6 Week Road Trip - Start and End in LA

[AZBuck]

Let me deal with your last observation/question first. Jamie Jensen's routes in his book, Road Trip USA, follow specific highways from one end to the other. Certainly, they go through some interesting areas, any highway that's long enough will. But their defining 'thing' is following a number, in the case of the Pacific Coast route, US-101. To be fair, on this particular route, he follows CA-1 between San Francisco and Santa Barbara. But what he doesn;t show you is anything even 10 miles from the road. You can drive US-101/CA-1 all the way down the coast, but it will be slow going and will bypass Mt. Shasta, Sacramento, and Yosemite on the drive south. I'd strongly recommend that you stick with your original plan rather than just follow a highway number.

As to how far out from a given park you'll have to stay to get a decent rate, that depends on a trade-off between your definition of 'far' and your definition of 'decent rate'. So in the end, this is a decision only you can make. I will say that it has been my experience that if I'm willing to drive an hour to get to the park and an hour to get 'home' in the evening, the rates are very reasonable. And I don't consider a couple of hours spent getting to/from a day long experience of a lifetime a heavy penalty. As a rule you'll find your best deals in moderately sized towns where motels don't have to rely on seasonal business and where there is some competition. Unfortunately, Yosemite is far enough into the 'wilderness' that something will have to give. I don't think you'd find really good rates until you got out along CA-49 in Mariposa and/or Moccasin, and even there they won't be cheap especially in high season. To be honest, I looked at some rates and I think I'd be inclined to settle in Moccasin at the most modest motel I could stand, but book one night in the park itself. That way I could spend two nearly full days in the park, and one unforgettable night, while saving a significant chunk on the other nights.

AZBuck

[glc]

Is "camping" in the tent cabins in Curry Village out of the question? That's not really camping unless she is insisting on a private bathroom.

[Lifemagician]

I found another website and found this route (http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/pa...ificcoast.html). This takes us from Seattle to San Fran, the only thing I'm worried about would be are we missing anything inland in Oregon or Northern CA that we should see?

As Buck has already said, Jensen's trips focus on the road and the environment immediately around it. The roads which he describes were the main routes before the present system of Interstate highways was built.

I have driven two of the routes completely, and much of several others. With the book by my side, it has been possible to make sure I do not miss any of the local points of interest along the road. Yes, you may miss some of the much visited attractions, but you are likely to see much of local America, and meet the locals. All of which will give you a real feeling of having been to America. (But having said that, with frequent (compulsory) trips to North America, I have the luxury of seeing the other attractions at another time.)

If you do choose to take, at least some of CA-101, and you get to the area around Fortuna, Northern CA, be sure to take a side trip on CA-211 to Cape Mendocino. This is the most western point of the 48 States, and quite spectacular with it's black beaches and black rocks. The road will then take you back to the Humboldt Redwoods SP, where you will find the Avenue of Giants - a must see in my book!

The road to Cape Mendocino has many elevated points which give spectacular views over the ocean - the highest been almost 3000'. It is not a fast road, but a very interesting side trip.

And will the coast get boring?

That of course is not a question anyone here could answer. What you find boring, may be of great interest to others, and vice versa.

Lifey