Arizona/California road trip - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

chazola · #1 11-23-2011, 11:01 AM

Hi, I had a holiday in Arizona/Nevada a few years ago and loved the areas I visited and the long drives on desert roads- I was in Sedona/Grand Canyon/Flagstaff/near Area 51 (also did Vegas and it wasn't for me), I'd like to go back next year if funds allow and see some bits of Arizona I missed last time and go on to California. My idea is to fly into Phoenix and hire a car, drive to Tuscon to visit the PIMA air and space museum, up to Sedona again, Mojave, Death Valley, then ending in San Francisco hopefully seeing the Redwood forests too.

I'll be on a bit of a budget, and travelling solo... probably driving a bland eco sedan so not quite as fun as in an old Merc but staying in the cheapest cheerful hotel/motels I can find and eating diner food

If anyone has any must-sees/good places to stay on this route and general advice I'd appreciate it, I'm into nature/scenery and interesting/geeky stuff...

JollyRoger · #2 11-23-2011, 11:32 AM

I did a motorcycle trip that way a few years back. The Joshua Tree National Monument off I-10 is along that way, beautiful area, but it is real wilderness, rattle snakes, etc be careful. Motels in the area are rock bottom cheap. It is a truly unusual area geological speaking.

In Palm Springs, you want to catch CA 18 off 10 into the San Bernadino National Forest, then muck around until you hook up with CA 138, which will take you thru a lot of cool little towns and then into the Los Padre National Forests, one of the most beautiful parts of the US, and then just take the back roads in the LPNF into the Ventura and Santa Barbra areas, from there, hook into the Pac Highway into Frisco, which also routes you completely around LA. You can also do 5 up to Yosemite from the same area. After you get past Frisco, just follow the Pac up into Oregon, blow your mind. I camped out a lot on that route and saved a bundle on hotels and loved every minute of it, lots of beautiful state and national campgrounds along the way, especially in Yosemite. One hell of a motorcycle trip.

MTI · #3 11-23-2011, 12:15 PM

What time of year will you be touring? I understand that BA has a direct from Heathrow to Phoenix.

chazola · #4 11-23-2011, 12:38 PM

Cheers JollyRoger, your suggestions sound good, touring on a bike must've been great.

MTI- yea, BA go direct to PHX -will probably be around March/April, slightly off-season before it gets really hot- I don't mind desert heat, preferable to the humidity the East coast gets, but obviously I don't want to be in the hottest parts of the year...

pj67coll · #5 11-23-2011, 12:41 PM

How long is your trip? Your detour down to Tucson is a bit out of the way just for that museum.

- Peter.

elchivito · #6 11-23-2011, 12:53 PM

While I can't imagine going to Sedona twice, I know there are lots of people who do. Think about a bit of a splurge and try The Canyon Wren B and B or go really upscale and stay at Garland's Lodge. Both places are up in the canyon. Garland's is very old, very quiet, very small and the chef there is awesome. Breakfast and dinner is included in the price. They're always full though, so reservations even 6 months out would be iffy. They close Nov-March I think.

chazola · #7 11-23-2011, 01:29 PM

yea, visiting Sedona again would probably just be for nostalgic reasons, I could easily miss it out this time 'round.

The PIMA air/space museum is somewhere I've always wanted to visit so I don't mind going a bit out of my way to see it. I drove almost the whole length of Germany a few years ago just to visit a U-boat for an hour! I'd get a flight straight into Tuscon but most UK-AZ direct flights go into PHX.

pj67coll · #8 11-23-2011, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chazola

yea, visiting Sedona again would probably just be for nostalgic reasons, I could easily miss it out this time 'round.

The PIMA air/space museum is somewhere I've always wanted to visit so I don't mind going a bit out of my way to see it. I drove almost the whole length of Germany a few years ago just to visit a U-boat for an hour! I'd get a flight straight into Tuscon but most UK-AZ direct flights go into PHX.

Ah I see. Actually that makes sense. The U-boat visit is one I'd like to do someday myself.

- Peter.

Mike D · #9 11-23-2011, 02:39 PM

How long are you staying? I could map you out a couple of different ways/routes to travel.

What time of year? It makes a BIG difference in where you want to go.

chazola · #10 11-23-2011, 03:06 PM

probably about a week, looking to travel in spring before it gets too hot...

elchivito · #11 11-23-2011, 01:49 PM

I don't know if you're a wine drinker or not, but the Verde Valley has a fledgling but growing wine industry. Between Sedona and the old Mountain mining town of Jerome there are about 20 tasting rooms and a number of vineyards to visit. Some excellent wines are being made. Here's the page run by the Verde Valley Wine Grower's Consortium.

Verde Valley Wine Trail located between Sedona, Jerome, Cottonwood

panZZer · #12 11-23-2011, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chazola

Hi, I had a holiday in Arizona/Nevada a few years ago and loved the areas I visited and the long drives on desert roads- I was in Sedona/Grand Canyon/Flagstaff/near Area 51 (also did Vegas and it wasn't for me), I'd like to go back next year if funds allow and see some bits of Arizona I missed last time and go on to California. My idea is to fly into Phoenix and hire a car, drive to Tuscon to visit the PIMA air and space museum, up to Sedona again, Mojave, Death Valley, then ending in San Francisco hopefully seeing the Redwood forests too.

I'll be on a bit of a budget, and travelling solo... probably driving a bland eco sedan so not quite as fun as in an old Merc but staying in the cheapest cheerful hotel/motels I can find and eating diner food

If anyone has any must-sees/good places to stay on this route and general advice I'd appreciate it, I'm into nature/scenery and interesting/geeky stuff...

If possible get a small SUV and take the senators HwY from nw of pheonix to Prescott,-it was a stage coach road--the main route at one time, its still there and not supprisingly ends up right in the old historic section of Prescott( elchiveto's granddad ran a mule train up and down it). JT area I could tell you of stuff to fill in a week if you got 4wd. besides giant rock and the Integratron theres little known canyons like ruby canyon -(ever see the movie with Robert Redford and Robert Blake -"Tell em Willie Boy is here"-
Willie is planted back in ruby-I never did find the little monument but the 10 mile jeep trail is got 5 miles of whoop-t-do's and a blast the day after a rain- splash splash splash,which only happens in winter. Theres a real cool mining camp back in Burnz canyon....... if you do go see Joshua Tree dont miss 49 palms oasis-right off 62, it's not in a regular entrance to the national park-but is inside.

MTI · #13 11-23-2011, 04:24 PM

Too bad you won't be here in the fall, the 2012 Mercedes Benz Club of America's StarFest will be held in Phoenix in October.

Can't Know · #14 11-23-2011, 05:14 PM

Are you more of a "scenery" guy or a "things man built" guy?

If you like scenery, the drive up the coast of CA on Highway 1 is more than an all-day affair, but worth it, and that time of year it should be pretty clear (though you never know). Of course if you're starting from northern AZ, you'd have to backtrack a little south to jump on it out near Thousand Oaks, but as I say it's worth it if you like the scenery. Stay in the TO area, then get up early and hit the road. Stay on 1 until after it joins 101 and stay on 101 up through Buellton and Solvang (great wineries in this area too, watch the movie Sideways!) and bypass Lompoc and Vandenberg, cutting back to Highway 1 at/after San Luis Obispo. Stay the night on the coast up towards Carmel, then do the 17 mile drive around the Pebble Beach area before continuing up 1 towards SF. Have the Lobster Roll Sandwich at Sam's Chowderhouse north of Half Moon Bay, then continue up to the City. PM me when you're going to be close and I'll come meet you at Sam's, that's one of the best sandwiches I've ever had (and I'm not a Lobster fan).

And I couldn't tell how much of the Grand Canyon you saw...but it's worth a detour if you haven't visited. The slot canyons in Bryce and Zion (southern Utah) are amazing as well.

A week is hardly enough time to do much of anything other than drive, though.

pj67coll · #15 11-23-2011, 06:17 PM

A week is precious little time to see anything much in AZ and California both. If you are taking BA into Phoenix the flight gets in in the evening if I remember correctly, you will probably have to spend the night in Phoenix then drive to Tucson the second day. If you check out the Pima and maybe the Titan that will likely take up most of the day. Will you then overnight in Tucson? That puts you into the third day already before you start driving to California, already halfway into your trip. If you are not taking BA direct but land somewhere else in the country, maybe you can get a connecting flight to Tucson and rent a car from there. That would shave a day off of just highway driving.

- Peter.