Trip from MI to CA

[jgilbert]

My boyfriend and I are taking a road trip from Ann Arbor, Mi, to Huntington Beach, CA to visit his friend. We know that we want to stop in Colorado, and Vegas, but I was looking for some suggestions on best routes, best stops, anything fun along the way? any cool cities or places to camp. We thought that we would drive pretty hard the first day, and then cruise, and try to camp or sleep in the car to save some money. Does anyone have any suggestions??

[Mass Tim]

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

How much time do you have for your trip? It's about 2500 miles, one way, so figure on 4-5 days of driving for that. When you say "drive hard" the first day, what do you mean by that? If it's trying to put on the miles to "make time", then I can assure you that is one way to add unnecessary stress to your trip.

Your first day's stop should put you somewhere near Des Moines, the second near Fort Morgan, CO. Third and fourth days - Salina, UT and Las Vegas, respectively, then day five to Huntington Beach, CA. This is by the quickest route.

What kind of things are you interested in? What kind of budget are you looking at for this trip? Certainly you are trying to save money by getting lodging on the cheap or free, but how close are you really cutting it? What do you have for fuel and food, as well as any unplanned purchases?

[jgilbert]

We have about 14 days, and we are interested in all kinds of things, we definitely want to go hiking in colorado. By drive hard I mean don't stop and look and do any activities. We are wanting to keep it within 1,000, but we have some extra if we need it. We are an active couple who like to do just about anything, and are 23. We are staying with a friend in vegas, so we won't need to spend anything on lodging there, but I am sure we will spend some on a little gambling and booze ( ha ha) I have never been to a casino, so I am not a large gambler but I will probably spend a little. Thank you for your help!