May 2011 - OK to KCMO the long way

[Southwest Dave]

Hi, what a nice trip you have to look forward to plus the Subaru is a great choice for your tarmac eating weapon !

Going on your mapping there is a few suggestions I would like to make.

1] From Phoenix to Grand canyon I would take 89 from Flagstaff past Sunset crater NM [a possible side trip] towards Cameron and enter the Grand canyon from the East entrance along Desert view drive with it's many viewpoints along the way. The first in the park is the "Old Watchtower" that has some wide open views of the Colorado as it makes it's way into the canyon and you can follow it's progress along the rim edge into the village area.

2] If you have the time cut further inland from San Fran and visit Yosemite NP, it's beautiful !

3]On leaving Yellowstone drive down through the Grand Tetons.

4] Time is everything but if you have enough to spare I would head towards Moab where you can visit Arches NP and Canyonlands "Islands in the sky2 section. If you were to do this you could head South to Monticello, Cortez and Durango where you will meet an amazing "drivers" road North back to Montrose called the "Million dollar highway" [550] through the old towns of Silverton and Ouray.

This was a great drive in the RV but I wish I had my old classic Subaru WRX to wind my way through the mountains !



US 50 through Black canyon and Currecanti is a good drive as well but another great road is the Trail ridge road through Rocky mountain NP that should be open by the time you hit those parts, although further North than you have planned.

[Pfemm]

We are very excited about taking our Subie out! and I'm sure my husband is extra excited because I'm letting him add all kinds of "safety" features and extras to it over the next year. skid plate, fog lights, roof rack, maybe even some 5-pt harnesses etc. (I can't wait till i get my Outback... still a couple years off tho)


Thanks for the suggestions... very helpful since we don't have any highway routes set in stone except Hwy 1 in CA, and the 101, and the Olympic Loop... That's pretty much it.... I'm pretty sure the actual trip will be full of crazy zig zag movement across some/most of the states.. (CA, OR, WA definitely)

I've seen something on the "island in the sky" be for and that seems very interesting. I wouldn't mind checking it out.


Time isn't going to be the issue because we'll both be inbetween jobs and homes... then again... Time is money :) we plan on staying out as long as about $7000 will let us. My guesstimate is anywhere from 50 - 60 days...


And That is a very sweet WRX! I know someone who would be jealous of the gold rims

ours:

[Southwest Dave]

If you have a little spare time you can find info on some of the places I mentioned in Colorado/Utah by taking a look here.

can't wait till i get my Outback...

Funny you should say that Lol ! I have one of these also, It's an oldie but a great workhorse and good all round car.

[Foy]

MM-

Foy-
I checked out The Oxford website... looks great! and I do love a good game of Poker so that is definitely a plus. and the food sounds Tasty :)
and the PMSB sounds awesome.. it's going on the list!
Thanks so much for the tips!

pfemm,

If you're a poker player, be advised certain forms of poker are legal under Montana law inasmuch as they're considered games of skill rather than games of chance. In the past, and possibly today, the laws required a separate room at the bar or club for poker. That gives rise to the motto of most poker-playing bars in Montana: "Liquor up front, poker in the rear".

Yeah, the PMSB is sweet, MT route 43 and 278 not so fine to drive on, but the Big Hole scenery is, well, like I said, you've got to go there.

Foy

[Pfemm]

Foy-

I just mentioned it because the Oxford advertises poker every night @ 8pm on it's website... so i'm sure everything is on the up and up ;)

[Pfemm]

I've been debating on moving this trip up from May 18ish to April 18ish.

It seems like it would be a lot cooler in April/May than May/June while traveling in the South (FL, LA, TX, NM, AZ)

So I can't decide if it would actually be a better plan or if my anxiousness to get on the road is just persuading me.

[Mark Sedenquist]

I can't understand what either car is doing off the pavement with the suspension lowered that much! But it does look like a very cool ride.

Mark

[Southwest Dave]

I've been debating on moving this trip up from May 18ish to April 18ish.

It seems like it would be a lot cooler in April/May than May/June while traveling in the South (FL, LA, TX, NM, AZ)

So I can't decide if it would actually be a better plan or if my anxiousness to get on the road is just persuading me.

Can't wait, eh ? [don't blame you !! ]

The problem is if you move it forward you could still face road closures and wintry conditions in Glacier and Yellowstone NP's, which can't be fixed by turning on the A/C.

It's your call to make ;-)

[Pfemm]

Can't wait, eh ? [don't blame you !! ]

It's ridiculous how excited I am! lol... I've even made a personal travel log/journal that i'm going to print and get spiral bound for us to keep track of expenses and what we do each day

The problem is if you move it forward you could still face road closures and wintry conditions in Glacier and Yellowstone NP's, which can't be fixed by turning on the A/C.

Road closures is what concerns me... I wanted to drive the Going-the-Sun Road but it doesn't open till mid-Juneish, right?

I was anticipating about 4-6 weeks traveling till we reach the Glacier NP... So that would put us there around end of May ... with some finagling that could be pushed into June...

we could spend a few extra days with friends along the way {Free lodging :) } and that could add a week or so in time since all of those visits will be before we hit Montana and Yellowstone.

and I could always convince my husband that we need to spend an extra week or so in the Pacific NW to buy sometime till it's open.

He has a connection to possibly work a guest spot in Portland so that could offset the cost of an extension.

[Southwest Dave]

The "Going to the sun road" is subject to a 5 year schedule for works and is listed on the NPS site as work ending on June 17th and the earliest date to open it up permanently for the season, but of course this is still weather dependant and could be delayed.

I like your daily travel log, so important on a trip like this to help keep track of the things you have seen and done, but you will need another sheet just to jot down those unexpected little things you come across/ that happen. I will certainly look forward to reading a trip report on the forums ! ;-)

Good luck persuading hubby for an extended trip and putting him to work.