing down AZ-80 brings you to Bisbee, home of both one of the world's biggest open pit copper mines, another great little local museum, and is just a great town to walk in.

Now backtrack a bit on AZ-80 and hook up with AZ-90 over to Sierra Vista. On the way, you'll be crossing the The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, a true oasis in the desert and one of the last free-flowing streams in this area. In Sierra Vista itself, a visit to the Fort Huachuca Museum. (Note that Fort Huachuca is an active military base, and you will be required to show two forms of ID for everyone over the age of 13.).

From Sierra Vista continue north on AZ-90 towards Benson, but your goal is well short or there and will be on the left- a world class living cave. Entry is only by guided tour, but this is well worth it. After your spelunking, backtrack south on AZ-90 to AZ-82 west to Sonoita for a bit of relaxation with the grape. Patagonia for some unique pizza and another desert oasis.

Close the loop by continuing on down to Nogales, a town that straddles the US-Mexican border and heading north from there along I-19 (the only Interstate in the US that is still - for a while at least - signed in kilometers rather than miles) but using the parallel US/AZ-89 Nogales Highway where possible, making a few last historic stops at Tumacácori, Tubac, and a relatively new one at the Titan Missile Museum before returning to Tucson.

Either at the start or end of your journey, you can also take in some of Tucson's most notable attractions, the Pima Air & Space Museum, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Mission San Xavier del Bac, and Biosphere 2.

AZBuck

Wow, this is a great list!

Mark

Here's another one-tank road trip featuring Bishop, California.

Great photos by RTA contributors, Peter Thody, Bruce Jones and Megan Edwards are featured in this article "The Scenic Route (Just up the Street)!

...And you can never have too many trunk-packing tips...

Buck, do you know if they are doing tours under the glass? It's more than a decade since I was there, but they had, at the time, suspended the tours under the glass. I have since heard that it closed completely... but the site shows that this appears no longer to be the case. I can't find information about the under glass tours.

I'd make the effort to get there, if I could be sure of doing the under the glass tour.

Lifey

It was open in 2009, Jaimie wrote an article about it...

And here is the link about the public tours....

Lifey,

It so happens that some nephews and nieces were in town over the weekend and at their request we went to Biosphere 2 for the tour. So yes, tours are still being conducted, or they have been restarted, now that Biosphere 2 is operating under the aegis of the University of Arizona's College of Science. But the non-discounted tariff is rather steep, around $20, and it is a fairly long tour, on the order of a couple of hours if you do the self-guided bits after the docent-led portion.

AZBuck

Thanks Buck. Good to know.

Not too sure if it will fit into this year's trip. Just so many places to go, so many people to see, I will be running out of time. But AZ is on the schedule for the next trip... whenever that will be. LOL

Lifey

A Summer Delight along the Kern Plateau -- Southern-most Sierra Nevada crossing!
(US-95 to CA-190 to US-395 to Nine Mile Canyon Road to Kennedy Meadows Road to Sherman Pass Road to Kern River Road)
Map

The July edition of the Desert Companion Magazine is focused on good eats. Here are a few of the don't miss treats I've enjoyed over the years...

A road trip from Las Vegas to Pasadena is featured in the September issue of the Desert Companion Magazine.

My latest Desert Companion article suggests a few places you can find some haunting good times on a roll!

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Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

A Summer Delight along the Kern Plateau -- Southern-most Sierra Nevada crossing!
(US-95 to CA-190 to US-395 to Nine Mile Canyon Road to Kennedy Meadows Road to Sherman Pass Road to Kern River Road)
Map

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Very nice! I think I'll take the family to Kennedy Meadows either this fall or next spring. Thanks for the article!

Just need to check out the road status... If we have a "normal" rain year, the road will still be mostly closed from snow until Memorial Day.... This is a "high" sierra area -- it doesn't really get warm until late June or early July.

Mark

Mark, I took your one-tank trip up Nine Mile Canyon on Saturday (from Orange County instead of Las Vegas). We were listening to 88.1 FM (NPR's station in Las Vegas) on the way up and just got out of range when "Wait, Wait-- Don't tell Me" (my favorite program) came on.

Kennedy Meadows campground was all but deserted (there were two sites taken when we got there, but both groups of campers left in the early afternoon [was it something we said?]). The 'skeeters only came out to dine on us for about an hour before sundown, and they weren't up by the time we left around 11:00 AM the next morning.

Keep up the good work. Maybe your articles will inspire more weekend road trips for my family.

I love it up there.

Thanks for the field report.

Did you see any bears?

I'm working on another article about Randsburg, the living ghost town near Death Valley. I think you'd get a kick of this place too.

Mark