3 months coast to coast

[DariusK]

Hello again,
So we have been doing some research and have some questions we have trouble finding answers to.
1.As I understand toll roads require different pass in different state, but maybe there is a way around it? as rental companies seem to charge a fee for a transponder.
2.Another one connected with car rental is insurance, I read that it is best to get the maximum coverage one, but rental companies prices again are very high maybe you know some companies that a re selling good/trustworthy insurance?
3.Also in Europe if you don't take insurance from rental company they are blocking a much higher security deposit on your card, is this the case in USA as well?

Thank you.

[DariusK]

The booklets with the discount coupons are only for walk-ins. No prior booking, but it pays to turn up early. If you turn up at 9pm you may find all the coupon rooms have gone.

In areas of high tourist traffic, such as the national parks, and at times of State or National holidays, it pays to always book, but otherwise, often you can still find a room at a reasonable rate without booking.

Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) and around the Fourth of July are times when I would have my bookings in place well beforehand. So make sure you plan to know where you will be at those times.

Slowly you will learn all the possibilities open to you. It really is not all that complex.

Lifey

I couldn't find more information about those booklets, so they are just located at the reception of a place or how it works? ;] sorry if it seems like a stupid question, but never encountered such things before.
Thank you!

[glc]

Most but not all toll roads do accept cash, you don't necessarily have to have a transponder. EZ-Pass is the closest to being universal - Current E-ZPass States: Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia. Other states have their own systems. There are some transponders that work everywhere, but they are primarily for trucking fleets.

The coupon discount books for hotels can be found at Interstate highway rest areas, usually inside the building in a rack near the door or near the tourist brochures.

[DonnaR57]

Another place for the coupon discount booklets are at truck stops/travel centers. One rule of thumb is to stop at the state Information Center when you first pull into a new state. On an interstate highway, this is usually the first rest area you come to. On a US highway, it may be in a town or city someplace. Look for a pedestal or "newspaper machine" that doesn't take coins. Sometimes there will be more than one brand of coupon book guide -- take a copy of each. Most will cover more than one state, centering on a region such as "California-Nevada-Arizona", "Washington-Oregon-Idaho-Montana" etc.

Note that these are for lodging only, not covering restaurants. You can save money on restaurants through coupons, but they are usually only the chain restaurants. We've become part of the restaurant "clubs" so that we get emails with coupons from IHOP, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Texas Roadhouse, and a few others. With smartphones, if we want to use one, we just open up that app and pull up the bar code for the coupon. Rarely I'll get an "I'm sorry, we need a printout", which means we're out of luck for that one. But it's rare. We also like to eat at local places, which won't offer coupons to tourists just passing through, if at all.


Donna

[DariusK]

Hi again,
Well it took us a while and still not 100% done but this is our route. Also we took your advice and made a loop trip ;]
Route here is in day trips (etc. Detroit - Buffalo means leaving Detroit and staying overnight in Buffalo), places in brackets are stops on the way, d = how many days we stay in that location.

3d Chicago - Detroit - Buffalo (Niagara Falls) - (Watkins Glen Park )Syracuse - Peacham - (White mountain) Portland - (Boston) Providence - 1d New York - (Philadelphia) 1d Washington - (
Blackwater Falls, Hawks Nest Park) Fayetteville - (Asheville) Athens - Savannah - Orlando - 2d Miami? (Big Cypress Preserve) - Tampa - Panama City - 3d New Orleans - 1d Houston - (The Narrows) Austin - (Pedernales Falls Park) Midland - (Carlsbad Caverns) El Paso - (White Sands) Albuquerque - Colorado Springs - (Garden of the Gods) Jackson - 3d Yellowstone - Twin Falls - (Salt Lake City) Provo - 2d Canyonlands/Arches Park - Farmington - (De Na Zin) Chinle - 2d Antelope Canyon - 3d Bryce Canyon/Zyon - Beatty - Death Valley - Joshua Tree Park - (San Diego) San Clemente - 1d Santa Monica - Sequoia National Park - (Big Sur) Mon Terey - 2d Yosemite National Park - 1d San Francisco - Fort Bragg - Gold Beach - (Cape Perpetua) 1d Portland - (Lost Lake) Washtucna - 1d Glacier National Park - Lewistown - (Theodore Roosevelt Park) Belfields - Rapid City - (Badlands Park) Mineapolis - Chicago

What are your thoughts?
I know we missed Grand Canon and we are thinking how to incorporate that in to our trip and also is it worth it?
Main questions we have is about some routes:
1.What is the best way to get to Yellowstone, maybe there is more scenic route or it doesn't matter too much and would be great to hear just some general advice how to visit this park?
2. From Page to Bryce Canyon Park is it worth taking the route through Smokey Mountain Rd and then to UT-12? Or taking US-89 is scenic as well?
3. About route CA-1 Google Maps doesn't allow me to travel through in along the whole coast is there a reason to that?
4. The biggest zig zag we have is from LA to Sequoia to Big Sur to Yosemite to San Francisco, any ideas who to see all these locations but in a better way? (attached image)
CA_trip_issue.jpg

Thank you!

[DonnaR57]

3. About route CA-1 Google Maps doesn't allow me to travel through in along the whole coast is there a reason to that?

That's because it's not completely open yet after mudslides knocked out bridges and portions of the road. Keep an eye on CA Dept of Transportion Highway Information Site. It's usually pretty spot-on with current information when it comes to CA-1/PCH.


Donna

[Midwest Michael]

What are your thoughts?

There are a number of cases where you are really flying through places, and are going to struggle to see much at the pace you're setting, and could very well end up exhausted. For example, it would appear that you're planning to get from Portland to Washington, while seeing Boston, NY, and Philly, over the course of 4 days? Not impossible, but it also doesn't sound very rewarding. Sometimes visiting fewer places, but actually getting to enjoy them, is a far better option.

But even more importantly, the advantage of doing a loop trip is that you can avoid a lot of the zig-zagging north and south - and yet you've still got a plan that very much has you bouncing north and south, rather needlessly. The most notable example is how you're going from El Paso to Jackson over the course of 3 days, and then turning around and heading back south - going back to New Mexico!

1.What is the best way to get to Yellowstone, maybe there is more scenic route or it doesn't matter too much and would be great to hear just some general advice how to visit this park?

I would completely change where Yellowstone falls in your trip. It would make a lot more sense to me to visit it between Glacier and the Dakotas. Most of Yellowstone itself is layed out in a figure-8, so seeing the park itself is pretty simple. I would leave time to explore neighboring Grand Teton NP too. As far as getting to Yellowstone, going via the Beartooth Highway is a very scenic way to get in/out of the park, and would make perfect sense as a way to leave the park on the way towards the Dakotas.

I know we missed Grand Canon and we are thinking how to incorporate that in to our trip and also is it worth it?

The Grand Canyon is one of the great natural wonders of the world, so yeah, I'd say it's worth it. I would certainly put it at a higher priority than a lot of the other things that you are going quite a bit out of your way to see.

It would make sense to include it somewhere around Antelope Canyon - which you can only see via Guided Tour, so you don't really need 2 days there. You could visit the North Rim in between Antelope and Zion, but I could also very easily see you rework the Utah section of your trip, and finish up at the South Rim before heading onto California.

4. The biggest zig zag we have is from LA to Sequoia to Big Sur to Yosemite to San Francisco, any ideas who to see all these locations but in a better way?

I would go from Death Valley to Yosemite then down through Sequoia (and maybe Joshua Tree, or trim that stop out) on your way to San Diego, then head back up the coast. That will allow you to go over Tioga Pass and explore the high country of Yosemite.

As Donna mentioned, Google won't allow you to map CA-1 because of road closures, and there is a good chance that it won't route you over Tioga Pass right now either, as that is currently closed for winter. Just another reminder why you can't solely rely on electronic mapping programs in your planning.

[DariusK]

For example, it would appear that you're planning to get from Portland to Washington, while seeing Boston, NY, and Philly, over the course of 4 days?

We were already discussing this as well. I think you are right and we should make time to see some places more and skip others. As for New York we have been there before couple of times so we would be just there to visit friends, we are not super interested in Philly so that leaves Boston.

But even more importantly, the advantage of doing a loop trip is that you can avoid a lot of the zig-zagging north and south - and yet you've still got a plan that very much has you bouncing north and south, rather needlessly. The most notable example is how you're going from El Paso to Jackson over the course of 3 days, and then turning around and heading back south - going back to New Mexico!

I see your point will have to rethink this part of the trip. Thank you! We were just thinking how to avoid peak seasons in the park so that drove us to visit it earlier rather than later.

Just another reminder why you can't solely rely on electronic mapping programs in your planning.

On that note. I was looking for the best USA road atlas maybe you have suggestion which one to get?

Thank you again all of you your help it is invaluable to us.

- - - Updated - - -

That's because it's not completely open yet after mudslides knocked out bridges and portions of the road. Keep an eye on CA Dept of Transportion Highway Information Site. It's usually pretty spot-on with current information when it comes to CA-1/PCH.


Donna

Perfect. Thank you!

[glc]

Rand McNally.

http://roadtripamerica.secureonline.store/atlases-maps/

[DariusK]

Hello again,

First of all thank you for all the tips I hope we incorporated them correctly ;] I also got the atlas map, seems like its very comfortable to use so thanks for that as well GLC.

As for now our trip looks like that:
Starting om 18th of May in Chicago (3d) - Toledo - Cleveland - Niagara Falls - Oneta - Newbury - Portland - Boston - Stamford - Philadelphia - Washington (2d) - Parsons - Kairos Camp - Ashville - Savanna - Orlando (2d) - Miami (1d) - St Petersburg - Panama City - New Orleans (3d) - Houston - San Antonio - Frederichburg - Midlands - El Paso - Santa Fe - Colorado Springs - Grand Junction - Canyon-lands and arches (2d) - De Na Zin - Chinle - Grand Canyon - Antelope - Bryce ( 2d) - Zion (3d) - Las Vegas - Lone Pine - Yosemite (3d) - Sequoia - Joshua Tree (1d) - Pinyon Pines - San Diego - LA (3d) - Morro Bay - Big Sur (1d) - San Francisco (3d) - Fort Brag - Gold Beach - Portland (1d) - Pendelton - Yellowstone (3d) - Billings - Belfield - Rapid City - Pierre - Minneapolis (1d) - Madison - Chicago
Any thoughts?

So far we have the Nation Park pass, the atlas, gps, basic camping equipment. Are there any items that we require to have or something we should definitely take into consideration? Still not sure about those highway passes are they necessary or it is possible to pay by cash/card everywhere for them?
Also one question that is concerning me, do anyone know any insurance companies that sells full insurance for the rental car and the belongings in it, I seem to have a problem finding any?

Once again thank you.
Darius K