Las Vegas To Reno - Help Needed!

[LynnoP]

After spending 4 nights in Vegas, on 3rd Sept we will be driving through Death Valley staying ovenight at Furnace Creek. Q - should we go via Beatty or Pahrump and what is the best time of day to travel ? Then we want to drive to Yosemite where we have planned a 4 night stay at Fish Camp. Q - is it too long a drive in one day or should we plan to stop somewhere overnight? Also which route should we take and how long should we allow to get there? From Yosemite we are driving up to Tahoe South Lake to spend a couple of nights there. Q - again any particular route to take and how many hours travelling? From there we drive to Reno to catch a flight to Boston. Also I was thinking of hiring something like a Mustang - is this a sensible idea?
Many thanks to anyone who replies with info. Am so excited about this trip. Lynn

[Robert Schaller]

Ah, you Brits and those Mustangs! :) Sure, why not? You'll enjoy the car -- they are re-designed for this model year and I can't wait to drive one myself. Go for the convertible if you can afford it! I think they're a load of fun (whether hard top or convertible).

I'd choose the route through Pahrump -- Blue Diamond Road(SR160) over Mountain Sprs Summit is very pretty.

Once you leave Furnace Creek, take SR190 and SR136 out to Lone Pine, then US395 north to SR120 at Lee Vining. Use SR120 (Tioga Pass Rd) to go across to Yosemite Village. I'm not sure what the best route from Yosemite to Tahoe is, but I doubt you'll go wrong with any of them. Perhaps someone else will have a recommendation for that part.

You won't have any trouble getting from Death Valley to Yoesemite in one day, although it will take you the whole day if you sightsee along the way -- which you should. These roads aren't good for speed runs.

Finally, be sure to save a little time for the Reno area -- particularly old Virginia City (this link will take you to Mark and Megan's journal entry for this historical area). Also check out the Virginia City links on this page, under the Nevada section (scroll down). Bob