Heading West from East

[imported_Doc]

hi, have read lot of threads talking about heading east frm west, but i have spent hole my life living in the East and would like to see & Feel Wild wild west on my upcoming road trip to the west cost. i would be starting out frm New York and head west to Frisco or LA. whats the best route to take? should i go through Arizona or Nevada?? we would be travelling in October so is it a good idea to travell through Colorado? And also we will be travelling on a very tight budget. What about road tolls?? I need anyone with the experince to contact me or post a mesage here. Thanks
Doc

[Mark Sedenquist]

Doc,

First, calling San Francisco "Frisco" only works in NY and is considered the ultimate put-down by residents of the city by the bay. Use it sparingly, if at all. Second, toll roads are few and far in between in the West. They exist, but it is easy to avoid them ('course they do tend to have less traffic on them).

October is the just about the perfect month for roadtrips in any US state, (with the possible exception of Alaska). Nights will be cool in Colorado -- some ski areas are already opening (just about a record) next week.

There are many, many posts on this forum extolling the virutes of I-40 or I-70. Both are easy and fast in October, both provide plenty of side trip opportunities. Have a fun adventure!

[Sweens]

I agree with the above. Last summer we drove from CT to Las Vegas, and I believe the last toll we paid was in Chicago. We followed I-80 from Chicago all the way thru Nebraska, where we picked up I-76 into Denver. From there we drove I-70 across Utah (our favorite state). We then made a spontaneous decision (critical for maximum fun!) to take Rte. 89 which parallels I-15, south so we could see Bryce and Zion NPs. WOW! Beautiful country! Southern Utah boasts Arches NP, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Glen Canyon, and on and on. We were limited to Arches (but the drive through the San Rafael Swell was breathtaking) and Bryce & Zion. We'll go back sometime for the others. We only skimmed through AZ between Zion and Las Vegas, and it too was gorgeous. We are going again this November and will spend much more time in AZ as we'll be following a more southerly route.

But you're in for the time of your life. We absolutely live in the greatest, most beautiful country in the world! Take time to enjoy it!

I wholeheartedly recommend reading ANYTHING by Utahtea in any of these postings. She really helped us know what to see & do in Utah (and she knows the whole Southwest, so she can probably help you with NV and AZ). She also posts on fodors.com's discussion threads.

ENJOY!

[imported_Doc]

Thanks Editor Mark & Sweens. this information will greatly help me plan or rather plan the spontanity(conflicting huh!!)lol
I guess would leave interstates in UT,NV & AZ and travel on smaller routes or US Rts.
Thanks once again
Doc