San Francisco to New Orleans - Advice tips

[paulyw]

Hi All,
Hope this is posted in correct forum. We plan to arrive in San Francisco from UK on May 10th for a 17 day trip as follows:
Days 1-3 San Francisco
Day 4 San Francisco to Big Sur (Pacific Highway)
Day 5 Big Sur to Yosemite
Day 6 Yosemite
Day 7 Yosemite to Furnace Creek
Day 8 Furnace Creek to Grand Canyon via Kingman
Day 9 Grand Canyon to Santa Fe via Monument Valley
Day 10 Santa Fe
Day 11 Santa Fe towards San Antonio - Stop where?
Day 12 to San Antonio
Day 13 San Antonio to New Orleans
We are both experienced drivers happy to split the longer drives-and hope to hire a Mustang- although we cannot get any of the major companies to guarantee one at the moment-does this look feasible? We do want to spend time in SF and NO (Would love to fly onto Miami/FL Keys but time prevents it - unless from Santa Fe we flew to NO (via Denver) leaving out the long (and less interesting??)drive from Santa Fe to New Orleans Any input gratefully received THANK YOU

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I think you've done an excellent job of planning.

The only area I think you might be a little rushed is the Grand Canyon, since you're planning fairly long driving days both before and after your night there. You might want to spend Night 9 somewhere closer to Monument Valley (perhaps Farmington NM), so you'll have more of the morning at GC before getting back on the road.

The direct route from Santa Fe to San Antonio goes right by Carlsbad Caverns, so that might be a stop to consider, then spend the night somewhere in West Texas like Pecos or Fort Stockton.

You're probably not going to get any rental car company to guarantee a Mustang, as the major car companies generally do not promise any specific model, unless you are paying a significant extra fee for a specialty collection. Plus, many times such specialty vehicles are not available for one way rentals.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I see no glaring problems with your proposed drives. But I do kind of wonder why you're going so far out of your way to go through San Antonio on the way to New Orleans when at best you could only spend a few hours there. As for where to stop on the way between Santa Fe and San Antonio, I would think that Abilene, although a bit off the direct route (Note that Michael and I disagree on what constitutes the 'direct' route. That's simply an indication that you usually have a few choices of how to get from point 'A' to point 'B'.) would offer the best choices of lodging, something to do in the evening, and give you the best chance of arriving in San Antonio with a little daylight left.

No rental agency is going to guarantee you any particular make/model of car, especially on a one-way rental where the car will be leaving their lot for an indeterminate period of time. They will always come with the proviso "or similar" (and guess who decides what's 'similar'). The only way to guarantee a particular model is to rent through a specialty car hire company, and then guess what? - you have to return it to them, no one-way rentals! Your best bet is to contact the actual location from which you'll be renting the vehicle (SFO in your case) and ask them what's in their fleet and what they normally have on hand for one-ways such as yours. That's not a guarantee, but it should give you an idea of your odds.

AZBuck

[paulyw]

Hi Michael,
Thanks for that input-Farmington looks like a wise move and Carlsbad Caverns was indeed thought about and again makes sense, I will see what else is suggested over the next few days and post our final plan for you to see. Thank you again for good advice

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I think you've done an excellent job of planning.

The only area I think you might be a little rushed is the Grand Canyon, since you're planning fairly long driving days both before and after your night there. You might want to spend Night 9 somewhere closer to Monument Valley (perhaps Farmington NM), so you'll have more of the morning at GC before getting back on the road.

The direct route from Santa Fe to San Antonio goes right by Carlsbad Caverns, so that might be a stop to consider, then spend the night somewhere in West Texas like Pecos or Fort Stockton.

You're probably not going to get any rental car company to guarantee a Mustang, as the major car companies generally do not promise any specific model, unless you are paying a significant extra fee for a specialty collection. Plus, many times such specialty vehicles are not available for one way rentals.

[paulyw]

Hi AZ

Thanks for input-San Antonio was somewhere we both thought about- It might be more famous in England than it deserves to be plus we liked the idea of heading South before going East!! Regards to the Rental I think that's what we will do speak direct to the company on site and try and personalise it- You are more likely to help someone you have already spoken to- Thanks again for your input Paul

[Southwest Dave]

You will be able to get from Yosemite to Furnace creek the same day, but it's worth noting that the most direct route [and most popular] over Tioga pass [CA120] will most likely still be closed due to winter snow accumulation in the mountains. You would in this case have to head south and go around the mountains via Bakersfield, making it quite a full day on the road. You could consider staying just south of Yosemite in Oakhurst on day 6, which would offer cheaper lodgings and a bit of a head start for your onward journey.