West coast road trip - Early planning

[MihaT.]

Hi :)

I've been reading similar posts on this forum for months and things are much clearer now. I advice everyone to read a few topics or use search before asking questions answered in every second post here. I've read every topic about south-west US all the way back to beginning of 2009. Yes it's a lot of reading :)
I'm amazed at how many times you "RoadTrip Gurus" answer the exact same questions over and over and over... Anyway, you answered many of my questions and gave me a lot of ideas. I thank you for that.
Dave i've read your "San Francisco Loop" report with my mouth open :) The trip is similar to mine so you gave me a lot of useful info.
Ok, before i make my itinerary i have a few random questions.
1. Where on CA1 can we swim in the ocean. I've read that north of LA the water is too cold for normal people. We'll stay one night in LA and i need some sugestions for a hotel near a nice beach with not so many people. Something like in Baywatch :) But not south of Huntington beach. Maybe it will be clearer what i want when i'll post my itinerary.
2. We'll buy camping gear in SF somewere. We need everything from tent to cooler to air mattress to chairs... Yes i like to be comfortable even on camping. Can i get all this in Walmart Supercenter Store in SF? And at the end of our trip i woud like to donate this gear. How can i do that without running all over SF to find some donation center. Can i leave that somewere on the airport?
3. Rentacars allow driving thru Moki Dugway right?
4. Seeing LA will be mostly through windshield. But i would like to walk on Walk of fame. Is parking a problem in the LA center?
5. While reading some posts here i came across a word that i can't get out of my mind now. MONSOON SEASON. Should I be worried about that?
6. Time zones end/start are marked with signs by the road right?
7. From Zion NP to Vegas we would like to take a quick swim in lake Mead. Where can we do that?

Ok, this is it for now :) Tnx for reading and maby answering.

Have a nice day.

[Midwest Michael]

Hi :)
1. Where on CA1 can we swim in the ocean. I've read that north of LA the water is too cold for normal people. We'll stay one night in LA and i need some sugestions for a hotel near a nice beach with not so many people.

You need to understand that all of California is cold water beaches - which is a function of Ocean currents. Even in Southern California the water temperature rarely reaches 70 degrees, but during the late summer when you'll be traveling, that should be fine. Here's a good review of your options.

2. We'll buy camping gear in SF somewere. We need everything from tent to cooler to air mattress to chairs... Yes i like to be comfortable even on camping. Can i get all this in Walmart Supercenter Store in SF? And at the end of our trip i woud like to donate this gear. How can i do that without running all over SF to find some donation center. Can i leave that somewere on the airport?

Yes, you can get pretty much everything at Walmart - although you might want to look at at sporting goods store if you want more selection or higher quality - but you can certainly get all the basics there.

You certainly can't just leave stuff at the airport (that applies to pretty much anything these days), I'd try to locate a Goodwill or a Salvation Army which are two of the bigger names when it comes to taking donations.

3. Rentacars allow driving thru Moki Dugway right?

You'll need to check the specifics of your rental contact - but I know others have made the trip in a rental.

4. Seeing LA will be mostly through windshield. But i would like to walk on Walk of fame. Is parking a problem in the LA center?

Hollywood/Walk of Fame really isn't LA Center, but you shouldn't have too much trouble parking - LA is car capital of the world afterall - I know I've parked in a ramp right at the Kodak Theatre, but I'm sure there are plenty of other options.

5. While reading some posts here i came across a word that i can't get out of my mind now. MONSOON SEASON. Should I be worried about that?

Trust me - that one sounds far worse than it is. Basically, that refers to the rainy season in the desert, where the weather pattern actually brings moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the southwest. However, even there, I don't think you'll be traveling in an area that's even impacted by it (unless you decide to go more towards the Phoenix area).

6. Time zones end/start are marked with signs by the road right?

Usually, although in this case, all of your time zone changes will also be state lines - you'll change you clock when ever you enter or exit Utah.

[glc]

Note that in the summer, Arizona is a bit different - Daylight Savings Time is only observed on the Indian reservations, the rest of the state is on standard time year round. This map may be helpful.

I would recommend you inquire locally before taking the Moki. It may be pretty nasty if it's rained recently and/or it hasn't been graded in a while.

[CalOldBlue]

Since you'll be doing this in the summer, not backpacking, and not sleeping at altitude, basic 'car camping' sleeping bags and other gear should be fine; otherwise I'd recommend hitting a place like REI for serious gear.

The large stores where you should be able to find your gear include Walmart, KMart and Target, among others. You'll want to pick up your car first (more thoughts on that below).

San Francisco is not Walmart country, nor is San Mateo county (where the airport is, and the next county you'll pass through as you head south). In Santa Clara and Monterey counties there will be Walmarts; but you may want to do some web research beforehand to have a plan on which one(s) you'll want to hit.

You'll be covering a lot of miles, so you want to consider your rental contract in terms of free miles/day or unlimited miles.

You also should shop around to see if you can get a better rate at the airport or other locations (sometimes the airport is more expensive).

Have a great trip!

[MihaT.]

Thank you Michael
#6 Yes I know Utah is not on PST. The Indian reservation time (as glc mentioned) puzzled me. More specifically on the road from Desert view to Page. Because we will go on Antelope canyon tour and we don't want to be late.

Thank you glc
So Moki road isn't always good. At the hotel in Monument valley or somewhere in Mexican hat will know about the current condition of the road right? I don't want to risk it on a bad road, especially going up hill.


Thank you CalOldBlue
I was looking at Walmart Supercenter Store in American Canyon, CA. But i saw that they have free shipping from online store to any store. So i will probably order online and then pick up somewhere on the road from SF to Cambria where we will be camping for the first time. Hmmm, having said that, this doesn't feel so wise anymore. I'll have to check their "Site to Store" policy.

Yes, unlimited miles is the first thing i check.

We'll probably stay at a hotel in SF that has a free shuttle bus service from the airport, so we won't have to rent a car on the first day at the airport. We'll see where will be the cheapest.

[Southwest Dave]

Hi Miha,

The Moki can get a washboard effect and be rutted if there has been heavy rains making it a little "interesting," but generally speaking it isn't too bad. [As you saw in the report we took the RV down there]. You should be able to pick up some local intel on the condition if there has been heavy rains prior to your arrival, and if you don't like the look of it you can always turn around and go the longer way around, it's a very short drive from Mexican hat to the start of the Moki.

There is an REI that Don mentioned in SF so it will be worth investigating, to compare costs against hassle. I see they do tents for less than $100.

We stayed at the Best Western Grosvenor airport Hotel and it offered superb value for money when we travelled. We booked direct and saved quite a bit on Internet site prices too. It was a while ago so make sure you do your homework.

[MihaT.]

Ok. Moki is an option that we will decide on the road.

Yes, i looked at Best Western Grosvenor hotel and it's about 150$/day incl. tax + parking fee. That seems reasonable for SF. And you get complimentary breakfast if you book through their website and they have free shuttle bus from/to the airport.
Thank you Dave.

[glc]

I just dug out my road atlas with a listing of all Walmart stores. You have several options between SFO and Monterey. There are regular stores in Mountain View, San Jose, Marina, and Salinas - and Supercenters in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. I don't know how much better the selection would be at a Supercenter - the main differences are the Supercenters have a full grocery and are generally open 24 hours. I do know that for camping equipment they carry the Coleman brand and Ozark Trail, which is their private label.

I don't think I'd use the ship to store - I'd just go in and buy off the shelf.

Antelope Canyon is on MST year-round, same as the south rim of the GC.

[Southwest Dave]

We paid about half that amount for a standard double room with breakfast. It was a while back, but having had a look on their site I see a standard double for around $108 with tax at the end of July 2011.

[CalOldBlue]

I assume you're going to want to do some hiking in places like Arches and other Southwest parks. A few things to include in your "Walmart list":

Duct tape for emergency tent and air mattress repairs.
Day pack for hiking.
Several water botttles.
Moleskin (and scissors) and elastic bandages ("Band aids") for blisters.
Sunscreen.
Flashlights (plus a headlamp or two from somebody like Petzl; great for reading in bed and when you need your hands free in the dark).
Spare batteries for all the above.

As for water. It can get really hot on the trail (especially in the Southwest parks). You're going to want and NEED water. I probably need more water than most people, but I usually carry 3 liters (quarts) of water (in 3, 1-liter bottles) if I'm going to be hiking all day. I carry two in my pack and one hanging from my belt on a carabiner so it's handy for taking a quick drink (water you don't drink isn't doing you any good).

On one hike, 3 liters wasn't enough. My wife and I hiked 4-6 miles in Supai canyon on a hot day. Thankfully close to the turnaround we ran into one of the tribe members selling Gatorade for $5 a bottle out of a cooler. Best $10 I ever spent, as our water was about gone and we were only halfway done.

As for footwear; unless you're going off-trail decent athletic shoes will be fine.

Hiking in a National Park is the best way to really experience the park, I highly suggest (depending on your time and fitness level) that you try to do as much as possible.

One more thing: since we're talking hiking options; check out this thread.