Houston To California In Two Weeks

[concretejungle84]

Well, now I finally have tentative dates set for a road trip with my girlfriend and I! No other posts for California road trips helped me much, so I decided to post one myself. We are both 18 and 20, and don't mind driving long distances for long periods of time if we need. One will sleep, one will drive if our trip depends on it! Anyway, here is a schedule of places i'd like to visit, and how long it takes to get from one to the other.

The trip is going to be from July 13th until July 28th or 29th. I put ???? next to places that I'm not sure about going to, but are definetly of interest. If need be, please let me know which ones to sacrifice. I don't plan on doing too much in AZ/NM because I'm trying to save time for California. Not pressed for budget. I'll be in a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Houston

12 hours to:
white sands- 26 miles north of las cruces???

12 hours to:
LA- six flags magic mountain (not much else i care to see/do there)

1 1/2 hours to:
santa barbara

4 hours to:
monterey-monterey bay aquarium?????

46 min to:
mystery spot and
Santa Cruz boardwalk w/ amusement park (1 day)

1 hour 20 min to:
San Fransisco

4 hours to:????
Humboldt Redwoods State Park (i heard its the BEST and my girlfriend really wants to see redwoods...but its pretty far out of the way)

7 hours to:
Yosemite National Park

11 hours to:????
Grand Canyon (1 days)

20 hours to:
Home

I posted for tips/suggestions....so PLEASE help me out..thanks!!!

[RedCorral]

...but you know that.

I assume you have reasons for going to this eclectic collection of places because of the uniqueness each offers.

The only one I would question is the Humbolt Redwoods. Yes, they are wonderful and the tallest, but when you look up 300 feet through the branches you can't tell the difference between 280 feet and 310 feet. What she will be most impressed with is girth. The Mariposa Grove of sequoias in Yosemite has some very big (wide and tall) trees, and since it is in Yosemite, where you are going already, you won't be driving 9 hours out of your way.

Also, there are coast redwood trees just north of San Francisco in Muir Woods, and south of San Francisco at Big Basin State Park (enter from the east).

On a trip like this you miss a lot, but you'll see a lot, too. Just stay awake while you are driving those long hours.

Craig

[dcm5150]

The Monterey Aquarium is very nice (I have a family membership), but I wouldn't call it a must stop unless you are really into aquariums and the such (t does have some great stuff for kids). Its also not cheap at $25 a ticket.